I am pleased to share with you our experiences with Paul Dion, the Pet Whisperer, as our pet-sitter. Paul is a generous, gentle man who took loving care of our very timid Bernese Mountain Dog. Our dog, Schatzi, at 85-pounds, was afraid of his own shadow and was very selective with whom he became friends. We first got to know Paul as a tech in our vet’s office; he is among the few people who Schatzi trusted. When it came to having someone take care of our beloved “first child”, we were grateful that Paul was available.

Paul came to our house several times a day to take care of Schatzi -- not just to feed him and let him out, but to play with him, give him belly rubs, and all of the important things that he missed when we were out of town.  He kept careful notes on our dog’s behavior and alerted us if there was ever any reason for concern.

The most touching part of the story came as our very old dog began to suffer from kidney failure. In January, he was given 3 months to live… with careful care (and luck), he stayed with us throughout that year. It was critical when we went on vacations during that year that we had Paul to look after Schatzi; his training made him more aware of any health issues that might have come up. Finally, at Christmastime, we went across country to be with our families and left Schatzi in Paul’s care. Thanks to Paul’s vigilance, he noticed that Schatzi was dehydrated and (with our consent) took him in for IV fluids. As the days went by, his condition worsened; Paul called us daily and consulted with us on Schatzi’s care. During the times that Schatzi needed comfort and love, Paul stayed with him. He went above and beyond what we could expect from any pet-sitter. We will be forever grateful for his loving care of our dog and will call on him again without hesitation when we need another pet-sitter.

Margaret