My name is Melanie
A professional doggie nanny
My family
I am 33 years old, I love nature and I have been looking after dogs professionally since 09/08/24 with my partner, Jean-Philippe, with whom I have shared my life for 16 years. I have held the Certificate of Knowledge of Domestic Species Pets since 29/07/2024. I have always loved animals and especially dogs, hence my specialization.
My animals are an integral part of my family, I consider them as my children and I do my best to pamper them and make them as happy as possible by meeting their needs. I have two dogs and a cat.
- Pia (pictured with me), is a 13-year-old sterilized cocker/dachshund/labrador cross, she has a character and does not get along with all females, especially those who are not sterilized; however, she sometimes tolerates them as long as they respect her peace and quiet. She is an old granny, who no longer has all her teeth, who has to wear diapers indoors, and has difficulty getting around, which is why we are equipped with a bicycle trailer/stroller to allow her to still enjoy our walks in her old age.
- Viking (in video on the home page), is a guard dog, a 4-year-old German shepherd/border collie cross, he is a lovely dog, very well socialized, very cuddly and very playful. He loves to exercise, which is why we walk him every day and make him do cani-vtt once a week, his great passion. We play a lot with him (throwing toys, hide-and-seek toys, bonneteau, ...) and teach him lots of fun tricks. Viking has trouble tolerating entire males most of the time, but we are currently working on the subject so that this is the case.
- Little cat, is a 6 year old alley cat, that we took in after he fell from the roof, onto our doorstep, skin and bones, after being abandoned there by his mother. He lives most of his time outside, except in winter when he comes to enjoy the warmth. Our dogs like to run after him, I must say ^^', but he is still a fairly wild cat that we don't really see except when it is time to eat his kibble.
To educate my dogs, I read books and articles, watched many videos and even followed a dog training course with Educ dog. I love to continue to learn about the subject and plan to take the training to obtain the certificate of aptitude for owning categorized dogs and become a professional in dog training.
The welcome I reserve
My ambition is to welcome the dogs I take in as I would like mine to be welcomed if I had to entrust them. When a dog is welcomed into the home, we treat him/her as if he/she were our own, trying of course to get as close as possible to his/her daily habits so as not to be too disturbed. He/she lives with us in the house, sleeps there and has access to the outdoor spaces on request since I am present most of the time. Indeed, this activity complements my salaried activity as an after-school activity leader which allows me to be there many mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends and holidays. I walk them at least once a day between 20 min and 2h30 depending on the dog's abilities, the weather and the time available. I avoid leaving a foster dog alone at all costs, I always keep an eye on him/her, and take him/her with me as soon as possible. If this is not possible, if he/she is not likely to run away, attack our animal neighbors or bark all day, I leave him/her with my dogs outside the house. Otherwise, and as a last resort, I have a small makeshift cabin just in case so that he/she is safe during my rare absences.