BarkMeow Pet Sitting

03/02/2023

01/11/2023

On February 3rd I will have officially been in business for an entire year! Over this year I have had the pleasure of caring for 50 dogs and 27 cats. I made 77 new friends in 2022 🥳

There will be a slight price increase that will take effect February 3, 2023. Old prices will be honoured for any services currently booked for after February 3rd.

Website will be updated to reflect new prices ASAP.

Thanks pet parents ❤️

01/01/2023

🥳Happy New Year🥳

Wishing nothing but the very best for all my amazing clients in this new year ❤️ Thank you all for being so wonderful to me. I couldn’t have asked for better clients - both furry and human 🥰

Your Pet Sitter,
Michelle 🐶🐱

12/26/2022

Merry Christmas from my fur fam to your fur fam ❤️🎄🎅

Note included: Harley. She wanted no part of Christmas fun.

11/28/2022

Hey all!

I will be soaking up the sun in Mexico from Dec 1st-8th ☀️🌊

All inquires during that time frame will be responded to starting on December 9th.

Also, just in case you are thinking of booking for within the next few months…my schedule is filling up quickly for the months of December and January.

Looking forward to seeing you all when I return!!

- Michelle 💕

11/12/2022

I hope everyone was able to take 2 minutes of silence today to reflect on what a privilege it is to live in Canada because of those who fought for our freedoms, including the working animals who played such vital roles in the war.

🌹

10/11/2022

Couldn’t have said it better myself 🙌🏼

08/17/2022

This is Randi who escaped from the parking lot Tuesday August 16, 2022 late afternoon Could be in the area of Spence Equipment. Please phone 306-441-7971 if you spot her. She is timid so please don’t try to catch her.

08/10/2022

Hero!

When Danielle Eden visited a shelter in Israel, she never thought she would be leaving with 250 dogs. But after seeing how horrific the dogs...

08/01/2022

Katy & Bridget 🤗

I had the pleasure of caring for these two cuties last weekend 💕 such friendly and funny kitties!

I have so many cute and funny videos to post.

So many puppies and kitties. So little time.

07/31/2022

If you’re out running errands please consider picking up a bag of Purina Puppy Chow for mama and her puppies ❤️‍🩹

07/29/2022

Billie, Allie, & Buddy 😘

Billie is 13 years old with still so much energy and love to give. He was always so, so excited to see me.

Allie is a little shy at first but her shyness goes right out the window when it’s soft food time!

Buddy is so, so sweet! All he wants is love. Love and food.

07/29/2022

Oh my GOSH 😍😍😍 Molly!! Molly would be mine if I didn’t have 4 kitties.

07/28/2022

Lexi & Tikka💞

I had the privilege of caring for these two for 5 nights. They are a hilarious duo. Stay tuned for some Tikka & Lexi vids 🤗

07/27/2022

If you have a reactive dog this is a very good little read to understand them a bit better.

I know how hard it can be do have a reactive dog. To feel embarrassed to walk them, fearful of getting bit or biting guests. We did the best we could with what we knew in the early 2000s. Elmo the little poodle never made much progress throughout his life and he got away with that because he was little. A big dog would not have gotten away with the behaviour Elmo displayed. I wish the internet back then was what it is today because this post I am sharing really puts things into perspective and helps you understand things from their point of view. It’s easy to get frustrated and mad at your dog when it is being reactive but doing that is only going to hurt, not help.

REACTIVITY MISUNDERSTOOD
Reactive dogs are often misunderstood. A dog that is reacting to a situation is not trying to be difficult, they are having a difficult time coping with that particular situation and are trying their best to make the scary thing go away.
Reactivity is generally triggered by the emotion of fear. The fear of whatever is scaring them, a fear of a valuable possession being taken away or a fear of a strange person or animal coming into their territory. Anxiety, stress, over excitement, over stimulation, feeling overwhelmed, trigger stacking, or a dog that is tired, in pain or even has chronic itching will often feel irritable and may be reactive in certain situations. If their reactivity is successful in making the scary thing go away, it becomes a rewarding behaviour because it’s something that works for them and it makes them feel better.
It’s not easy to be the owner of a reactive dog. One of my dogs is reactive and I know first-hand how dogs like this can leave you feeling embarrassed, ashamed, angry or frustrated. Why do they have to be so difficult, why can’t they just behave normally? Everyone is looking at me, judging me, thinking that I’m a bad owner, have no training skills, can’t control my dog or have a vicious dog that shouldn’t be taken out in public.
As hard as it may be, we need to take the focus off how we as owners feel about their reactivity and focus on how our dogs are feeling and what is causing their reaction. Whatever it is, it’s not something our dogs can overcome on their own and we need to take steps to help them cope. Reactive dogs need compassion, understanding, management, force free, positive reinforcement interventions and decompression – (a return to a normal, more relaxed state after a period of intense stress, psychological pressure, or urgent activity). These techniques take time and patience but are so important in helping our dogs to feel safe and learn more acceptable ways of coping.
I have learnt through many mistakes, to recognise what triggers my reactive dog and take steps to either avoid those situations, provide enough distance, or provide her with an alternative choice where she feels safe and in control of her environment. There will always be unexpected triggers around the next corner that are not within our control, but doing all we can to manage these triggers has immeasurable benefits.

07/27/2022

Sorry everyone we’ve got caught up saving lives!

A mama and her 6 pups needed us and my oh my we can’t wait to share their photos!

THE DRAW IS AUGUST 1ST!
So get those etransfers in, donate donate donate!

We are still slaving away to get that vet bill lower! 🌿

With every etrasnfer at a time that’s one step closer to getting the vet bill down!

[email protected]
TEXT;3063131558

07/24/2022

"Intake Freeze" "At Capacity" "No Available Space" "SOS"

These are words we often hear working with animal rescue organizations, but we have NEVER seen a situation like this before. Animal rescues and shelters all across Canada are experiencing extremely high surrender and intake requests but lack the available kennel space, foster homes and adoptive homes to keep up to the demand.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw a record amount of animal adoptions as people were stuck at home, many thinking it was the best time to add a pet to their family. When restrictions were lifted and people returned to their "normal" lives, many pets were surrendered or rehomed due to lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, many of these "pandemic pets" lacked socialization and training, so many animals suffered from separation anxiety and behavioral issues. Animals with medical or behavioral needs take more time, training, vetting and patience while waiting to be adopted to new homes, taking up foster home and kennel space for longer than usual.

Since 2022 is the "first normal summer" since the pandemic, many people are taking advantage of this. Weddings, family reunions, events, festivals and vacations. This has put a strain on staffing and volunteer availability - less people to help care for animals, less foster homes to intake animals in need, less adopters as people are busy enjoying their summer. Volunteer availability and adoptions typically slow down during the summer but this year has been like no other.

Now, add in the rising cost of living and people are being forced to give up their pets as they can barely afford to pay their bills or feed themselves.

The animal welfare industry is in crisis.

Canine Action Project is not an adoption organization. We do not have foster homes, we do not adopt out animals. When animals from our partner communities are surrendered to us, we place them with reputable rescue groups that will take care of the animal's vetting needs and place the animal up for adoption to be rehomed.

We currently have a Surrender Wait List of 58 dogs/puppies and 20 cats/kittens from our various partner communities... and there is no where to send them because all of the rescues and SPCAs are at capacity. We have never seen it like this before.

What can you do to help?
✅ Volunteer with your local animal rescue or SPCA
✅ Foster - great opportunity to get a "pet" fix if you're unable to commit to owning an animal. Some fosters are only needed for 2 weeks, some are a few months
✅ Adopt from a reputable rescue or SPCA if you are looking to add a new pet to your family (But please consider the time, money and effort that an animal requires)
✅ Spay/Neuter your pets - there are so many unwanted litters :(
✅ Donate to your local animal rescue or SPCA - caring for animals takes a considerable amount of money and the majority of these organizations rely on volunteers, fundraising and donations
✅ Be responsible - if your pet isn't spayed/neutered, keep them contained to prevent unplanned breeding.

Please remember that the animal welfare industry is extremely under-resourced across North America. We are all doing the best we can with the limited resources available.

07/21/2022

Stella 🫶🏼

I wish I had more time with sweet Stella. Her pet parent mentioned that Stella was adopted from the shelter twice and both families returned her due to being aggressive. She didn’t display any signs of aggression whatsoever throughout the time we spent together, which was a total of four days.

It’s so important to be educated on canine body language if you own a dog or plan on owning a dog so you can understand what they are communicating to you. Dogs do communicate with us… we just have to know how to listen.

07/19/2022

Okay, last one.

I’m on a posting frenzy today 🙃

I have too many pictures that are too cute not to post 🥰

07/19/2022

Loona has my heart ♥️

07/19/2022

The many faces of Loona. She’s such an expressive pup!

07/19/2022

Little Miss Loona 🥰

Loona is the sweetest girl I think I’ve ever met!

Things I’ve learned about Loona:

▫️She is the most snuggly girl ever. If she could crawl inside your skin to be as close to you as possible, she would.

▫️When you stop petting her she will paw at you for more. She would like constant pets 24/7.

▫️Just as obsessed with the laser as Knox!

▫️Super fussy eater. She’s a sensitive girl.

All Loona needs is love ❤️

07/19/2022

Knox is all smiles 🤩

What I learned about Knox:

▫️This girl is laser focused. Literally. She lives to chase lasers. She would instantly look for the laser as soon as we went outside.

▫️She does a happy dance (I call it tap dancing) when I ask if she’s hungry or if she wants a treat.

▫️She doesn’t need a lot of snuggles but she loves to be around you. She will initiate playing by bringing a toy to you to throw for her.

▫️If I am being too slow at feeding time, she will boop me on the arm to be faster 😂

07/19/2022

Loona, Knox, & Bougie 😍 the pups appearing on my stories as of late. I had the pleasure of caring for them for 14 days. Gorgeous dogs and super easy to care for 🥰

07/18/2022

❗️❗️❗️

WE NEED FOSTERS!

We are at risk of closing our doors AGAIN!! We have over 90 cats in care currently and another 23 baby kittens on the waitlist!!!!

Adoptions are at an all time low (less than 10 since May) and intakes are at an all time high, many cats in need of rescue now are at risk of euthanasia or being left on the streets because there is simply nowhere to put them.

We do not have a shelter, only foster homes and some of our satellite adoption centres (Yorkton & Melville).

Please private message us or email if you can:

-foster a minimum of 2 weeks
-foster at least one fixed adult cat or 2 kittens
-be able to get to our vet in Melville
-have a seperate space away from your pets (bathroom or spare room) to let them settle

If you can’t foster please consider donating to their medical care and helping us keep them fed with good food until they find their forever families.

[email protected]

💚💚

07/18/2022

❗️FYI ❗️

07/18/2022

❗️Just a heads up ❗️

07/14/2022

So many lost dogs 🥺😢

07/13/2022

07/12/2022

Posting in hopes that someone may recognize him 🤞🏼 At approximately 9:15am I picked up this sweet boy who was running on Territorial near Scott Drive. Poor babe was scared but ran right to me. We drove around the neighbourhood to see if anyone looked like they were looking for a dog but no luck. He is at Battlefords Humane Society. He is SO sweet. Whoever owns this pup is so lucky!