If you’re leaving your pet in someone else’s care, you want them to be someone you can trust. Just knowing their background and how they got started can give you peace of mind. You want to know what their experiences are, how long they’ve worked with animals, and the quality of care they can give.
That’s why we want you to meet the owner of Fur and Feather Pet Care, Michelle!
meet michelle, a unique pet sitter for unique pets
Michelle isn’t your average pet sitter. You could fill a book with the experiences she’s had in her time working with animals.
Michelle has been around animals her entire life. She has been an exotic pet and wildlife lover since her childhood. She was lucky enough to grow up with pets that included birds, lizards, rabbits, and guinea pigs. She turned her love of animals into a career as a Registered Veterinary Technician, amassing over 30 years of experience!
Animals are her passion... a passion that led to many exciting experiences. She has worked in wildlife rehabilitation, which has taken her to Malawi and Botswana. She spent time in Costa Rica with Scarlet Macaws. And she worked at the Oakland Zoo (and continues to provide much-needed relief work for them) up until forming the idea for Fur and Feather Pet Care.
Fur and Feather Pet Care was started because Michelle saw a need in the Oakland community. There were lots of people with exotic pets and very few people with the skills to provide professional and attentive pet sitting services. She was ready for a career shift, and the timing felt right, so she went for it. It was just the change she needed, allowing her to continue working with animals, while providing a more flexible schedule.
Michelle doesn’t limit herself to just reptiles and small animals. She also cares for backyard chickens, birds including parrots, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. With non-traditional pets becoming more popular, there is a growing need for pet sitters who are willing and able to take on exotics. If you happen to have a pet that isn’t within her scope, she will recommend someone who can help you.
She brought her years of veterinary medicine experience with her to her new endeavor because the truth is… exotic pets can sometimes have exotic problems. If one of the pets in her care is suffering from a medical emergency, then she’ll recognize it. That may not be something pet sitters who aren’t familiar with exotics can do. With all her experience, nothing phases her, and she knows what to do and who to call in case of an emergency.
what’s in store for fur and feather pet care
Michelle still has big dreams for the direction of her one-woman pet-sitting business. For now, if you book the services of Fur and Feather Pet Care, Michelle will be the one caring for your pet. She would love to eventually have another person on board. That person would need to meet the high standards of Fur and Feather Pet Care. Knowledge and experience with animals and a love for exotic pets are an absolute must. Until the perfect employee comes along, Michelle will gladly stay a solo act to maintain the integrity of her business.
Expanding the number of boarding pets she can take on is another goal. Michelle hopes to be able to expand so she can take on larger exotics and offer boarding service to a larger number of clients. Oakland has a large number of exotic pet enthusiasts who would benefit from a boarding service.
Her dreams don’t end with pet sitting. She would also like to use her expertise to aid local exotic veterinarians in wildlife relief. This would provide greater resources to people who find sick or injured local wildlife and want to help.
Michelle has recently found a new interest. Horses! Her son has become a riding enthusiast, and she has used this as a chance to learn about one of the few species she hasn’t worked with. She has even become inspired to shadow an equine vet tech to learn even more!
Michelle is constantly on the go. She continues to volunteer her time at the animal shelter, working with rabbits, pigeons, and small animals. She continues to educate herself so she can provide the best care to her clients and the animals she volunteers with.
Michelle has had a long and varied career, and she doesn’t have plans to slow down any time soon!
a day in the life at fur and feather pet care
Interested in how the day goes when you’re the only pet sitter? Here’s a peek at a pretty typical day for Michelle. Follow along!
Start off the day by caring for any boarding pets. This includes socializing, feeding, exercise, and enclosure cleaning.
Then Michelle heads off into the world to visit her clients. First up, she’ll socialize with two adorable, shy bunnies. They usually get 30 minute visits, but on this special day, they’re booked for an hour to get some extra stimulation.
Next up she’s got her visit with a young bearded dragon. His visit includes a bath. His enclosure will be spot-cleaned, old food will be removed, and his water will be freshened.
Want to talk about diverse clientele? The next stop has a snake, gecko, fish tank, 2 rabbits, and a cat! This stop will have enclosure and litter box cleanings, fresh water for all, and food for the gecko, cat, and bunnies.
To really round out the day, Michelle heads to a home with a flock of six hens. She feeds and changes water, cleans their enclosure, collects eggs and makes sure the coop door is securely closed for the night.
Now it’s time for the final visit of the day. It’s time to head back to the boarders. Every pet gets special attention, but the boarding pets grow to feel like family. Sometimes they’ll even join Michelle on the couch while watching TV with her family!
We hope you have a better idea of what Fur and Feather Pet Care is all about, and you’ve enjoyed getting to know Michelle. Do you and your exotic pet want to get to know her better? Fill out a contact form today and join the Fur and Feather family!