Client Testimonials w/Pet Pics
My two large dogs do not travel well. They are stay-at-home-dogs and, while
not "spoiled" as some claim, they are, I admit, "privileged". They sleep in the
house, on my bed, every night. So when travel away from home is in the offing I
am only able to go because Barbara Ludt comes to the house to stay with my boys.
She came to the house three times to greet the dogs and to allow them to
become comfortable with her before the first overnight pet sitting was needed.
She is absolutely excellent with my dogs and, as I've seen many times, excellent
with any dog. As for having her stay in my home, one couldn't ask for a better
"guest".
KW, Roslyn
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We needed a place to kennel our two, 3-year-old, 90+ lb. Labs, "Kimber" and "Gauge", for a long-term stay while my spouse and I are deployed to Iraq for about a year.
Barbara and Bill have a great place; and what a wonderful choice they are to take care of our "Boys". We were invited to bring our dogs over for a Play Date to meet their dogs to be sure everyone got along. We just knew they'd have a great time there as they have all these other dogs to play and run around the securely fenced acreage.
On our first visit, Kimber and Gauge made immediate friends with their big ol' yellow Lab, Riley. In fact, Gauge jumped back into our pickup while we humans were walking around chatting, retrieved his huge rawhide chew toy and brought it over and dropped it in front of Riley, who proceeded to start chewing on it. We all thought that was a nice gesture of canine friendship--for Gauge and Kimber to share their toys in return for sharing the Ludt's home for the next 13 months.
What Barbara and Bill are doing for us is a really huge blessing. These guys are our babies. It's great to get this support while we are away serving our country and not have to worry about our canine family members.
JM, Staff Sergeant/State of Washington National Guard
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Our spoiled Schipperke, "Ebi", has boarded at Barbara's home when we are on week-long vacations. We didn't want to leave her in a small "box" of a kennel at a bigger boarding facility when she's used to being part of our family.
Our Ebi is great with other dogs so she fit right in with all the small dogs at Barbara's place...and gets to watch TV on the couch and sleep in bed...just like at home.
Barbara has gone above and beyond in caring for Ebi, even on short notice. We cannot recommend her enough--she's great!!
Mr. and Mrs. R, Easton
P.S. Starting in Spring '09, Barbara also takes "eggs-cellent" care of our rooster, Fred, and his harem of hens.
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I am lucky enough to get one of the best little guys, Barbara's rescue had for
adoption~~~"JUNIOR" is so sweet, loving and a little "Ladies Man"....and even
funny! Getting Junior might have saved my life after the passing of Jesse and at this time of my life, without a job, I don't know what I would do
without my "Best Buddy". I count on him to let me know when someone is close by outside, he's
my little guard dog, too!
Junior now has a "standing
week- long reservation" to stay with his "country cousins"
when I go to CA to visit my GRANDchildren three times a year. The biggest
issue I worried about was Junior living in a small kennel with no walks or
anything, for over a week~~~just sitting there~~hardly moving around. I don't
know what that would do to him~~~~:((((((((((((( He's SOOOOOOOO
spoiled.
You are our HERO! Junior LOVES coming back to his 2nd
home~~~to see you! I miss him so much for the day or so before I leave and
when I first come back~~~but I feel so at ease, knowing he's with you, sitting
with you and all his little dog pals on your couch and not alone and sitting on
a cement floor in a cage~~~:((((
It's an honor to write about "my share
of happiness" on you and Bill petsitting my (our?) precious little Junior. You letting
him come visit is worth a million
dollars to me. Your happy
home, is Junior's "other" home..and you are his other "Mom"! Thank you
for all you have done for me and Junior,
Patty H., Lynnwood, WA
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My
husband and I share our home with five cats and two dogs. They are
our family. We have never boarded any of them. It’s simply not an option. Thus, we’ve
gone on very few vacations.
Recently,
my husband celebrated a personal milestone: his 60th
birthday. I really wanted to mark this momentous occasion with
something special. One of his dreams was to visit Italy,
but such a trip was inconceivable—after all, we
didn’t even take overnight trips! Over the years, we’ve explored
a number of in-home pet sitting services, but we never
felt comfortable about leaving our family in the care of a stranger.
And
then, Barbara came to our rescue. Her love of animals is legendary
and her ability to communicate with them is nothing short of magical.
We knew that she was the only one we could ever trust to care for our
family.
Our
trip called for a 2-week absence and Barbara moved in a few days
prior to our departure. She knew that this was the
best way to become familiar with the rhythm of the house and the
needs and personalities of its inhabitants. Everything she did was
part of her program to help maintain the family’s normal
environment and alleviate any stress that our absence might cause. Barbara
was immediately at ease with our little family and it was obvious
that they were equally comfortable with her. It was a relief to know
that our home and family would be safe and that they would be cared
for by a competent, reliable, and caring professional while we were
away.
When
we returned from our trip, our feelings about Barbara were
confirmed—we had left our family in very capable hands. Although
they were happy to see us, it was clear that they were happy,
stress-free, and content. During the following weeks, we discovered
countless signs of Barbara’s unique ability to understand and
empathize with the animal kingdom. 
A
good example is the way she cared for our senior cat, Murphy. We
adopted Murphy as a kitten. She was missing a back leg, but
the loss of a limb never stopped her. However, as
Murphy aged, she did not always have the
strength to navigate the stairs or climb up to her favorite chair
near the window. We thought we were helping her when we carried her
around and brought her to her favorite places. Yes, we were helping
her, but Barbara also understood that we were also taking away
Murphy’s remaining independence. When we returned, a
new set of cat stairs had been placed next to Murphy’s chair. The
steps were carpeted so that Murphy could maintain her footing as she
scooted up and down. Once again, she was in control of her
environment. Such a simple solution, yet we had never thought of it;
Barbara identified and solved the problem her first day on the job!
Thanks
to Barbara, the dogs were now happily addicted to new healthy treats;
the cats were joyfully rolling around in fresh organic catnip; and
everyone was getting brushed. We began to send away for more travel
brochures! We wholeheartedly recommend Barbara. Know without
a doubt that she will take care of your family as if they were her
own, and I can also say with
certainty that you will quickly realize that the heavens have sent an
amazing gift your way.
Mary B, Stewart Manor
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Thanks to Barbara, my husband and I were able to take a much needed vacation and not worry one bit about the care of our five horses. Each of the five horses, three full-sized and two miniatures, needed different care esp. since two have a history of foundering and thus their food needed to be precisely weighed at each feeding and one mini needed medication. On Barbara's initial meeting with me to discuss the care needed, she asked pertinent questions, took notes on each horse and conveyed a very caring and professional manner.
When we came home refreshed, we found our horses all still healthy, content and relaxed with clean water troughs, paddocks and stalls. Barbara cared for them as if they were her own. We highly recommend her "personalized horse sitting" services.
S & C McK, Easton, WA
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Some people go to work every day to
their job. Some do their job well and some not so well and go home and forget
about it. Not so for Barbara Ludt. Barbara Ludt loves and lives for all animals. It’s natural for her. It is a calling
for her and
no one does it better.
She has been my neighbor and
friend since 2004. I have been fortunate to be able to depend on her for the
exceptional care she gives my four horses, one cat and too many dogs (as well as occasional litters of newborns and adolescent puppies) when I am
unable to tend to them myself. I will always be grateful to her for
the extraordinary compassion she had for "Foo Foo", my sweet Cocker Spaniel who lost
her battle with cancer at the age of 6 in 2005.
Barbara goes above and beyond what
is normally expected of any caregiver. My home, ranch, kennels, and even my raspberry garden receive TLC when she's "on duty". Her honesty, integrity and sincere love for
animals are
easily recognized. Just watch your dog’s tails as she
gets acquainted with them.
I am extremely privileged to have her as
a friend,
neighbor and animal caregiver. You will be too!BPU,
Rocking MK Ranch
