Narre Warren North’s Kerryn Cunningham loves pets and loves her job as a pet sitter. She is pictured with her own pets Daniel, Piper, Chloe, Crystal and Joshua. By Rebecca Fraser
A NARRE Warren North animal lover is ensuring that Casey’s lonely pets are lonely no more.
Kerry Cunningham became a full-time pet sitter earlier this year and visits and cares for lonely furry or feathered family members throughout Casey.
The 42-year-old visits the pets in the comfort of their own home while their owner travels or works late.
She said she hated the thought of animals being kept in boarding kennels or being uprooted from their surroundings.
Mrs Cunningham said since joining the Lonely Pets Club, Melbourne’s largest pet sitting and dog walking network, she had minded many four-legged friends everywhere from Lynbrook and Lysterfield South to Cranbourne and Endeavour Hills.
Given that Casey has the second highest number of registered dogs and cats in metropolitan Melbourne nearly 27,000 dogs and 9,500 cats Mrs Cunningham said she hoped business would boom.
“You go over to the house for half an hour a day and feed the pets and take them for a walk.
“Six different visits a day is pretty busy for me but I know someone who had 18 visits a day.
“That is what I am striving for,” she said.
Mrs Cunningham and David, her husband of 10 years, also have five furry friends of their own — golden retrievers Joshua, Crystal, Chloe, Piper and Daniel.
She said they often became a little jealous of the attention she showered on her “other” pets.
“I come in and they check me out and know I have been with another pet and they are not happy,” she said.
But she said what appealed to her most about the job was that it kept animals out of cages.
“I love dogs and I love animals but I don’t like the thought of animals going into kennels.
“That is why this job really appealed to me and I like to help keep these animals in their home environment and familiar with their surroundings.
“It helps animals get over the fact that their parents have gone away and stops them from being stressed,” she said.
The Lonely Pets Club can look after any type of pet and while most are dogs and cats, they have also cared for geese, ducks, chickens, frogs, guinea pigs, rats, water dragons, possums, fish and rabbits.
For further information visit www.lonelypetsclub.com.au
