My husband and I are looking for a live in pet sitter. We have an elderly dog who requires some pretty specialized care.

What we are offering
We are offering a room for rent for free, in exchange for pet care.

You will have your own bedroom and private bathroom, plus shared space in the kitchen, living room, etc. You will have access to laundry, off-street parking, and the yard.

The bedroom is currently furnished with a queen sized bed, which can either be left in place, or removed if you have your own furniture.

The duration is open-ended. We need someone for the rest of our dog’s life.

Our pets
Fonzie the cat (easy)
We have a cat who is easy to care for and has no special needs. When we travel, you will be responsible for making sure the cat is taken care of (food/water/litter, etc). When we are not traveling, you will be an auxiliary caregiver, but not the primary caregiver.

Lonny Bear the dog (more challenging)
We have a large, elderly dog who requires some fairly specialized care.

He is a Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetic who requires injections several times a day.

Due to neuropathy caused by diabetes, he is partially paralyzed in the hind legs and has difficulties with mobility.

He has digestive issues that are sometimes messy.

Because diabetes is a life threatening condition, and because he has trouble moving around on his own, he cannot be left alone for long periods of time.

Requirements
You must have direct experience with Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes. This means that either you have owned/cared for a diabetic pet, cared for a diabetic person, are yourself a Type 1 diabetic, or have experience with diabetes and injections through your profession (ie, you are a veterinarian, vet tech, doctor, nurse, medical student, medical professional, etc). You must be able to give injections. Our dog wears a continuous glucose monitor, which makes diabetes management a lot easier. You must be able to use a CGM (monitoring BG levels and recording food and insulin times and amounts).

You must be able to assist a large dog. Lonny is 90 lbs. He wears a “Help ‘em Up” Harness. He has a ramp for getting into and out of the car. He cannot easily stand up or walk on his own. You need to be able to lift/assist him to walk, go to the bathroom, and help him in and out of the car.

You must be available at specific times. You will need to be available for specific times of the day/days of the week when my husband and I are working, and specific dates when my husband and I are traveling. During those times you will be the primary/only caregiver for Lonny. Except for some specific exceptions (such as dates when my husband and I are traveling), you will have minimal/no caregiving obligations on nights and weekends.

You must be okay with occasionally cleaning up poop. Lonny has some kind of IBD, and because he has mobility problems, he occasionally poops in the wrong places. We manage the IBD with meds and diet. We have devised several strategies for making poop clean up as painless as possible.

Bonus if you have a car you can use to transport Lonny.

Please be prepared to give references showing your knowledge/experience in diabetes care/management.

If you are interested, please contact me at polkaset@gmail.com and I can give you additional details, photos of the pets and house, etc.