Animals have been part of my life for as long as I can remember: through shelter work, adopting/fostering street cats, and now sharing my home with my own dog. At a shelter, I handled daily care for dogs and cats: feeding, cleaning, walking, and managing animals with a range of temperaments. I've also pet-sat informally for friends. I am vegan myself and have been part of animal rights activism.

My own dog, Dunya, is a well-trained, high-energy, highly social GSD mix. Living with her has taught me what consistent structure actually looks like day to day: clear boundaries, nosework and impulse control work, what she actually needs (instead of just running around for two hours) and reading body language before it becomes a problem. My aim is to extend these understandings to other dogs.

What I offer:

Dog walking: Walks typically range from 30 to 90 minutes depending on what you need, in forests and nature areas near Otaniemi & Lehtisaari. If your dog is sociable, walks can include Dunya; if your dog does better solo or has specific reactivity, I'll walk them separately. The walks can easily include dog parks and off leash fenced areas where we can play and run around. For dog walking, I am available in the evenings on weekdays, and weekends the whole day.

Daycare/Boarding: Your dog joins our daily rhythm: outdoor time, rest, and supervised interaction with Dunya if they're a good match. Good fit for dogs that are comfortable around other dogs and don't need a fully quiet, low-stimulation environment at all times. I would like to have a meet-and-greet to see it's a good match. On weekends we usually go to dog beach or a larger forest for hiking with Dunya via public transport, which would include our guest if that works well with you/them. For daycare and boarding, currently I am only available from Friday to Sunday evening. 

Practical details:

I live in a 73m² fourth-floor apartment in Otaniemi, Espoo, surrounded by forest, a five-minute away from where I work as doctoral researcher (though I'm not usually home during the day on weekdays). I take dogs (and possibly cats) that get along well with Dunya: I'll ask about your pet's temperament and history before confirming, and I'm honest if I think a particular animal isn't a good match for my setup rather than taking on something that won't go well for either of us. I am fairly new to this, boarding in particular, so I will be upfront about everything. What matters most to me is the wellbeing of the animals above all else.