Regretfully, we no longer accept new clients.
Some pets need extra-special care: the elderly, shy and not-quite-hale. For them, spending time away from home can be difficult, and their owners naturally worry about the pet’s physical and emotional well-being.
Creatures Young & Old offers a calm, loving environment in a private home in Lynnwood. I take in pets from usually one, but at most two households at a given time. Depending on your animals’ needs, they can join us as fully integrated and coddled family members or get one-on-one attention in their own room. I have been fortunate to welcome a range of very special pets indeed, from a cheerful pug in a cart to a three-legged kitty with renal disease as well as perfectly healthy pets whose guardians just want them to get lots of attention.
I also offer visits to your home, an option preferred by many cat owners and owners of severely handicapped pets. I cover the area just north of Seattle, from South Everett and Edmonds to Shoreline, and from Mill Creek to Bothell.
About Anna and Jenny
I have a vet assistant degree and twelve years of experience caring for special-needs pets,
including my own dog Max, who lived for 7 more joyful years after losing the function of his hind legs, and many aging and health-challenged dogs and cats. Thanks to these amazing animals, and to my years of volunteering at Pasado’s Safe Haven, I gained an appreciation for the challenges facing caregivers of special-needs pets. Creatures Young & Old was founded to provide a comforting option for these caregivers when they need to leave town.
In my prior life, I worked as Program Manager at Microsoft – a rewarding career that altogether left too little time for what really matters: animals.
Jenny, too, has many years of experience, especially in treating our guests with courtesy and tolerance so they can relax and feel at home. She’s approaching the late teens herself and has become a great fan of peace, harmony, and naps.
References
Anna Neumann has been the pet-sitter for my two cats for 7 years. I travel frequently for work and Anna has been
consistently available to take care of my cats, even on short notice. She also took care of my dog while I was in Europe for
six weeks. She cares for my pets in her home, treats them as if they were her own, and is completely reliable. My animals and I have always been very happy with her services and I recommend her services highly.
Susanne Banks, Redmond
I eagerly offered to write this testimonial for Anna because she went above and beyond with the care she provided for our beloved and special needs dog, Scotty. Anna offered to provide therapeutic boarding for Scotty when our living situation was no longer conducive to his health. We live in a top floor condo with no yard and limited space. Scotty has inflammatory bowel disease, so this requires us to take him out for bathroom breaks 4 to 6 times a day. Scotty also has anxiety which is often expressed as constant whining, as well as leash reactivity. These in themselves can be enough to challenge and frustrate most anyone, and having to walk in a busy area only intensifies Scotty’s reactions. Anna’s calm demeanor and patience were a perfect match for Scotty. He was able to relax in a peaceful environment with a yard and Anna’s sweet, mellow dog Jenny. A less stressful and more supportive environment was crucial for his recovery. To complicate things, Scotty also has a partially paralyzed larynx, so less time on a leash helps to keep this progressive condition from getting worse.
Initially we thought that Scotty wouldn’t need to be walked (did I mention he also has severe hip dysplasia), and that time in the yard with another dog would satisfy his exercise needs. However, we soon learned that in addition to mental exercise, he still required and demanded 2 walks a day. Anna recognized this and took on the challenge of walking him in the park near her home faithfully morning and night. Knowing that Scotty had leash reactivity toward people, dogs, cars and other animals, Anna worked with Scotty to teach him some valuable skills. Thanks to her perseverance, Anna was able to get Scotty to focus on her when cars went by. She taught him the cue “Look at me” using a clicker and yummy treats that wouldn’t upset his tummy.
Scotty is not your average, happy-go-lucky dog, so the fact that Anna was willing to take him under her wing was a blessing for us. Anna had her work cut out for her and did an incredible job of following our lengthy and very detailed instructions. She didn’t give into Scotty’s whining, made him sit and do a trick before his meals, and required that he be a gentleman and follow her lead. Anna also went to the trouble of stuffing raw food in a Kong for his meals twice a day and made sure he got all of his medications and supplements. Scotty had a medical emergency while staying with Anna. Fortunately she knew exactly what to do. She called the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, induced vomiting and called VCA Veterinary Specialty Center in Lynnwood to let them know Scotty would be arriving soon. In addition to having her Veterinary Assistant degree, we were extremely impressed with how calm Anna remained while springing into action.
We also really appreciate Anna’s honesty. Scotty is a quick learner which means he can get into trouble if you’re not 10 steps ahead of him. Anna was in constant communication with us to let us know how Scotty was doing, as well as being honest about when he was being naughty. We appreciated this. Anna treated Scotty as if he were her own dog. She was gentle with him and made sure that all of his needs were met and more. She even brought him next door to the neighborhood garden parties where her friends and neighbors fell in love with him… but also quickly learned that they had to watch their plates since Scotty is excellent at scouting out food.
While visiting Scotty at Anna’s home, her love for animals was so evident. She regularly watches her neighbor’s 17 year old dog who has cancer and requires extra care. There is also a very old neighborhood stray cat she named Mr. Gray for whom she feeds, provides shelter and administers an IV when needed. Not only does she take exceptional care of animals, she has a special place in her heart for the ones with special needs. We highly recommend Anna for anyone who is looking for someone they can trust 100% and who will care for their animals as if they were her own. We will absolutely have Anna watch our animals going forward when we need pet sitting services, knowing with complete confidence that they will be in the best of care.
Amy Sharkey, Bothell WA