Bartek

My name is Bartek, I'm 42, live with my boyfriend and a friend of ours in a cosy, dog-friendly apartment in Neukölln. I've been taking care of 4-pawed Berliners for almost 3 years now.

(This part is a bit of personal story and motivation - you may skip it if you want to get to the details of my services in the next part)
Dogs were always around me since my parents live in the countryside where keeping a dog is natural. The first dog I decided to adopt as an adult was Lulu. It was 15 years ago and at first, we were supposed to be a foster care for her. (In Poland it is popular to foster dogs rescued from interventions and shelters, so while they live with their foster people, they can adapt to living in a household, learn necessary things and be better prepared for permanent adoption). Lulu was brought to us by people from a small dog rescue foundation, as her previous owner abandoned her in the middle of nowhere and for months she was living the life of a tramp. At that time she was around 5. She won our hearts immediately so on the 3rd day we decided to keep her. Lulu was quite a strong personality, stubborn, and not always friendly towards other dog females but to people, she was such a kind and tender soul. As she was growing old, she developed Cushing syndrome, she became a liver cancer survivor, got deaf and her back paws started to get weaker. Still, it was obvious that she was moving with us to Berlin. But 2 weeks before the moving date she was diagnosed with 3 new liver tumours, big and untreatable. And after consulting with vets we decided to let her go.
When the pandemic happened and I started to work from home, I thought that this was a great opportunity to foster care for other dogs in need. The first one was Fuga, a little black mongrel rescued from a crazy lady who had 40 dogs living in her household in appalling conditions. Fuga was basically a wild dog - she didn't know what is a flat, stairs, how to keep clean, and how the city worked. So it was a struggle initially, but she was naturally smart and able to overcome her fears. In two months of living with us, she became a stable, well-behaved and lovely dog. She was adopted by a girl who promised to work with her further on separation anxiety. After Fuga, we happened to meet Maniek, quite a large dog (mix of Boxer and Fila Brasileiro), who turned out to be the sweetest thing ever, but because of his size and strong territorial instincts required careful handling. After six months with us, he was adopted by a girl from the foundation who actually spotted him in the shelter and then completely fell in love with him (no wonder).
Apart from this, I used to walk dogs from Warsaw's city shelter and petsit dogs of friends and neighbours.
Having 2 dogs some time ago and having none now feels strange and empty. So petsitting is for me a natural thing to do before I settle down a little and be able to adopt a dog or two.

I try to adjust to the personality of a dog - I'm not pushy with "introverted" dogs, I make sure they know I'm there when they need me and I just let them be; with extraverts, I'm up for long play and cuddle; I also try to keep their daily routine, as they're not fans of changes. I'm careful with anxious dogs, trying to avoid fearsome situations; I can set the boundaries with dominant dogs. I walk a lot, getting to know Berlin, so I'll gladly have company for my walks.
I like dogs of all ages, shapes and sizes but I have a special place in my heart for senior dogs. Being quite experienced with them I can administer medications, make simple injections or deal with diapers.

Whichever service you need, meet&greet would be essential as I'd like to get to know as much as possible about your dogs before having my randez-vous with them. If this would be boarding your dog at my place, I'd ask you to provide bedding (unless they prefer to sleep in bed with people - in that case, they're welcome to do so), food, a leash and harness, poop bags, muzzle (if necessary) and a favourite toy (if they have one).

And of course, you'll receive updates, photos and videos of your dogs while I'm taking care of them. I'm looking forward to your questions and to meeting your dogs!

Bartek

Update April 2024:
Please note that I won't be able to look after puppies (younger than 12 months). During longer stays, it may happen that dog/dogs will be left unattended for max. 4 hours. This is why, unfortunately, I won't be able to host dogs with separation anxiety for longer than 2 days.