References
Joe Pillera is not only the best dog walker we have ever had, he is a wonderful, caring, and compassionate person as well. When I first spoke to Joe on the phone, I told him that my dog, Yanni, was a rescue dog and had issues with men. This did not deter Joe at all. At our first "meet & greet", Joe came into the house, immediately sat down on the floor next to Yanni, and proceeded to chat with me for about an hour, all the while petting our dog. From that day on, Joe and Yanni have been best buddies. I no longer felt guilty about leaving my dog. He actually couldn't wait for me to go, because he knew he'd be seeing Joe. I always looked forward to reading the detailed and often hillarious notes Joe left for me after every visit.
I can't praise Joe enough for his kindness, dependability, and respect for our home and preferences. He has a connection with animals that I rarely see...he senses their feelings and their needs. I would trust him in any and every situation. He exceeded expectations at every level. It was a huge source of comfort to have Yanni in such gentle, loving and competent hands.
I have known Joe and his wife Peggy since we started our animal hospital in June 1995. The fortunate animals they have taken into their home have received mountains of love and the best of care. He has always been a wonderful pet owner. Decisions regarding medical treatment have been thoughtful, always made in the animal’s best interest.
Joe is an outstanding individual with a warm heart and genuine love of animals and a deep concern for people. This became even more apparent after he took a post-retirement job working for FOHA (Friends of Homeless Animals), where he worked tirelessly to improve the lives of animals trying to find a forever home.
The animals that he will be caring for are indeed lucky!
Betsy and I really enjoyed the visit log you left. It was a nice touch!
Hi Joe - Thank you so much for taking care of our kitty for the first time this past week. When we first introduced her to you and told you she would usually hide when you came to pet sit her, we just knew how she was with strangers in our home. You can imagine our surprise when we found she took an instant liking to you and proceeded to follow you around the whole time you were doing your "chores" and how she demanded petting time when you were there and while she ate her food. We learned something new about our baby this week and about you as a petsitter. We definitely plan on using your services in the future. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for taking such great care of our labradoodle. She's such an energetic dog, we weren't sure how well it would work to leave her at home unattended. When our usual kennels were full for our last minute trip, we decided to experiment and see how she would do being left at home. The experiment was a shining success, thanks to you! Not only did you keep our high energy dog happy and well cared for while we were gone, but also you took the time to watch over the guinea pigs and fish, take out the trash, and oversee the general security of our home. You provided our pup with enough exercise and entertainment that no furniture was ruined, there were no spots on the floors, and none of our belongings had been torn to shreds! The best thing by far, however, was the calm, happy, dog that we returned to. She didn't have that "I'm FREE" attitude that is standard on the return from the kennel, she wasn't hoarse from barking, she hadn't been over fed, she didn't smell like a kennel, (and we weren't charged for the cost of a bath to get her that way!). We will definitely be using "Your VA pets R my pets" again on our future trips!
The following was received from a new client for whom I watched their two dogs, one a poodle mix and the other a Bichon. The family lives across the clearing in our neighborhood and their dogs have never been to our home before although they were familiar with my truck because I drove it to their residence and parked it in their driveway.
Hi Joe, this is Lori, and I had to share this story with you. As you know, we have an invisible fence surrounding our property. One day, after your most recent pet sit at our house, one of the kids let our two dogs, Lilly and Riley out, without putting on their collars that allow them to stay within the perimeters of the invisible fence. Once we realized they were gone, we all were in a high state of panic, not knowing which way they went. We drove all over the neighborhood looking for them and then we came to your house. Quess what, they were both sitting quite peacefully right next to your truck in your driveway. We were ecstatic that we found them and were amazed they decided to run away to your home and that they even found your truck. It looks like you have two new little friends for life!
Joe-Thank you so much for taking care of my dogs. You can't imagine how happy I am that I have found someone that I can trust with my "children" and who can handle them. It's a relief knowing that we can take a vacation, and the kids are going to be fine. I really enjoyed the summary sheets of what and how they were doing (daily) - THANK YOU! Take Care and I will be calling you in the future!
From a marathoner who uses our services for his 2 goats and one cat named "Cat"! "Thank you Joe - It's always a pleasure to know that you are caring for the animals"
The boys (Harley and Charlie) wanted to give you a little something extra for taking such good care of them throughout the year. We are SO HAPPY we found you!
Upon entering a client's home, our sitter found that one of their labs had a problem walking on one of her legs. The sitter immediately notified the owner and this was the subsequent e-mail received from them.
The vet said Roxy has a pretty bad infection in one of her toes. It's super sensitive to touching it. Thanks for the e-mail (inquirying as to her condition). I am so happy that Dottie connected us and how much you guys care about the pups!
Thanks to Sarah for taking such good care of Angel and Skip while I was on vacation. It was nice to come home and see them happy and content. I enjoyed reading the notes you left each time you visited with them. As I have done in the past, I will highly recommend your company to friends, family and fellow adopters.
Bob & Terri, words simply cannot express our gratitude with regards to your exceptional service. It was so delightful to read your daily accounts of Dolce and Sophie's activities while we were away. You far exceeded basic pet care by taking it to a higher level, through your personal attention and daily interaction with Dolce & Sophie. We also wish to recognize your kindness and generosity for buying Dolce a new toy which has become her favorite! And Sophie loves her squeaky cow! She carries it with her all around the house. Moreover, it is extremely reassuring to know our pets (children) were in such loving and capable hands. Please accept this gift certificate as a small token of our appreciation.
I really appreciate Steve sitting and all the "notes" he left. He obviously "enjoyed and saw Tipper". It's very reassuring to have someone write nice notes...I thought these were the nicest notes ever received and I was going to use them with MY people (in my business) because I hate it when someone doesn't show a client courtesy and be friendly to a client and these notes show that. (All that being said) Tipper seemed glad to see us when we got home (verses totally stressed, depressed...because no one showed up!). Much appreciated!!
Hello Joe - Ollie, Madge and Tommy all say THANK YOU very much!! They really enjoyed staying home and being taken care of instead of going to a strange place with strangers! They feel they have 2 great new friens with you and Sarah.