Pentland Petsitting is owned and run by Joanne Drysdale. I grew up in Balerno and currently live in Kirknewton with my husband Niall and our 4 rescue dogs (we have 2 cocker spaniels and 2 lurchers). I began Pentland Petsitting in May 2006 as I love working with animals and felt that there was a need for alternatives to boarding kennels & catteries. After completing a degree in animal care I set up the business by offering petsitting and dog walking and it has now expanded into many different pet services. My plan is to become a fulltime dog behaviour consultant after completing a second degree in canine behaviour & training. However, I hope to continue to provide all my pet services for many years by employing other like-minded professionals who are committed to animal welfare.
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Care (Aberdeen University 2005)
Dog grooming certificate (Oatridge Agricultural College, 2006)
Canine first aid certificate (Animal Aiders 2009)
Currently completing a Canine Behaviour & Training degree (Bishop Burton 2009-2014)
Provisional member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) 2010
Work experience:
Over the last 13 years I have volunteered with the Scottish SPCA (Balerno), Edinburgh Zoo, Monarto Zoo (Australia), Gorgie City Farm, various wildlife rescue centres (UK and Australia) as well as stables and farms.
In 2001 I took a year out after high school to travel abroad and work with animals in Australia. I spent a month at a safari park caring for cheetahs, giraffes, meerkats and even a baby rhino followed by a stay at a wildlife rehab centre hand rearing kangaroos, rehabilatating koalas and rescueing injured cockatoos.
I volunteer with various dog rescues including LurcherLink where I adopted my two lurchers. I occasionally foster rescue dogs and have been asked to take dogs with behavioural issues and see if these issues can be overcome. Quite a few of foster dogs have been at risk of euthanasia due to aggression or other issues.
I try to attend as many seminars and workshops as possible on dog behaviour in order to better understand our four legged friends. I have been very lucky to attend seminars with some leading dog behaviourists. In the last 12 months I have completed the following:
Weekend seminar on canine aggression with John Rogerson 2009
Weekend seminar on dog communication with Sarah Whitehead 2009
2 day workshop on dog socialisation with George Paparakis April 2010 :
1 day workshop on aromatherapy for animals with Nayana Morag May 2010
Weekend seminar on predatory chase and OCD with David Sands and David Ryan June 2010