Selkirk Farm Sitting

My name is Ariel Sandford.  

I have always loved animals.  I grew up spending summers on my grandfather’s farm and he taught me so many skills I use today.  I have been involved with 4H as a kid and as an adult leader.  I have worked with many species in many capacities.  I have been a dog groomer, dog breeder, cowgirl and raised animals to put food on our family’s table.  

Selkirk Farmsitting Services LLC offers everything from full-service stay on the farm/home care to what we call feed and go services.  We offer some other services such as stall cleaning, limited grooming and garden care while on site.  We are available year-round, insured and have multiple references.  We cover most of Bonner County but are open to longer distances depending on the need.  

Our farm & pet sitting business started while I was working for Wood’s Hay and Grain and a customer came in and asked if we knew anyone who could pet sit for her.  I offered to help her out and shortly after a neighbor asked the same question.  Through word of mouth, I was getting more and more requests and decided to do it professionally as I could see there was a need.  

I think what makes us unique is that we run this as a business.  We are insured, each client is contracted for each visit and we have a team that can address a multitude of issues should they arise.  We have years of experience as lifelong farmers, homeowners and handyman services.  Our client’s homes as well as their animals are cared for providing peace of mind as they are away.  We provide daily texts with pictures so that our clients can see that things are well.  

We have had a number of challenges over the years of doing this job.  From extreme weather-related emergencies, to animals who have done their best to escape their enclosures to being injured by the client’s pet.  We have approached these challenges in a calm, critical thinking manner and have been able to stay on the job, remedy each situation so that our clients could be informed, yet continue their time away knowing that everything was being handled and resolved for them.  

It is our opinion that animals, domestic specifically, do better at home when their owners are away.  We believe that this kind of care benefits the humans and animals that we serve.  We also know first hand the challenges a farmer/rancher faces trying to plan time away for emergencies or just vacations.  I think when communities were closer knit, it was easier to trade sitting services with one another, but it seems that our communities have dwindled or grown more separate and now our service can fill in that gap.  

Several of our clients are new to raising livestock and/or farming. It is not uncommon to get calls for advice or to help resolve problems.  We lend our expertise to them when asked and have even helped develop care plans and layouts to a few of our clients.  We are building community in doing this and that feels good.  

I think as the trend of folks trying to be self sufficient rises, the need for farm sitting services will rise along with it.  It is our hope that we can inspire others looking to provide these valuable services to respond to the need in a professional, dedicated manner so that everyone can have a positive, safe and peaceful experience.  

We advise when looking for someone to care for their pets/ farms that they seek people that have a professional attitude, knowledge, references and are insured.  We have learned of situations where this was not the case and it breaks our hearts to hear of bad experiences that could have been prevented or at least handled in a different manner. 

We can be contacted through our Facebook page Selkirk Farmsitting Services, email at selkirkfarmsittingservices@gmail.com or by phone at 208-889-8815