Our City’s Pet-Friendly Culture is Why I Expanded My Business to Newburyport

This is a sponsored post published in partnership with Sit and Stay Pet Sitting.

I’ve always loved animals, and that’s why I love living in Newburyport. Shop owners kindly provide water bowls on their doorsteps for passing dog walkers, and outdoor cafes often provide a place at the table for both owners and their pets. Depending on the season, dogs are free to romp the sandy dunes of Plum Island, explore the beauty of Moseley Woods or enjoy a leisurely leashed stroll along the Clipper City Rail Trail. Popular Cashman Park offers off-leash hours where dogs play while their humans congregate and chatter enthusiastically about their beloved pets. Sometimes owners bring up the topic of engaging a pet-sitter, and a number of them have sought out my services over the years.

My life has always revolved around pets. As a child I would bring home numerous stray dogs and cats and more often than not, our home became theirs. Through the years, I’ve worked as an assistant in a vet clinic, bred and shown boxers and have also owned and shown horses in equestrian events. My love for horses was undoubtedly inherited from my great-grandfather, a prominent blacksmith in Chelsea. Although a native Bostonian, I spent significant time in Rowley and Newbury, where my horses were boarded.

That’s why it was imperative that my pets received loving day-to-day personal care when I had to be away from home. Reliable pet sitters were the answer for my situation and are a great alternative to boarding facilities. I knew other pet parents felt the same when situations called for them to be away from their own furry companions. With this understanding, I formed my own pet sitting business in 2001, serving Exeter, NH and surrounding areas. In 2009, I opened a second base of operations in Newburyport where I relocated permanently in 2012.

The following year, I adopted my little girl, Duffy, a lab/border collie mix, and it was through her companionship that I discovered that Newburyport is truly a pet-lover’s paradise. It’s impossible not to love a city that’s so welcoming to its four-legged residents. 

If you’re looking for loving care for your pets when you’re away from home, check out my services. Whether canine, feline, equine, or feathered, (pocket pets are also accommodated), I come to your home and treat your pet like my own.

Mike O’Neil
Newburyport resident