About Us

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Our History

Established in July 2012, Dayna's Pet Services Inc. is one of Ottawa’s best pet care options for overnight care, dog walking and beyond. We currently serve Ottawa and the surrounding area.

We take pride in having staff that are bonded and insured, that have received training and that follow our rigorous policies and procedures. We have the highest standard of care for animals and our emergency planning is constantly updated. With two canine behaviour consultants and two registered veterinary technicians on staff, there is nothing that we aren’t able to handle.

We know that your pet is an important part of your family. Once you are a client of ours, you and your pet become an important part of our Dayna’s Pet Services family. Whether you have a dog, cat, bird, reptile or pocket pet we are here for you! One of our qualified, insured and bonded sitters will provide the in-your-home care your pet deserves.

Dayna’s Pet Services Inc. was originally founded based on Dayna’s experience with animal rescue. Dayna spent many years volunteering with several different rescue organizations and saw many terrible situations for so many animals. She wanted to create a way that would allow all animals to be welcomed, accepted, and cared for in their own environments to help relieve stress and keep them in a familiar setting.

Oftentimes we hear that many kennels will not accept dogs who may have aggressive tendencies or any serious medical conditions - but with us, that's not a problem! We have staff that can handle just about everything and anything!

We welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver to you the best service in the industry. Dayna's Pet Services Inc. is focused on providing the highest quality service and customer satisfaction - we will do everything we can to meet your expectations.

With a variety of pet care to choose from, we're sure you'll be happy working with us. Look around our website and if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us.

Are you an existing client and you need to update your care instructions? Login to your account here to update your file. Are you not yet a client, but would like to become one? Send us a message via our online quote tool to get started!

Our Team

Dayna Desmarais, IAABC-ADT, CERT-CN

President/CEO

I have always been an avid animal lover and advocate. I grew up always having cats and dogs in my life and as a teenager my mother started to foster for rescue dogs. This is where my deep admiration for animal behaviour work began. I most often took in animals who had just been rescued from severe cases of neglect. Since then I have worked hard to become educated on animal welfare, behaviour, and general animal care so that I can continue to help pets in need.

In 2015, I completed an apprenticeship to become a Canine Behaviour Consultant, and in 2023 I received the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants - Accredited Dog Trainer designation (IAABC-ADT). I have also completed certificate programs in Canine Emotion & Cognition from Duke University as well as a certificate in Animal Behaviour & Welfare from the University of New Edinburgh. Although I have finished my formal education in behaviour science, I regularly attend seminars and workshops to continue to keep up with the ever changing science. My methodologies are positive, reward-based training and I do not encourage the use of prong, choke/pinch or shock collars.

I also hold a certificate in Canine Nutrition from the Companion Animal Sciences Institute, a course which was 200-250 hours of study and I completed it in May of 2024.

Most recently, I have taken on the role of President & Executive Director for The FAM Network (formerly SafePet Ottawa) - a charitable organization in Ottawa helping families flee domestic violence by fostering their animals. I was also a member of Women for a Humane Canada and sat as a founding member on the National Link Coalition.

In 2020, I was so fortunate to be able to purchase a new business - CocoMutts (a pet retail and grooming salon) and grow it to new heights amidst a pandemic. Because of this new found passion for animal health and nutirion I am now actively studying to receive my certification in canine nutrition from the Companion Animal Sciences Institute.

I was honoured in 2018 to be presented with the inaugural CBC Ottawa Trailblazers award and with the Tsirmpa Award at the Ottawa Wedding Awards for my work to make a difference in Ottawa.

You'll often see me at different rescue/charity events throughout the city helping to raise funds for different animal rescue organizations. I have also fostered for many different groups including: Loyal Rescue, Catahoula Rescue and Sit With Me Shelter Dog Rescue.

I can't wait to meet you and your fur-kids!

Conference apperances:

  • March 2017: Animal Rescue Corps Training (Spoke both days - Canine Body Language & Assessment Techniques)
  • April 2017: National Animal Welfare Conference (Spoke on behalf of SafePet Ottawa)
  • November 2017: Canadian Violence Link Conference (Spoke on behalf of SafePet Ottawa)
  • April 2018: Natinal Animal Welfare Conference (Spoke about Standards & Guidelines in pet care)
  • June 2018: National Women In Shelters Conference (Spoke on behalf of SafePet Ottawa)
  • November 2019: Canadian Violence Link Conference (Spoke on behalf of SafePet Ottawa)
  • March 2020: World Pet Sitter Conference (Spoke about consistency in brand)
Dominique, RVT, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT

Medical Director

I’ve been in love with animals my entire life as family and friends could attest. Ever since I can remember my dreams and goals have always involved animals in some way.

I am a registered veterinary technician since 2009, a Certified Pet Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) since 2022 and an Accredited Dog Trainer through the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC-ADT) as of June 2023. I've completed multiple trainer programs including La formation Jacinthe Bouchard and Kim Cooper's (Best Friends Dog Training) certified dog trainer program, and Trish Lohr Shelter Dog Mentorship program. I keep up current reward-based and scientifically supported training practices through workshops, conferences and webinars as there’s always something new to learn in the field of animal behaviour.

I worked with shelter dogs for over 10 years at the Ottawa Humane Society and I'm currently working as an RVT at Almonte Veterinary Services.

From dogs, cats, rabbits and goldfishes to cougars, wolves and racoons I’ve trained with them all. I love challenges and I love finding solutions to improve relationships between humans and animals of all kinds. My passion is training and any opportunity I have to interact with someone’s pet is an opportunity to train whether it be during events, pet sitting or behaviour consults.

I currently share my home with 2 dogs (Navi and Piña ) and 3 cats (Boots, Sheldon and Pym). The more the merrier I always say!

In my spare time I love dabbling in various dog sports (ratting, scent detection, rally-o, lure coursing, conformation, tricks).

I look forward to sharing my passion with your pets.

Happy Clients

Dayna and her team are wonderful! We have hired them for Overnight Care as well as Check-Ins and Pee Breaks multiple times in the past. Dayna and her team go out of their way to provide us with the peace of mind that our boys will be well taken care of, fed and happy when we come home. There's no one else we would call to care for our dogs.

Alex & Tracy

Ottawa

Dayna´s Pet Sitting is extremely realiable, they take care of your dogs as if their was their own. They are extremely causious with their care, feeds and walks.

Lucia F.

Ottawa

Karolyn was our pet sitter and was extremely helpful during out time away. She offered to water our garden which was not in her job description which was very appreciated. Both she and Dayna are professional and we feel completely confident when leaving the house and Marlo in their care

Eddie S.

Ottawa

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Check-Ins/Dog Walks

Check-ins/dog walks are blocks of time in which we provide service at your home. Preparation (e.g. putting winter coat/boots on your dog before departing) is factored into the scheduled time. Please note that our 15 minute check-ins are only offered in certain parts of the city - for additional information, please get in touch with us via e-mail or call us and ask about our 15 minute check-ins.

15 Minute Visits

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30 Minute Visits

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45 Minute Visits

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60 Minute Visits

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Overnights

Overnight care is $145.00/night, which guarantees a coverage of 10 hours over a 24-hour period + a 30-minute check-in for dinner. This is an all-inclusive rate (medication, feedings, walks, etc). Any additional time requirements (e.g. a daily mid-day check-in, late check-in on return date, etc.) will be supplemental to the overnight charge and should be detailed in the Notes field below.

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Additional Animals

Have more then one pet? No problem!

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Key HandlingNote: There is a $16.50 fee for key pickups and returns for future service (pickup at first visit with staff is free of charge). You can leave the key on-file with us for no additional charge.
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Your Estimate
NOTE: the following estimate is an estimated cost for your desired booking. Any number of factors may change the final price. This request form is not the final confirmation of your booking, nor does it commit you to anything. You may back away at any time before a deposit is taken with no consequences. We will provide an invoice for the total amount once we have finalized the booking details with you.

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HST: $0
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I am pleased to have built a company that is focused on providing the highest level of pet care while implementing standards for staff training, education, and humane animal handling.

Dayna Desmarais