Sarah’s Moving to a Farm

For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals. As a young child, I looked forward to visits from neighboring goats and I enjoyed helping care for our family’s chickens. I had various pets ranging from guinea pigs to hamsters to birds.

My family got our first dog, Rafiki, when I was in 5th grade and I remember trying to train him to walk on a leash. As an adult I could hardly wait to get my own dog. My husband finally relented and we got a cute little fluff of puppy and named him Derby. We’ve since added two more dogs to our family, Jackson and Max.

Anna and I began NoogaSitters (formerly Sister Sitters of Chattanooga), in the summer of 2017 with the thought that it would be a fun hobby to care for others’ dogs off and on. Our hobby quickly grew beyond anything we could have imagined. It’s now a full-time job for me and part-time job for Anna. In 2023, we provided 2,366 nights of boarding to guest dogs; that’s a average of 197 nights per month which means we have an average of over six guest dogs each night of the year. WOW! We are so thankful for our clients and your encouragement and support.

So what was I saying about a farm!?!

It’s been apparent for quite awhile that NoogaSitters has the capacity to grow to the next level which means we need more space…and we found just the right space! My husband and I are under contract to purchase a property near Cloudland Canyon which has nine-acres of beautiful woods, a home that fits our family, and a building right beside it that will be a homey space for boarding…affectionately called the Canine Cottage. We will be moving in the beginning of May, 2024. This new location will give me the opportunity to provide more services to my boarding dogs, such as more structure, bigger play areas, and pack walks around the property. It will also enable us to host my training classes and our Large Field Socials on-location. We are so excited to share the beauty of the woods and open spaces for running with you and your dogs; and to let you meet the farm animals we’ll eventually have. For more details, check out Sarah’s boarding page.