Areas we serve
Downeast Pet Sitting, from Ellsworth to Bar Harbor
Ellsworth and Bar Harbor sit on the same road to Acadia, and a lot of their summers look alike. We care for pets in both towns and the areas around them, in their own homes, on their own routines.
- Bar Harbor, Ellsworth and nearby
- Any animal, not just dogs and cats
- A photo and a text after every visit
Visitors to Acadia drive through Ellsworth and then take Route 3 onto Mount Desert Island, so these two towns share their traffic, their visitors and their busiest months. They share something quieter as well: pets here do best when life carries on around them as usual.
That is how we work. We meet your pet at home first, then build every visit around its routine, and send a photo and a text afterwards.
What your pet gets by staying home
A kennel or a busy daycare asks an animal to cope with new smells, new rooms and a lot of dogs it has never met. Even a friendly dog can end up in a scuffle, and illness travels through group settings. One-on-one care at home leaves all of that out.
Summer makes the case stronger up here. The road to Acadia fills with visitors, and a long drive through that traffic to drop a dog or cat at a boarding place is hard on the animal as well as on you. Staying put means no car ride at all.
Your dog keeps the spot by the door where it waits. Your cat keeps its window. An older animal keeps its own stairs and its own bed, and the evening goes the way it always does.
What a Downeast visit looks like
- Drop-ins: 15 minutes to an hour or more, for a midday potty break, meals and fresh water, a timed medication, or company and play for a cat home alone. Any animal is welcome, from rabbits to reptiles to fish.
- Dog walks: puppies learning the leash and seniors taking it slowly. We collect your dog inside the home, wipe its paws when it comes back, and walk one household’s dogs at a time.
- Overnight stays: we arrive at 7pm and stay until 9am, with a photo before bed and another in the morning. If something goes wrong, you hear right away.
- Constant care: someone with your pet the whole time, for puppies, elderly animals, recovery after surgery, an animal that hurts itself when left alone, or a big pack, where paying per animal gets costly.
Every client starts with a free meet and greet. We go over feeding, medications, where things are, and what makes your pet nervous, and nothing is booked until you are comfortable.
Dogs and Acadia
Acadia National Park has about 100 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of carriage roads where leashed pets are welcome, on a leash no longer than 6 feet. A handful of steep ladder trails are closed to pets, and so are Sand Beach and Echo Lake in summer.
For many dogs a leashed walk on a carriage road is the best part of the week. If the trip fits the length of the visit, we can take your dog, and we keep to the park’s rules while we do.
Ellsworth’s own woods
Ellsworth’s Branch Lake Public Forest protects the Union River watershed and the city’s drinking water, and it has more than 3 miles of trails where leashed dogs are welcome from sunrise to sunset.
Planning around summer
July and August are the busiest months on Acadia’s Park Loop Road, and cruise ships keep calling at Bar Harbor into October. If you’re traveling in summer, let us know your dates as early as you can.
When your pet would rather have company
Some animals are happier in a household than alone, even a familiar one. For boarding, your pet lives in a sitter’s home with the family and sleeps in the house, not in a kennel run. Downeast pets usually stay at Lindsay’s Milford home, a lively house with pets of her own.
A blanket or bed that already smells like your house travels well, too. Every boarder meets us first, and we tell you plainly if it isn’t a good fit. A shy or older pet may do better at our quieter Portland home.
Towns we cover in Downeast
Boarding stays are at our Milford home, the closer of our two.
Don't see your town? Just ask. We travel, and distance is factored into the quote.
How we can help in Downeast
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Dog Walking
Starting @ $25.00 for 30 mins
Your dog is walked alone or with the dogs they live with, never in a pack of strangers. All sizes and breeds, from puppies learning the leash to seniors taking the hills slowly.
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Overnight Sitting
Starting @ $65.00 for 7pm–9am
Your sitter arrives at 7pm and stays until 9am, so your animals keep their own beds, their own yard and their own routine.
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Drop-Ins
Starting @ $25.00 for 30 mins
Dogs and cats, plus birds, rabbits, reptiles, fish and livestock. Potty breaks, meals, fresh water and medication on time while you're at work or away.
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Boarding
Starting @ $75.00 per night
Boarders from Downeast usually stay at Lindsay's Milford home, the closer of our two.
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Transportation
Starting @ $30.00 round trip
Round-trip rides to the groomer, daycare, the vet or anywhere else your pet needs to go, fitted around your schedule instead of theirs.
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Weddings
Starting @ $110.00 per hour
We bring your dog to the venue, keep them calm through photos and crowds, and get them to their spot for the ceremony, so you can enjoy your day.
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Constant Care
Flat rate $150.00 per 24 hours
A sitter stays with your pet for the whole time you're away, not just on a schedule. For puppies, elderly animals, post-surgery recovery and timed medication.
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What families in Downeast say
Real Google reviews from the people whose pets we care for.
Questions about pet care in Downeast
Something else on your mind? Call or text (207) 561-7322.
View All FAQsBar Harbor and Ellsworth, and the areas around each one.
Don't see your town? Just ask. We travel, and distance is factored into the quote.
Yes, on most trails and all the carriage roads, on a leash no longer than 6 feet. A few trails and, in summer, Sand Beach and Echo Lake are closed to pets. Our Bar Harbor page lists them.
It helps. Summer is the busiest time on the road to Acadia, so the sooner we know your dates, the easier it is to plan your visits.
Most pets settle best when the evening looks like any other evening, and at home that is exactly what they get. They keep their own bed, their own yard and their own schedule, and there are no strange dogs to meet.
Before the first booking we come to your home so your pet meets us on familiar ground, and nothing is booked until you are comfortable.
Yes. Elderly, disabled and special-needs animals are welcome, and we give medications at the times you set, including overnight doses.
If your pet needs someone with it the whole time, for example after surgery, we can do that too, working from your vet's written instructions.
