Everyone who loves their pets wants to be reassured that they're in the best care possible when they can't care for them themselves.

If you're ever in the need for someone to care for your dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, geese, or whatever other furry or feathery best friends while you're off doing less important things (in your pets' minds, anyway), Lisa Baker is your girl.

Baker has loved and cared for animals since she was very young. She's been know to bury chipmunks and birds in her yard. “I love animals. I've always taken care of people's pets,” she said. “As a teenager I would volunteer at a shelter and walk dogs, and pet sit for friends.”

She helped with the rehabilitation of wildlife while living in Syracuse, New York. It was at a land preserve with a duck pond full of sick or disabled swans, geese and ducks. “People would buy them as gifts for their kids and then neglect them, or drop them off at the preserve.

“They would be attacked or something else would happen to them, so I'd put my waders on and go into the pond and get them. I became very good at catching geese,” said Baker.

When she came to Maine, Baker started working as a pet sitter for Sarah Sokol, a dog trainer in Bath. She took classes with Sokol for informational purposes, and began offering transportation for pet owners who needed their dogs driven from one place to another.

Baker has a passion for working with dogs, especially those with behavioral issues, like anxiety, and reactive pets, who react out of fear or aggression. “I love working one-on-one with dogs,” she said.

Baker said she realizes it's not always easy for owners of pets with behavioral issues to take time for themselves, so “Dogs, like people can be a little broken, and a little damaged, and they just need someone with patience to help them. I'm able to help owners with some of these issues, so they can get a break from doing it all themselves,” said Baker.

She just had a client who hadn't left her dog in eight or 10 years, since the day she rescued her, because the dog was “reactive.” The woman wanted to go to Nepal. Baker walked the dog and spent time befriending her for two months before the woman left. When the woman left for Nepal, the dog was perfectly happy and calm, thanks to Baker's care.

“I feel connected to dogs. This is what I've always loved to do. It's so rewarding to work individually with dogs, and see that moment when they realize they can trust you. That's such a great feeling.”

Baker said she's had no formal training, other than the knowledge she has gleaned, and continues to glean, from Sokol, but she is on a constant quest to learn more about dogs and their issues — both emotional and nutritional.

The Pet Nanny will walk your dog, come to your home to check on your pets daily, stay there full-time, for a week or more, or take them to her house, depending on your needs and desires. She's also certified in pet CPR and first aid, making her qualified to do pet-needed injections and other medical needs that owners have a hard time doing themselves. “People will board their animals at a vet's because they don't want to some of those things themselves.” Baker will come to your home and do it for you.

Based in Brunswick, Baker will travel a wide distance to care for your pets. “Portland to Boothbay and Southport are within a doable distance for me,” she said. “I'm always willing to negotiate with people. We can absolutely come up with something that will work for them.”

One of the dogs Baker cares for now and then is Mulligan Sullivan, fur son of Margot Sullivan of Moulinette in Wiscasset.

“She's very much an animal whisperer, and has a calming way about her that the animals respond to, especially special needs animals or those with separation anxiety,” Sullivan said. “She truly cares about each and every animal in her charge and goes above and beyond with the care she provides, giving them all of her attention.”

Unfortunately, Baker says she’s a “foster failure. I have fostered dogs and I can't give them up,” she said. “We just 'rescued' one from Underhound Railroad that we were fostering.”

Baker's daughter, Tehyla Wilson, 15, is learning the business, too. “She's becoming my mini-me,” she said. “She wasn't interested a few years ago, but she's becoming interested now.”

Call 207-798-1003, or email lbthepetnanny@yahoo.com. Baker said phone reception in her Richmond home isn't always up to par, so keep trying.