About Us

I am Jen Burmeister, the owner of Fit & Sit Pet Sitting. I started Fit & Sit for so many reasons, but the most important being that I wanted to provide a meaningful service for pet lovers that want the best for their animals. I wanted to give people an option other than boarding their pets at a kennel or veterinarian's office or asking a friend or neighbor. And I wanted to offer fitness for pets as a real option for pet owners when struggling to pinpoint the right pet sitter.

We all know how uncomfortable it can be to ask a friend or neighbor to watch our pets after the third or fourth time. We feel like we are burdening others even though we think our pets are the most precious things ever! And we all know how it feels when our pets give us those sad eyes when we drop them off at the kennel. I don't have to say much here ... you know what I mean.

Every time I left for vacation leaving my yellow lab, Shadow, and Siamese cat, Kiki, behind, I couldn't fully enjoy myself. I was constantly worried about them and feeling horrible that they didn't get to sleep in their own beds at night. Although a "camp" atmosphere was cute, it wasn't for Shadow; she would come home stressed and having lost weight. Sometimes she'd acquire kennel cough and/or cuts, probably from riffs with other dogs. My cat just got lonely at home by herself. That's when we decided to hire a pet sitter. At first we were skeptical about letting someone into our house, but once we met our sitter and tried his services for the first time, we were hooked. My favorite part was receiving daily updates on how Shadow and Kiki (my cat) were doing. I checked my email everyday, and it brought a smile to my face as he would describe their personalities to a "T" and talked about things they did.

That is when I also became hooked on the idea of pet sitting as a career. At the time, I was practicing massage therapy (for people) and not really loving it ... I felt like something was missing. I was burned out because I knew I wanted to work with and around animals, I always had, but I wasn't sure what that looked like, and I wasn't sure where to start. I worked for a couple of years at the Michigan Humane Society, and although it was mostly office work, I did get a chance to work with and around animals during adoption events and filling in as needed at the shelters. I loved being around animals, but seeing them in that stressed-out environment was not where I found my calling. After meeting our pet sitter, I just knew; I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is what I should have been doing all along. I started asking other pet lovers what would be something new and different that would inspire them to contact one pet sitter over another, and time and time again people said they wished that their pet sitters exercised their pets more and provided more personal attention. And that is how the Fit & Sit idea was born.

I wanted to create a company that incorporated fitness into regular pet & home-sitting services. We can all probably agree that our pets tend to behave and sleep better after a day of vigorous Frisbee play, a long swim & fetch game in the pond or a long jog. But so many of us just don't have the time to do that (for ourselves, let along our beloved pets!) That is where the idea came from - the fact that I felt so guilty on days that I couldn't make it home in time to "exercise" my dog. She'd look up at me with those sad eyes with her leash in her mouth, and even if I gave her a walk, it wasn't a long or vigorous one. In this busy day and age, it helps to have service providers that understand your schedule. We get it. That's why we do what we do. Your pets deserve the very best in care and fitness; it's a holistic approach to caring for your animals.

In 2005, I ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon; it is something I never thought I could do. Although my time wasn't record-breaking (far from it!), it was a huge accomplishment. Ever since then, I have been very keen on staying fit and the benefits it provides for my health. I considered Personal Training as a career, but like I said, animals are my #1 passion, and combining fitness with pets has been a dream come true. Pets cannot decide for themselves how much exercise they get ... we decide that for them. So now I am striving to make it easy for your pets to get fit and enjoy a happy, active lifestyle!

Fit & Sit combines regular exercise programs and other pampering services (like brushing & massage, at your request) with your pet-sitting and house-watching needs, and we are always looking for more suggestions for services that will exceed your expectations.

I hope you will be happy with your services. Contact us anytime! Our voice mail and email are available 24/7. We will always return your call or e-mail in at least one business day.

Our Dogs, Shadow and Kava