The Surf Sitters Mission

We envision a world in which all animals are treated with compassion and with the highest regard for their well-being, happiness, and comfort. Our mission is to provide exemplary dog walking and pet sitting services that will enhance your pets’ natural inclination towards joy and delight and minimize disruptions to his or her routine. For the people attached to the pets, we want you to thrive, too. Our mission is to provide you with freedom from worry and guilt as you take the steps you need to enjoy a great quality of life and to do the work you were made to do.

About Surf Sitters Team

All Surf Sitters are insured, bonded, Pet CPR and First Aid Certified, and are members of Pet Sitters International. We are a team dedicated to being available to you and your fur family whenever you need us. With over 5 years of professional experience, we are a reliable, fun, and loving option for dog walks and pet care in your home.

The Surf Sitters Approach

We care so much about the pets we serve that we have developed our own training protocol for all team members.  We want to give you peace of mind, knowing your pets are getting the best care and companionship. So, we developed the Surf Sitters Approach to embody our mission to make every pet happy, comfortable, and physically and mentally healthy.  Click HERE to learn more about our unique approach.

Meet The Owners

John Barrile

John never met a dog or cat he didn’t like. So, after he turned his affinity for furry friends into a full-time career in 2012, he never looked back. His love of the beach brought him to Hampstead where he wanted to spread his best to each animal in the area by opening his dream business, Surf Sitters Pet Care and Dog Walking, LLC. His devotion to pets is unsurpassed and he has a wealth of knowledge that helps him provide the best care you’ll find. And when he’s not making pets happy, he plays the ukulele or cello, creates art, and of course, takes his own pups on adventures. John is known as a lover of all living things, including plants.

Shannon Morrow

As a co-owner of Surf Sitters Pet Care and Dog Walking, LLC, Shannon cares for creatures of all shapes and sizes. And with her peaceful spirit, creatures love her, too. She spends her time learning and studying how to better communicate with pets, and she’s always glad to share tidbits of knowledge with her clients. She approaches each day as a way to learn something new, and she will embrace your pet unconditionally.  When she’s not walking dogs, she celebrates life as an artist, musician, and meditator. Shannon is a natural problem solver, and she prides herself on being able to help clients resolve their pets’ challenges through positive rewards-based techniques. She’s completed two Canine Good Citizen classes in addition to animal communication workshops and she’s currently enrolled in a Pet Psychology class.

Meet Our Surf Sitters

Allison Bova

Allison has loved dogs all her life. As a Physical Education teacher, she truly enjoys an active lifestyle and often brings her pup, Pepper, along for her runs. Allison not only shares her love of animals with Surf Sitters’ clientele, she has recently joined the pet foster parent community. She’s shared her home with many down-on-their luck dogs in order to get them out of the shelter while they find their permanent family. She’s great at making dogs feel comfortable, confident, and at home. And once dogs settle in, she teaches them to walk on the leash, learn commands, and how to love and trust humans. She will treat your dog as well as she treats Pepper and all her foster babies!

Bonnie Booth

Bonnie is the quintessential pet lover! Keeping animals company brings her joy only matched by the love she has for her husband and two sons. She has three cats Gracie, Holly, and Lucy, a sweet Chihuahua mix named Jada, and a Lionhead bunny named Willow.  It wouldn’t be unusual to find her petting your pup’s belly as he rolls on the ground.

Tina Andes

Tina is a yoga-lover whose love of dogs brought her to Surf Sitters. Tina Andes has been a full-time resident of Surf City for six and a half years! She relocated here from Midlothian Virginia. She’s worked for the Special Olympics while pet sitting for friends and friends of friends. Until recently, she’s always had a dog, and as her human family grew, so did her pup family. Spending time with dogs melts her heart! So, she’s always thrilled to meet new furry friends and a be a part of the Surf Sitter team.

Annie Shamp 

Annie has been a pet lover and pet sitter for many years. She’s had the fortune to share her life with dogs, kitties, goats, horses, cows, chickens, ducks and parakeets at different times. Though she worked as a technical writer, she has always found time to take care of pets that needed love and care while their parents were away. She grew up in the Washington D.C area and moved to Hampstead 19 years ago via Boston and Raleigh. She has watched Hampstead grow and looks forward to caring for many more cherished pets.  When Annie isn’t serenading local dogs along their walks, she spends lots of time exploring the world of music and playing her guitar and viola. And yes, she does sing to dogs and cats, and yes, they like it.

Milo Bannerman

Milo and his wife Simeone fell in love with Topsail Island on a vacation 10 years ago.  After successfully raising 3 wonderful children,  Milo wrapped up his career in management, allowing him and Simeone to pack their bags and head south for Surf City adventures.  Milo volunteers weekly for Adoption First Animal Rescue in Jacksonville.  He helps at the shelter and has also successfully fostered many dogs who have since found their furever homes. When he is not walking for Surf Sitters or cleaning kennels at the animal rescue shelter, he finds joy fishing, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, and walking his own dogs Buddy and Lexi on the beach.

Kourtney Rooksby

Kourtney is a full-time student at UNCW, where she is on her way to completing a Bachelor’s Degree from the Cameron School of Business. She has one cat, Eloise, and shares her home with her roommate’s pup Bella and feline friend “Kitty”.  Kourtney really enjoys overnight pet sitting and bonds with each pet she stays with.  Taking a dog on a walk is not a job for Kourtney – it’s a joy.