ABOUT ELENA DUCHARME
I genuinely love living with animals. They make me laugh, get me outside, keep me moving and bring joy to ordinary days.
I try to give them the same thing in return: companionship, affection, attention, play and a life that still feels full while their people are away.
A LIFELONG CONNECTION
Dogs and cats are the animals I know best, and they’ve been woven through my life for as long as I can remember.
From dog Brian to cat Conrad to dogs Emily, Amy, Maya and Abby, to Rocky and Claire and Big-Boned Bunny and Mary and Pepper—you get the gist. I’ve virtually always lived with or cared for pets, whether my own or the neighbors’. This has also included reptiles, goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens, including about twelve years with my own flock of chickens. (Yes, some well-loved chickens do live that long!)
I’m very open to households with other animals too—and curious about all of them. Birds and small companions like mice and hamsters may be new to me, but I’d be delighted to meet them, learn their routines and see how we get along.
THE LITTLE THINGS MATTER
When Amy, my mom’s energetic senior family Corgi, could no longer use her back legs, I bought a Radio Flyer red wagon. Every evening for months, we’d drive down to Cove Park and I’d pull her around, so she could still get out, smell the air, see people and dogs and enjoy the world.
I wasn’t crazy, as many people think of pet parents who push their senior dogs in strollers to be. I wanted Amy to have something to look forward to every day. Just because she couldn’t walk didn’t mean she shouldn’t get to go out and sniff and explore.
DEEP ROOTS IN LA JOLLA
I was born in downtown La Jolla and went to school here, from nursery school at the Rec Center through La Jolla High.
My mother, Dolores, went to La Jolla High too. My father, Deane Haskins, practiced law here for decades and served on the La Jolla Town Council and a multitude of other organizations. He flipped pancakes at the annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, played baritone saxophone, sang in church choirs and was a cheerful, often be-hatted and whistling fixture around the Village.
Community involvement has been an important part of my life too, as it has been for my older brother, Steve. Over the years, we’ve both taken volunteer leadership roles on issues affecting La Jolla because we care deeply about what happens here.
Home stewardship
I am a maintainer.
Beauty and order bring me both peace of mind and joy, so maintaining a home has never felt like a chore to me.
Think me weird, but sweeping is actually one of my favorite activities, inside and out. Give me a broom and a kitchen floor, patio or walkway that needs attention, and I’m quite content.
I cook nearly all of my own meals, so keeping a kitchen clean and orderly comes naturally to me.
I love plants and enjoy tending them. I also tend to notice the small things that need attention before they become larger ones.
There’s something deeply satisfying to me about maintaining a home along the way rather than simply cleaning up at the end.
ESTATE PLANNING & TRUST ATTORNEY
I have another professional life, too. I’m also an attorney with an estate planning practice in La Jolla. Much of my legal work can be done from home, which fits naturally with pet and home sitting. During a sit, I simply work in your home during part of the day. I leave for ordinary errands, outings and appointments, including occasional meetings at my La Jolla office, but I’m ordinarily around for substantial parts of the day and I’m there every night.
The two parts of my life are quite different, but they draw on some of the same qualities: conscientiousness, responsibility, communication and a desire to prevent problems before they arise.
My favorite outcome isn’t simply a successful stay. It’s being invited back.
Over time, I get to know the animals, the home and the household rhythms. Your pets know and trust me. I already know where things are and how the house works. We don’t have to start over every time you travel.
You have someone you know returning to care for your home and animals whenever you travel.
I don’t aspire to care for every household. I want the arrangement to feel comfortable for everyone—you, your animals and me. That’s why I prefer to talk first and always meet at your home before accepting a stay. I want to understand what your animals need, what matters to you about your home and what everyday life during the stay would actually look like.
If it feels like a good fit, wonderful. If it doesn’t, that’s useful to know too.