About Us...

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Serving Lancaster, Va, and surrounding areas, River Paws professional pet sitting services provides loving and worry-free pet care, while you are away, for the day, a week, or more.  We invite you to reach out to us for a complimentary meet and greet, in your home, to get to know us better.

River Paws Farm was established as an LLC in 2017.  

Be sure to also "Like" and follow us on Facebook, at River Paws Pet Sitting 

Susan's life long passion for all things historical and vintage has brought her full circle, where she loves to spend hours searching tor amazing vintage finds. Some of which she brings back to life herself, in her workshop. 

Be sure to visit her shop, River Paws Vintage Market, located at 11460 Courthouse Rd, Lancaster, VA, 22503. Days and times of operation are updated on the Facebook page, and this website.

 Be sure to also "Like" and follow us on Facebook, at River Paws Vintage Market

River Paws Farm is located in the beautiful and rural area of Lancaster, VA.  Owner, Susan Pearce Ditch and her family moved to Lancaster some years ago, where they continue to work on their 1895 farmhouse, which sits on several wonderful acres. 

With her passion for pets, and history, Susan created River Paws Pet Sitting, and River Paws Vintage Market, both in Lancaster, VA, as an outlet to provide quality pet care in the area, as well as offering amazing shopping experiences at her renovated and historic, vintage barn shop, located on Courthouse Rd, in Lancaster.  Addition of the online shop put River Paws on the map, as shoppers across the US, and beyond, discovered Susan's unique and eclectic collection of vintage finds..

After College, Susan initially worked for many years in the Environmental field, with a B.A in Biology from St. Mary's College of Maryland, and a M.S.in Environmental Management, from the University of Maryland University College.  Jobs included time with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, near Annapolis, as well as many years with Virginia American Water, in Alexandria, Va, 

Susan made the leap into entrepreneurship in 2002, with the purchase of an old, run-down, kennel building in St. Mary's County, MD, and never looked back!  While her family and friends thought she had finally lost her mind, leaving a great job in the city to open a dog kennel, they were soon happily surprised to see the success that followed. After lots of hard work to bring the property back to life, and set up a new business, Susan's pet resort, known as Chesapeake Pet Resort & Day Spa, was born, quickly growing into a highly recommended and esteemed operation, which was loved from near and far, with many clients often booking many months or a year or more in advance, for their pet boarding services. 

Lots of great other skills were learned along the way, as Susan also worked for over ten years with retail giant, Woodward & Lothrop, in Annapolis, as well as dedicated time spent learning the Antique business through several years assisting at a high-end Estate Sale operation, also near Annapolis.

Our current businesses, River Paws Vintage Market, and River Paws Pet Sitting, are a culmination of all of Susan's experiences over the years, doing what she loves.

For those interested in our current pet care services, below are a few of Susan's credentials:

* ABKA (American Boarding Kennels Assoc), Basic and Advanced Pet Care Certification

* IPBSA, (International Pet Boarding Services Assoc), Basic and Advanced Canine and Feline Care

* American Red Cross, Pet First Aid and CPR

*American Red Cross, Advance Life Saving CPR & AED, 2017

*Lancaster County VA, Emergency Services, CERT training & Certification (Community Emergency Response Team), 2017, Certified CERT Instructor, 2019

* CERT for Pets in Disasters, Certification, Anne Arundel County, MD, 2012

To learn more about us, or to request information, email Susan at RiverPawsFarm@gmail.com