What Your Pet Sitter is Thankful For

 

At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we have wonderful jobs and there is not better time to be thankful for the work we do than on Thanksgiving. Here is what I am thankful for:

  • Wonderful clients that appreciate the work we do year round.
  • Amazing animals for us to work with every day.
  • Healthy pets and a fantastic team of pet sitters that work hard to take care of their animal charges.

All of these make life happy and run smoothly, all year round. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

November Monthly Newsletter

Read up on our new software in our November newsletter!

Vote Yes on Larimer County Ballot Issue 200

 

Earlier this week I sat down like so many of you and proceeded to sort through data and articles, opinions and ballot entries for the upcoming election. Overall, this process usually takes me an hour or two as I like to make sure I am positive of my choices and am being thorough in my research. This year was especially interesting because I had an animal issue to decide, which are always proposals that are close to my heart, including  Larimer County Ballot Issue 200.

I usually do not get involved in politics. I do not discuss it in my business or with my employees. I do not mention it on social media or hand out flyers. The fact is I usually do not know what is on the ballot until I sit down to do my voting research, typically the day before the election. This year when doing my research I realized that this year, for the first time, I have something to say.

I am not a political expert, but what I am is an animal expert. I have worked at Larimer Humane Society, granted it was many years ago. I worked with Wildkind, animal rescues and aviaries. I stay in touch with current rescues and help fund raise to help animals. I married an animal control officer, so this is definitely an area with which I am familiar. For those of you that are unfamiliar, Issue 200 is set to increase taxes one penny per $10 to raise money for a new shelter for the Larimer Humane Society. Like many of you, I have mixed feelings on the humane society, often feeling they could do a better job and sometimes disliking their policies. During my research I read article after article on the issue, weeding through the opinions, but in the end I came to one realization: the opinions against Issue 200 were almost exclusively due to the fact that the writers did not feel it was the responsibility of the tax payers to help fund animal care. This statement and this statements alone is what I disagree with. No matter how well you feel Larimer Humane Society lives up to expectations, they are the group that cares for stray animals. They provide animal control facilities for animal emergencies. When there is a natural disaster they step in to provide housing for the evacuated animals. When there is a loose dog  or a trapped cat, they are who you call. Caring for the animals of our society is the responsibility of all residents, not just of those who wish to adopt pets. I know some people may take issue with the comparison, but taking care of the neglected children of Larimer County falls to all of us, as well should the care of animals. If Larimer Humane Society needs a larger building in order to save more animal lives then that is a tax I can get behind. No matter what your opinion, get out and vote this week!

October Newsletter

Our October newsletter is here with updates on our new software change, Cuddle Crate for October and a coupon to the Dog Pawlour!

Check it out!

Cuddle Crate – Fantastic fun for you and your dog

Wet Noses Pet Sitting is super excited to announce Cuddle Crate, our very own monthly subscription box for you and your dog. Each month we put together a box of treats, toys and dog related items and deliver it to your door, hassle free! Our first boxes were in September so now is the time to subscribe either for you or a friend. Cuddle Crates make a great gift!

But here are the really exciting parts:
– Each month we sponsor a local charity that will receive 10% of the proceeds! For the first month we are super excited to work with A Soft Place to Land in order to help them in their quest to rescue hard to place dogs.
– Each month we also will feature a local pet business that we feel is a great company to work with. For the first month we are just featuring ourselves as we get going.
– We are working to include as many locally made products as possible, from treats to bandanas.
– You can subscribe for a single box, three months or six months depending on your preference. If you want to give a subscription as a gift, especially with the holidays approaching, just list their address as the delivery address or drop us an email.

Check out the website for full details and to subscribe today!

Our September Cuddle Crate

Our June Newsletter has Arrived!

Keep on top of all of the Wet Noses Pet Sitting news by reading our monthly newsletter!

Will You Watch My Pets When I go into Labor?

 

So, you are pregnant and looking forward to the amazing day, but you inevitably think, “Who will watch my pets when I go into labor?”  You are not the only one!  At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we have helped quite a few people in this exact situation, enough that it was decided we needed a blog with all of the details!

If you are still deciding whether you will need a sitter, the answer is yes.  We have had more than one client not think they will need a sitter then call us at the last minute in a panic (from the hospital) to get us to run out and care for their pets.  Either their family that they expected to help out has not made it to town, the labor has been difficult and the husband does not want to leave or the weather is bad and the trip from the hospital will take longer than expected.

Here is the truth:  Adding a human child to the home will be one of the most difficult transitions in the life of your pet.  Do not make the situation worse by stressing out your pets with long stays at home alone broken up by quick trips outside with a distracted family member or friend.  Instead look at this as a time to get your furry friends some extra exercise or playtime.  A sitter can go on special walks or have cuddle time so that when you come home with your new family member your fur child is not already feeling stressed or full of energy.

Plan for needing a pet sitter and do not worry about your fur kids during this important time.  How to prepare depends on whether you are already a client of Wet Noses Pet Sitting.

If you are already a client:

  • Notify our office of the situation and let us know your due date.  We will check on the availability of your regular sitter around that time and notify the sitter of the upcoming dates.  Due to the unknown time we cannot guarantee your regular sitter but we will try to pair you with that person if at all possible.
  • Make sure we have keys to your home.  If you normally have your keys returned, this is not the time for last minute arrangements.  Your primary sitter should have a key and we should have one in our office as a backup.
  • Make sure all of your information it up to date in our system.  If any information changes in the following weeks be sure to change it right away.
  • When the time comes contact us right away!  After hours there is a way to get through to an on call manager, use it!  We will arrange visits according to your requested times.  If your normal sitter is not available we will send a backup sitter, but your pets will be well cared for.
  • Keep in contact.  We will continue services for your pets until we hear from you but it is nice to have an idea of when you plan to return home or if a family member will be taking over.

If you are not a client:

  • Get set up as a client!  If possible consider taking a day or two away to allow your pets to get used to having a sitter in the house.  We do require a $50 minimum to get you set up as a client, which we normally do not require until your appointment but in this case we will require it in advance of meeting your sitter.
  • Notify our office of the situation and let us know your due date.  Even if you do not have an appointment before your due date we will set you up with a sitter and have you meet with the person to gather keys and go over details.  We will attempt to pair you with a sitter that will be available on your due date but due to the unknown time we cannot guarantee the same person.
  • Make sure you keep all of your information up to date in our system.  If any information changes after your client meeting be sure to change it right away.
  • When the time comes contact us right away!  After hours there is a way to get through to an on call manager, use it!  We will arrange visits according to your requested times.  If the sitter you met with is not available we will send a backup sitter, but your pets will be well cared for.
  • Keep in contact.  We will continue services for your pets until we hear from you but it is nice to have an idea of when you plan to return home or if a family member will be taking over.

This can be a stressful time but the proper preparation can make it a little easier for both you and your fur kids!

retired greyhound

Colorado Bans Greyhound Racing

 

retired greyhound

This week I was proud to be a Coloradan when a bill was signed Monday to ban Greyhound racing statewide.  I grew up with Greyhounds and was even in a newspaper article to show folks that these sweet dogs were usually good with children.  They hold a very special place in my heart and I have kept in touch with rescues over the years.  My family even had Greyhounds until just a few years ago when the last one passed away.

Greyhound racing itself has not been active in the state for years, since the last racing track shut down, but it is good to know that the “sport” will not be allowed to make a resurgence anytime in the future.  There are 7 states that still have active dog racing tracks and I personally hope they are feeling the pressure to close in the near future.  Rescue groups across the country work tirelessly to transport Greyhounds from those 7 states to their own and facilitate adoption locally in order to save as many lives as possible.  Due to the closing of tracks over the recent years the pressure has lightened on other rescues but thousands of these dogs are regularly raced, bred and retired at a ridiculous rate.

Greyhounds are wonderful dogs that are well suited to small spaces such as apartments.  Depsite being fast runners, the dogs really are couch potatoes and are content to lay around most of the day.  Many people are daunted by their size but they do curl up into nice little balls!  Many of them are great with other dogs, kids and cats, although they are all screened before being placed in a home with any of these.  If you have ever had any interest in adopting one of these wonderful dogs, celebrate the ban on racing by getting in contact with a local Greyhound rescue!


What Does Your Pet Sitter Do If Your Pet Gets Sick?

 

A couple weeks ago we had an unfortunate, but inevitable situation arise – a dog we are watching became very ill.  At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we have very clear policies in place for when your pet gets sick, in the case of any problem the sitter is to contact the manager on call or myself (the owner) and await directions.

As pet sitters we have 3 situations that can arise:

1) The illness or injury is minor. We can either take care of it ourselves or the problem will resolve on its own.
2) The problem is more considerable but does not yet warrant medical care. In this case we keep a close on the pet and make a decision on care as the situation develops.
3) The animal requires immediate medical care.

So how does our process work?

If it is clear to the sitter that the animal needs medical care they contact us while loading up the pet.  The dog or cat is taken to either their regular vet or the emergency vet while a manager goes to meet the sitter and contacts the human family.  Our sitters often have other pets to care for, so a manager will take over at the veterinarian to make sure the pet is well cared for and the owner is kept informed.

What if the sitter is not sure if veterinary care is needed?

Occasionally the situation is a little less clear and a second opinion is needed.  The sitter will consult with a manager and often the manager goes out to see the pet and make a final decision.  In the case of a recent emergency, I went out to see the dog and brought my husband with me just in case. The dog in question weighed in at 160 pounds and we knew would require a few people to lift him.  It was good we had extra people as upon our arrival the dog was barely able to walk and had to be assisted into the car.  If the sitter ever has a concern about the health of an animal, a second person is called for help.

What about a minor scratch?

For something small we often take care of the problem ourselves.  All of our sitters have wonderful animal experience and if they need help another sitter or manager comes in to assist.  Some situations depend upon the pet, such as a case a few years ago.  We had a client who was a regular dog walk rip his toe nail off while out on a walk one day.  The sitter was actually a vet tech and I was in the area, so with both of us being more than capable of handling the problem, we tried to do so.  The dog was having none of it.  We made the decision to bring him to a vet since we were not able to get a hold of his owner.  When we did reach her we found out that he has to be sedated for any medical work to be done on him so we were glad we were already at the vet!  This was an unusual situation and in most cases we are able to handle small concerns ourselves.

Do you charge for this extra care?

Handling emergency situations is part of our job.  We do not charge extra if a manager goes out to help a sitter or if your pet gets sick and needs to be taken to the vet.  If the future services for the rest of the trip need to be changed in order to accommodate additional medical needs, then we will charge more for that time, but there is nothing extra for the initial time while we handle the emergency.

While our clients entrust their pets to us we take their care and health very seriously.  We want to know that we did all we could to provide the best care for your fur friends and our clients appreciate the peace of mind that we offer!

4 Reasons We DON’T Go to The Dog Park

 

Can you take my dog to the park?

This is a question we get all the time. We are happy to walk your dog through any park near your home, on leash. We will not take your dog to the neighborhood park and let him off leash, or to the fenced dog park.

First off, we are not dog park haters. At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we believe the dog park is a great place in the right situation, for the right dog. Most of our sitters take our their dogs to dog parks and off-leash areas, but those are their own dogs. This is not the same as taking your dog to the park.

In order to make sure our clients are receiving the best and safest care, it is our policy to not to let your dog off leash at a park or go to the dog park.

1. We will never let dogs off leash in a regular, unfenced park, ever.

No matter how great your dog is about not running away from you, we are not you! We form great bonds with the dogs we watch and love them as much as our own pets but that does not make us have the same weight of importance with your dog when they see a cat run across the street. Besides, how often do you see a dog owner calling and chasing their dog, saying they never run off like that. We don’t want that to be us, and neither do you.

2. Dogs (and owners) are unpredictable.

So you live right next to the fenced dog park? Still no way. I cannot count the number of times I have collected my dog and left the dog park because another dog showed up that made me uncomfortable. We cannot predict how your pup is going to react in a variety of situations, nor can we predict how the other dogs are going to respond to your dog. We prefer not to take the risk.

dog-park-1497655_640

 

3. Dog parks can be a vector for diseases.

 

Yeah, so why do you take your dog to dog parks? I make an educated risk based on the conditions of the park before I take my dog. I do not allow my dog to go swimming in the park because Giardia is highly transmittable via water. Same with any park that has large puddles that are frequented by dogs. If we take your dog to the park and he gets sick, even if we went at your request, we are still liable and we have a sick dog on our hands!

4. There are lower risk ways to exercise your dog.

At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we chose to take the lower risk path and during the time your dog is in our care we play it safe. We go on lots of walks, play in the yard, play inside, make up fun games and more! We know we are providing the safest way for your dog to have fun.

What do you think about dog parks? Let us know your feelings and experiences in the comments below!