Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Pet Sitters

My husband and I go on a winter vacation every year for 2 weeks. The first year we put our two dogs in a kennel. We checked the kennel out and were pleased with what we saw. We made arrangements for extra exercise and paid through the nose for two weeks. When we returned from our holiday, we could not wait to pick up our two dogs. They were in a terrible state. They smelled so bad, we could barely stand the 30 minute drive back to our house. The weather was freezing, but we had to have all the windows in the vehicle open. Once we got them home, they both had to have a bath. We are talking Labrador Retrievers. Not a simple task. One dog had a very hoarse voice, it didn't turn into kennel cough thank god. In the next couple of days we noticed that the one dog could not lift or wag her tail. We took her to the vet and found out that she had kennel tail, supposedly from spending too many hours sitting on a cold concrete floor. Both dogs were very needy and out of sorts for a couple of weeks. Since that first year we have not put our dogs in a kennel again. When we travel now we always get a pet sitter to come into our home. Not only do we have the peace of mind of our pets being well looked after, but our home is secure as well.

Dog Walkers/Pet Sitting

I am thinking of starting a dog walking and pet sittin business. I have two dogs and I know first hand how hard it can be to find the time to make sure our four legged friends get enough exercise. Living in a large city with insane traffic makes it almost impossible to get home in the middle of the day to let your pets out for bathroom breaks. So when you do get home after an 8 or 9 hour day the dogs are chomping at the bit and doing the pee dance. Once that concern has been dealt with, they are usually all hyper and want your undivided attention. If you have had a nasty day at work it can be the last thing you want to deal with. Does that mean you should not own a pet? I don't think so. It just means you may need some help in the exercise department and that is where a dog walker can be a life saver.