The Carmel Pet Sitter's Blog

A Tip for Dealing with Muddy Paws

Some dogs prefer to put their HEADS in the mud!

If you’ve got a dog you know all about it. Those muddy feet. It’s particularly difficult for those with us with more than one dog. I’ve got five, so that means twenty canine feet tromping in and out of the house. Oh how I missed the ice and snow as only wet paws and small puddles of water littered my kitchen. One method I use for dealing with this is the kitchen chair and old bath towel method. I place a path made of a couple of old bath towels by the back door, then use chairs (or whatever works for you) to guide the dogs through the door and over the towels. You’d be surprised how much mud the towels will soak up. If you have only one dog you may not need the chairs, although I can tell you that dogs seem programmed to NOT step on the towels if at all possible.

The Big Meltdown

Those of you with dogs may be surprised to find what’s in your backyard. Now that the snow has melted at least some of us (okay, me) have lots of clean-up to do. I got today’s workout with a pooper scooper!

The Sad Reality….

This looks like my house…only cleaner!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Tags and Collars, Please

I am often surprised by the large number of pets I sit for that don’t have tags- some don’t even wear collars. This is the easiest way to make sure your dog will be returned to you if he/she gets away from you. As a person who stops for every stray I see, the number that have any type of identification is shocking. Most of you are familiar with microchips and I hope your pets have them. Even that can be of no help if the chip isn’t registered. But once in a while luck is on a dog’s side.

I picked up a mixed breed dog trying to cross Franklin Rd. in Indianapolis near the intersection with I-70. If you know the area it’s BUSY. He of course had no collar. I had a vet scan him and he did have a microchip. The vet called the microchip company but the owner had never registered it. The only clue was that the chip was sold to Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. I then called IACC. They were able to match up the chip number to the person who adopted the dog. I gave them a call and the dog was happily reunited with his family. This was a lucky break. Not all microchip companies will have this type of information, and most shelters don’t have computer systems that record all this kind of information. The dog’s name was Max by the way. If I hadn’t found his family, he’d likely be living here. He was a nice dog.

Now back to collars and tags. There’s no excuse. Collars are easily and cheaply available just about anywhere. If you want a recommendation, my favorite collars are made by ruff gear. You can visit their website by clicking here.

Okay, you’ve got a collar right. No? Okay, here’s a great website that sells dog supplies I highly recommend. I have used them for years and they have great doggie hardware as well as quality food and treats. It’s called SitStay. Check it out.

Okay, tag time. Avoid the machines in the pet stores. These tags do not last and are poorly made. All of my dogs wear tags from Boomerang tags. One of my favorites is the collar tag, guaranteed for the life of your dog. It slides onto the collar- there are two types depending on whether you use a buckle collar or snap collar. Provided you purchase the correct size for your collar this tag will not fall off. They guarantee it and I can tell you that watching four dogs roughhouse wearing the tags as well as running like goons through the woods…well, they don’t fall off.

So if you haven’t already, get your dog(s) collars and tags. It’s not a big deal but it can save their lives. Many people won’t stop for a stray without a collar and tags and are much more likely to stop if they think they can return the dog home.

Example of a collar tag from Boomerang Tags

A Worthy Cause- The Rabies Challenge Fund

Many of you probably know that rabies vaccines are now required every three years in the state of Indiana and other states as well. This is because research has shown that immunity to rabies lasts much longer than previously thought. In fact, there is evidence that a single vaccine may provide immunity for life. There is also evidence that over-vaccination itself is a health issue. If you tell that to many (but not all) vets they will probably get mad at you. There is currently a research study underway to determine the efficacy of the rabies vaccine and the duration of immunity. The Rabies Challenge Fund is funding this study. They need your help. As there is no financial gain to pharamaceutical companies or much of the veterinary industry there’s nobody but us caring pet owners to support such a fund. From what I understand the economy hasn’t done the study any favors. If you can spare a few bucks, please consider The Rabies Challenge Fund. Here’s the link.

Stanley and Collin- Senior Australian Shepherds Desperate for a Home

This is a plea for a New Year’s miracle. I must confess I don’t know these dogs personally, nor do I know the woman so desperately trying to find a home for her two senior dogs. I’ve seen them listed for months on Petfinder and on rescue lists. I feel great compassion for this woman, and sorrow for her situation. She has had health problems and is now moving into assisted living. Her only wish is to have someone take her two dogs, to keep them together until they live out their lives. So far, there are no takers. Stanley and Collin are senior Australian Shepherds. They are brothers and about 11-13 years old. If I didn’t have five dogs in my home I’d take them in a minute, but it is more than I can handle or afford. Can anyone out there please help these boys out? My experience with adopting a senior dog is this- they’re worth it. Give it a thought, won’t you?

Here are Stanley and Collin’s Petfinder link if you’d like more information:

Two Senior Australian Shepherds in Need of a Home

Today’s Weather…

Only dogs could enjoy weather like this. Check out what was going on in my backyard today as recorded by…me!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hiring a Pet Sitter

As hard as I’ve tried, I can’t be everywhere. I am fortunate to have loyal clients who give me the privilege of caring for their pets during the holiday season. I suppose I could expand my business and hire employees. As you can imagine, this creates other headaches as well. I prefer it being “just me”. This way I know the animals I care for very well, and as a full-time pet sitter I have a lot of experience dealing with vomiting cats, poopy dogs, door locks, strange neighbors, plumbing leaks, alarm codes…the list goes on.

A Caveat or two…

Most established pet sitters obtain their clients via word of mouth or veterinarians. Pay extra attention to sitters who advertise extensively. Many sitters do a little bit of advertising or promotions when they are just starting out. In some instances, lots of ads may mean nobody is referring their friends and families to them. (This is true for ANY business, not just pet sitting.)

Pet sitter associations- there are a variety of groups that pet sitters can join- often called some type of professional association. When I started out I got a lot of helpful information from NAPPS, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. However, belonging to NAPPS or other groups such as Pet Sitters International, Professional United Pet Sitters and so on in no way represent the professionalism or quality of care that you receive from a member. These organizations have no watchdog or disciplinary functions.

Finally- nobody, no person or business can possibly accommodate an unlimited number of clients at one time. This is true of any business.

Here are some questions you may wish to ask a potential pet sitter:

Are you insured and bonded?

You may be surprised that quite a few pet sitters are not. If you’re not comfortable with the response you get feel free to see a copy of their insurance documents. Some policies have bonding built into them and for an owner/operated business with no employees a bond can be a duplication of coverage. In short, make sure the person is insured, bonded is less of an issue.

Will you be seeing my pet(s) or do you have employees or contractors?

In instances where a business has contractors the owner has less control over their actions according to the law. A contractor is hired to get a specific job done and is not supervised by the business although they are given specific tasks to accomplish. Employers have more control over employees they hire.

Is the person taking care of my pets a full time or part time pet sitter?

Some sitters have staff that work for them sporadically. Others are daily or steadily employed.

How long has the person who will be caring for my pets been pet sitting?

You can be a great pet sitter on your first day if you know your stuff. Asking this question can open the door to a conversation about how that person feels about pet sitting and what they know about it.

Where does my pet sitter live?

I was surprised to learn that most pet sitters working in Hamilton County reside elsewhere. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My only concern here would be inclement winter weather that would prevent my sitter from getting to my home because they’re driving from town X to visit pets in Carmel or Westfield.

I hope some of the above can help you spur your thinking in a search for an excellent pet sitter.

A Tiny Life Extinguished

This is a sad story about a dog. So if you don’t like that kind of thing please stop reading now.

I was driving home late in the evening after finishing my last pet sit. As I turned off of Spring Mill Rd. my headlights caught an elderly dog crossing just of front of me. He was a little black mutt, his face almost completely gray. I could see he had tags and a collar. Usually when I see a stray it’s a young male, usually not fixed and usually no collar. In this case I was pretty certain this was a local person’s pet that had somehow escaped.

As soon as I saw the dog I rolled down my passenger window and yelled “hey buddy” trying to get his attention. He seemed not to hear me, and I later wondered if he could be deaf. Unfortunately, I was on a part of Spring Mill Rd. that had a field on one side and a horse farm on the other. It was pitch black. I could see nothing.

With my car still in the middle of the road I hop out to grab the slip lead I keep in my trunk so I can contain the little guy. I have no idea where he is though. I get in my car and drive along Spring Mill. I see nothing at all, although I did pass a car that was stopped or slowed down on the other side of the road. I turn around to drive the stretch of road again. It’s then that I see him. Within seconds of passing me he had been hit by a car and killed instantly. His tiny body is against the side of the road, a pool of blood beside his head. I stop the car, feeling nothing but sorrow for a dog that had lived a long life only to have it end so quickly and so tragically. I feel it’s my responsibility to take his tags and at least call his owner so he/she can know what happened. I’m dreading this, but it needs to be done. When I reach the dog I look down. His tags/collar are gone. I knew they were there as there was a mark where the collar clearly had been. Apparently the car I saw slowing down earlier had stopped to retrieve his tags. It may have been the person who hit the dog. I’ll never know. I’m certain it was nobody’s fault. Just a tragedy that couldn’t be avoided. I will never forget this little guy, and I hope his life was filled with joy before that awful dark night.

Sorry Charlie- A “Hybrid” Dog Surrendered to a Shelter

Great Pyrenees/Poodle Mix Surrendered to Ohio Shelter

This is Charlie. What kind of dog is he? Why, he’s a Pyrdoodle. Never heard of a Pyrdoodle? Neither did I. My friends with Indy Great Pyrenees Rescue didn’t either until some time ago when we were alerted that a person in Newburgh, Indiana was breeding Great Pyrenees to Standard Poodles in an attempt to make money by “inventing” a new breed. After doing a bit of research via Google, it seems as if Newburgh, Indiana is the capital of Great Pyrenees/Standard poodle breeding. When we heard about the breeder we were pretty sure of one thing- we’d wind up seeing these dogs in shelters. Sure enough. Poor Charlie. He’s in a shelter in Ohio where he doesn’t have great odds of being adopted. His owners left him there just before the Labor Day Weekend, saying they “didn’t have enough time” for him. Well, they certain didn’t spend any time grooming him- the picture can tell you that much. The only thing I know for sure is he’s probably scared, upset and heartbroken.

What makes it worse in this case is the clear-cut desire by somebody to exploit dogs to make a buck by breeding two separate breeds and calling it something other than a mutt. Throughout history humans have created new breeds of dogs to serve a purpose. However, this is not the case here. This is not carefully planned research of two breeds, of using champion breeding stock, (which would never happen because anyone that breeds championship quality dogs would never sell their puppies to such an outfit) or doing health testing to make sure (as an example) that the dogs being bred don’t have hip dysplasia. Or even researching what genetic diseases the breeds may have in common. This is all about money. Money and nothing else. When you breed two dogs of different breeds this is what you can be 100% certain you’ll get in their progeny:

Size: undetermined
Temperament: undetermined
Physical Features: undetermined
Health: undetermined

Please save your money and never buy a hybrid dog like this from a breeder!