My last post on the pet sitting business dealt with the Pros of Boarding Dogs in your home and there are many positive aspects.  However, if you’re thinking of becoming a pet sitter, you will need to know some of the downsides to make an informed decision.  Don’t get me wrong, I love having the dogs in my home and they bring me untold happiness, but it’s not all hugs and kisses.  With that being said, the pros far outweigh the cons.

7 Downsides to Private Dog Boarding in your home

A typical night at my sitter's Franks House

Garden can get destroyed.  If you like to garden and have a lush green lawn and want to keep it that way, this is not for you!  I love to garden and have had to put barriers around certain garden beds to keep them from trampling the plants.  Let’s face it, when you get a bunch of dogs together, they will rough house and run around.  That’s want you want them to do.  You want them to have a great time!  As you can see from this Waggy’s video of Murphy the Dane and Norman the Bulldog that I have barriers around my plants. They’ve been there a while now and need to be replaced.  Also, my son needs to mow the lawn!

As for your lawn, Forget about it!  Unless you have artificial grass, you will have urine burns and patches where the lawn just doesn’t grow anymore.  Oh yea, don’t forget to buy a big pooper scooper for the backyard!  For tips on how to have a more pet friendly back yard, please read my interview with Elizabeth Bublitz of PawFriendly Landscapes.

Going potty in your home.   No matter how old or potty trained they are, some will relieve themselves in your home.  There are just too many smells and they can’t help it.  I always have them go out in the back yard when they first arrive to get that out of the way.  It would be best if you had tile or wood flooring on most of the areas that the dogs will be in.  9 times out of 10, if they go, they will go on my area rugs and not my tile.  Same goes for poop and vomit!

Dog fights.  Screen carefully for aggressive behavior in dogs.  If you have a dog that doesn’t get along with other dogs, you will be looking for trouble.  Even with non aggressive dogs, the rough housing can get heated and you have to watch it very carefully.

Wendy with her dog Honey and friends

Can’t be spontaneous about vacations.  Once you build up a regular clientele, it’s likely that you could have boarders everyday especially during summer vacations and holidays.  It’s OK to have your vacations and time away, you just have to put it on your calendar far in advance and don’t book clients during that time.  If you’re the spontaneous type that likes to go away at a drop of a hat, boarding is not for you.

Clean up. There is a lot of cleaning you have to do.  From the dog hair, to accidents to dribble across the room from drinking out of the dog bowl.  Get a good vacuum and mop and make friends with your broom.  I have a wonderful steam cleaner for hard surfaces that sterilizes with water.  It great for tile floors.

To my surprise there hasn’t been a lot of damage done to my house (except my carpets!) as you would expect.  However, I’ve had pillows chewed up and some scratches on my furniture.  If you have a house full of antique figurines and white furniture, put the figurines away and get slip covers for your couches because they will go on your furniture.  I have a leather couch and one that has a slip cover on it.  I just pop it into the washer to clean it.  99.9% of my clients have inside dogs, so, if you’re reading this and thinking, I’ll just keep them outside, think again.  Your clients want them to be in the house – that’s the point.  Here’s another video by Murphy and Norman rough housing on the “dogs” furniture.

You must put a fence around your pool.  As they’re running around the backyard, sometimes they can fall into the pool, and they’ll try to get out where they fell in. It’s a struggle for them to get out and if you’re not there, they could drown.  That would be devastating for you and of course for your clients.  It’s just unthinkable.  If you’re out there every time they are playing, it’s OK, but just like a child, you can’t take that chance.  This is definitely a time when it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Forget about sleeping in.   Dogs don’t care what day of the week it is and they usually wake up with the sun.  If you’re a night owl and like to sleep in, private dog boarding is not for you.

Private boarding is a lot like day care for kids.  You treat them as if they are children because to their owners, these dogs are the light of their life and you can never forget that.   We have a lot of fun boarding dogs as long as you keep the number to a reasonable amount.

Now go out and mop your floor.

Chris L. Wagner

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

In June, it will be my 5th anniversary for being in the pet sitting business and most of that time, I’m been boarding dogs in my home.  Yes, you heard me right, my own home.  That’s why I’m a crazy, mad pet sitter!

Dylan in pool with Dogs

Periodically I get calls from people that want to become a pet sitter and are looking for advice on what it’s like and which direction to go.  In this post, I’m going to concentrate what it’s REALLY like to have dogs stay in your home without cages or kennels.

In the beginning, I did everything, from staying overnight at the client’s home, visits to boarding dogs.  Being the homebody that I am, it soon became apparent that I prefer to have the dogs at home with me.  My clients love the fact that their dog is with a family getting attention 24 hours a day. If you had the choice of a kennel or a family watching your dog and spoiling them rotten, which would you choose?

The mission of my business is to have my clients feel absolutely worry free about their pets while they are basking in the sun on a beach in some exotic country.  It’s the best feeling in the world when they tell us that they didn’t worry the whole time they were gone!

For this post, I’m going to concentrate on the pros of dog boarding.  Please read this and my next post to fully comprehend both sides of the story.

The Pros of Private Dog Boarding:

1. You can work from home. This is great if you have young children or retired. However, you must screen for aggressive dog behavior before you take them in.  Always have a consultation in your home first to access the dog for any unwanted behavior.
   

   Me with Cooper

2. There is less competition.  Most sitters do pet visits at the clients homes and don’t provide boarding.  You can carve a nice niche for yourself.
3. You can regulate how many dogs you have at a time.  If you don’t have help, my advice is only take in as many dogs as you can walk at one time.  Please check with your city’s regulations on the amount of dogs you can have overnight.
4. You can get to know the dogs on a deeper level.  Consequently, the more they get to know you, the more relaxed and better behaved they are.  Their comfort level rises and they’re more calm.   After awhile, they feel like your own dog which is a wonderful thing.
5. You don’t have to drive around town to visit the pets – they come to you.  Some pet sitters have several visits a day and can spend a full day on the road.  When the price of gas goes up, that effects your bottom line.
6. There is an enormous need for private boarding.  Once they find out about you, they will never go back to using kennels.  You are providing a safe, loving environment for the dogs, and for the client, it’s a dream come true which is a good selling point.
7. You will get to know many different breeds of dogs and their behavior characteristics.  This true for any service you do, but you’ll have a deeper understanding when you can observe them for longer periods of time.
8. You’ll have the funniest stories and memories to talk about.  You can just watch a Bulldog for entertainment!  Dogs can be a blast to be around and bring so much joy into your life.
   

   Me with Kayla and Thanda Chillin'

9. You can also do Dog Day Care to supplement your income.  Pet Sitting is very cyclical and Dog Day Care can fill in those gaps.  You can have more during the day, but not all will spend the night.
10. 10.  If you are fortunate to live on acreage, you could set up outside provisions for the dogs.  Maybe a climate controlled building and fenced in space for the dogs to run and play.  Again, please check with your cities regulations.
11. 11.  And last, but not least, the best reason of all –  you will get unconditional love all day long!   And that, my friends is what pet sitting is all about!

You can only be in the pet sitting business if you have a deep love for animals.  It’s not all just playing and loving on the dogs – it’s a business and they don’t always behave like you want them to. So,  with that said, stay tuned for the Cons of Private Dog Boarding you may not feel so warm and fuzzy as you do now.

Now go out and throw your dog a bone!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

I truly hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas celebration with family and friends.  For me, it was very low key this year.  At least I didn’t have to cook (not that anyone likes my cooking).  If you didn’t read about the dogs that are boarding with me in the last two installments, you can go to Christmas at Waggy’s part 1 and Christmas at Waggy’s Part 2.

On with the story, Libby the Lab left on Christmas Eve and Julie the Lab came to stay on December 26th.

Julie the Lab came to visit

It’s been so fantastic to have such a good group of dogs staying with us.  Overall, they have been very mellow and well behaved.  However, we did have a very “humping” group.  Cooper the Cocker wouldn’t leave Lucy the Labradoodle alone!  He wasn’t the only one.

We went to the Dog Park everyday to get all their energy out.  With a large group of dogs, it’s crucial that they get a change of scenery and plenty of exercise.  Thank Goodness, my son’s were home on vacation to help me walk the dogs.   We look like “Dogs on Parade” walking down the street as people look at us like we’re crazy to have so many dogs.  I politely let them know that they’re not mine.

Thank you for letting me show you a glimpse of what it’s like to board dogs in your home.  I will be blogging about the details in future posts.  For now, please enjoy the rest of the pictures and I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

That was fun ripping up all the paper! Daisy

Simon Says, "Act like a dog"

And to all a good night. Simon and Lucy

Having fun at the local Dog Park

Chris and her entourage lounging on a cold night

Cooper relaxing after opening presents

It's good to be with friends when opening presents! Simon, Daisy and Cooper

Hey, where's my present? Lucy and Ella

The gang's all here!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Products Online Store

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

Hello and happy holidays from Chris at Waggy’s Pet Sitting.  The whole gang is almost here.  Today (12/22) Angel the lab left, but Simon and Daisy arrived.  Simon and Daisy first met a couple of years ago when they both boarded with me and it was love at first sight.  They were inseparable and played together the whole time they were here.

Dogs playing in the backyard!

Simon & Daisy Holding Hands when they first met

They also were very mischievous together.  I was marinating a whole pan of chicken wings in Teriyaki sauce and went out of the house for a bit.  When I got home there wasn’t a trace of the chicken, the bones or the sauce.  It was like I just put a clean pan on the counter!  In addition, Simon also ate a whole stick of butter.  Needless to say, I am on to his tricks and know how to hide food from him.  With all that, we love him very much and he’s a great dog!

Daisy and Simon in 2009 Reunited again with my son Clayton

All the dogs are getting along great except for one incident from the two most unlikely culprits.  Libby the Lab and Cooper the Cocker, had a scuffle.  I was playing with another dog and Cooper was barking.  I guess Libby didn’t like it and let him know.  It was over quickly and all has been forgiven.

The Wagners on a walk with Lucy, Libby and Cooper

My family and I just love our doggie house guests and are so thankful that we get to care for them throughout the holidays!

If you missed the other dogs in part 1 of this Christmas series, go to Christmas At Waggy’s – Part 1.

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Pet Sitting

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

In addition to writing this blog and having an online pet products store, I’m also a pet sitter.  90% of my business is privately boarding dogs in my home and Christmas time is crazy around here, but it can be a real blast with the right combination of dogs and temperaments.

I’ve been in the dog boarding business for over 4 1/2 years now and have the luxury of only taking my regular clients.  This makes it so much easier because I know the dogs very well and they know me and my family.  Some of the dogs even have their own place on the couch that they love to sit in.

Now that I have my blog, I thought I’d chronicle the comings and goings of my furry friends over Christmas and New Years in pictures.  So far only about 3 ornaments have broken and one bowl of dog food has been taken off the kitchen counter and consumed.  At least this year no dog has urinated on the tree YET!

The pictures started on Friday December 18th.  I hope you enjoy them and I’ll be updating everyday.  If you would like to send me your Holiday pictures, I’d love to put them on my website.  Please email them to chris@waggyspetsitting.com.

On Friday came Cooper the Cocker and Goldie a Lab Mix

On Saturday came Lucy the Labradoole and Libby the Lab with Goldie and Cooper

Monday, this is my son Dylan with Angel the Lab, Goldie went home, and Cooper, Libby and Lucy are still here to join in the fun

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales