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 always find it funny when I read articles about greening up your dogs.  If you think about it, a dog is already natural and organic. It’s the humans that make our pets bad for the environment, from leashes and collars made from petroleum, polyester bed covers and clothes, shampoos with chemicals and so on.

As you know, there is a large movement all over the world to go “green” and help keep our planet clean.  As a consequence, there has been a bounty of new products on the market to help us be more eco friendly conscience.

Superdog Saving Our Planet

So, when it comes to your dogs (or I should say human owners), what can you do?  When you first get your new doggy, there are so many things you need to purchase that it can be overwhelming.  It’s just like bringing home a new baby!

Since I do own Waggy’s Eco Pet Products, I’m going to shamelessly plug my store, but this is our business and I’m glad I can help you out!  If it’s not in my store, I will provide links to places that do carry these products.

Here’s a list of things you will need and are good for the planet:

Food and treats: are the number one items you need.  There are scores of natural, organic and human grade products you can buy.  I realize that organic brands are more expensive, but please don’t skimp on this purchase.  Go to this link for a list of natural and holistic dog food companies and do a little research.  Don’t forget you can always offer your dogs cooked meat, pieces of fruit and vegetables and bits of cheese for treats.

Leashes/Harnesses and Collars:  Purchase these items that are made out of hemp, bamboo and other natural products.  The bamboo plant is very quick growing and does not require the use of pesticides and herbicides to thrive.  Hemp is also fast growing and is known for its strength, durability, absorbency, anti-mildew and antimicrobial properties.

Dog Beds: There are beds made of Hemp, organic cotton and filled with shredded plastic bottles, buckwheat and other natural fibers.  Shredded plastic bottles may not sound soft, but they are made from a special fiberfill blend spun from post-consumer plastic beverage bottles. Many of the beds are filled with the equivalent of more than 50 recycled plastic bottles.

Cycle for Shredding Plastic bottles

Dog Bowls:  Buy ceramic, stainless steel and even canvas eco travel bowls.

Dog Crates: Stainless Steel crates or crates made out of wood are a good solution.  How about making your own dog crate with recycled wood to fit your decor!  You can also find eco friendly crate pads to put inside or recycle old blankets you aren’t using anymore.

Dog Shampoos, Lotion and other pharmacy items: There are many items on the market from Shampoos, conditions, sunscreens, ear cleaners and even essential oils for dogs.  These products are made with natural ingredients that are detergent and alcohol free.  Natural vitamins and supplements can be found, but please consult with your Veterinarian before purchasing supplements just to be on the safe side.

Biodegradable Doggie Bags and In Ground Waste Digesters:  I’m sure you know what biodegradable doggie bags are, but what is an in ground waste digester?  A Doggie Dooley is a container that is buried in the ground and treats your dogs waste with enzymes which turns it into a liquid that is safe for the environment.  There are different models, some of which are made of plastic, but there is a galvanize steel model that would be more eco friendly.

Dog Toys:  These are a must especially if you have a puppy that will want to chew on everything!  If you have a large dog with big teeth, they can go through chew toys in a matter of minutes!  For an eco friendly option, you can always tie some old socks or tee shirts together for a tug of war toy.  For ideas on how to make your own dog toys, please go to Homemade dog toys.

Cleaning Products:  There is no doubt in my mind that your dog will either urinate, vomit or poop in your house.  There are many products in your local stores, but you can also make your own cleaners.  Please go to Homemade Cleaning Products for Dogs for ideas and learn about how green ingredients work.

Dog Clothes and Raincoats:  Although these aren’t essential unless you live in cold weather regions,  you can still be green when buying clothes for your pooches.  Clothes made with fast growing sustainable bamboo and organic cotton are wonderful and have excellent wicking properties.  Believe it or not, there are raincoats made from recycled materials and then when your done, you can recycle it again!

Other helpful tips:

Adopt a dog instead of buying a new puppy.

Use old towels to dry off your dog after a bath instead of using an electric hair dryer.

Recycle old towels to clean your dogs paws after a wet and muddy walk.

If you don’t use tap water, use a water filter instead of bottled water.

Now go out and save the Earth!

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

If you’re reading this blog, you are most likely an animal lover, and as an animal lover, you find the idea of animal abuse absolutely abhorrent.    My Mother used to watch the Animal Cop shows where they would rescue an abused animal from situations that you wouldn’t put your worst enemy in.  I asked her how she can watch those shows, and she said that there was always a happy ending and the animal got the help it needed.

Unfortunately, there isn’t always a happy ending for some precious animals.  They are beaten, shot, starved and even hung with no savior to rescue them from these monsters.

Abused Dog

I have to say that when I was looking for pictures to illustrate animal abuse for this post, I saw things that I wish I never did.  It literally turned my stomach to see the cruelty that humans have inflicted upon the most precious things on Earth.  The pictures I chose to show you very mild compared to what is really going on.

When I speak to people about abuse the first thing everyone says is Why?  Why do they do it?  How can anyone hurt a poor defenseless animal?

Actually there are 9 reasons why people intentionally abuse animals that keep coming up in the databases over and over again.

1. to control an animal
2. to retaliate against an animal
3. to retaliate against another person
4. to satisfy a prejudice against a species or breed
5. to express anger through an animal
6. to enhance one’s own aggressiveness
7. to shock people for amusement
8. to displace hostility from a person to an animal
9. to perform non-specific sadism
   

   Abused Cat

These 9 reasons are broken down into two different categories:

1. Passive Cruelty or Acts of Omission which is defined as not what the abuser is doing to the animal, but what they are not doing.  This includes neglect, abandonment, not providing adequate water and food, never taking them to the vet when there is clearly something wrong with the animal or giving them the proper shelter they need from extreme weather.  Just because this term is called Passive doesn’t mean they aren’t inflicting severe harm to the animal.
2. Active Cruelty or Acts of Commission is when an abuser intentionally inflicts harm to an animal such as fighting, bestiality, poisoning and the like.  This form of cruelty is the most serious and usually associated with serious signs of psychological problems.

In researching for this post, I found out about some forms of abuse that I never thought a human was capable of.

The most prevalent types of animal abuse are:

1. Neglect or abandonment – As we discussed above, is not providing the adequate care for an animal.  Sometimes this is caused by simple ignorance in how to care for a pet.

2. Fighting – Everyone knows about Pit bull fights as Michael Vick was rightly prosecuted with, but there are other forms of fighting such as:
-          Trunking is when they put two dogs into the trunk of a car, close it and let the dogs fight it out to the death.
-          Hog-Dog Fighting is when they have a dog and a hog fight it out.  This is most prevalent in the Southern United States.
-          Badger Baiting (hold on to your hats) is when they pit a dog against a badger.  Since a badger is very fierce, they first have to beat it over the head, break it’s jaw or chain it’s leg just to give the dog a level playing field.  Then they put the badger in a pit or arena and they let several dogs loose and encourage them to kill the badger.  This kind of abuse is mostly seen in the UK, and over 10,000 badgers are killed every year.  All of these forms of fighting are usually done with Pit bulls.

3. Other forms of animal abuse are hoarding, poisoning, shooting, bestiality , beating, hanging and something called “Crush Videos“.  Crush Videos are when people get sexual gratification from young women crushing or killing a small animal by stomping on them.  It’s even better if the woman has on sexy shoes for those that have a foot fetish.   How sick is that!

What do you do if you suspect someone is abusing an animal?

1. Tread lightly.  If someone is actively abusing an animal, they are probably the type of person that is also abusing family members.  Maybe by saving an animal, you might be saving a child or spouse from abuse.  However, not all cases are clear cut, and you may not know all the facts.

1. Take notes with times, events and dates and if possible, take pictures or videos.  Do not trespass on someone else’s property to obtain these pictures – it won’t be admissible in court if done illegally and they can throw out the case.

1. It’s different in different counties, but you can call your local animal control or law enforcement, but don’t confront the person yourself as they may be dangerous.

1. If your dog was killed and you suspect someone, have a necropsy performed to find out exactly how the animal died if it’s not evident.

It’s our duty to keep these evil (in my humble opinion) people off the streets and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  Volunteering at an animal shelter or other animal organization is one way to help.  The ASPCA and Pet-Abuse.com has lots of information – Even if you help one animal from being abused, it’s worth it.

We have to do it for the animals that have no voice of their own.

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

This is a story about a sweet, lovable 17 month old Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix named Henry.  He’s been to my house many times and has always been obedient (although he loves to eat tissue out of the garbage) and gets along with all the other dogs.

A Young Henry with Clayton

Before his last stay, his mom Kristen, told me that he got in a fight at the dog park which is very unusual and was humping a female dog until he was exhausted.  Kristen said it was as if he needed a cigarette afterwards he was so wiped out!   So I said that I would keep an extra eye out (I have three off them!) when we went to the dog park and make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.

She dropped him off and Henry got along with the other dogs and was playing and having a great time.  In the meantime, Kristen had sent me an article about puppy adolescence.

On the last day of his boarding, we went to the dog park as usual.  Nothing happened until Noodles the Pit/Mastiff mix came into the park.  It was as if the heaven’s opened up and Henry went like a laser beam to him.  From then on, Henry couldn’t think of anything else but Noodles rear end.  He followed him around like he was super glued to his bottom.  I tried calling  him to leave the poor dog alone, but he wouldn’t listen.  It was when his sniffing went a little farther (I won’t describe the details) that I had to put him on a leash to stop him.  Needless to say, Henry was the talk of the dog park that day.

Henry and Dylan Cuddling

When I got home, I read the article Kristen had given me and it described Henry to a tee.  This subject of dogs going into adolescence has come up several times with my clients.  I watch a Great Dane, Murphy, who has gone through a similar thing with dog aggression.

Adolescence can start anywhere from 6 months in smaller breeds to 3 years in large breeds. If your dog displays any of these dog behavior problems, nip them in the bud.  Start short, fun training sessions and don’t let them get away with the behavior because it can blossom into something much worse if not kept in check.

Murphy The Great Dane

If you think your dog might be going through the same thing, here are the signs to watch out for:

• Dog housetraining and good dog manners may start to slide.  Basic commands that were once known and obeyed are now of no interest to your dog.

• Your dog is much more interested sniffing not only other dogs rear ends like Henry, but urine, feces and other nasty smells that dogs just love to rub in.

• Aggression toward other dogs might start to kick in just when their jaws are getting stronger and socialization around other dogs and people may decline.  To keep them well socialized, go to different dog parks or go at different times so your dog can meet new dogs and new people.  This way he will stay confident in different situations and will be less likely to be insecure and snap at other dogs or people.

Keep your dog well exercised and praise him when he is doing the right thing.  This is not a time to become lax in your training.  When he comes out of it, you’ll have a happy well adjusted dog.

I know Henry will be fine because he has great parents that are very diligent in his training and behavior.  If you would like to read the article in its entirety, please go to Dog Adolescence.

I realize that all of these behaviors can be said about human teenagers.  If you’ve had a wild teenager that is now a normal, calm human being, you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Stay Strong!

Now go take the cigarette out of your dogs mouth.

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Tip and Tales

With record cold temperatures around the country, your dog may be less than enthusiastic to “go potty” outside.  When you get that, “I’m not going out there – are you crazy” look, you know you have to use your powers of persuasion.  Think about it, would you want to go outside in the cold and rain?

Do I have to go outside?

The last couple of years of my Nikki dogs life, she would starting urinating closer and closer to the back door and finally started going on the door mat!  There really wasn’t anything I could do but move the mat over.  She was just too old to learn new tricks.

As a pet sitter, clients tell me that their dog won’t go potty outside in bad weather, and see it first hand when they’re boarding in my home.  I know that last potty break is going to be a rough one!

Here’s 6 tips that can help:

1. Go out with them.  Many a night I have been outside in the rain waiting for them to go potty.  Give them their special cue to go and wait.  If they see you are willing to brave the weather they can too.  Besides they will follow you anywhere.
2. Bundle them up in a dog raincoat, sweater and dog boots especially if you live in snowy areas.
3. If raincoats and sweaters aren’t their thing, get a huge umbrella and walk with them.   Make sure your dog is used to the umbrella before you use it.  I’ve known dogs that get very skittish when an umbrella opens up near them.
4. Construct a covered area that’s sheltered from rain and snow as close to the house as possible.  If you live in snowy areas, you may have to dig a trail, but make sure you can fit in the shelter along with your dog.
5. Put them on a leash.  If your dog likes privacy, this may not work.  I took care of a dog that wouldn’t go if anyone was in the backyard let alone right next to them on a leash.
6. Use an indoor dog potty and put it in the garage or under a covered porch.  However, you will have to teach them how to use the box before the weather gets too severe.  An indoor dog potty with artificial grass may be easier for them to get used to.

I hope this helps you with your shivering pooches.  Anyway you look at it, you’re both going to have to brave the cold weather together.

Please stay warm this chilly Winter!

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