The last two posts about the pet sitting business, educated you about the pros of dog boarding and cons of dog boarding.  Now it’s time to discuss pet services in the clients home.  In home pet services are when the pet sitter goes to the client’s home to take care of their pets and home.  This may include walks, feeding and changing their water, cleaning out the litter box, administering medication and/or injections, playing with them, picking up waste, and anything else the owner wants.  It can also include watering plants, taking in the mail, garbage, turning blinds etc.

Overnight pet services are also included in this category.  Overnight pet services are when the sitter goes to a clients home in the evening and spends the night with their pets. Usually, the owner will let you sleep in a guest bedroom or their own.  If you feel uncomfortable about sleeping in someone’s bed, you can always bring a sleeping bag and sleep on top of the bed.

Phantom lounging on his mommy's bed

For my pet sitting business, I choose to board dogs in my home and do very few in home pet visits.  I prefer to stay at home and not drive all around town.  The only pet visits I do now are ones that I’ve been doing for years as it’s very hard to say no and not to mention that you get attached to the animals.

When I first started out, I tried everything and weeded out what I didn’t like to do.  However, if you decide you don’t want to do a specific service, it’s hard to say no to a client you’ve been servicing for a while.  Getting yourself clear at the beginning will alleviate a lot of stress later.

So, if your still on the fence, here’s the pros and cons of Pet Services and Overnight Pet Visits in the clients home:

Pro’s:

• You get to play with animals all day!  Each home you go to has different animals with all new adventures.

• In home pet visits can be very profitable.  Depending on your rates, you can make hundreds of dollars a day.  For instances, if you charge $20 a visit and have 12 visits a day, that’s $240 a day.  Of course it take years to have a regular clientele that can afford you this many visits.

• You will get plenty of exercising walking dogs and being outdoors is a plus.  9 times out of 10, they will want their dogs walked and that could be a lot of walking!  Of course cats don’t need to be walked.  If you are unable to walk this much, then pet sitting is not for you.

• You can make your own hours.  You establish how early and how late you are willing to perform your duties.

• Variety.  In addition to sitting dogs and cats, there are a number of other animals – Rabbits, birds, hamsters and the other rodent varieties.  Let not forget those reptiles!  If you’re lucky enough to live in a rural area, you can visit farm animals. Of course if you’re afraid of reptiles, you don’t have to do the job.  They are so few and far between, that it won’t affect your bottom.

That's me with a Boa!!

• For Overnight visits you can think of them as mini-vacations.  There’s no laundry or errands to do – Just keep their pets happy.

Con’s:

• Pet Sitting is not for late morning risers.  Depending on the dog’s access to the outside to go potty, you may need to be at your clients home, usually no later than 7:00 am, and let them out at night for a last potty break in the evening around 8:00 or 9:00 pm.  These times will be worked out with the owner at the initial consultation.

• However, many dogs have access to the back yard and cats can be visited at any designated time during the day.  The most common times that people need pet visits is in the morning, sometimes mid day and evening.  Depending on how many visits you have, you’ll have free time in between

• If getting up early in the morning doesn’t appeal to you, you can always specialize in cats or mid day walks, but keep in mind this will limit the amount of your income.

• You will have to do a lot of driving around town.  Know how far you will be willing to drive before you market yourself to a certain area.  You don’t want to drive 20-30 minutes for a 30 minute visit.  That just doesn’t make sense unless you charge a service fee for out of area clients.  This may not apply if you live in rural areas and the homes are spread out.

Whitey the super predator cat!

• Pet sitters work 24/7.  People go on vacation all the time and will need their pets to be looked after on the weekends too.  I have been at social functions and had to leave for ½ hour to do a visit.  It’s only for a short time and people may not even miss that you’re gone, but it’s hard to leave. Once you are with the animals, however, all is well with the world.  They’ll put a smile on your face every time and you won’t miss being somewhere else.  But, if you go away for the weekend a lot, or your children need to travel for sports, this may not work for you.

• If you have an infant or toddler children, you will not be able to take them to the clients homes.  The likely hood for injury is just too great and it would be very unprofessional.  You are there for the clients animals and small children are just too distracting.  You should be the only person entering the clients home.  It’s a business just like any other.

• Exhaustion.  If you’re that busy, hire an employee or Independent Contractor to take up the slack or learn to say NO!  Remember, you got into this because you love animals.  If you’re exhausted, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself.  Pet Sitting has a high burn out rate, so you need to construct your business to your life.  Believe me, it can take over your life in an instant!

• Overnights can be hard if you have children or choose to board dogs in your home.  Seriously talk this over with your significant other to decide if this is something you can live with.  Some overnight assignments can be a week or more.  An overnight here or there may be all you’re willing to do.

I realize that pet sitting sounds like the most fun, awesome job in the world, but it is a business with pros and cons.  Think very carefully before you dive in.  Do you have the time it takes to market yourself?  Do you want to work weekends and holidays?  Talk to other pet sitters (out of your area) and get the real scoop from them.  I’ve had a few calls from people thinking about getting into the business.  We love to help other animal lovers!

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

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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

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

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