Thanks so much to Jennifer at PET CENTER NEWS for the opportunity to share my insights about something I’ve been involved with for almost 20 years.
I first started a pet sitting business after being “downsized” (a nicer way of saying “fired”) from my corporate job and not finding a suitable replacement.
We were apartment dwellers at the time, so it was mostly house calls for cats, plants, birds, fish etc., plus dog walking all over town.
After about 10 years or so, the running around 7 days a week with no time to myself was wearing on me, so I switched to offering home boarding for dogs only.
(We had become homeowners in the meantime and have a large backyard.)
This has worked out well and my house is like a little “doggie commune”.
With so many years of experience behind me, I can offer multiple insights.
“HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD PET SITTER/DOG WALKER”
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
14 thoughts on “GUEST POST AT PET CENTER NEWS:
THE SCOOP ABOUT PET SITTING; PART I”
Thanks so much for sharing Debbie – always love reading your posts!
Thanks you as well! 🙂
beyond cute… love it!
Glad you enjoyed the photos, Hilary. Have a good weekend. 🙂
Lovely to read your story Debbie, it brought Bess back to me, even though she’s never far from my thoughts (two years from the 2nd of this month since she passed on) … We gave up holidaying if it meant we couldn’t take her with us… No kennel for her, I couldn’t face the thought…Happy memories though… thanks for sharing your experiences.. xx
I know how you feel, Pen. It will be 6 years for Tasha on May 22. 🙁 BIG HUG! ♥
That’s the beauty of home boarding; no kennels! The dogs are all part of my family and as you see, are pretty content here, or, as I call it, they are on: A “Happy Hound Vacation”. 🙂 Thanks for reading my article. Part II coming later in the month. Cheers!
When our dog was about a year and a half old, we used the option of leaving our dog with a woman who would take three outside dogs at a time. She also had her own dog. We found her through a referral. She had a large fenced in back yard and enjoyed walking the dogs as well. She was very tolerant of our dog, Dino. He had a few accidents until he figured out how “going out” worked there. (At our house, he only went out on a leash). They let him sleep in their bed. Each time he was there, he would make a good dog friend—once it was another cockapoo, Lulu. Apparently, they were inseparable and I actually felt a little guilty when I would come to pick him up. This lady stopped boarding dogs when she gave birth to human twins (I totally get that decision.) Fortunately, a neighbor rescued a dog at about the same time, so we have been taking care of each other’s dogs when necessary–even though we’ve since moved off the block to a Center City apartment. (Dog friendly, of course). It looks like we will be going to Hawaii for 4 months next year (a sabbatical for my husband). I am dreading having to leave Dino even though I know he’ll be happy with his human aunt and dog cousin.
Sounds like my set-up, here. 🙂 We’re just a happy family and the dogs love being in the company of other dogs. Too bad you lost that great care giver, but at least you were able to find another, suitable arrangement. It would be hard to leave your furbaby for so long, but, at least you know he’ll be in good hands. The longest I ever had a dog was 3 months. Many people do leave them here for 3 or 4 weeks and always say how happy the dogs appear to be, regardless. I take pictures of my guests, (as you see in the article), and they get a “vacation photo” to take home. The clients really love those! Thanks for visiting and talking about your pet sitting experiences.
Well-done, Debbie–your doggie series has got me thinking about writing my own series about pets I have known (Ah, the stories I can tell…heeheeheehee) It will be awhile, though.
Glad you enjoyed the article, Mary. Part II will be published later in the month; May 20 I believe. I’d love to read your dog stories! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
I love both of your photo’s. I have been thinking about pet care, I am pet free at the moment and not in a position to have one long term, but I miss them. You post has certainly got me thinking – thank you.
You’re welcome Ida. I have a similar situation here and am currently without my own dog. This is a great compromise, but, stay tuned for Part II of the article later in the month. Not as easy as you may think.
Thanks for reading!