Black fly bites and other new things…

I am sitting here in my new home in Westbrook, CT enjoying a marvelous sight.  There is a marsh directly in front of my front door and it sees plenty of action with wildlife.  I used to consider myself pretty well versed on the wildlife in the area but I am learning that I knew nothing.  Alright, nothing about water life…but I still am feeling a little out of touch.  Hi all, Amanda here.  It has been a while since I blogged on this site so I figured it was high time.  (Not unlike high tide which is happening right now–hahaha!)  To get to the title of this little blog post–the black flies bite here!  I am used to them just being a nuisance but now they are more than that.  So many changes in my little world right now!

 

Amanda’s Paw Pals is going through some changes.  We are now located in Westbrook and are pet sitting and dog walking here.  There seem to be quite a few Westbrook dog walkers and Clinton pet sitters to chose from, but I am not worried.  Much!  I think that once my name gets “out there” I will be a force to be reckoned with, just like the big boys (and girls!) in the area.  Being insured and bonded is a big help, as is being pet first aid certified.

I will be pounding the pavement beginning in September to spread the word (and the business cards!) in the area.  I am also going to offer some kind of special, although I haven’t figured out what yet.  Stay tuned for that!

PEACE LOVE AND PAWS!

Josephine the Jovial

Hi all, Amanda here.  I have been putting off writing about the last member of this fur-family, Josephine.  Not because she is a trouble maker or boring (no way on both counts!) but mostly because she is new to me.  Josephine is the baby of the pack (although at somewhere around the age of 8 she is no baby!) and I just haven’t had as much time to get to know her as the others.

Here is what I do know about the beautiful Josephine.  Baby Cakes is her nickname, and she likes to eat (so I would have to say that is appropriate!).  When we come in from outside, she is the first one to get in her “spot” for a treat.  She is pretty laid back like the other girls, but she has a fierce streak in her when anyone gets “in her face.”    Turns out this family of dogs is built around mutual respect and understanding–everyone respects each other’s boundries and understands that ultimately Mom and Dad are in charge.  Not that there is never any plays for power 🙂

Josephine is happy to sit by the window and bark at the world.  And what a bark!  It is loud and deep…very effective!  She is a great Pyrenees and so her job in life is to protect and guard.  She takes that job very seriously;  she makes sure her Mom and Dad know when the mail comes, when a car goes by, when the other dogs are outside, even when there is a squirrel running around the yard!   Unfortunately for Josephine, Huxley also feels that his job is to protect the family and therefore they don’t always see eye to eye on who should take the first watch 🙂

I have spent a few evenings at this house and Josephine was so amazing at keeping me abreast of noises and potential threats.  When everyone else was sleeping, she was on point to make sure everyone was safe and sound.  I found that if she could see me, she could relax a little and get some rest herself; so we spent a good portion of time in the living room sleeping.  When she heard something, she could look up and see that I was okay before going back to her slumbers 🙂  The perfect guardian.

That is it for this family, although they are foster parents so I usually am introduced to temporary family members.  Josephine is no longer a foster, Mom and Dad just knew their family was not complete without this Grande Chien des Montagnes (“the big dog of the mountains”).  I am so glad!

 

 

 

 

O Lucy Beth, Lucy Beth…wherefore art thou…Lucy Beth?

Ok, so any of you Shakespeareans know that Juliet isn’t a dog…she is a Capulet.  But I don’t think anyone could argue that they are both very beautiful!  Hi all, Amanda here.  I would love to tell you about one of the pets of the month, Lucy.

What can I say about Lucy Beth?  Well, first thing is she is a breed I had never had or even heard of–an Akbash.  In Turkish it comes from Akbaş meaning ‘white head’.  She looks like a yellow lab with some very big differences.  The most obvious is that she is white like fresh fallen snow.  The other thing I noticed is that Lucy has double dew claws.  That is a standard trait of Akbash dogs and again, completely new to me.  I have enough trouble keeping up with my dogs nails…cutting them must be double trouble!  She also has an adorable curled tail that is fluffy at the end and the most soulful brown eyes I have ever seen.  If I had to pick the most beautiful dog in the world, it would be this 3 year old beauty.  Who am I kidding, it would be EVERY dog.  I couldn’t pick!!!!!!

I read about this breed after I signed up Lucy and her family to make sure that I knew all I could before I started watching them; and I have to say Lucy is pretty normal 🙂  She spends her time hanging out watching her family play and playing with her brother, Huxley.  The story I have been told is that Lucy Beth came to visit as a foster and Mom nor Dad could find a good way to tell Huxley that she couldn’t stay.  So they adopted her and added her to the family!  Huxley is forever grateful and he and Lucy are inseparable.  All the dogs seem to love her but where you find Lucy, Huxley is not far behind 🙂

Her Mom told me her nickname is Sweet Pea and she is a calm and Zen dog.  That is another trait of Akbash dogs…they are very quiet but very observant.  Please don’t mistake that calmness for uncaring…Lucy would definitely fight if someone was attacking her family!

So Huxley is not the only defender in the family.  Turns out this pack is like Shrek described himself.  Ogres have layers like onions.  This family has a lot of layers!  That is all for now, stay tuned for the last member of the family, Josephine, to be profiled.  Peace, Love and Paws!

 

Drum roll, Please…Huxley the Hero!!!!!!

Okay, so it has been a CRAZY month.  Some things really took my attention away from my blog for a minute but I am back from the asylum!

Hi all, Amanda here.  I would like to finish off July by writing a little about the rest of the pack from the family of the month.  Now, I know it is August and I am a week or so behind.  Please, Dear Readers, be understanding!  I will be announcing the family of the Month for September in a few weeks but think it is only fair that I spend a little more time with this family!

So, what can I say about Huxley?  To start, he is the only brother in a pack with 4 sisters.  Good thing they go to the bathroom outside…can you imagine?!  Just kidding.  Seriously, though…he most certainly makes sure his sisters are all good.  He is the most Regal-looking German Shepard I have seen in a while.  His family calls him Batman because of his ears and perhaps that is fitting as well.  I mean, Batman is a superhero who doesn’t rely on super powers to save the world.  He relies on a will of steel, smarts, and intimidation (among other things) to get his way; and he is a billionaire with education and poise when he isn’t fighting crime.  Yup, that’s Huxley!  Mia may be the General of the group, but Huxley is certainly the muscle.

In a few days I will talk about Lucy Beth, Huxley’s soul mate.  We will also talk about Josephine, who is Huxley’s other sister and may be a little mad that he loves Lucy more than her 🙂  Talk to you soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emergency, emergency…

This post was supposed to be about Lucy and Huxley, two of the wonderful pets in the Family of the Month.   However, something pretty serious happened and I feel the need to talk about it.  Don’t worry, Huxley and Lucy will be talked about either later in the week or next week at the latest 🙂

Hi all, Amanda here.  I have been pretty vocal about the fact that my brother had a pretty bad car accident over the weekend.  He was on his way to Florida when he crashed in North Carolina and he is still there.  He is alive (Thank you Lord!) but he has serious injuries to his back and I am not sure when he will return.  The whole situation is a lesson in patience…I had to wait to find out where he crashed and where they took him.  I had to wait to see what happened and what they would do to “fix” him.  Now I have to wait to see when he will be able to return to us and his home in Connecticut.  I had to wait.  I HATE TO WAIT!

But, Amanda, what does this have to do with Amanda’s Paw Pals?  I mean, this is a sad story…but doesn’t seem to have a point.  Is there a point?  Why, yes Dear Reader!

John is not only my brother, he is also a client.  He has 3 very loving and occasionally insane dogs.  Because his trip was an emergency and not as planned as he usually is, I had a difficult time fitting him into an already full schedule.  But he is an established client of ours,so we do our very best to figure out how to accommodate.  In this situation, Brian Nieves (pet sitter extraordinaire and Amanda’s son!) was scheduled to stay at the house and do overnights with the dogs until John returned.  John’s good friend cared for the dogs for the first few days and then Brian took over.  That was the plan, at least.  After John had his accident that all changed.  Today I made the decision to find some foster homes for the dogs until John can care for them himself.  Not all three, one of his dogs is a good sized German Shephard.  John is having back surgery and when he gets home he will have a hard time with her.  He won’t be able to walk her and putting her on her run will be a challenge.   Just the fear that he will be knocked over was enough for me to start looking.  Turns out I didn’t look far, his friend who cared for the dogs in the beginning of the week volunteered.  A call to John cemented the deal and now Ariel is hanging with her 🙂

With that out of the way and the other two safe with Brian, I started thinking about all of this.  This is the biggest reason for an emergency contact on my pet sitting service agreement.  And this is also why I ask for someone other than the person you are with.   If you are both in an accident, who do I call to make sure your animals will be cared for until you can return?

I keep openings in my schedule for emergencies and last minute bookings, but I don’t know how much long term I can do beyond a planned trip.  So anyway, that is all I needed to say.  Hug your pets and your loved ones!

🙂

 

Let’s talk about dogs!

Hi everyone, Amanda here.  I have the awesome task of making everyone who reads this blog understand how great the family of the month is.  I already know they are fantastic because I have the opportunity to interact with them often.  Their family knows they are outstanding for the same reason.  But you, dear readers, only have my word for it.  I can promise you, therefore, that none of the fur-friends featured in this blog are anything less than magnificent!

This week I am going to delve into the lives and loves of Mia and Tessa.  They are only a fraction of the whole of this family, but to use a phrase from a book I am reading, I am especially fond of them.  (For those of you who have never read The Shack by Wm. Paul Young, one of the main characters, Papa, says he is “especially fond of” everyone.  And I have to say, I have not met a pet I wasn’t especially fond of.  So I get that!)  But enough chatter, let’s get back to the focus of this blog!  I am going to start with Mia.

Mia is a Rottweiler mix who is approx. 4 years old.  She is one of the most lovable, expressive dogs!  Her family calls her “Sweet Face” or “Smiley.”  As a matter of fact, she was the star of another blog post called “The Death Stare.”  Her Mom told me she is The General, she keeps everyone else in line.  Isn’t that usually the way, the smallest of the bunch is the one everyone listens to?!  Besides staring at me (lol), Mia loves to play.  She will run continuously for a tennis ball and doesn’t relinquish it easily.  Usually I can get a dog to drop the ball in their mouth by throwing another one (therefore I typically have at least two in my possession.)  Not Mia.  Mia will run (with the ball in her mouth) and pick up the other ball.  In her mouth.  With the other ball.  Let me say that again…WITH THE OTHER BALL IN HER MOUTH.  You think it is hard to get a dog to drop ONE ball?  Try two!  I am a quick learner and so I waited for her to drop the balls (she wanted to bury them under the deck) and never threw another ball until she had dropped the first one.   When Mia isn’t hording tennis balls with me, she loves to go on long walks and runs.  She recently has been put on the sidelines with an injury so she has had to spend more time keeping the others in line and less time keeping her Mom company on her runs.  I have not experienced this firsthand but her Mom tells me that if I take her swimming, she will love me forever 🙂

Tessa is Mia’s younger sister, by one year.  This Bernese Mountain Dog is a beauty!  Although she is not a rescue in the literal sense, I don’t think anyone would argue that being included in this fabulous family was not a rescue of sorts.  Sure, she could have been adopted by another family who would have loved her as much.  But she would not have the overwhelming love and support of THIS family.  Oh, and I think we can all agree that she hit the pet sitter lottery with me 🙂  Seriously though, this lovable goofball (Puppy Face is her nickname…very fitting!) makes me glad to know her every time I see her.  She lays on the porch and watches Mia get the ball or she leans on me and looks for some love.  I looked up why bernese mountain dogs lean a while ago and learned that it is just a way to get the love and affection they crave.  It is true, too; it is almost instinctual for me to stroke her fur and rub behind her ears when she sits on my feet and leans into me haha.  Sometimes Tessa will get the ball but I am convinced she really is just trying to passive-aggressively get it away from Mia 🙂  Mostly, she just wants to watch the fun from the sidelines (or my shoes lol.)

So that is all I can think about with these two gems.  There are a few more (3, to be exact!) in this family to talk about so watch for a couple more posts.  In the meantime, be safe and enjoy this gorgeous weather we are having.  Maybe you should take a daytrip and call Amanda’s Paw Pals (860-338-7135 or email at Amanda@amandaspawpals.com)

to visit your fur family while you are gone!

Family of the Month for July!!!!!

Mia cooling down after some time in the heat!

July is upon us and so is the heat!  They are forecasting a heat wave over the next few days…great time to start a new running program, if I do say so myself.  (And I do…something about hot weather and cute little outfits makes me want to lose weight, go figure 🙂 )  Another really hot number in July is Tessa.  Oh, and Lucy.  And Josephine, AND Huxley!

Tessa chilling inside!

Hi all, Amanda here.  This month’s family is a pack of 5.  All rescues and all fabulous!  This group has been our Pals for the 7 months or so and I am so glad to know them.  They are like typical siblings, wrestling and fighting when they are outside but snuggling together when they are inside.  

Lucy likes the view from up on the stairs!

      Huxley likes the cool tile the best!

  Their parents are pretty awesome, too.  Not only have they opened their hearts and homes to these 4, they also foster one more…Josephine.  

Josephine smiling for the camera!

So that is all for now.  I will post again with some individual attention in a few days, stay tuned!

Rocky the Robust!

Hi all, Amanda here.  I typically take pieces from the information I get from pet owners about their stars, but I would like to make an exeption.  This week is dedicated to one of Amanda’s Paw Pals who has passed.  Rocky and his family joined our pack last year and I didn’t get nearly enough time with Rocky.  I have loved this career for so many reasons but I can honestly say that the day Rocky crossed the rainbow bridge was a day I wished I worked in an office and didn’t do this pet sitting thing.  It turns out that it doesn’t really matter how much time a person spends with a good fur-friend for tears and sadness to come when they have left!  So, here is the letter I received from Donna about Rocky.  Enjoy reading, I did!

“Rocky joined our family 14 years ago with his sister Jewel.  We had two young girls who missed having a dog in the house.  Our previous dog, an American Staffordshire/Flat coated retriever, passed away at the ripe old age of 18 about a year earlier.  After saying no more dogs, it’s too sad when they pass. We relented and got Rocky and Jewel.  Jewel died of Renal Kidney failure at age 5. So Rocky being the only dog, had two girls to dote on him.  Every other night he slept in one of the girls beds, he seemed to remember which room was the correct one for the night!

 

Rocky loved to hike, which amazed everyone that saw us out there putting on the miles!  He had great stamina.  He travelled everywhere with us and because of his huge eyes and furiously wagging tail, he always got extra pets and attention from perfect strangers.  At the dog park, Rocky cruised around to all the people for petting, which was plentiful.

 

Rocky was always being dressed up for holidays and wore pajamas to bed (partially because he was a profuse shedder and partially because he looked adorable in his t-shirts, pajamas and ducky robe).  He was very tolerant of being dressed up and he really enjoyed the extra attention he got!

 

Rocky was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder of his sinus passages in the beginning of 2013.  We were told not to expect him to live many months since it was incurable and degenerative.  He bounced back a few times, he had a fantastic will to live.

 

He always wanted to be with his dog pack and his people pack.  He was a funny clown always doing something to make us laugh. He loved to play tug of war, it got to the point where we would hide all the rope toys because he would not take no for an answer.

 

Rocky passed away peacefully at home with us on May 25^th. We miss him but have many fond memories, pictures and stories to remember him by.”

All I would like to add to this is to point out that Rocky lived about 3 and a half years after being diagnosed with his degenerative and incurable autoimmune disorder.  He had such a great life, he just wasn’t ready to go!  I am so glad I got to meet this robust little dog.  I definitely thank God that his Mom found me before Rocky passed away!

Brandi the Benevolent

I like alliteration, so it is no surprise that I have been hitting the dictionary and thesaurus (or for you younger readers, Google LOL) to find a word that begins with a “B” and describes one of the pet star’s of the month.  Beautiful…yes, she is beautiful.  She has a tri-colored brindle coat that glows orange in the sun.  But she is so much more than that.  Bashful…sometimes, but doesn’t really fit.  Brilliant…again, yes.  But not enough.  Bargain-hunter…hahaha, dogs don’t shop!  Just making sure you are paying attention!  Benevolent.  Yup, that is the word!  According to the Google dictionary, benevolent means, “well meaning and kindly…” That fits Brandi to a “T.”

Hi all, Amanda here.  I am continuing my family of the month with the princess of the pack, Brandi.  Brandi is an amazing and yes, beautiful, puggle/english bulldog mix.  She has her dog Dad’s energy (he was a puggle) and her dog Mom’s (the english bulldog) loud voice.  To quote her human Mom, “She will be prancing around like a little princess and then she barks to play and this giant deep sound comes out!”

The first time I heard her use her “big girl voice” I actually looked around for the dog that must have come into the yard 🙂  Mostly, though, Brandi is laid back and quiet.  As long as everyone leaves her be, that is.  Her Mom also told me that she has to have a pillow and she steals Leo’s toys and bed.

Brandi started out in the family as a companion for Rocky, the third and final star in this family of the month.  More about Rocky next week 🙂

To quote Mom again, “Our pug Rocky, was lonely and needed a playmate. So we started “just looking” We saw Brandi and immediately wanted her.  She was such a cute puppy.  Lots of skin rolls, and big feet she kept tripping over.  She was 6 pounds of squishy softness.  Rocky and Brandi were truly meant for each other, they were both born on March 6^th!”

One thing about Brandi, she can’t be left alone with anything within her sites (or teeth!).   She has her own special place when I am caring for her so she doesn’t get into too much mischief.  She still manages to find a thing or two (or three!) to chew up…books and toilet paper seem to be a fan favorite.  Her Mom said she chews on the couch and if her harness is left on her she will chew that, as well.  It has been said that perhaps one of her ancestors may have been a goat!

Brandi enjoys hiking, doing tricks to earn treats, and tunneling under snow or leaves and popping up like a gopher.  My favorite thing she does is when I throw the tennis ball or a toy for Leo to fetch, she will run along side of him and bark.  It is almost like she is cheering him on, she never tries to get the ball.  She just want to tell him “You got this!”  Teamwork!

So that is all about Brandi.  Stay tuned, she will be the star on Instagram and Facebook this week.  Her Mom gave me a bunch of pictures to use 🙂  And next week we will finish strong with the dog that started it all, Rocky!

Leo the Love

Hi All, Amanda here.  I have changed the format of Pet of The Month to include the whole fur-family this month (and future months).  There are two reasons for this change.  First of all, I have realized that being the pet of the month is an extreme honor but one that may be unattainable based on the number of applicants.  Another words, I could do pet of the week with all the pets and probably still not get everyone in a year!  The second reason was pointed out to me by this month’s winner (their Mom, of course.)  By asking for a little more information about each fur-family member, I am getting to know each animal a little better.  I mean, I know each animal pretty well after my pet sitting escapades with them; but I don’t ask about their life B.A. (Before Amanda).  Turns out they had a life before me!  Not as exciting, I am sure, but still…

So let’s get back to Leo.  Leo is sharing the spotlight with his sister Brandi and his brother Rocky (postmortem 😦 ).    I met Leo and his family in September of last year.  Leo’s Mom, Donna, answered an ad I have placed on Thumbtack for pet sitting and dog walking services.   I knew right away that I was going to love this family; Donna asked all the right questions and had all the right concerns.  Her first question was not, how much? It was how long would I stay?  Not that I hold it against anyone to ask how much it costs, that is one of the first answers I want to know myself!  I am sure that if I charged a crazy amount it wouldn’t really matter how long I was going to stay.  The point is, her first thought was how long the dogs would get to spend with me.  That makes me happy 🙂

 

When we met for the meet and greet, she had everything I could possibly need ready for me.  A bunch of the pet sitters I know email the agreement and client/pet contact info. ahead of time so that the meet and greet isn’t all about filling out the paperwork.  It streamlines it a bit so the focus can be more about seeing everything instead of answering tons of questions.  I have thought about doing that but as of now I don’t.  I really enjoy filling out the paperwork…it gives me a chance to talk to people about their pets and their home.  Plus, I am an auditory learner and I will remember (almost) everything when it is spoken to me.  Of course, Everything is entered into our database by me or Mary so I have access by my smartphone if I forget something, but I usually don’t.  It’s a Rainman kind of thing…haha.  A downside to not emailing the info ahead of time would be that sometimes a person thinks of something afterwards and has to call me to tell me.  Wait, that gives me more contact…not a downside actually!  And just like that first day, she has prepared for Leo’s debut.  I am going to copy and paste what she wrote about him because it is perfect!

“Here’s the ad that started it all 

Leo, has a bad case of those nasty heartworms but…..

Leo is  approx. 2 years old and heartworm positive.

Leo was lucky to have been pulled from

Jackson County Animal Shelter in the nick of time

He is a Labrador retriever, Tuxedo Great Dane mix.

When we were looking for a small dog for our daughter to take to Law school with her we came across Leo’s posting: I thought it would be a great idea to adopt him since I needed a running and hiking buddy and he needed a home. I fell in love first then found out he could not exercise for a few months because he was still recovering from heartworm treatments. He was rescued from the Jackson MS pound.  Luckily friends of Jacksonville fell in love with him, rescued him and he was brought him up North and treated his heartworm. The vet in Mississippi told me that the crushed skull you see in the picture is the result of being hit in the head with a 2×4 plank. I have no idea how someone can hurt an animal or human.  He is such a good dog. He has a lot of energy and love!  He got bossed around by our elderly pug and his sister Brandi rules the roost but he doesn’t care. She marches up and takes his toys right out of his mouth. He had lived outside loose in MS and had no leash training.  We worked on getting him to walk calmly on a leash and to pass by strange dogs without pulling, squealing and wanting to run and to play. Loose dogs in the parks have set us back a few times.  His greatest weapon is his tail! He wags it fast and furiously.  We’ve learned not to keep breakables at tail height. He loves hiking with us and running with me. His favorite time of the day is couch time.  He doesn’t bark unless he loses his toy under furniture or wants his walk.  He loves to fetch, learn new tricks and play tug of war.”

 

I did not know about Leo’s abusive and neglectful start, I only know him as the well trained and rambunctious dog that I love to visit.  I would never have guessed that Leo had anything less than a perfect beginning, he definitely doesn’t have any issues from his horrible experiences.  True of many dogs that are rescued, Leo seems to not hold it against humans that there are some truly disgusting people out there that would hurt an animal.   But, as Donna mentioned above, a lot of training and loving went into making Leo the dog I know today.  He is a lucky boy to be found by his family (but I have no doubt that they feel just as lucky!)  And I, also, feel this luck that his Mom found me!

So that is all for now about Leo.  His Mom gave me some pictures, too; I will be posting them throughout the week on Facebook and Instagram so keep an eye out!