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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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!

Last installment of All About Amanda

Don’t cry, I am still here!  Haha, Amanda here.  I am wrapping up my “all about me” series with a personal note.  I have been wracking my brain trying to think about what else a person would want to know about me and my fantastic business, Amanda’s Paw Pals.  My office manager (and very best friend) Mary said I should tell you all about how I feel about running Amanda’s Paw Pals as my main source of income. 

Not everyone knows this, but up until last August I was what I would call a “hobbyist Pet Sitter.”  I put my heart and soul into my business, but only part time.  I worked full time at Young Horizons daycare center and also went to school online to get an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Ed. and a Bachelors Degree in Library and Media Science.  Turns out I liked going to school better than actually working in the field, but no education is wasted.  I also have a certificate in Grooming, a certificate in Computer Networking and Repair, and I am A+ Certified in the state of Connecticut!  I am a full-fledged career hopper 🙂

I loved everything I have tried and everywhere I have worked.  But not enough to see myself doing it forever.  The one thing I can see doing forever is being a pet sitter.  Too bad I didn’t come to that thought sooner, Sally Mae lives in the guest bedroom upstairs and won’t leave until my student loans are paid LOL!

But seriously, being a professional pet sitter is like a dream come true for me.  I get to see so many smiling faces every day that it is nearly impossible for me to get down.  What is a better antidepressant than a cat rubbing against your legs or a dog bringing you their favorite toy to play with?!

There is more to being a pet sitter than just playing with animals all day.  I also have to keep up to date on all the different ways animals behave.  I am always listening to podcasts and webinars about my craft.  There are no formal licenses needed to be a professional pet sitter, but someone who doesn’t hold insurance, bonding and some other credentials doesn’t have to be the only choice anymore.  Most of the professionals I know are just like me, keeping current on the changing world of pets.

Also, my favorite part besides the actual work, is marketing.  A serious professional is marketing themselves any way they can.  Staying visible in the community (helping with drives, volunteering, working at festivals, whatever is needed in your area!), hanging flyers in all the local bulletin boards, and posting on social media are just a few ways to market.  I have also found that handing out business cards to strangers is helpful…but I am not really good at that part.  I usually don’t want to intrude if you are just taking a nice walk with your dog or something!  I always have cards on me, though; feel free to ask for one!

As far as having this be my only income, being self-employed is a double edged sword a lot of the time.  You have the freedom to “be your own boss” and “make your own hours”, but also have the fear of not paying your rent or cell phone bill when business is slow.  It is scary sometimes but I am fortunate.  I live with my Mom so I never worry about being evicted.  Verizon Wireless is not as sweet and lovely when I am late on my bills, but thankfully I make enough to have that covered 🙂  The pet care business has ups and downs, not unlike most businesses, and I plan accordingly.  You will not find me crazy because I overbooked myself out of fear of the long winter.  That being said, I always say you should book your pet sitter as early as possible so they will be able to guarantee you placement.  I made a budget of sorts when I first started out that gives me a “poverty line” and a “maximum visits” line.  The poverty line is more for my own peace of mind.  When things are not going well, I add up my visits for the week.  As long as I am above the poverty line (and I usually am) I don’t worry.  The maximum visits line is to keep my current customers happy and satisfied.  Once I reach that line, I no longer take vacations or new clients.  I still have several spots left per day but they are reserved for my current rock star clients who want to go out to dinner straight from work or who find themselves with last minute plans.  I can’t always say yes, but once you are a current client you have a really good chance.  This also serves another purpose for me.  I can live off of the money I will make between both of these lines.  Therefore, I never make myself crazy or overloaded with visits because I know exactly what I can handle.  Burnout is an unfortunate side effect of self employment and I am hoping to have found the way around that.  Also, overloaded people tend to cut corners to get through.  I will not cut corners or shorten visits!  You will always get what you paid for with Amanda’s Paw Pals.  I feel like I am running for office haha 🙂

I am one of many professional pet sitters in my area but I would like to think I stand out.  When you see me in line at the grocery store, feel free to ask me about Amanda’s Paw Pals.  I always have a company shirt on and talking about my job is my favorite thing to do.  You won’t be sorry if you call me, either.  I may not answer (I try to only answer when I can give you my full attention so leave a message and I will call you back when I can do that…within 24 hours.)  I return phone calls after 6 pm usually, sometimes after 2 pm if you call early enough in the morning.  The other way to reach me is by Facebook or my website.

So there you have it.  A blurb about me, Amanda Krom.  I hope you reach out and contact me.  You won’t be sorry and your fur-family will love you forever!

 

Amanda’s Paw Pals is Pet First Aid Certified

Hi everyone, Amanda here.  Last week I said I was going to start a series of “get to know you” blog posts.  I mentioned that the first one would be on the fact that a good pet sitter is Pet First Aid certified.  Amanda’s Paw Pals is…I am, Brian is, even the office manager, Mary, is.  Being Pet First Aid certified is
only one of the ways we stay above the competition.  We are also members of several pet sitting groups and organizations, but that is another blog post.:)

Back to Pet First Aid.  Why is it necessary?  The easy answer is, so we know what to look for when we are caring for your precious pets.  There are so many things that can go unnoticed…your dog or cat seems to be drinking more water than usual, maybe there is a slight limp when we are walking.  Being trained gives Amanda’s Paw Pals an edge because we are automatically watching for just those types of things.  It is scary to think about accidents happening to your pets but it should put your mind at ease to know that they are in the best hands possible with Amanda’s Paw Pals.

Pet first aid trains us in burns, cuts, punctures, and bites.  We know when to wrap a wound and when to put pressure on it. If Fido starts choking, we are educated in handling that as well.  We can administer CPR if needed.  We all have a Pet First Aid app on our smartphones and an emergency kit in our vehicles.  Most importantly, we know when to head to the vets (hint…almost always!).  I guess the most important thing is that we know to stay calm in the case of an emergency.  Having the knowledge learned in our First Aid class gives us the confidence to take any and every situation with a deep breath and a cool head.

Taking a class is just one of many steps needed.  We also subscribe to the American Animal Hospital Association (http://www.aaha.org) and Vetstreet (http://www.vetstreet.com) newsletters.  We try and stay current with any changes that come across and any helpful hints from other experts.  All in all, we do our best to be the most qualified person you could leave your precious fur-family with!

Presenting…Amanda’s Paw Pals!

Hi all, Amanda here.  I recently did an interview with Ray Anderson, The Dog Walker.  He has been running a podcast called, “How to start and operate a dog walking and pet sitting business” and it is located at The Dog Walker Podcast.  This podcast is designed to help people who are trying to decide to get into this field, or who have already made the leap (like me) and just want to stay fresh and current.    As a side note, Ray also owns his own pet sitting business, Christine’s Pets, out of Virginia.  What that means for me is that he has insider knowledge of what it means to be a pet sitter; he understands why I carry an empty water jug and pee pee pads in my trunk, for example.  What that means for you is that he understands what customers want to know.  When he interviews other professionals, he doesn’t ask them pointless questions just to take up space in the interview.  I mean, truthfully.  Who cares what season I like to pet sit in or what my favorite thing is about pet sitting?  (I would hope you, my readers would care!  But that isn’t the point).  What a person listening to the podcast wants to know is how I handle difficult situations and how I work every day in every weather situation without flinching.  The people listening to this podcast are individuals who are trying to figure out a path in their careers and in their lives, and customers (future and current) of the guest speakers.  If they are going to take 20 minutes out of their time to listen (and I hope they do because it is fantastic!!!) it has to be worth that time.  Ray Anderson definitely delivers.

So back to the podcast.  Ray called me via Skype to do the interview.  We had to record it twice, there was a snafu with the first recording, and that was a surprising difficulty.  You see, The second copy was exactly like the first.  The same questions were posed to me.  I should just
give the same responses, right?  Except I didn’t always do that.  I know, weird.  Turns out that I felt like I was having a conversation with someone I had already talked to and I didn’t want to repeat myself!  I don’t know how he does it, or for that matter how anyone does this!  I am most thankful for the fact that it wasn’t on live. My answers in the first go were BRILLIANT usually.  Ray had emailed me the questions ahead of time and I actually went through and wrote out my responses.  A little extra work but then I knew I would sound precise and professional instead of stammering a lot of umms and uhhs.  I knew Ray would have edited as much of the stalling and lost air out but I didn’t want it to be there in the first place.  After a few questions, I was able to snap out of it and just give the polished answers that I had worked on previously.   I still fretted over it for the few weeks before the podcast was released, but it was fine.  I should not have had any doubts!

The whole experience got me thinking that maybe my customers would like to know more about me and about Amanda’s Paw Pals in general.  So this pod
cast (which I hope you take the 20 min. to listen to, it is really good!) is a stepping stone into a series on Amanda’s Paw Pals and what we can do for you.  Next week, we will explore what being Pet First Aide certified means and why I make sure it is on the top of my list (and should be on the top of your list when you are looking to hire a professional to care for your pets!)

And just for the record, I love the Spring for pet sitting best because it isn’t cold but it isn’t so hot that I am not enjoying the outside.  The animals are all returning from their winter hideouts and are preparing for summer.  The birds are singing and the air is sweet.  I don’t have allergies so the pollen is not a problem at all.  And my favorite thing about pet sitting is when I come into a house and get rushed by a dog who hasn’t seen me in YEARS (or maybe it has been minutes, time is relevant!) and they just want to love me.  Who doesn’t love that?!

Be on the lookout for next week’s post and please send me a comment or write on my Facebook page if there is a question you have been wondering about.  I am answering questions that I think people might wonder but you, dear readers, can give me real questions.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Talk to you soon!

Awkward…Right?!

 

Hey there, Happy Friday!  Amanda here 🙂  I recently had a few different meet and greets and realized that I am SO awkward when I talk on the phone!  I don’t know why that is for sure.   Do you ever feel that way when you hang up the phone or talk to a person?

I am brilliant at pet sitting and dog walking.  I am well educated in the field and I have so many different ideas and skills when it comes to keeping my current and future customers happy.  I am very informational and lovely in email and text conversations.  I am fabulous in face-to-face meets.  But get me on the phone, and I become a different person entirely!  I struggle to find words to say.  I stumble through my thoughts and I can’t remember the basic information (such as prices of visits) that I can prattle off in my sleep!  I sound incompetent and inept even though I am far from it.  Easy questions seem to catch me off guard and cause me to hesitate in the flow of the conversation.  Why?  WHY?!

I know how important a knowledgeable person is to speak to on the phone.  I know that first impressions are the most important (right or wrong!).  I have absolutely been on the phone with someone who didn’t seem to have a clue and felt like maybe I picked the wrong company to handle my needs.  So having a phone conversation with someone where I may or may not seem to know what the heck I am talking about is pretty huge.  Or as Donald Trump would say, “HHUUUGGEEE!!!”   This is definitely something that I need help with.  I can’t go on stumbling through life awkwardly and I don’t want to lose out on meeting some amazing clients (two and four legged!) because I didn’t make the right first impression.

One of my advisors told me to make a list of questions a person may ask me on the phone and answer it on paper.  Not so I can be reading off a script when a person calls; but writing down some questions and answering them when I have time to calmly reflect on my responses will go a long way in settling my nerves about the phone.  I believe it is a strength to talk to a live person who has answers in this world instead of the automated systems that have invaded our telephones, so this is a must for Amanda’s Paw Pals.  She also told me I needed to elaborate a little in my responses after a quick Q & A session we had where she pretended to be an interested pet owner looking to see if Amanda’s Paw Pals would be a good fit.  It was very helpful to do that with her but we struggled to come up with questions.  Here, dear readers, is where you come in.  Can anyone think of questions they would ask me about Amanda’s Paw Pals when they first reached out to me? We covered the basic questions, what are your rates?  What is the amount of time you spend on a visit?  Are you insured and bonded?  I know there are more questions out there! I am going to collect a list and answer them in a thoughtful and informational manner like my friend advised.  Once I have done that, I will remember my thoughts when the question is posed to me again and I will be able to respond with ease and confidence.  It seems like a lot of trouble to go through but nothing easy is worth having, am I right?!

So please, leave me a question or two in the comment section.  Let’s see if you can come up with questions that will be thought provoking for Amanda’s Paw Pals.  I know you have them…this is the perfect chance to get them out!

Kennel Cough…the virus you share with your pet?!

Hi everyone, Amanda here.  I recently came across another dog with Kennel Cough (or the official name canine infectious tracheobronchitis).  His Mom said she didn’t understand how he caught it because he didn’t leave the yard (except to go to the vets, etc.).  I told her I didn’t know, just that it was highly contagious to other dogs.  But, of course, then I had to find out.

I asked a vet a while ago and was told that the virus could be spread through humans.  What?!  He said if a person who’s dog had kennel cough has the virus on them (on their hands, for instance) and they shake hands with another person, they have spread the disease that causes kennel cough.  I relayed this to my previously mentioned dog Mom and she was shocked.  Me, too; it didn’t really answer my question as much as formulating a couple hundred more in my mind 🙂  Since I don’t think it would be productive to answer all of them, I just want to know how realistic it is to think it can be spread from human to animal.

So, I first went to petMD.    No mention of kennel cough being carried by human hosts.  The only way, in fact, it was compared to humans at all was to say it is spread similarly to the common cold.  Kennel cough is spread through droplets of moisture in the air (We have all seen that picture in 5th grade of a close up of a sneeze–eeww!).  They also said that a dog can be contagious for a while after they stop showing any signs of kennel cough.  Like up to 10 days after!

A little grossed out but not quite sure yet, I tried another website.  This time I went to Google and typed in “kennel cough transmittable to humans.”  I got a few hits (185,000 but who’s counting?!).  I scrolled down the list and clicked on one called “New Health Advisor.”  It stated that kennel cough is a “zoonotic disease” or one that is passed between the species of dog and human.  Although a human would have to be very immune-impressed or sick to get sick, the chance is there.  And if a human could catch it from a dog, couldn’t a dog catch it from a human?

So the take away here seems to be that you have to wash your hands and things around your dogs so that you don’t spread a cold to them or vise versa.  I still don’t know if kennel cough could be spread the hypothetical way that vet laid it out for me but I won’t take any chances.  I always wash my hands before and after completing a pet sitting task.

Kennel cough is relatively new for me, although I have seen an increased number of cases in my puppy friends.  Also an increased number of pneumonia in humans, too; maybe related?  I didn’t really get any answers to my questions, either.  Sometimes the internet has TOO MUCH information and it is hard to weed through to get to the meat of the discussion, you know?

The bottom line is this–if you suspect your dog has kennel cough, limit the time they spend around other dogs.  Wash the dogs toys, bedding, and water/food bowls in a mixture of 1 part bleach to 32 parts water.  Wash for 10 minutes and rinse.  Anything that cannot be washed in this way should be thrown away.  Kennel cough may be “just a cold” but it is no joke to your dog who can’t breath and is spitting up foamy white stuff because he is coughing so badly 😦