Search Results for: blog how to choose a pet sitter

Coming Back to Hurt Pets After Vacation

When Wayne and I went on our vacation to Alaska, we boarded Murphy in a “pet resort.” A neighbor watched the cats for us. (She graciously offered to watch Murph, too, but we didn’t want to overwhelm her. She has four kids, school had only started the week before so they were still getting back in that groove, plus she has two dogs –one of which is a new puppy with potty training problems– and a cat of her own. We didn’t want to add having to walk Murph four times a day to her To Do list.) Separation Anxiety … Continue reading →

Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away: A Checklist

Yesterday I wrote about what we’d do with our pets if an emergency called us away. Do you know what you’d do? Do you have a plan in place? If not, I created a list of things to think about and prepare for ahead of time. 1) If you take your pets with you, will you have a place to stay that welcomes them too? If you won’t be staying with relatives (or can’t), make a list of pet-friendly hotels in the area. (Before you need them, but confirm the pet-friendly status still exists when you book your room.) Use … Continue reading →

Code Red: Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away

This has been in the back of my mind for a while now because Wayne’s grandparents are in their mid-80s and my parents are in their mid-70s. They all live in Denver, and while Wayne’s grandparents are relatively healthy, my parents have both been struggling with increasingly declining health. So I’ve been trying to put some plans in place in case we get the worst call any person can ever get. Just yesterday I asked Wayne what we would do in such an emergency. “You shouldn’t think like that. You attract what you think about, you know.” “I know, but … Continue reading →

How To Choose a Boarding Kennel

You are going to be away from home for a vacation or business trip… what about your pets? A pet sitter is one option; a boarding kennel is another choice that can give you more peace of mind than asking a friend or family member to remember to take care of your precious pets. The advantages to using a boarding kennel are many. You don’t have to worry about making travel arrangements for your pet, and finding a pet-friendly hotel. With a boarding kennel, your pets will have supervision and attention throughout the day and night. The kennel staff will … Continue reading →

The Distraction Factor

It’s hot out today. Not just a little bit hot. It’s 90 plus degrees with very oppressive humidity. This is certainly not unheard of for a summer day in Vermont, but it sure makes me take notice of the fact that my house is not air conditioned. In summers past, I would look forward to going to work on days like these because it meant that I could take refuge in an air conditioned office. Now that I work from home, I try to keep cool as best I can with the help of a few big fans. My efforts … Continue reading →

Parental No-No: Bedtime TV for Kids

My preschooler needs 12 hours of sleep per night… or we all pay for it. That said, it should come as no surprise that her bedtime routine gets underway no later than 6:30 p.m., to ensure that she’s in dreamland by 7:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. if she’s had an afternoon nap). Dinner, bath, brush teeth, pajamas, bed—-the process has been ingrained in her since she was a baby, with one slight deviation. Up until about 18 months ago she was able to choose between watching “goodnight TV” (e.g. part of an animated movie or some kid’s program) and reading two … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: When Vet Opinions Differ

I know I talk a lot about vaccines, both here in the Pets Blog and over in the Health Blog. The way I see it, immunization helps prevent diseases that would otherwise ravage the population. The one vaccine we require at the cats-only boarding facility is FVRCP — the upper respiratory combination vaccine. Cats from different families never come into physical contact with each other, but they are breathing the same air in the room. Some veterinarians believe that the FVRCP vaccine is good for three years; others feel that it only absolutely protects cats for one year. The vet … Continue reading →

The Things We Do for Our Cats

If you’re the kind of doting cat mama that I am, you do more than just clean litter boxes and take them to the vet for their annual checkup, don’t you? When you go on vacations you fret about their wellbeing and miss them like mad. (Even though no doubt you’ve either placed them in a great cat B&B like the one Aimee works at or with a trustworthy pet sitter.) Heck, you might even plan it so they can come along. Their safety is always first and foremost on your mind. When you have to take them in the … Continue reading →

Would You Know Your Dog?

Have you heard about the people who boarded their dog at a kennel while they went on vacation, but when they went to pick up their dog it wasn’t theirs? Or so they suspected. I first saw it on Inside Edition last week. The man, Ken Griggs, picked up his black lab and noticed on the ride home that the dog was more mellow than normal. It looked like his dog, sure, but it didn’t act like his Callie. After a little while longer he was pretty sure the dog he’d picked up wasn’t his. He asked the kennel about … Continue reading →

Book Review: Adoption Stories for Young Children

It can be hard to find books for young children that address adoption questions. Those that do usually talk about differences in appearance not affecting ability to love, or about a young animal finding a mother. Those few that do talk about adoption usually talk about how badly the adoptive parents wanted a baby. Only a very few address the birthmother and why the child was available for adoption. Adoption Stories for Young Children by adoption attorney Randall Hicks, fills this need. It is a book written for the very young child, illustrated with black and white photographs of real … Continue reading →