the coupler: my favorite tool of the trade

You know those professional dog walkers you see strolling down some posh and pleasantly-busy street of New York or Beverly Hills, fifteen leashes as organized as a bunch of balloons? Me neither. Except in the movies. I'm certain they exist, somewhere, it's just that I haven't seen one in real life. Seeing is believing. I want to be that dog walker.

Until then, I use leash couplers. When walking multiple dogs, they cut your leashes in half. Even if you are only walking two dogs, it will make your life so much easier.

A coupler is purchased as an accessory to your leash. They come in different sizes. I prefer a medium size since I walk different sized dogs all the time. It seems to work both for larger and smaller dogs. You hook your leash to the coupler as you would your dog's collar. The coupler splits and makes two leashes from one. Hook one dog up to each end. One leash to hold. Two dogs. Ahhhh.

You can walk two big dogs, two little dogs, or one big dog and one little dog...they work with any combo. You can adjust the length of each split to accommodate your needs. If one dog pulls and the other doesn't, it really won't affect the well-behaved pooch because the force of the pull is dispersed. They can walk around each other and switch sides with ease because the bottom of your leash swivels and spins. Tangles just don't happen.

You can even get couplers with more than two splits. Whoa.

The only issue with couplers? If one dog stops and the other doesn't, the dog in motion might get an abrupt stop, or the stopped dog might get dragged (depending on which dog is stronger). This might happen if one stops to "do his business" or if one wants to sniff something. It's really not that big of a deal, and is a much preferable problem than the dreaded tangled leash dance done by multiple leashes, in my opinion.

You can purchase a coupler at most pet stores, but you'll find a wider selection of sizes and styles online.

Give it a try and let us know what you think. You'll even be able to take a photo with your free hand!

poop disposal: let's get it right

Picking up your dog's poop is part of being a responsible pet owner. People who don't are simply disgusting and self-centered (yes, I'm judging). It's very common for us to save our plastic grocery bags for just that purpose. We feel like we're putting them to good use, right? Recycling? And it's easy to just grab one or two on our way out the door. What we are really doing is putting the most biodegradable, natural (though bacteria-filled) material in the world into one of the most permanent, environmentally-damaging receptacles in existence. Oops. Don't feel too guilty. I've done it a time or two, myself.

Since just leaving the excrement where it's deposited isn't an option (no, really), what can we do? Enter the biodegradable poop bag. Some degrade faster than others, and there are more features (extra long for extra protection, scented, etc....hmmm, this is getting interesting) than you can imagine. We like Earth Rated Poop Bags. If they aren't carried in a store near you, you can purchase them online.

Though the grocery bags are convenient, you and the environment are much better off investing a few dollars in reusable grocery bags and ditching the hole-filled freebies. Purchasing biodegradable poop bags is quite economical–usually only a few dollars for more than a hundred bags! And you'll feel so much better.

Well Minded uses biodegradable bags for dog walks and litter scooping whenever possible, and, as always, if you provide the biodegradable bags for us to use, you get a dollar-a-day credit on your invoice, which would most likely pay for your bags, anyway.

Cliff Swallows, Season 2

For the last year, I've been observing a suspicious hive-ish thing mounted in the corner of the entry to one of my client's homes. I never noticed any inhabitants, but I imagined them to be giant hornets that would someday stage a sneak-attack on me as I enter this family home. A few weeks ago, I noticed bird droppings beneath it, so I hoped the birds had made a meal of the deadly insects. But, then, I noticed more bird droppings on the opposite side of the entry way. With great fear and a horror film soundtrack playing in my head, I looked up and saw...

GASP! A mama bird peeking her head out of a new deadly-insect nest!

I had to reconsider. Could this be a bird nest?

I called my client to whose dwelling this mysterious deadly-insect-bird-habitat was attached. "Oh, yes, I know about it..." she said. Turns out it's a legit bird nest suddenly built next door to the one that's been vacant for a year, and there are baby birds (awwwwww), and she promised that she had no intention to remove or destroy the nests in the near future. Whew!

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been saying hello to the mama, who is always peeking out to say hello to me, quite socially. Sometimes she flies out and then back. And sometimes she just stays put and blinks at me.

I wondered what type of birds they could be. I'd never seen these kind of mud-nests before, so I did a bit of research. I now declare them Cliff Swallows, in my non-expert, expert opinion.

The Cliff Swallow does live in the desert (I got my information from DesertUSA.com). It builds these nests against buildings and bridges, now, but, originally, they built them on the undersides of cliffs and outcroppings in the foothills of the mountains in the western U.S. As man has built, they have built upon our buildings. Good for them.

A male and female will become a pair, if only for a short while, and build these spectacular nests out of about a thousand mud daubs. Sometimes, in true HGTV-fashion, they will rebuild and refurbish a nest from a previous year, which is what I suspect our little Cliff Swallows have done, with a new house next door. These birds live a life akin to a soap opera, often falling out of their nests while copulating before the dwelling is complete. The passion doesn't last long, as the male is soon off to discover other "opportunities." In the meantime, the female switches eggs with the more desirable eggs in another nest and might have the same done to her. The happy couple will raise their small flock of two to five fledglings, almost always from different parentage. Scandalous! Did you set your DVR?

According to DesertUSA, the little ones should soon be embarking on their own (I saw the mama giving flying lessons today), and the nests abandoned. It seems that once the fledglings can fly, they become independent and move out for good. If only humans could attain such lofty goals.

I'll miss them when they go, but I'll look forward to Cliff Swallows, Season 3, next year. Perhaps there will be another apartment or two constructed. We'll have Melrose Place all over again.

tails on trails today: who's guiding whom?

When I began Well Minded, I envisioned it primarily as a pet sitting business, but I didn't want to close myself off. I'm an entrepreneur and an adventurer at heart, so I didn't want to discount the possibility of going into training or grooming, both of which I have come to learn are not my strengths. Although I like to try lots of things, I recognize my weaknesses and try to focus elsewhere. I'm good at caring for animals. I love to hike. It's an activity I took up only after moving to AZ. There are countless trails in Phoenix, and my favorite local spot is South Mountain. I recently decided to combine my love of hiking and my love of animals. I started "Tails on Trails," small-group hikes for dogs. Once a week, I pick up dogs, drive them to the trails, provide secure leashes, water, poop bags, and post-hike pictures to my clients so they can see our adventures.

Though we've had other dogs sometimes join the ranks, today it was just me and my two really regular regulars. They have been to every hike since the start, and we definitely have a multifaceted bond. When I arrive for pick-up, the brown one goes ape-shit. The black one is calm, yet welcoming. Both are SO excited that I'm there, and they know why I'm there. They enjoy the car ride to the trails. When we first hit the dirt, they go, then sniff. Mark. Walk. Trot. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Mark. And then I tell them "that's enough," and they seem to understand that though there will be countless animal smells, excrement aromas, and tiny fast-moving reptiles, birds, and small mammals to grasp their attentions and snap their necks in this direction and that, we're there to hike. And hiking means moving. So then about five minutes in, we get into our groove. And then they go poop. And then we get going, for reals.

While they get over all of that, I'm making sure the leash isn't cutting my wrist in the wrong place, my phone (for camera access) is in the most strategic pocket, and that my underwear isn't riding in the wrong spot since we're in it for the long haul. When we hit our stride, and we're all in sync, I feel like something was meant to be. The dogs start to pick up the pace, and so do I. They navigate the trail beautifully, and I pick my footing as if I had instinct for the thing. We do this jog/walk/hike thing that feels good. Just as I notice a nice view, they slow down, as if they recognize something to be seen beyond the dusty trail their noses run along. And they show me details in the path.

how the work from home mom thing works

I never thought I'd want to raise my own kids. I mean, other people's kids always drove me crazy. I had no idea I'd fall in love with my kids. I thought I'd have no problem putting them in day care so I could work. I actually used to say that I'd go nuts if I had to stay home with my kids. That's before I gave birth. I'd been a step mom for several years prior to having my own children, but that role did not ask me to make a decision about whether or not to work. Once I had my son, Porter, I knew that working from home was the right decision for us. It would allow me to work, which I loved, but also be present and raise my child myself. Maternity leave? Nope! I was back to work a week after giving birth, and Porter came with me (my husband did, too, so we could document Porter's first "job").

Before you think I'm an awful mother for just throwing him blindly into the workforce, please know that he'd had some prior experience at home.

He continued to go on pet sitting visits with me. At first he would sit in his car seat carrier and snooze away, but he later became more involved.

So we gave him some more in-depth training at home.

Porter basically went everywhere with me, and has a love and respect for animals to show for it. When my daughter, Campbell, came along two years later, it was definitely more challenging. Toting a toddler and a newborn to every job was not easy, so I relied more on a wonderful pet sitter I'd hired (she's still with us and still fantastic) and some scheduling magic. And, of course, since Campbell is my second child, I have no pictures to document her early pet sitting adventures.

At first I was hesitant that I'd appear unprofessional to clients if my kids accompanied me on visits, but then I realized that by owning my own business, I got to make the rules, and in order for it to work for me, it had to be a family affair. The animals loved it, the kids loved it, and I loved it. And we still do! During every initial consultation, I ask how the client's pets do with children. Almost always, clients are excited about the idea that their pets get a three-for-one deal, and I must say, my kids can wear out the animals even better than I can. Both Porter and Campbell go on jobs with me on a daily basis. They know how to care for animals, and even more importantly, they have learned how to care about animals.

Tail pullers, they are not.