the luxury of a pet room

Perhaps your kid has grown and moved and left you with an empty nest. Maybe you no longer need a home office since that laptop keeps you mobile. Or maybe you just have the extra space. Would you consider a pet room? Sounds like something for nutty animal freaks, right? Well, most of the people who read my blog are nutty animal freaks, so we're safe.

My clients of nearly two years, Matt and Connie,* have just such a room for their two pooches, Sneakers and Lanie.** When I came for the initial consult, Matt and Connie showed me around the house and presented the pet room. I couldn't initially determine if it was odd or fantastic, but as they explained the room's features and I got to know how down-to-earth they are, I settled on fantastic. And now that I've been working in that pet room on a regular basis for so long, I give it a five-woof rating, and not just because it's a cool luxury.

But it is a cool luxury. Let's go over the features of this particular room:

• laminate wood floor: looks great, wears well, and is super easy to clean

• large crate: the door is always open, but it's a small comforting space that the girls mostly use for toy storage

• toys, and lots of them: naturally

• ample food and water in attractive dishes: a must, as food always tastes better on pretty plates

• two custom potty pads: potty pads are held in place by frames and Matt cut a plastic "netted barrier" to place over the pads so that the girls would stop tearing up the pads. Genius.

• nightlight: to scare away monsters

• protective gate secured with bungee cords: to keep the girls from trying on clothes in the closet

• shelves to support small ammenities: help keep cords and things up and away from the girls' reach for safety reasons. Adds convenience for their caretakers.

• treat jar: because the girls are so good

• disinfecting wipes: for those surfaces that need disinfecting

• hand-vac: conveniently located for light vacuuming needs

• boom-box: so the girls can rock out when they get bored. I've caught them a few times.

• blinds and fan: to keep the girls cool in summer and well ventelated

• two video cameras: so Matt and Connie can see me stroll in like a zombie at 5:00 a.m. in my PJs (that uniform is a perk of being a professional pet sitter). And so they can have fun peeking in on their girls when they aren't home.

• doorway baby gate: Matt removed the door to the room and replaced it with a tall baby gate so the girls can see out

Whether you think it's awesome or you're rolling your eyes, you must know how happy these dogs are while their owners are away. They absolutely love that room! Though they are excited to see me when I arrive and we have a lot of fun together, they are happy as clams to go back in their room when it's time for me to leave, and sometimes, if they are really tired, they'll even spend time in the room while I'm there! The pet room provides them with a sense of security. They have plenty of room and more amenities than most animals I know. Lucky, lucky dogs.

Do you have the luxury of a pet room? I'd love to hear about it. I've one-upped the pet room. I have a multi-room pet house. My pets even allow me to share it with them.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent from tomato-throwing non-animal-freaks.

**Names have been changed so their canine friends don't make fun of them for being spoiled.

why i don't have a cat

Confession. Scandal. Intrigue. Suspense. Terror. I am a professional pet sitter with no cat.

Almost every new client asks me what type of pets I have. When I rattle off the list, which does not include a feline, I get:

"No cats?"

"You forgot to mention your cat."

"And how many cats do you have?"

"No cats? Don't you like cats?"

And by the die-hard cat people, I am often looked upon with slight suspicion, at which time I begin making out with their cat, just to prove my devotion. I also love hippos, but one does not reside with me.

So how do I feel about cats? Cats are awesome. They are so individual. One might wind between your legs and magnetize to you the second you walk in the door, and another might hide in the closet, never to emerge when humans are present. Some purr and meow, some hiss and yowl. Personality is a great thing to have.

I have cared for a pair of shy cats for nearly eight years now, yet I've never touched them. I know they are alive because their food is consumed, their litter box is used, and their eyes glimmer and move under the bed. I don't push them to be friends, and their family is well-aware of their aloofness. I talk to them as I go about my business of feeding and litter-box scooping, just so they know someone is there who cares. But they don't care. They just want to be fed. That's okay.

I care for several cats who require insulin injections. They are all rock stars about it. And thank goodness those aren't the ones who hide under the bed.

One cat that I care for melts my heart every time. She lives in a house with two rambunctious food-stealing Jack Russells who have not been trained, so she dines on the kitchen island. Every time I visit, she guides me to the island, jumps up on it, then puts her paws on my shoulders and nuzzles into my neck. What better love is there?

So why don't I have a cat? (drumroll)

The litter box. 

That's it. I can't stand litter boxes. And I don't wish to send my kitty outside among the coyotes and javelinas just to potty. So I choose not to have a cat. My husband is totally a cat person, too. I've thought many times about surprising him by adopting a cat and have browsed the cats available and in need on a regular basis because even though I'm more of a "dog person," I adore cats. But then I remember the litter box and the litter. It's a no-go.

Part of my job is to scoop litter boxes, so I'm pretty sure I've seen 'em all, and I have yet to meet one that I would have in my home. There are the filter ones, the ones with tops, the sifters, the ones that rotate, the ones hidden in the pot of a house plant...and then you have the litter. No matter what kind, it's just bad. The ones that try to mask the poop smell are the worst. They literally make me feel ill. I most commonly run across the scoopable ones with odor control, so that's chemical and dust combined. Awesome. The natural ones, like the pellets, are better, but they still get tracked all around the litter box. They all get tracked. That's gross and a major pain. I'm fine with cleaning all that and dealing with it when I'm being paid, but no one in my home is going to give me a paycheck for cleaning the cat box and surrounding areas, and certainly no one in my home will do the chore. So, no cats. Sorry.

I am thankful that I get to interact with my clients' cats regularly. They are delightful, and they satisfy my feline needs. So until we find the cat who is already trained to go on the toilet AND flush, we're going to be happy with the rest of our herd. If we find that cat, there will finally be a reason for my boys to leave the lid up on the toilet.

professional pet sitter pet peeve: grimy bowls

As a professional pet sitter, I see lots of pet bowls, typically that of the dog and cat variety. I fill them with food as directed, and I fill them with water. In addition to those standard services, I offer something unique: I clean the bowls.

Why is that special? Because you don't.

Well, I don't mean you, of course. I mean my other clients. You, reading this, are the perfect client.

Truth be told, however scandalous, 95% of my clients (and it can't just be my clients) don't clean their pet's bowls. How do I know? They're grimy! Like, really, disgustingly grimy. I'm so familiar with this, that I know the stages of grime buildup:

Stage 1: slime. Not visible to the naked eye, but when the bowl is given a light rinse, the slick stuff is activated, and you can feel it with your fingers. This stage happens within 24-hours of a cleaning.

Stage 2: light grime. Not visible to the naked eye. Feels slimy when mixed with water, but sticks to the inside of the bowl, so using a scrubber makes it easier to remove. Develops after approximately 72 hours.

Stage 3: grime. Usually visible, unless you have a fancy-patterned bowl. Does not require water to feel. Feels tacky. Requires the use of a scrubber to remove. Will develop after 7-14 days.

Stage 4: advanced grime. If you can't see this, you're either visually impaired (in which case you should use your sense of touch for detection) or in a deep state of denial (in which case you should see a therapist). This stuff requires a pot scraper to get off. Develops after about 3-4 weeks.

Stage 5: toxic takeover. Really? How did you let it get this bad? There is no hope. You need a new bowl. Yesterday. Have you played with your pet this season?

Now that you know how to recognize the signs and stages of a grimy pet bowl, let the excuses begin:

• It doesn't look grimy. Look closer. Feel it with your fingers.

• My pet doesn't care. Some pets are more particular than others. Cats sometimes won't drink out of a slimy bowl. If your pet has stopped eating or drinking, try cleaning the bowl (and see the vet, as well). Even if your pet doesn't care, there is bacteria growing in that grime that can make them sick. Then you'll both care.

• It's only a cat. It's not like he drools like a St. Bernard. Point taken. Your cat's grime is neater than the rest. And his poop don't stink.

• I have a housekeeper. Cleaning the pet bowls must be part of that service. It's not.

• My spouse cleans the bowl. He doesn't.

• My pet cleans the bowl when she eats/drinks. It's spotless! I usually clean my plate, too. Does that mean I should throw it back in the cabinet when I'm done?

Now that you're out of excuses, how do you get help? Well, here are a few suggestions:

• Instead of leaving your pet bowl on the floor and dumping food from a scoop or water from a pitcher, pick the thing up so you can get a closer look. Feel the grime, and take the bowl to the sink to wash before refilling it. Do this every time you fill your pet's bowl. Just a bit of soap and a scrub-scrub-rinse will do the trick. Do not clean the bowl with toxic household cleaners, such as bleach.

• Purchase a dishwasher-safe bowl and throw the bowl in the dishwasher every few days.

• If your pet is a free-feeder and you feel that you can't leave your pet without a bowl of food on the floor for two minutes, purchase a second set of bowls to provide relief to the first set.

If all else fails, just make sure you use my services more than once every six months. I can tell that bowl hasn't been cleaned since the last time I was there.

Wordless Wednesday: sibling rivalry




doggie dna analysis: Ava's story

I've been taking care of Ava almost every weekday for the past two years. Her family adopted her from a local poodle rescue. Huh? Does this look like a poodle?

Since Ava's ancestry was a complete mystery, her family decided to have a DNA analysis done. Their veterinarian offered the convenience of doing the blood draw for the test during her regular appointment and sent it to Wisdom Panel for analysis. Though there are less expensive options, Ava's mom, Maura, liked the convenience of doing it right there at the vet. She paid $125.00. Maura explained that there are at-home testing options that use saliva that some people may prefer.

Though DNA testing is not medically necessary, it sure is fun! Ava's family was simply curious of their rescue dog's origins so they decided to proceed with the analysis.

Wisdom Panel's report was nine pages of detailed information about Ava, including "Breed Detection," "Breed Appearance & Behavior," "Appearance, Behavior & History," and "Sharing Your Dog's Story."

Ava's mix was declared to be an "American Eskimo Dog Mix crossed with Yorkshire Terrier/Chihuahua cross." Huh? The only thing I see in her is possible Chihuahua. Good thing the report goes into detail.

The next page went on to detail what "Mixed Breed" means for Ava:

And there we see the poodle in her! It makes me think that maybe I might have a bit of poodle in me, too! It's pretty cool to be able to see in such detail what Ava's background is.

I asked Maura what she thought of the results. She said, "I was surprised that her great grandparents and grandparents could be American Eskimo Dogs. I was not surprised to see Terrier, Chihuahua, or Dachshund in her history."

I would have to agree with Maura. I was pretty shocked to see the American Eskimo Dog make an appearance.

Ava's report went on to explain the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, and American Eskimo Dog breeds in detail and suggested possible traits of these breeds that her family might see in her.

So how does this all work? Wisdom Panel said,

The process started when you sent a sample to our laboratory, where the DNA was extracted from the cells and examined for the 321 markers that are used in the test. The results for these markers were sent to a computer that evaluated them using a program designed to consider all of the pedigree trees that are possible in the last three generations. The trees considered include a simple pedigree with a single breed (a likely pure-bred dog), two different breeds at the parental level (a first-generation cross), all the way up to a complex tree with eight different great-grandparent breeds allowed.

Our computer used information for over 225 breeds, varieties, and types from our breed database to fill these potential pedigrees. For each of the millions of combinations of ancestry trees built and considered, the computer gave each a score representing how well that selected combination of breeds matched to your dog's data. The pedigree with the overall best score is the one that is shown on the ancestry chart. Only breeds that reached our set confidence threshold for reporting are reported in the ancestry chart.

Maura was really happy that she satisfied her curiosity in having the DNA analysis done. Some may argue "I love my dog. Who cares what she is?" Well, of course we love our dogs no matter what, but knowing what is in their background may give us the opportunity to better care for our pets. And despite even that, it sure is fun!

Report provided by Ava's family.