Saylor 43 4/24
Morrison 300 4/24
Vetrano 38.50 4/25
Tracy field 211 4/21
Karl Buchholz, co-owner
Red Dog Sitting Services
www.reddogsitting.com
Biz: 205-358-7387
Cell: 678-232-1249
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Saturday, July 31, 2010
A celebration of uniqueness.
Have you ever really looked at a pug's tail? If you have a vivid imagination, as I do, you might notice it looks an awful lot like a cinnamon roll. And they all have that characteristic snorty grunt thing, which is so adorable.
Then you have the French bulldogs, who have no tail really at all. It's just a small tuft of hair that wiggles.
Dachshunds have short chubby legs, of course......but have you ever seen a dachshund mixed with a basset hound? Or maybe a Spitz? I can't be sure and I don't have proof, but I'd be willing to bet that one of our clients' pups is a wiener dog/Spitz mix. Short legs, a little bowlegged, but with fur like a cotton ball and wolf like ears. It's the cutest thing.
We take care of a whippet who can literally climb like a monkey, up your back, a fence, whatever she fancies. There are dogs that lick you all over the face, and dogs that never do.......dogs that freak when you pet them on the head, or belly, or back......
We celebrate the quirks of all our furry friends, don't we? I think that's what makes them ours. :)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Then you have the French bulldogs, who have no tail really at all. It's just a small tuft of hair that wiggles.
Dachshunds have short chubby legs, of course......but have you ever seen a dachshund mixed with a basset hound? Or maybe a Spitz? I can't be sure and I don't have proof, but I'd be willing to bet that one of our clients' pups is a wiener dog/Spitz mix. Short legs, a little bowlegged, but with fur like a cotton ball and wolf like ears. It's the cutest thing.
We take care of a whippet who can literally climb like a monkey, up your back, a fence, whatever she fancies. There are dogs that lick you all over the face, and dogs that never do.......dogs that freak when you pet them on the head, or belly, or back......
We celebrate the quirks of all our furry friends, don't we? I think that's what makes them ours. :)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Monday, May 10, 2010
The joy of multiple pet families.
There are folks who are dog people, and some who are cat people. So many of the clients we serve have multiple pet families -- dogs, cats, birds, even a snake (gotta give a shout out to Cecil!). At one point, we had two guinea pigs -- Burps and Giggles (very cleverly named by a 4 year old).
Karl and I are proud owners of three dogs and six cats -- I think it helps give us a bit more cred when we're chatting with potential clients, who've had a difficult time finding a reputable pet sitter. Having a large group of furry friends in your house is work! Dealing with random urine spots, kitty vomit, the enormous amount of pet hair, the cat who likes to meow very loudly in the middle of the night, and so on........oh, and don't forget the large amount of poop in the backyard. Hey, it's good fertilizer, right? :)
The pet info form that we send out to clients is pretty detailed -- imagine, though, when you have a client with nine pets! Inevitably, we'll have extra notes, which is great and helps us do an even better job. You'll get nine different personalities, each with various quirks and issues. It's a lot to keep track of, but we pride ourselves on being able to handle it. We've looked for cats under the bed or covers, seen dog poo in a variety of colors, sat on the floor next to a dog so he or she will eat, hand fed dogs (and treats to a cat!). We've pretended to eat a dog's kibble in order to make them jealous, therefore getting them to eat (Karl does that a lot -- I think he may have been a dog in a former life). We've hung out with cats who see you and think "jungle gym" and cats who see you and freak out. We've been locked out, set off alarms, made mistakes, gotten pooped on, called a dog or cat by the wrong name when talking to a client, and gotten all manner of scrapes and scratches. Once you do a sit a few times, you begin to learn the personalities........and yes, it is possible to learn the personalities of nine different animals. Remember the pet info form I mentioned before? Never leave home without it -- especially if a client has attached special notes or extra instructions. Trust me.
Karl and I are proud owners of three dogs and six cats -- I think it helps give us a bit more cred when we're chatting with potential clients, who've had a difficult time finding a reputable pet sitter. Having a large group of furry friends in your house is work! Dealing with random urine spots, kitty vomit, the enormous amount of pet hair, the cat who likes to meow very loudly in the middle of the night, and so on........oh, and don't forget the large amount of poop in the backyard. Hey, it's good fertilizer, right? :)
The pet info form that we send out to clients is pretty detailed -- imagine, though, when you have a client with nine pets! Inevitably, we'll have extra notes, which is great and helps us do an even better job. You'll get nine different personalities, each with various quirks and issues. It's a lot to keep track of, but we pride ourselves on being able to handle it. We've looked for cats under the bed or covers, seen dog poo in a variety of colors, sat on the floor next to a dog so he or she will eat, hand fed dogs (and treats to a cat!). We've pretended to eat a dog's kibble in order to make them jealous, therefore getting them to eat (Karl does that a lot -- I think he may have been a dog in a former life). We've hung out with cats who see you and think "jungle gym" and cats who see you and freak out. We've been locked out, set off alarms, made mistakes, gotten pooped on, called a dog or cat by the wrong name when talking to a client, and gotten all manner of scrapes and scratches. Once you do a sit a few times, you begin to learn the personalities........and yes, it is possible to learn the personalities of nine different animals. Remember the pet info form I mentioned before? Never leave home without it -- especially if a client has attached special notes or extra instructions. Trust me.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Milestones.
Today, it happened. I always suspected it would happen before now, being a pet sitter and all.......and just when I thought I was scot free......bam.
Today, I got pooped on. Yep, lovely runny poop, right down the leg. I've stepped in it, accidentally touched it when picking up during a dog walk; I've even wiped the occasional dog tush. But today was the day I got christened. Bless the poor dog's heart who did it; she is a particularly anxious pup. I thought I was helping her by picking her up, because she was scared of the Yorkies walking our way. Seems I made it worse, as she chose that moment to let loose. And boy, do I mean loose.......whew.
I suppose it's one of the milestones you achieve in this job......not that you ever want it to happen, but it's inevitable. You will get licked, peed on, and sneezed on. You'll clean up cat vomit and hairballs. You'll wipe noses, faces, and furry butts.
But, to me.....it's all worth it. And it sure does make for some awesome stories to tell......
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Today, I got pooped on. Yep, lovely runny poop, right down the leg. I've stepped in it, accidentally touched it when picking up during a dog walk; I've even wiped the occasional dog tush. But today was the day I got christened. Bless the poor dog's heart who did it; she is a particularly anxious pup. I thought I was helping her by picking her up, because she was scared of the Yorkies walking our way. Seems I made it worse, as she chose that moment to let loose. And boy, do I mean loose.......whew.
I suppose it's one of the milestones you achieve in this job......not that you ever want it to happen, but it's inevitable. You will get licked, peed on, and sneezed on. You'll clean up cat vomit and hairballs. You'll wipe noses, faces, and furry butts.
But, to me.....it's all worth it. And it sure does make for some awesome stories to tell......
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Details.......
Haven't written in a while......with the fantastic response to my last blog, you'd think I'd be chomping at the bit to write something. There are always things to write about, but, you also have to have the time and motivation to do it! So here we are.....
I'd like to think, after a year of being in the pet sitting biz, that I'd be a pro. An expert even. When we tell folks that we do this work, we very frequently get the "you must be crazy" look. Or, we get comments like, "oh, that must be such an easy, fun job!" To that I would say, yes, it is fun......but no, it is not typically easy. We've learned over the past year that there are various ways to make things easier......but unexpected, sudden situations come up, things we may not have planned for. I suppose you could say that we've come to "expect the unexpected." And, it's really a job requirement we try to emphasize, not only for ourselves, but for anyone who works with us.
The "anatomy" of a pet sit or dog walk is important. First and foremost, no animal is the same, whether it be dog, guinea pig, cat, snake, or bird. Each animal has a distinct, and very unique, personality........and it's important to adjust your way of doing things for each one. We always tell our clients to be as detailed as possible (or "nerdy", as one client called it) on the pet info form, and there's a reason for that. It matters if a dog only likes to walk in a certain place, if he or she will only poop on a certain patch of grass. It matters if a cat won't come out from under the bed, and occasionally pees outside the litter box. It matters if a dog or cat is diabetic and needs insulin. Every single detail matters.
We try to follow our clients' instructions to the letter.........but, there are certain extra special details that we try to focus on as well. I truly believe these details are what sets us apart, what makes us different, and most importantly, what keeps our clients coming back.
This past year has been incredible..........it's been hectic, crazy, fun, busy beyond belief, but our lives are so FULL and so amazing. We're lucky to be in this business and lucky to have met so many awesome folks.
*Lastly, I just have to put in another plug for pit bulls. I'm watching "Pit Boss" as I write this and couldn't resist. This time, I'll mention another one of our clients' dogs -- her name is Jade, and yes, she's a pittie. Her human parents adopted her a few months ago -- she was six years old, had just delivered a litter of puppies, and they fell in love with her. After meeting her, I immediately knew why. She loves to be with you, loves to walk, and loves to give nuzzles. Jade is a wonderful ambassador of the pittie breed, and I just had to give her a shout out!
I'd like to think, after a year of being in the pet sitting biz, that I'd be a pro. An expert even. When we tell folks that we do this work, we very frequently get the "you must be crazy" look. Or, we get comments like, "oh, that must be such an easy, fun job!" To that I would say, yes, it is fun......but no, it is not typically easy. We've learned over the past year that there are various ways to make things easier......but unexpected, sudden situations come up, things we may not have planned for. I suppose you could say that we've come to "expect the unexpected." And, it's really a job requirement we try to emphasize, not only for ourselves, but for anyone who works with us.
The "anatomy" of a pet sit or dog walk is important. First and foremost, no animal is the same, whether it be dog, guinea pig, cat, snake, or bird. Each animal has a distinct, and very unique, personality........and it's important to adjust your way of doing things for each one. We always tell our clients to be as detailed as possible (or "nerdy", as one client called it) on the pet info form, and there's a reason for that. It matters if a dog only likes to walk in a certain place, if he or she will only poop on a certain patch of grass. It matters if a cat won't come out from under the bed, and occasionally pees outside the litter box. It matters if a dog or cat is diabetic and needs insulin. Every single detail matters.
We try to follow our clients' instructions to the letter.........but, there are certain extra special details that we try to focus on as well. I truly believe these details are what sets us apart, what makes us different, and most importantly, what keeps our clients coming back.
This past year has been incredible..........it's been hectic, crazy, fun, busy beyond belief, but our lives are so FULL and so amazing. We're lucky to be in this business and lucky to have met so many awesome folks.
*Lastly, I just have to put in another plug for pit bulls. I'm watching "Pit Boss" as I write this and couldn't resist. This time, I'll mention another one of our clients' dogs -- her name is Jade, and yes, she's a pittie. Her human parents adopted her a few months ago -- she was six years old, had just delivered a litter of puppies, and they fell in love with her. After meeting her, I immediately knew why. She loves to be with you, loves to walk, and loves to give nuzzles. Jade is a wonderful ambassador of the pittie breed, and I just had to give her a shout out!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The stigma against pit bulls....
Occasionally, we receive calls from clients, or potential clients, who have pit bulls as pets. I can't tell you how many times I've answered the question, "Do you care for pit bulls?" I always say yes -- but, as with any pet-related business (especially pet sitting), I let them know that we prefer to meet the pets first. It isn't because of the pit bull, though.....we do an initial meet and greet with all of our new clients.
Today, we met with a new client who has a pit bull mix. Her name is Sydney (the dog, that is), and she's honestly one of the most beautiful pits I've ever seen -- white with gorgeous steel gray spots -- and eyes that suck you right in. Her temperament is docile -- she barks when the doorbell rings like most dogs -- but her owner has experienced the "pit bull stigma" firsthand. She and her boyfriend are moving to Denver as soon as they find a house -- but, they have to live OUTSIDE Denver due to a pit bull ban (yes, a total ban) within the city. Apparently, if you own a pit and someone decides to report you, authorities will come to your house, take your dog, and euthanize it. No questions asked. I don't understand where this law came from, and I think it's utterly insane.
We have four or five pits on our roster, and all of them are sweet, loving, playful animals. They can be rambunctious, and they're strong as oxen, but they have a gentle nature. They may have "small dog" syndrome -- that is, they don't realize their strength and size -- but they aren't nearly as vicious as many people believe them to be.
If you've ever watched the shows "Pit Bulls and Parolees" or even "Pit Boss" then you know how many stray pit bulls are out there. People don't want to adopt pits. They go to the shelter and pass right by the sweet pit bull in the corner cage.......the dog that will probably end up euthanized due to lack of interest. If you've ever visited the website for the Humane Society of the US, you know how serious dogfighting is -- who doesn't remember the whole Michael Vick debacle? What I love about the HSUS is that they provide education about this misunderstood breed and dogfighting in general. They attempt to change legislation and have helped develop dogfighting laws. But the problem still remains -- pit bulls are shunned, abandoned, and discriminated against.
We love our pit bull clients. I feel pretty passionate about them......being the "underdog" and all. And many times, the "underdog" prevails. I hope that's the case one day.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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