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A Common Saying…

I am sure you have seen posted far and wide the saying, “All you need is love…and a dog.”  From Facebook to Twitter to wall signs…I have seen it just about everywhere.  Why is it seen from coffee mugs to t-shirts?  Because it is the universal truth.  Our dogs keep us healthy and happy.  Literally.  The American Heart Association found that pet owners lowered their risk of heart attack. And people who have heart disease and who own a pet are more likely to survive a heart attack.  Even the CDC has a “Healthy Pets, Healthy People” portal on their website dedicated completely to pet owners.  No doubt, pets are a huge part of our lives.  Reading and watching all of the scary things that go on in our world, our pets keep the innocence and sanity in our homes for us.  Whether they are licking your face, curling up next to you, or wagging their whole body when they greet you when you are coming home from work, all you need is love…and a dog!

Goughnuts

Are you looking for a safe and indestructible toy for your rugged dog?  There is a company called Goughnuts that has paired these two important qualities together into toys in all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Each Goughnuts toy has a patent pending visual safety indicator in its design where green means “go” and red means “stop.”  The company recommends getting a toy big enough for your dog’s mouth.  The toys are nearly indestructible, floatable, cleanable, rollable, chewable, and recyclable, according to the company.  Being a pet sitter with Gwinnett Pet Watchers, I cannot tell you how many times we walk in to a home and a dog has shredded and torn up toys all over the house because their parents are not at home.  There is stuffing everywhere and the scariest part is wondering what the dog has actually consumed that could be dangerous for them.  What is great about the Goughnuts toys is that the company offers a guarantee on all of its products.  If your dog chews through the outer layer and into the red “stop” area, you take the toy away, mail it back to the company, and they actually replace it.  That sounds like a deal to me.  I have a boston terrier that chews all of his toys to pieces and I am definitely going to check this product out for him.

Is your dog overweight?

dogweightchart

Recent surveys indicate that about 50% of America’s dog population is overweight.  Recent surveys also suggest that way less than 50% of Americans think that their pets are overweight.  There are several tell tale signs that your pup may be a little pudgy.  One way is to stand your dog up and view over the top of him or her.  There should be an inward curve just behind the rib cage.  If there is a straight line from head to tail, then you may need to put your pooch on a diet.  Also, if you view your pet from the side, there should be an upward curve right behind the rib cage.  If there is no curve or there is sagginess in the belly, your dog is more than likely in need of losing a few pounds.  When you run your fingers over the dog’s rib cage, you should be able to feel each individual rib. If you feel sheets of fat and your hand doesn’t easily slide across the rib cage, there is too much fat!  I have found that most people think that you should not be able to see ribs on their dog, but that is actually not the case.  One of the perks of having a pet sitter is your dog will be walked regularly and that keeps them healthy and exercised.

Holiday Pet Safety

With Memorial Day and the Fourth of July right around the corner, I wanted to suggest some safety tips for keeping pets safe.  A lot of pets are scared of loud noises such as fireworks, and some are even petrified and can really hurt themselves if we don’t protect them.  One suggestion I have is to desensitize your pets.  You can do this by playing a cd with loud noises and sounds or even actual fireworks through out the weeks leading up to the holiday and most pets will get used to these noises and not be affected during the holiday.  I had to desensitize my dogs when I was pregnant because they had never been around children.  There is a wonderful cd out called “Preparing Fido” and I have also recommended it to several Gwinnett Pet Watchers clients who are bringing a new bundle in to their family.  These cds can also work for pets that are scared of thunder storms as well.  Another suggestion I have is to keep your pets in a safe, indoor place during the holidays.  Pets that are outdoors can really hurt themselves by trying to “get away” from the noises and can also end up very far from home.  It is very important to keep them contained in a safe place where they cannot get hurt.  Lastly, I would suggest if at all possible to be with your pet during these times.  Your pet needs you to comfort him and if you are there, their anxiety level is usually a lot more under control.  The next best thing to you, would be us!  You can also hire a pet sitter to stay with your pet so you can have some holiday fun!

Your Puppy and their Pet Sitter

 

 

Well it is definitely that time of year where people have gotten puppies for Christmas presents. They are totally adorable bundles of fur and love.  You took the time to pick the perfect puppy that will fit in with your family. You have spent days coming up with unique name for this wonderful new arrival. Now the real work starts. While the puppy is young it is the perfect time to instill the rules of the house to ensure a lifelong loving happy relationship.

 

The phones at Gwinnett Pet Watchers are ringing off the hook. New and existing clients are calling to get our help in raising their new puppy’s. This is one of our favorite times of the year. After all we get all the snuggles all the puppy breath without ever getting our shoes chewed on.

We have a special product called a potty break. We offer this service for all of Lawrenceville, Buford, Dacula ,Sugar Hill and Suwannee . We also offer this service to most of Loganville, Grayson and Snellville. We added the potty break to our line’s of  services when we realized there were a lot of people in Gwinnett County that are away from home for long periods of time Monday through Fridaybecause of their long commute to work . The potty break is ideal for the dog whose owner is at home in the morning, and in the evening to walk and give it plenty of attention. What we do is come in the middle of the day and get the pup to outside for a bathroom break.

People with new puppies use this service a little differently. Many will have us come in at 10 or 10:30 AM for the first break and then come back around 2 or 2:30 PM for the second break. With this schedule the puppy is only in its crate for 3 to 4 hours in between breaks. The client pays $10 per visit and in this example $20 per day. A price that is well worth the jumpstart to house training.

 

When the puppy gets to be about eight months old (like children each puppy develops at a different rate) we can usually move to one 30 minute walk. This gets the puppy out of its crate for a nice walk to get some exercise and to expel some energy. This  makes for a much happier experience for the owners when they come home from a long day at the office.

Call us today 404-819-3641 to  set up your free consultation. We can come up with the perfect plan for you and your new puppy.

Home Safty and Your Pet Sitter

With cold temps clients water pipe burst.

With cold temps clients water pipe burst.

 

Yesterday while the temperatures were in the single digits and wind chills were even lower our crew was out visiting our four legged clients.

Amelia was making her rounds in Sugar Hill Georgia, when she made a stop to give a couple dogs who are crated a potty break. When she walked into the house she found that a pipe had burst in the ceiling and that part of the ceiling had collapsed on one of the dog crates. The poor dog was sitting in a puddle of water with water pouring down from the ceiling.

Amelia went into action; she got the dog out of the crate into a safe area. While she was doing that I was contacting the homeowner to find out where the main shutoff for her water was located. I then relayed that information to Amelia and she was able to shut the water off and stop any more damage.

Just another good reason to have a pet sitter/dog walker coming by daily to take care of your pets. If Amelia had not come by the water would’ve continued until the home owner made it home around 6 o’clock. Because we were there to give the pups a potty break we caught the problem at 1:30 PM.

Kudos to Amelia for doing a great job . Amelia  did everything right, taking care of the dogs, making sure they were safe first. Contacting the office so we could contact the owner to gain the information we need to protect our clients home .

Saying goodbye

About two weeks ago I got a call from a client who has two dogs and two cats that I have taken care of for several years. One dog is an older Doberman with a large inoperable tumor on his chest.
When I answered the phone the owner told me she had some bad news. I thought that Rocko the Doberman had passed away. But then the owner said, “it wasn’t Rocko, it was Rusty.”
It has taken me two weeks to even be able to write about it. Rusty was a very special boy. He was a rescue so we don’t know his entire story. He was a very shy boy. When I first started taking care of him, I would put his dinner down then leave the room and go love on the kitties, because if I was anywhere around he would worry and not eat. I remember how happy I was the first time he let me pet him. And then there was the day he let me give him a belly rub, I think I liked that belly rub as much as he did.
Rusty was all ways a finicky eater, but over the last six months it had gotten worse. When the Vet diagnosed him with cancer he only lasted two weeks.
I love them all but some time there is the one who worms their way into your hart. I love you Rusty and will miss you. My hart and prayers go out to your family. It helps to know that we will all see each other again on the other side of the rainbow bridge.