After several months of being closed due to the coronavirus, most clients were working from home, I have reopened my business. Many clients are working part time or every other week from home, some have kids in school on a hybrid schedule with 2 days in school and 2 days from home (virtual), I will be as accommodating as possible with everyone's schedule. I will wear a mask to your house and follow CDC guidlines. I hope everyone stays safe.

Some people like to bring their dogs everywhere they go. Here is a list of the  8 restaurants in Clifton Park that are dog friendly and let you have your dog outside while you eat: LaBella Pizza & Pasta, Panara Bread, Jersey Mike's Subs, Shane's Rib Shack, Five Guys, Chipoltle Mexican Grill, Salad Creations and Bruegger's Bagels. Bring Fido is good resource to check out dog friendly places in other areas including Hotels, events, services, etc.  https://www.bringfido.com/restaurant/city/clifton_park_ny_us/

After transitioning my business from Pet Sitting to just Dog Walking and Boarding I decided to rebrand my business to better reflect my new business model, services offered. The new business name is Walk N Dogs www.walk-n-dogs.com. Since the transition I am enjoying spending more time with my family since I am only working M-F instead of 24/7. We still board dogs on the weekends but I don't consider that work since I don't have to leave the house for them and it's a joy to play and interact with them. It also helps that our 6 year old son looks forward to having dogs over to play with and give attention to.

All this week it's going to be in the 90's. Be considerate to your dog(s) don't take them in the car, do very shot walks just to let them pee & poop (the hot sidewalk/road can burn their paws) and back in to the AC. Play with them indoors if they need to burn off energy. Put some ice cubes in their water bowl, it will cool the water down and most dogs love to chew on ice. Dogs don't sweat so can not regulate their temperature and dogs with more fur do not do as well in the heat.

I was inspired to write a book for people thinking of getting into pet sitting/dog walking "So, You Think You Want To Be A Pet Sitter? How To Start Your Own Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Business", published by eBookit.com. The book covers decisions you will need to make before you start, what you need to start the business, how to run the business efficiently, how to market the business, good customer service and more. It is available on most all eBook platforms at Barns & Noble, Amazon, Google Play, and Kobo. I also set up a website with business/pet sitting tips "Pet Sitting Business 101" and resources for pet sitters.

In order to keep current in the field of pet care continuing education is important. I recently I purchased the book "Off-Leash Dog Play A Complete Guide To Safety & Fun" by Robin Bennett and Susan Briggs. This book is imformative about dog communication, with the goal of having fun and safe playgroups. The book goes into extensive detail so I will just highlight some important information for all dog owners.

Dogs communicate with their entire bodies. Body language signals are sent through the dogs body posture, ears, tail and facial expression. Ear 's slow and small rhythmic wags they are concerned about something and on guard.

Social gestures tell the mood of a dog or show supordination like blinking, champing, freezing, looking away and pawing. Movement can also tell such as the back roll, lip licking, shoulder bump, yawning when not tired. They can also be warning signals like growling or guarding (Toy, food, etc.)

The book also talks about play behaviors and the different play styles which differ by breed. For example sporting breeds like a rougher play style while herding breeds like to run and chase. So it's important to group dogs with similar play styles together.

The book goes into detail about stress in dogs and aggression, signs to look for and how to deal with it. This is useful information for all dog owners who wish to socialize their dogs and very helpful for me to lead playgroups.

We always strive to give the best care for your pets. That being said it is not always easy if we don't get good communication from clients. This may seem obvious but people get busy and forget to let their pet sitter know about changes to their pets health, diet, routine, locks being changed, etc. I have even showed up to the house and one or more pets where not there. 99% of my clients give great communication when there are changes but the following are actually situations that we have run into over the years:

One of my employees texted me that one of the dogs had stiches in his back, "did he have surgery?"

I showed up a house and the dog had a cone on (found out through texting that he had hot spots)

Went to feed a cat and a large can of wet food was on the counter and previous instructions were 1/2 can (normal size)

Showed up to walk a dog and key no longer worked, got no response from text to client but looked under mat on a whim and saw a new key that worked. Client forgot to let me know landlord changed lock and she left a new key under mat.

I keep an extra leash in my fanny pack as I have not found where client left theirs on several visits.

I could not find one of three dogs that is usually crated after searching whole house and client texted back they/or significant other took one dog with them.

Found medication container and chart on counter by food for a dog that was not on any meds. before.

Please communicate any changes in your pet especially if they have had surgery or other health issuse as our care will need to be adjusted, like carrying dog (small) up and down stairs, administering the correct amount of meds. at the correct time, etc.

Dogs may not be getting the exercise they need during the winter as some owners do not want to go out in the cold and snow. Professional dog walkers go out in all weather. We gear up with multiple layers as it may be very cold in the am and then warm up. Yaktrax are great to put on your boots so you don't slip on the ice.

Dogs are loving playgroups in the new play yard. They get exercise and socialization with other dogs. We pick them up from your house, bring them to the play yard for around 3 hours (we have a shed where they can go in when cold or snow/rain), then we bring them home, all while you are at work. You come home to a happy tired pup. There are still some playgroup slots open.

We are buying a new house in Clifton Park with a nice big back yard, we are installing a fence, and going to offer several new services. We will be offering play groups from around 9-12 am which includes pick up and drop off at your house. We will also be offering boarding in our home. Play groups are a great way to get your dog exercise and socialization with other dogs.

Is your pet afraid the the loud noise during thunderstorms? Do they hide, sit in front of you shaking or jump in your lap for protection and snuggles? There are several things you can do to help eleviate the stress of a thunderstorm and help calm them, have them wear a thunder shirt during a storm, use lavender oil (which helps calms them) or massage their pressure points- for male dogs it is the bridge of the nose and female dogs it is the back of the neck.