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Professional QualificationsWhy Use a Petsitter?Rates and FeesPetsitting Dog Training Massage and Reiki Flower Essences Payment PolicyCancellation PolicyHelp Your PetsitterPersonal Qualifications
Thayrone and Titus
Teddy
Duke, Robin's best dog pal in childhood
Titus
Reiki on a bird
Robin, age 9, and her first pony Taffy
Teddy and Lucy
Lucy, canine bodhisattva |
MissionTo provide the best possible care for your pets and your home when you're not able to. To help strengthen the bond between people and their companion animals, particularly humans and canines.Service AreaAnn Arbor and immediate vicinityProfessional QualificationsMember, Pet Sitters International Member, Pet Sitters Associates Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers Trainer, Country Kennel, basic canine obedience classes Certified by the Red Cross in Pet First Aid Volunteer, Humane Society of Huron Valley Veterinary Clinic Insured References Available Return to topWhy Use a Petsitter?You may be one of those lucky people who have a friend or family member nearby who can take care of your animal(s) when you can't. Many people, however, do not. And many people do not want to impose on their family and friends in this manner. A petsitter can be of help for "long-term" trips, for instance if you're going out of town for a long weekend, or on vacation for a week. A petsitter can also provide assistance with "respite" or day care situations. Perhaps you're going to be out for a late night on the town. Maybe you've gotten a new puppy, and can't get home every day to give the pooch a potty break. Or maybe your animal needs medication administered more frequently than your schedule allows. Using a petsitter is less stressful for both you and your companion animals. The animals get to stay in the familiar surroundings of their home, with their own bed, toys, and food bowls. Their routine and diet can stay largely the same, even though you're away. They are not exposed to illnesses or parasites from other animals. And if you're going out of town, dropping off your pet(s) at the kennel is one less thing you have to do before leaving. Although kennel staff do their best to provide your animal(s) with attention, the kennel is still a stressful place to be. (If you've boarded your dog, how often does s/he come back home hoarse?) This can be especially true if an animal is elderly, ill, or recovering from an injury or surgery. In addition, most kennels require "full immunization," including bordatella. If you are following a minimal vaccine protocol for your animal(s), this can be problematic. In addition to providing food, water, medication, and loving attention to your animal(s), a petsitter can also provide some TLC for your home - bringing in your mail and newspaper(s), taking out your trash and recycling on pickup day and/or bringing trash and recycling containers back in, watering your plants, and just keeping a watchful eye on your home environment. Speaking as a pet owner, one of the best things about using a petsitter is that my animals are there in my home to greet me on my return! Return to topRates and FeesPet SittingThe basic rate for a one-time (once per day) 30-minute visit is $16. The rate may be slightly higher (for example, if there are multiple animals and/or multiple medications must be given;
if a longer than "potty break" walk is necessary; or if you live outside of
Ann Arbor). The rate may also be slightly lower (for example, if you live in my neighborhood). A visit includes feeding your animal(s), changing the water, and providing some TLC. This may include playtime
in your house or yard, or a brief walk, depending on your animal(s). This may also include administration of medication(s). For cats, a basic visit also includes litterbox cleaning. Basic home care services, such as bringing in your mail or newspaper(s), are also included in this fee.
$16 for a single 30-minute visit per day
$30 for two 30-minute visits in the same day
$45 for three 30-minute visits in the same day
$55 for four 30-minute visits in the same day
$5 additional fee/day if outside city of Ann Arbor $10 for key pickup (waived if key given during initial consult)
$10 litter box change
/ cage cleaning $30/hour for transportation to vet's office or groomer There is no charge for the initial "intake interview," at which point you and I will meet, and I will meet your animal(s). This allows you, me, and your animal(s) to see if we're a good match. This also allows your animal(s) to see that I am a safe and welcome person to enter the home in your absence. If we are a good match, we will discuss your care instructions for your animal(s) and your home, such as food, water, medication, and exercise needs. We will complete a service agreement and you will, ideally, give me a housekey(s) at this time. (Otherwise, there is a $10 charge for a separate visit for a key pickup.) Dog TrainingIf you need some help with basic doggy "good manners," some assistance between group classes, or a basic tune-up with your pup, I can help. I use only positive-based training methods. I do not use or recommend choke collars, pinch or prong collars, or electric collars.
$30 for a 30-minute session $45 for a 45-minute session $60 for a 60-minute session $5 additional fee/session if outside city of Ann Arbor 10% discount for package of three or more classes
There is no charge for the initial training consult with me.
If you have a dog with serious behavioral issues (extreme fear or aggression, for example), I am not the person to help you with this. I would suggest you call Neva Bus, training director at Country Kennel, for a behavioral consult. The number there is (734) 429-2375. Country Kennel also has a number of group classes year-round for dogs of all ages. Massage and Reiki for Animals More info coming soon!
Flower Essences More info coming soon! Return to topPayment PolicyCash or check are acceptable forms of payment. I am also open to barter.
For new clients, payment in full is required at booking; for established clients, payment is required on the first day service begins.
There is a $30 fee for returned checks. Return to topCancellation Policy24-hour notice is required. When I accept a reservation from you, that means I am unable to accept a reservation from someone else. Although I realize that emergencies happen, and will make some allowance for that, a last-minute cancellation on your part means loss of income for me. If a cancellation is not due to an emergency, payment in full is expected. Return to topHelp Your Pet SitterMake your reservations early, especially during "peak needs" times such as holidays. Consider informing your veterinarian that you will be using a petsitter, and make sure it would be okay for you to be billed for service later, rather than having the petsitter pay out of pocket for your pet's treatment. If required by your veterinarian, sign an "authorization for treatment" form so that your petsitter can bring your animal in for treatment if necessary while you are away. Get the telephone number(s) of the place(s) you will be staying while you're away before you depart, so you can leave this information for your petsitter. (Do not rely on having your cellphone with you - service may not be available, or your cellphone battery may die.) If the petsitter will be arriving when it's dark out, provide a timer light in the house and for the porch light, so the petsitter won't have to walk into a dark home. Buy extra supplies (pet food, medications) in case you will be away longer than planned. If you will be away for a matter of days, clean out food from your refrigerator that may spoil while you're gone. If you will be returning earlier or later than planned, call your petsitter ASAP and let them know. If you return as scheduled, call your petsitter to let them know you've arrived home safely. Leave a list of numbers that may be helpful for the petsitter in any emergency: in addition to your veterinarian, handyman, electrician, plumber, yard or pool maintenance, etc. Also, let the petsitter know if there will be other people in the house while you are away (for example, a housecleaning service). Arrange for snow removal and yardwork service as needed (these are not petsitter jobs!). Consider informing your nearby neighbor(s) of the duration of your trip, and of the fact that a petsitter will be visiting your home. Personal QualificationsI am a lifelong animal lover (for more on that, keep reading until the end), and as an adult have owned a cat and dogs of my own. I currently have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, Thayrone, who is six years old, and Titus, a mixed breed puppy (Labrador Retriever/boxer/terrier? mix) adopted from the Humane Society of Huron Valley. I started taking Thayrone to puppy kindergarten classes at Country Kennel, in Saline, Michigan when he was a puppy, and we had so much fun taking classes that we (Thayrone and I) now teach a basic obedience class there. I know what it's like to worry about leaving your companion animal(s) and your home in someone else's care. At one point in my life I traveled frequently (at least two weekends a month for much of the year), and I am fortunate that I have usually been able to find someone to stay in my home with my dogs when I traveled. (Thayrone is lucky enough to have never been boarded in a conventional kennel.) Unfortunately, these people were often college students, whose sense of responsibility was a bit less well-developed than my own. Even if I did find someone very responsible, who seemed to understand how important my animals and home were to me, I still worried. It wasn't until I began using a responsible, adult professional petsitter that I was able to worry a lot less about leaving "my babies" in someone else's care. These days, I am traveling a lot less. I am able to spend more time with my own dogs, and have decided to put my love and knowledge of animals to work for other people. I worked as a massage therapist for people beginning in 1998, at Bodywise Therapeutic Massage in Ann Arbor. I am nationally certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork (NCTMB), and a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Peaceable Pets is my primary vocation; I maintain a limited Reiki practice at Bodywise for humans. I have loved animals all my life. Growing up in Dimondale, Michigan, we had dogs and cats as long as I can remember. My mother had a pet boa constrictor for a while, and I freely collected garter snakes from the yard. After I finished third grade, we moved to a 40-acre farm in Charlotte, Michigan, where I was able to fulfill my longtime wish of getting a pony. At various times we also had a cow, pigs, a goat, several other ponies and horses, numerous dogs and cats, and smaller furry mammals such as a rabbit, gerbils, and hamsters. One summer I took care of the 40-odd rats for my high school biology class. About the only animal we never had was any kind of bird - my sister, who suffered from childhood asthma, was allergic to bird feathers. In college, when crummy apartment regulations prohibited dogs, I was fortunate to have a very affectionate cat, named Mercedes, for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the crummy apartment regulations also prohibited cats, and she was detected by the landlord. She lived in a multi-cat house with friends of mine for a year or so before she was hit by a car and died. (She had been an indoor-only cat with me, and one of the conditions of my friends accepting her was that she would be an indoor-outdoor cat there.) As an adult, my husband and I got a dog as soon as we were able to do so. Before I knew how important it was to research dogs and reliable breeders, we did what many people do - we looked in the Sunday paper until we found an ad for the type of dog we thought we wanted, went to a "backyard breeder," and bought a puppy. We learned much from Teddy, our first Boston Terrier. Teddy developed epilepsy while still a puppy, and was on phenobarbitol for most of his life. We took our first group obedience class with Teddy. When he started scratching a hole in the screen door, my husband Glen, an engineer, made a "doggie doorbell" for him and we taught Teddy to hit the switch with his paw. Teddy died of complications from his epilepsy (he had the equivalent of a massive doggie stroke about a month before he died) at 9 years of age, in 1999. We got our second Boston Terrier, Lucy, when we bought our house in 1992. (Hooray for fenced yards and doggie doors!) We had learned the importance of buying a dog from a professional breeder, who did health screenings on their stock, from our experience with Teddy. Although Lucy was the runt of her litter, she was so much bigger than her body. She fearlessly patrolled the yard, keeping an eye out for vermin. (She was so fast, she actually caught a chipmunk once.) She would stand just inside the doggie door, with her nose holding it open just a bit and one foot poised on the frame - ready to dash out the instant a squirrel was detected. Lucy was largely a healthy dog, but I did learn more about the importance of nutrition, when a change in diet resulted in major improvement in her allergies. I also learned about the dangers of over-vaccination, when she developed a whole-body hive reaction on the 15-minute drive home from the vet's office after her annual combination booster shot. In addition, I learned that, yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks - Lucy took her first obedience class at age 9, and took agility later that same year. She was the picture of vibrant health until the last couple of months of her life. Lucy died on the operating table from complications of pancreatitis and a bowel obstruction, in October 2004.
After Teddy died, we decided to get a larger dog while we were young and strong enough to deal with one. After lots of research, we decided on a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and were fortunate to time our request for a puppy with the arrival of a litter at Esther Mathia's Callyhi Kennel. Thayrone joined our household in the summer of 1999. When we brought him home, he was the same size as Lucy - they both weighed about 12 pounds. Lucy was thrilled to have a playmate - for the first couple of hours. After that, it was several months before she would play with him again. Although they became friends, they never developed the type of bond Lucy and Teddy had. (The fact that Thayrone grew to about 95 pounds may have had something to do with that.) Thayrone has been my teacher in so many ways, and I continue learning about dog behavior, learning and health from him. Thayrone developed allergy problems at about two years of age. We have been through traditional allopathic treatment (a year of antihistamines), holistic treatment (a year of homeopathic and herbal treatment), and have tried numerous dietary approaches (different brands of premium food, home-cooked meals). We are currently using immunotherapy (allergy shots) and nutrition (the BARF diet, aka bones and raw food) to manage his situation. Titus, the brindle beauty I fell in love with at the Humane Society, joined our household in December 2004, at about three months of age. He has completed puppy kindergarten and two companion obedience classes at Country Kennel, and we are currently enrolled in our first agility class. He and Thayrone are usually either playing together (there's lots of "wrasslin'") or napping together. I look forward to continuing my canine education with him.
(Last updated October 6, 2005) Return to top |
