Oley Catches a Treat

Oley hadn't quite gotten the hang of catching a treat but on this, our 4th try, he got it!

He wants you to know that your pets will love our pet sitters, too!

Credit Card Security

Your security is important to us and that includes the security of your credit card information used in our online scheduling system. Here are our security measures:

1. We don't have access to your credit card information. When you log in to add or update your credit card you are directly accessing the encrypted merchant processing portal. That information is not available to us nor to our scheduling software provider, LeashTime. 
2. If we take your credit card information for you over the phone we do so only through the secured merchant portal; the card information is not written down nor stored locally in any way. Doing so is a violation of our Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance. 
3. We complete an annual PCI Compliance validation process. This ensures that our credit card processing policies and methods are up to date and in compliance with merchant processing regulations.
4. For our clients who do not wish to make online payment by credit card we are happy to accept personal checks and Venmo payments. Each invoice will have instructions for those payment methods.

Why Pet Owners Should Be Over Rover

You've probably noticed the international listing services, like Rover, that are popping up for people to do side gigs in pet sitting. Simply plug in your zip code and a slew of profiles appear. You may not have heard the horror stories (search Rover horror stories). Unfortunately, those of us who are professionals in this industry have a front row seat to the unbelievable things hobbyists do, and don't do. 

Your pets are too important to trust to someone doing this as a side gig; without standards of care, without a background check, without supervision. This is a long article but it's a big problem and we've heard it all from our new clients. Do you really want to deal with an agent in a call center when you have a problem? In a recent article about a lost dog in Canada (remember, they list sitters all over the world) Rover CEO, Dave Rosenbaum, said, "Individual sitters, not Rover, are liable for any damages arising from a situation gone wrong because everyone on the platform operates as an independent contractor." 

How do you think that is going to make you feel when you are desperate to resolve a problem?

What if the person you choose never shows up for the scheduled visits? What if they cancel on you the day before you leave? How do you know if they have a boyfriend or other person come with them to your home? We have had calls from frantic pet parents who are out of the country and they desperately need someone to go take care of their beloved pets because the other person (friend, neighbor, Rover sitter, facebook referral) hasn't shown up. Thank goodness for cameras, alarms and door locks that let them know no one had been there! Some people don't know this until it is too late and they return home to the unimaginable. 

From the Rover website Terms of Service:

"Rover does not employ, recommend or endorse Service Providers or Pet Owners, and, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we will not be responsible or liable for the performance or conduct of Service Providers or Pet Owners, whether online or offline."

We've had calls from stressed out pet parents who are leaving and have not been able to reach their Rover sitter for days, or have had the sitter cancel on them at the last moment. They are leaving tomorrow. Or later today. Can we please help them?!

Our answer is yikes and yes. Not because it is easy to accommodate them (it isn't!) and not because our calendar is vacant (it isn't!) but because we are also pet parents and we care. If they are already out of town we will do what we can to take over their pet care, hopefully they have a hidden key or a landlord or emergency contact with a key. If they are still home our pet sitters will do what is necessary to go over to meet them on short notice. These real situations are not ideal for anyone! We have an emergency surcharge to help cover the myriad changes that must take place.

What is your recourse? If there is a problem with a pet sitter on an international listing website you are going to get a call center agent in another state who will attempt to manage your concerns. There is little else they can do from a remote location except offer apologies and refunds. 

We urge you to be very careful when searching for a pet sitter. Luckily, you've found our website and that's a great place to be! You will find abundant information here about our culture, our practices, our safety measures and our assurances that we will go above and beyond your expectations. Following us on Facebook will give you a daily insight into our interactions with the pets in our care. 

Here is a brief summary of why we hope your search is over now that you've found us:

• We are locally owned and managed. You can call or text any time you have a question and you will get the owner of the company, right here in your community.
• We have a team of pet sitters. As life throws curve balls we all experience our own crises and our team is always there to cover every visit.
• We have been in business since 2009. We are invested in our reputation and we are a financially stable company able to function through economic peaks and valleys. 
• We have safeguards and guarantees in place every step of the way. You will receive confirmations, visit completion notices, GPS tracking and visit reports with full disclosure about everything your pets are doing; how they are behaving, if they are eating, if they are off. We are like Santa; we know if they've been bad or good and we're going to tell you so you aren't surprised when you come home to a shredded couch cushion.

We have hired many pet sitters in our 10 year history. The most surprising discovery for new hires is that they only think they know what is involved and how to deliver the best pet care and customer service. We have a mentor program for our new pet sitters to learn all of our practices. What we have learned is that service at our level does not come intuitively.

Your pets are definitely worth hiring our experience, reliability and dedication. We're glad you are reading our articles and we hope to meet you soon!

  

Pet Accidents and Destruction

Destruction Happens!

Sure, they are cute and we love them but some beloved dogs can seemingly have wild parties when they are home alone. If you suspect your dog may be prone to this behavior (Lab, Boxer, Pit and Any Adolescent Dog parents) read on for our helpful travel preparation hints!

In this collage of destruction you will find the remains of what used to be couch stuffing, things taken out of a closet and the contents of the shred bin. Oh my! Potty accidents also happen! We have seen it all on our visits and we have advice for you before you travel.

Puppies and young, energetic dogs should be crated between our visits. Crate training is an important safety measure. Your dog will need to be comfortable being crated well in advance of your departure. Dogs with severe anxiety will need a sturdier crate than the typical wire or plastic crates to prevent injuries during escape.

Before you leave here is a list of things we recommend:

Biking with Luna

• Exercise is to dogs what location is to retail businesses. A tired dog is a good dog. If you have a high energy dog adding dog walks, dog biking sessions or hiking adventures to your schedule is a great idea.
• Pet proof your home to keep pets away from children's toys, remote controls, upholstery and valuables. Keep bedroom, den and bathroom doors closed.
• Gates and Scat Mats are excellent barriers for normally well-behaved dogs to keep them away from certain areas of your home.
• Cleaning Supplies. Have an abundant supply of paper towels, carpet/tile/wood floor cleaner and grocery bags on hand. You'll want to keep them where your dog can't reach them.
• Anti-nausea and diarrhea medication. Pepto bismol is handy for puppies and dogs who are prone to bouts of diarrhea. *
• Dogs with separation anxiety may benefit by taking CBD oil* a month in advance of your travels. This supplement works wonders to soothe anxieties and is also an excellent anti-inflammatory for senior dogs. 

*Consult with your veterinarian before giving your dog new medications and supplements.

We will do our best to manage potty and behavioral issues. Our visit reports are full-disclosure; you won't come home to surprise destruction and we will consult with you while you're away to protect your home.

We reserve the right to extend visits by 15 minute increments to allow sufficient time to clean up after potty accidents and destructive incidents. Creature Comforts Pet Sitting Service is not liable for pet destruction.

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Top 3 Reasons Pet Sitting Isn't The Right Fit

Our 10 years of experience have prepared us for everything that can and will be waiting for us on the other side of a locked door. It has also prepared us for the worst-case scenarios.

Here are our Top 3 Reasons we may not be the right choice for you.

Collage of Destruction

1: Destructive Dogs. If you have young, energetic dogs or nervous dogs with separation anxiety your property is at risk. We have walked in to our fair share of disasters caused by rambunctious or anxious pets. They have destroyed couches, walls, carpets, tables, curtains, blinds and more! Yikes!

Our visit reports are always full disclosure. We are going to tell you the good, the cute, the funny and the destructive. You won’t come home to a surprise. Getting these reports will cause you to have stress while you’re traveling and it will involve increased visit charges for cleaning and hefty repair bills! We recommend boarding pets in this situation to save your own sanity and to prevent the possibility of pet injury.

Thor Being Taken to Boarding

2: Aggressive Animals. If your dog has dominance behavior and shows aggression to people who come to your home (growling, charging, nipping or biting) we are not going to provide service. If this isn’t evident or disclosed at the consultation and becomes apparent during our visits we will require your dog to be boarded during your travels.

We won't place our pet sitters at risk for injury. Thor, for example, became aggressive when the other dog in the home went into heat. We took him to boarding and continued to provide care for the other pets in the home.

There are also cats and other animals who will charge and bite. You know your pets and livestock better than anyone else and if there is a risk to a stranger coming to your home when you aren’t there we need to know in advance. We are willing to come for an evaluation and, if appropriate, a trial visit before your travel. You should be prepared with a backup boarding reservation.

3: Hospice Pets. If your pet is suffering from a medical condition that is not managed to allow quality of life, such as not being able to eat, drink, stand or walk on its own, we will refer you to your veterinarian for medical boarding. 

Most often, this situation presents with our existing clients as their pets age. We already love them and seeing them in such poor health is heartbreaking. We've had dogs who couldn't get up from their beds to walk outside. We have experienced these beloved pets dying at home, alone. We have to make the hard choices to suspend future service when it becomes clear that the pet would be better off with medical boarding.

We're here to help! We know you want what is best for your pets and we strive to provide that to every client. If you have any questions about your pet's suitability for pet sitting just give us a call. We turn away very few clients and we'll give you an experienced evaluation.

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Top 4 Reasons to Choose Pet Sitting

If you're wondering whether to board or hire a professional pet sitting service, here are 4 things that make our service a great alternative to boarding.

1: Kennels don't send updates. If you add on extra services you may get a report card when you pick up your dog but communication during your trip is typically non-existent. 

Our pet sitting clients receive a visit report with pictures and all of the details of our visit with their beloved pets. Evert visit! Our reports are full disclosure; you'll know everything that is happening with your pets and home and we'll even clean up if your Keurig machine or ice maker go on the fritz. It happens!

2: Many dogs are stressed. I recently boarded Skye, above. She came home with as much food as we provided and, normally a high-energy, spunky girl, she was lethargic for a few days. She had not been eating or sleeping.  

Pets are happy at home. They run and play, they eat well, they show us all of their toys, they get to sleep in their own bed or on the couch and, when you leave the TV on for them, they have normal background noise to keep them company at home.

3: Worried about parasites? Will your dog be in a kennel or near a dog that has fleas or ticks? When pets are at home they aren't exposed to parasites or disease.

4: Pet Sitting is convenient! Kennels have set hours and most will charge an extra fee to pick up your dog on Sunday, the most common day for people to return home. Our clients return to pets who are overjoyed to welcome them home, no matter what time it is!

We offer a bonded and insured pet sitting service with 10 years experience providing professional pet care that allows pets to enjoy all the comforts of home. We have hundreds of happy clients who love the convenience of booking their visits online and traveling with peace of mind receiving our detailed visit reports while they're away. We hope to see your pets the next time you travel!

Your Pets Will Love Our Visits! You'll Love Our Customer Service!

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Top 3 Reasons to Hire a Professional Pet Sitter

You may have seen messages by people looking for a pet sitter and the many responses from the general public that either they will do it or their neighbor, friend or relative does it. We will share our Top 3 most alarming warnings!

1: They Never Came! This is the worst, by far! We had a woman call us from a European vacation, she was in a state of panic. She hadn't heard from the person who was to be taking care of her dog. Her texts and phone calls weren't being returned. Her dog had been alone and could we please go over to check on him?! Luckily, she had a hidden key and a sweet dog who was very happy to see us. We cleaned up the mess and kept him in our care until she returned. She spent the rest of her vacation with peace of mind with our visit reports letting her know we were there and how her beloved dog was doing - with pictures! Sadly, we've had a few of these calls.

2: They Had a Change of Plans. This one is most common! The phone call goes like this: "Hi, I had a (coworker, cousin, friend, kid next door) lined up but they just told me they can no longer do it because (insert reason here). We are leaving (tomorrow morning, this evening, right now). Is there any way you can have someone take care of our pets?!" Oh my!

These clients have been understandably stressed by this change in plans. It is hard to organize a last-minute consultation and we really do need to meet you and your pets before you go.

3: Last Time Nightmare. You don't want to be this person who came home to discover one or more of these things. We've had people call us because someone on a previous trip; did not come as scheduled (dog was inside until well into the afternoon), did not give their pets medication, did not give their pets water, stole from them, had people over, never saw the cat that was locked in a bedroom for a week.

Can you even imagine? These clients feel so guilty that their poor babies suffered neglect.

What about hiring a Rover or Wag part time pet sitter? This deserves its own article. You won't get an agent in a call center in a different state when using our service!

A professional pet sitter has a business license and is bonded and insured. Here are the Top 3 Reasons we are worth every penny!

1: A professional has a reputation in the community that we protect with amazing customer service and pet care. 

2: A professional will be accountable to you to be at your house, as scheduled, and will provide proof of care with every visit. A GPS and time-stamped visit report with an update about your pets and pictures will allow you to travel with peace of mind.

3: We know pets! You would be surprised at the things we've encountered behind the closed door. We can handle it whether it is a pet that isn't behaving normally or an ice maker that has gone awry. Your pet and your home are in professional hands.

At Creature Comforts you have an added benefit. We have a team of pet sitters! We are always available to our clients and our team gives us the added advantage of being able to cover our own personal emergencies and illnesses. 

You will never have to worry. That is our promise to you.

Rose Goes to the Vet

Rose is a frequent guest with our pet sitter, Mayra, who boards dogs in her home. She is quite the social butterfly with the other dogs and cats in the home who are always so happy to see her!

Rose's mom has often said that she thinks Rose likes it better at Mayra's house than at her own! She does have a lot of friends when she's on puppy vacation!

Rose has a chronic health condition, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and her mom said she had recently taken another turn for the worse. They had planned on taking Rose on their road trip to Tennessee but felt it would be too stressful, given her declining health. Mayra was happy to welcome her to her home away from home and agreed to take her to the vet for a scheduled evaluation, knowing the news could be grim. 

Mayra spent the first week pampering Rose with lots of love and giving her the joy of being with friends. 

Mayra took Rose to the vet and her blood test showed that she had a slight improvement over the decline that had made her feel so bad. There is no cure for her condition but it appears that lifting her spirits had a positive effect and her mom and the vet are happy with the results!