Cliff Swallows, Season 2

For the last year, I've been observing a suspicious hive-ish thing mounted in the corner of the entry to one of my client's homes. I never noticed any inhabitants, but I imagined them to be giant hornets that would someday stage a sneak-attack on me as I enter this family home. A few weeks ago, I noticed bird droppings beneath it, so I hoped the birds had made a meal of the deadly insects. But, then, I noticed more bird droppings on the opposite side of the entry way. With great fear and a horror film soundtrack playing in my head, I looked up and saw...

GASP! A mama bird peeking her head out of a new deadly-insect nest!

I had to reconsider. Could this be a bird nest?

I called my client to whose dwelling this mysterious deadly-insect-bird-habitat was attached. "Oh, yes, I know about it..." she said. Turns out it's a legit bird nest suddenly built next door to the one that's been vacant for a year, and there are baby birds (awwwwww), and she promised that she had no intention to remove or destroy the nests in the near future. Whew!

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been saying hello to the mama, who is always peeking out to say hello to me, quite socially. Sometimes she flies out and then back. And sometimes she just stays put and blinks at me.

I wondered what type of birds they could be. I'd never seen these kind of mud-nests before, so I did a bit of research. I now declare them Cliff Swallows, in my non-expert, expert opinion.

The Cliff Swallow does live in the desert (I got my information from DesertUSA.com). It builds these nests against buildings and bridges, now, but, originally, they built them on the undersides of cliffs and outcroppings in the foothills of the mountains in the western U.S. As man has built, they have built upon our buildings. Good for them.

A male and female will become a pair, if only for a short while, and build these spectacular nests out of about a thousand mud daubs. Sometimes, in true HGTV-fashion, they will rebuild and refurbish a nest from a previous year, which is what I suspect our little Cliff Swallows have done, with a new house next door. These birds live a life akin to a soap opera, often falling out of their nests while copulating before the dwelling is complete. The passion doesn't last long, as the male is soon off to discover other "opportunities." In the meantime, the female switches eggs with the more desirable eggs in another nest and might have the same done to her. The happy couple will raise their small flock of two to five fledglings, almost always from different parentage. Scandalous! Did you set your DVR?

According to DesertUSA, the little ones should soon be embarking on their own (I saw the mama giving flying lessons today), and the nests abandoned. It seems that once the fledglings can fly, they become independent and move out for good. If only humans could attain such lofty goals.

I'll miss them when they go, but I'll look forward to Cliff Swallows, Season 3, next year. Perhaps there will be another apartment or two constructed. We'll have Melrose Place all over again.

tails on trails today: who's guiding whom?

When I began Well Minded, I envisioned it primarily as a pet sitting business, but I didn't want to close myself off. I'm an entrepreneur and an adventurer at heart, so I didn't want to discount the possibility of going into training or grooming, both of which I have come to learn are not my strengths. Although I like to try lots of things, I recognize my weaknesses and try to focus elsewhere. I'm good at caring for animals. I love to hike. It's an activity I took up only after moving to AZ. There are countless trails in Phoenix, and my favorite local spot is South Mountain. I recently decided to combine my love of hiking and my love of animals. I started "Tails on Trails," small-group hikes for dogs. Once a week, I pick up dogs, drive them to the trails, provide secure leashes, water, poop bags, and post-hike pictures to my clients so they can see our adventures.

Though we've had other dogs sometimes join the ranks, today it was just me and my two really regular regulars. They have been to every hike since the start, and we definitely have a multifaceted bond. When I arrive for pick-up, the brown one goes ape-shit. The black one is calm, yet welcoming. Both are SO excited that I'm there, and they know why I'm there. They enjoy the car ride to the trails. When we first hit the dirt, they go, then sniff. Mark. Walk. Trot. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Mark. And then I tell them "that's enough," and they seem to understand that though there will be countless animal smells, excrement aromas, and tiny fast-moving reptiles, birds, and small mammals to grasp their attentions and snap their necks in this direction and that, we're there to hike. And hiking means moving. So then about five minutes in, we get into our groove. And then they go poop. And then we get going, for reals.

While they get over all of that, I'm making sure the leash isn't cutting my wrist in the wrong place, my phone (for camera access) is in the most strategic pocket, and that my underwear isn't riding in the wrong spot since we're in it for the long haul. When we hit our stride, and we're all in sync, I feel like something was meant to be. The dogs start to pick up the pace, and so do I. They navigate the trail beautifully, and I pick my footing as if I had instinct for the thing. We do this jog/walk/hike thing that feels good. Just as I notice a nice view, they slow down, as if they recognize something to be seen beyond the dusty trail their noses run along. And they show me details in the path.

how the work from home mom thing works

I never thought I'd want to raise my own kids. I mean, other people's kids always drove me crazy. I had no idea I'd fall in love with my kids. I thought I'd have no problem putting them in day care so I could work. I actually used to say that I'd go nuts if I had to stay home with my kids. That's before I gave birth. I'd been a step mom for several years prior to having my own children, but that role did not ask me to make a decision about whether or not to work. Once I had my son, Porter, I knew that working from home was the right decision for us. It would allow me to work, which I loved, but also be present and raise my child myself. Maternity leave? Nope! I was back to work a week after giving birth, and Porter came with me (my husband did, too, so we could document Porter's first "job").

Before you think I'm an awful mother for just throwing him blindly into the workforce, please know that he'd had some prior experience at home.

He continued to go on pet sitting visits with me. At first he would sit in his car seat carrier and snooze away, but he later became more involved.

So we gave him some more in-depth training at home.

Porter basically went everywhere with me, and has a love and respect for animals to show for it. When my daughter, Campbell, came along two years later, it was definitely more challenging. Toting a toddler and a newborn to every job was not easy, so I relied more on a wonderful pet sitter I'd hired (she's still with us and still fantastic) and some scheduling magic. And, of course, since Campbell is my second child, I have no pictures to document her early pet sitting adventures.

At first I was hesitant that I'd appear unprofessional to clients if my kids accompanied me on visits, but then I realized that by owning my own business, I got to make the rules, and in order for it to work for me, it had to be a family affair. The animals loved it, the kids loved it, and I loved it. And we still do! During every initial consultation, I ask how the client's pets do with children. Almost always, clients are excited about the idea that their pets get a three-for-one deal, and I must say, my kids can wear out the animals even better than I can. Both Porter and Campbell go on jobs with me on a daily basis. They know how to care for animals, and even more importantly, they have learned how to care about animals.

Tail pullers, they are not.

how many clients do you have?

When someone hears that I own a pet sitting business, the second question they ask is "how many clients do you have?" What's the first question? It's: "You mean you do that as a real business and you make a living from it?" Well, that's actually two questions.

I never know what to say when people ask how many clients I have. Do you mean over the lifetime of my business? Do you mean active right now? Or just this week? Or today?

Clients come and go depending on circumstance. In the past few years, the most crucial factor has been the economic state. Clients have moved away to live with their parents in another area of the country or they take one vacation per year rather than four, so we don't see them as much. Or maybe a former stay-at-home mom has had to take work outside the home so I gain a client that needs potty breaks for the family dog.

The ebb and flow is also seasonal. With reasonable predictability, we are busiest in the summer and during the holiday season. If you go by the calendar, January and February are our slowest months. Travelers have returned home after the holidays, and kids are back in school. Come March, things start to pick up as spring springs and Arizonians start to enjoy a few weeks of "not too cold and not to hot"–perfect–weather. As we ease into summer and everyone evacuates our virtual hell, things really get cookin' for Well Minded. While you're all enjoying your lake breaks and coastal getaways, I'm hanging with your pets. And I love that. September and October are a bit sleepy, and then we pick up again through the end of the year for holiday travel. Basically, we're here when you're not.

So today I saw three animals. That's today, and who knows what tomorrow will bring?

I have over a hundred currently active clients, which means they have booked service with us in the last year. Some clients I see five times a week, some once a month, and some twice a year. Or something like that. I appreciate the business, but, more importantly, I love all of the animals. I have never (hardly ever...that's another story) met an animal I didn't love.

So how many clients do I have? Today I saw three. And those are the ones that especially matter.

how it started: opening my pet sitting business

I don't recall the exact beginning of my pet sitting career, but it probably started when I was about twelve years old, just on the verge of possibly being considered responsible. I initially followed the jr. high herd and tried my hand in baby sitting, but no amount of movie and apparel money could convince me that I wanted to spend my weekends monitoring short people who refused to listen and needed to be endlessly entertained. I found myself more drawn to the pets in the household. The mother of a young girl I reluctantly baby sat on a regular basis noticed this and asked if I'd watch their dog while they went away for the weekend. Pop in on him several times a day to let him out, feed him, and provide him with a bit of company. I didn't even need transportation, because they lived two doors down. Why, sure.

And you'll pay me? Even better. I referred out my weekend baby sitting jobs to a grateful girlfriend and never looked back.

I took care of that neighbor's Siberian Husky for several years following and added a few other neighborhood pets to the mix. A cat here, a hamster there. People liked me because I actually loved the animals. I didn't just drop food and run out, forgetting to fill the water bowl. I followed the care instructions to the letter and spent time with the pets because I enjoyed it. And because I enjoyed it, I did a really good job. The animals were happy and healthy, and the owners thanked me by referring me to their friends.

As I grew through my teens and early twenties, I tried other odd jobs and career paths. I worked in retail for a spell, and paid my dues in food and drink service. I earned my bachelor's degree in art history and went on to work as an account manager at a Southern California graphic design firm. All the while, keeping my hand in the animal scene, pet sitting here and there and rescuing any animal that wasn't tied down.

When my husband and I decided to move from California to Arizona, we both started looking for work in our new city. I loved working in graphic design and hoped to find a similar position. I also started fantasizing about opening my own business, not in graphic design, but in pet sitting. Could I do it full time? Could I be my own boss? Never one to shy away from risk, I dove into all the pet sitting and business planning books I could get my hands on. My fantasy started to morph into reality and something I knew I couldn't let go. I created a business plan, paperwork, and recruited my designer friends to help me with my logo, Web site, and printed collateral. I was official. Well Minded was born, and we had exactly zero clients.

I remember my first official consultation well. I'd been to clients' homes before, of course, but there had never been so much at stake. It was two slobbering, jumping Rottweilers. Sweet as pie, but they didn't coordinate well with my skirt and high heels, which were supposed to convey an air of professionalism. I didn't get that job, but I quickly learned that professional pet sitting was not about appearing professional, but it was about being professional. For my next consultation, I proudly wore my new Well Minded t-shirt, shorts, and running shoes. I was able to get down on the floor with the pets, and it didn't matter that they drooled and shed. And the owners loved me for being me and for being in love with their pets. Well Minded was born again, and we had exactly one client.