poo under this: a husband's attempt to be helpful

Please excuse my political incorrectness as I speak about the stereotypical "husband help" I received this morning. Well, technically, I received it in the middle of the night, but didn't discover it until dawn. Well, technically, not dawn, because I wake up three hours before dawn...you get the point.

Let me start by summarizing my situation: I'm at the tail end of a very busy holiday week. I've been making a lot of visits, and one of those clients is the "diarrhea dogs," or so I've affectionately nicknamed them. In addition to the cat whom I've sat for before, the family decided to try to leave their two chihuahua mixes home in my care for the first time, something they'd been hesitant to do because of their nervous-bordering-on-aggressive nature. The client warned me that they would go berserk upon my first–and possibly all–my visits. They may even try to bite my ankles, so they would kindly leave a broom out for self defense. 

You might think I'm crazy, but I was looking forward to it. Not to the possibility of beating off small animals with permission from the owners, but to a challenge. It's been a while since I've dealt with problem pets. I assured the client that I'd win the dogs over, and I have.

They barked and barked during my first visit several days ago and even nipped at me a bit (nothing to warrant a broom beating), but we're moving past all that. After a couple of visits, their explosive vocals reduced to ten minute sessions, and then after a few visits more, they were sitting in my lap accepting massages and giving me kisses. Voila, success! It's a good thing they are so lovable. Now.

In addition to the barking, their nervous bellies have been expelling an extraordinary amount of liquid feces just about everywhere (thank goodness for tile floors throughout). I have had to move furniture to get behind couches and entertainment centers, and I've been through two bottles of disinfectant, three rolls of paper towels, ten cloth rags, four rolls of toilet paper and one scrub pad. Not to mention the fact that my hands look as if I've had acid poured over them from all of the washing in scalding water. 

Aside from the diarrhea dogs and a handful of other clients I've been seeing this week, I have three dogs staying at my house. I have cared for them before, and they are pretty easy-going. Two of them are seniors who sleep most of the time, and everyone is potty trained and eats well. A breath of fresh air. 

Until I woke up this morning. 

This is what I found:

Actual evidence destroyed. This is a dramatic re-creation.

Actual evidence destroyed. This is a dramatic re-creation.

Fantastic. More poo, and this time it's in my house. We'd made it so far without an incident.

Hubby is in the restaurant biz, which requires him to work odd hours at times, and last night was one of those times. I went to bed before he got home, as did the littles and the dogs, and all was right with the world. And this morning, there is this. And hubby is peacefully slumbering. So before embarking to another house where I will likely be scrubbing poo off the floor for an hour, I get to scrub poo off my own floor. I had nothing better to do while coffee brewed at 4:00 a.m., anyway. 

I should be thankful for this helpful warning. I should be glad that the "this" over the "poo" was not my foot, and, instead, a dirty old rag. So I took care of the "poo under this." Stand back. I'm a professional. I'm sure that's what hubby figured. Since he's in the restaurant biz, he just might find a cute little sign above our kitchen sink when he gets home tonight: "dirty dishes in here." I like to be helpful, too. 

 

 

pet sitter travels in unmarked car

The holiday season is busy for pet sitters. Sometimes people ask me why our family never travels around this time of year, and I have to remind them that this is when everyone else travels; it's when I'm most needed. I know that other pet sitters are busy, too, because I see them on the road several times a day as we all weave our spider web route around town, feeding, walking and loving.

How do I know when I see those other pet sitters? They drive marked cars. Their windows and doors say "Tricia's Critters," "Joan's Pet Sitting," and "Charlie's Canines" (actual company names have been changed so that I don't get sued or advertise for the competition). 

I make my visits in stealth mode in an unmarked vehicle. 

So why does this matter?

Whether or not to advertise on your vehicle is a choice we all must make. I choose not to for one reason: the security of my clients. 

photo source: weheartit.com

photo source: weheartit.com

There are bad guys out there who scope out houses for UPS packages, newspaper pileup, and other clues of absence, especially around the holidays. Imagine when they see a car visiting a home three times a day, and that car says "so-and-so's pet sitting service." It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the only family who needs a pet sitter is a family who isn't home and doesn't plan to be for a while. All the bad guy has to do is observe the pet sitter coming and going a few times to get the pattern and realize that the home will be vacant for a few hours between visits. More than enough time to clean the place out. 

That being said, I have been tempted, myself, to put my logo and contact information on my car. It's an excellent way to advertise in your service area, and, when asked, pet sitters report that their vehicle advertisements are one of the top ways they gain new clients. The cost is minimal, and it lasts a long time. The gift that keeps on giving.

I always strive for quality over quantity, and when I tell my clients that I drive an unmarked car, it's a selling point for me. Some have never even thought of the security risk of a pet sitter who advertises on their vehicle.

Like anything else, there are pros and cons to advertising your pet sitting business on your car. If you're a pet sitter, why or why don't you advertise on your vehicle? And if you've hired a pet sitter, is this something you consider or care about?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts, but, for now, I'm back in stealth mode. I've got some pups and cats to see!