It’s funny now, of course, but at the time it seemed pretty scary – I was only two weeks into the job, [...]]]> This post is a real-life story for those of you who think you know what goes on at a pet-sitting company… I’m Janey, and I took over running the Head office in January 2012.

It’s funny now, of course, but at the time it seemed pretty scary – I was only two weeks into the job, and a mix-up meant our pet taxi wasn’t on its way to pick up a dog to deliver her to her boarder. No one else was available to do the transport, and as I didn’t know the client or the dog I pulled up the client’s paper registration form to look it over. We decided (the owner, Monica, and I) that I would take the Pals4Pets van (never driven a van before that day) and drive into Central London (from Mill Hill where the head office is) as fast as possible since I was already late at just after midday.

I grabbed the registration form and the van keys, took a quick trip round the block to get used to driving a van, and off I went, using Sat nav to guide me. Central London being what it is, traffic was terrible and I missed more than one turn so the sat nav had to recalculate my route. I arrived at last, parked, and checking all the time for traffic wardens, charged up to the door and rang the bell. No answer.

Rang the client. He said someone should be in, and asked if I was at the right number. I told him where I was (the address on the form). It was the old address. He gave me the new address, which I memorised (ish), and I charged back to the van.

Couldn’t get into the van. I was sure I was using the right key (there were two, one for the back, one for the front and ignition). Managed to open the back doors and open the front door from the inside. Couldn’t get the ignition key to turn. Rang in, and after some umming and ahhing, we established I had the keys confused. Still don’t understand how I managed to open the back doors with the wrong key.

Found the new address on sat nav and off I went. Parking was even more difficult here and I was certain a traffic warden would collar me. Charged up to the door, took a deep breath and used my best smile to greet the client’s daughter who opened the door. Apologised profusely. Got the dog (who was delighted to see me and thought we were going for a run) and the dog’s things, and trotted back to the van and put the dog in the back. Rang the carer to say I was on the way – she sounded surprised that the new girl should have ended up doing this transport, but I cheerily assured her it was totally alright, but could I please have a glass of water and use the loo when I arrived?

Arrived at the carer’s house around 4.30pm, had my glass of water and used the loo. I’d been on the go since just after midday and hadn’t had lunch before leaving – adrenalin was keeping me going all that time. Arrived back to the office in the dark at about 5.30 – quitting time, supposedly, but I still had paperwork to do. Left for home at 7ish.

And that’s the kind of thing that happens sometimes at Pals4Pets, and that baptism of fire is really the only way to go about learning to run a business like this – stuff happens, sometimes unexpectedly, and going above and beyond in this job means mucking in and making sure the clients, the pets and the carers are all happy in the end.

Talking of mucking in, this story is actually pretty tame considering some of the down and dirty stuff my carers need to be able to deal with… so let me know in the comments if you want to hear more!

We’d love to hear your stories about your cat’s superskills, so do put them [...]]]> I will guess that if you look over at your cat at many times in the day you’ll find him or her fast asleep, washing, or generally looking cute and cuddly, and so you may or may not remember that your cat has special – no, super – abilities.

We’d love to hear your stories about your cat’s superskills, so do put them in the comments, but here’s a story for inspiration - this cat fell 19 floors from a window that had been left open, and not only survived but only bruised her chest.  The story, reported by the BBC, also explains the physics - why it is that so many cats survive even a high fall (which would kill a human) with relatively minor injuries - but the basic reason is that they’re made that way.

A fall may well happen to a cat who is out hunting (maybe they miss when pouncing, or the wind is too strong, or the tree limb not strong enough) so they have evolved to be remarkably good at it. They can leap a great height and they positively enjoy being up high in a tree, on your garden wall, or on the bookshelf, as it gives them the best view for hunting prey, and it can be a great position to pounce from. They’ve also got fantastic balance, so they may not be in real danger of falling, even if it looks like their platform is very narrow indeed.

So, if your cat has found a place to watch the world from, you can often weigh up the risk and decide it’s in your cat’s favour. My cat liked to see the comings and goings of the street where I used to live, from the windowsill of my bedroom, and I didn’t worry about her since she seemed pretty relaxed - but others did and I had more than one visit from passers-by concerned that she might fall. She never did, even when fast asleep in the sun.

My younger cat, when he was a kitten, liked to sit on the side of the bath when I was in it, and he happily played with the bubbles without ever showing anything but complete assurance on the narrow slippery surface – good for me, as obviously no-one wants to share a bath with a drenched and furious cat.

Even if a cat does fall, it may not deter them from doing the same thing again - I heard about a cat who took a daily constitutional on the ledge that extended all the way round a block of flats, and he fell not once but twice in the space of a few years. Both times he survived with minor injuries, and as soon as he was recovered he was out for his walk again.

The moral of the story, I suppose, is that cats are tougher than you, and tougher than you think - their talents far outweigh their capacity for occasional mishaps. They often know pretty well what great leaps they’re capable of, so try not to worry too much.

Pals4Pets are looking for responsible and knowledgeable pet-carers in London. We have a particularly [...]]]> Could you be a Pal4Pets carer? Do you have a gap in your life that could be filled by making friends with cats and dogs and their owners, and getting paid for it? Would you like to have dogs as paying guests in your home?

Pals4Pets are looking for responsible and knowledgeable pet-carers in London. We have a particularly high demand for carers able to handle larger and stronger dogs (like the Staffies I talked about in my last post). 

To have dogs as paying boarders, you would need to have your own house or flat, and secure garden, and preferably no dog of your own. We would also prefer there to be no young children in the house. To have cats as paying boarders, you need a secure flat or house but need not have a garden.

We also need house-sitters. You would go and stay at a clients house and look after their pets in their own environment – particularly puppies, cats, or perhaps a mixture of dogs and cats.

In return, Pals4Pets would offer you training, support and insurance - as well as paying you to give loving care to our clients’ beloved pets.

If you’re interested, send Janey an email outlining the services you could provide and your experience with animals, and ask for an application form.  

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

It’s wonderful that the canine superstar, who is now sadly retiring from the silver screen, is [...]]]> The Guardian reports here http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/22/the-artist-uggie-jack-russell-craze that because of the fame of Uggie the Jack Russell – whose latest film The Artist won the Best Picture Oscar last night - Battersea Dogs Home is getting far more requests to re-home Jack Russells than usual.

It’s wonderful that the canine superstar, who is now sadly retiring from the silver screen, is increasing interest in the breed and encouraging people to re-home the ones who need rescuing – but anyone who takes on a pet needs to be sure they’re in it for the long haul, and that they haven’t been seduced by a talented doggy actor into choosing a breed that isn’t a good fit for them. Jack Russells have very strong individual personalities – so a re-homed Jack Russell won’t be just like Uggie is in the film. They need a lot of exercise and training, they need to know who the pack leader is and they can become very possessive about the people they decide to guard (though they make great guard dogs). However, they are great companions and very entertaining – with the right family you’ll feel you have another person in your home, not just a pet.

The next most popular breed for re-homing, according to Battersea, is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These dogs, indeed Bull Terriers in general, have a reputation as scary dogs that belong to scary people  - think of Bill Sikes’ dog Bull’s Eye from Oliver .

When poorly trained it is quite true they can be very aggressive with other dogs and people and become genuinely very dangerous indeed, but we hope this emerging popularity of Staffies indicates a change in their reputation is coming, through re-homing by responsible and loving owners. 

We at Pals4Pets are also noticing an surge in enquiries to register Staffies with us – just last week an adorable, affectionate and playful Staff came to visit us in the office and we fell in love. It would be great to reduce some of the preconceived ideas about Staffs, which disadvantages the good ones through no fault of their own – this is another case where we musn’t believe all we see on screen.

On 30 June Pals4Pets is launching a recruitment campaign to find more pet sitters. This is a wonderful way for people to enjoy the company of a dog or cat without the long-term committment or vets bills!  Pals4Pets is best known as a home from home dog boarding comany. It therefore always needs people  to take in dogs [...]]]>

On 30 June Pals4Pets is launching a recruitment campaign to find more pet sitters. This is a wonderful way for people to enjoy the company of a dog or cat without the long-term committment or vets bills!  Pals4Pets is best known as a home from home dog boarding comany. It therefore always needs people  to take in dogs as paying house-guests. Ideally pet sitters should have a home with a secure garden and time to devote to a visiting dog. No Pals4Pets sitter is ever on their own, as they have the 24-hour support of the management team. Sitters are insured, trained, attend meetings and keep record sheets.

Every potential pet sitter is interviewed in their home and they are matched to dogs in accordance with their experience, health and strength. 

This is a lovely way to increase income and of course the more one does, the more one earns!

Nora has been with Pals4Pets for 4 years. Retired, she has made new friends through Pals4Pets, has met clients from all walks of life, including a titled Lady.  She has a regular circle of clients and is very popular. She looks forward to seeing her regular dogs, has learnt a lot about different breeds, and she goes for regular walks, which is something that she would not do without a dog by her side.

Apart from dog boarding Nora feeds cats, and provides dog walks  in her locality at lunchtimes.

Pals4Pets sitters all have different reasons for joining the company; some like Nora are retired, while others are working from home, but the one thing they all share in common is a love of dogs and cats.  What Pals4Pets asks is that their pet sitters have the time to devote to a pet.

If you know of anyone who might like to become a pet sitter, ask them to call 020 8201 1601 or email info@pals4pets.co.uk for an appliction form.

To celebrate Rabbit Awareness Week, today on May 30, Shakespeare a dwarf rabbit played an important part in the wedding ceremony of Kate and John.  Shakespeare with bow tie in place walked down the aile of the Church, escorted on lead, by the Man of Honour.  He sat through the entire ceremony, on the lap of his [...]]]>  

To celebrate Rabbit Awareness Week, today on May 30, Shakespeare a dwarf rabbit played an important part in the wedding ceremony of Kate and John.  Shakespeare with bow tie in place walked down the aile of the Church, escorted on lead, by the Man of Honour.  He sat through the entire ceremony, on the lap of his minder, as requested by the owner, paying attention to every detail of the service. He witnessed his mistress, Katie being married to John.  Shakespeare was included in all the important wedding photographs, before being taken back to his home to enjoy a bowl of freshly chopped vegetables and a good rest.

Escorting and looking after the family pet at weddings, is the newest service being provided by Pals4Pets, the professional   pet care company.  ‘Many couples want their pet present on their big day’ explains Monica Loosley the Director. ‘We just make that possible’.  Pals4Pets service includes an introduction meeting, we will make a costume to match that of the bride. On the day we will collect, groom, transport and take care of the pet, so that it can also enjoy the special day without being too stressed.  After its appearance, Pals4Pets will board the pet for the night of the wedding and can also provide accommodation during the couple’s honeymoon.