Monday, 3rd September 2012 at 15:48 PM
We have just come across an interesting article on a nasty dog illness we have not heard of before and thought we would spread the word to our pet sitters and clients.
The AHT has been investigating Seasonal Canine Illness (SCI) since September 2010.
Cases of this mystery illness are generally seen between August and
November. SCI can affect dogs of any size, shape or sex and it causes
dogs to become very ill, very quickly after being walked in woodland.
The most common clinical signs are sickness, diarrhoea and lethargy. If you suspect your dog is showing signs of SCI then please contact your vet immediately.
The disease comes on very quickly, usually within 24-72 hours of
having walked in a woodland area. The most common clinical signs
reported are:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea (which can vary from watery to bloody)
- Tummy (abdominal) pain
- Lethargy (or reluctance to move)
- Loss of appetite
- Shaking or trembling
- High temperature (fever)
The most common clinical signs are sickness, diarrhoea and lethargy.
If you suspect your dog is showing symptoms of SCI then please contact
your vet immediately.
You can find out more by clicking here.
Wednesday, 29th August 2012 at 16:44 PM
This photo made us chuckle today! Don't forget that while our pet sitters are staying in your home we can be on hand to supervise any clever tradesmen coming in to correct DIY disasters without him ever knowing!! We can even just stay for the day while you take him out of the way ;o)
Tuesday, 28th August 2012 at 12:25 PM
Don't forget that you can follow our live in pet sitting service on twitter for regular updates, offers, interesting articles/links, funny pictures and often a good old mutter! @stayathomepets
Wednesday, 15th August 2012 at 12:56 PM
Following on from last week I thought it would be useful to write a little about why you should pay for a live in pet sitter. I keep seeing flashy websites posting all over social media with a view to recruiting pet sitters for the people signed up to their site. How do they do this? With statements about free accommodation. In my opinion this is totally wrong. I would rather attract sitters who want to spend time with animals, and who see caring for our clients home as a job to be taken seriously, not just a free place to stay! Apart from this there are other reasons why paying for a pet sitter is a sensible thing to do:
- Many people rely on neighbours, friends or family members to care for their home and pets while they are away. However if can be very difficult to 'tell' them what to do or ask for that little extra without things becoming awkward. By paying a professional sitter you can ensure that everything you require is done and done in the way you asked. Dogs will be walked for a little or as much as you like, your home will be cleaned and sitters will only leave your property for three hours each day.
- Paying for a live in service is different to paying for a pop in one. We provide you with a dedicated sitter. Pop in services will have many pets in their daily rota and will only have a certain amount of time to be with your pets whereas with our service your pets receive 24 hour one to one care.
- By using a petting company rather than picking a sitter from a website you can be sure of the peace of mind that if your chosen sitter is taken ill immediately before or during the sit we are able to take action to find a replacement sitter of the same standard who can take over using the documentation and instructions already put in place by ourselves. What happens if you locate a sitter via a website and they email you the week before to say they are ill?
- Any professional pet sitting company should provide sitters who are reference/police checked. We take things a step further and interview all our potential sitters in their home. By getting to know them well we can ensure that we match them with the right clients while giving us the peace of mind of having met them. On top of this we always arrange a prelim visit so that our clients can get to know them prior to the sit. There are may risks involved in handing the care of your home and pets over to a stranger who you have discovered via the internet.
- It is essential to ensure that whoever cares for your property and pets is insured. Accidents happen, however careful or experienced you are! This should be one of the first questions asked of any potential sitter. Many will answer yes but it is also important to check what level of insurance they have; many have a very basic policy that is worth very little in the event of a claim. We choose to pet extra for bespoke insurance to ensure that this is never the case.
Thursday, 9th August 2012 at 12:27 PM
Today I have seen an article about pet sitting that horrified me. There appears to be a growing number of websites offering to find pet sitters work. The emphasis of these sites appears to be looking for people who want a place to stay while traveling or attending events such as the Olympics. This raises so many questions with me! Over the many years I have worked in this industry I have employed numerous sitters. One of the first questions I always ask potential applicants is why they want to pet sit. If the first answer they gave was that they wanted free accomodation for the Olmpics I would be extremely cautious about their motives. We employ people who adore animals and want to spend time with them. They are happy to spend time at the property (our sitters only ever take a maximum of 3 hours out), get out on some lovely walks with the dogs and are there to do just that, not to lock animals in and go off for a day at an Olympic event! I hope potential clients see the huge warning bells that any company making such a suggestion rings. When a pet sit is advertised as a place to base yourself to visit events how can you be sure your home and pets are actually receiving the care they should?
When choosing a pet sitter it is so important to use a professional company. Any established pet sitter will know that certain things need to be recorded and that the sit should be carried out in a specific way. Unless in the case of an absolute emergency we always arrange a prelim visit so that our clients can get to know the sitters and that the sitters in turn have a chance to go over details and spend a little time with the animals. As far as we are concerned this isessential and I am always absolutely gob smacked to hear of strangers who have been rectuited from the internet simply turning up and being entrusted with anyones home and pets. I've even seen examples where it is suggested that the sitter 'might want to consider getting vet details'. I find it unbelievable that this should be an after thought! Our sitters are supplied with a checklist giving them details of each job along with detailed forms to record pets routine, vets, quirks and contacts along with detailed information for the running of the property. We also encourage our clients to speak to their vet and inform them that a pet sitter will be caring for animals, especially if they are older or have any medical issues. This is how it should be.
On a lighter note I've attached a photo to this post that I took at the weekend. Despite the fact the local summer fair was happening right next to my pet sit, I missed it as I was busy making sure this lovely dog had a nice walk in the sunshine! Pet sitting is all about ensuring the animals in your care are the priority.
Wednesday, 1st August 2012 at 10:36 AM
Happy Yorkshire Day everyone! Apart from eating a whole lot of Yorkshire pudding I'm not sure how we are supposed to celebrate but it seems a good excuse to do so!
We are the Yorkshire based live in pet sitting company. Our competitors are mainly based in the South of England but we are proud to be up here and proud to only cover Northern England. We pride ourselves on being the local company offering a local service with local sitters. It means we know our coverage area and client requirements as second nature and that they know they can speak to someone from their area with the same approach and sense of humour!
As we are based in the North we are on hand in the event of problems or even if a pet or client requires a little extra tlc. Earlier this week I personally spent a morning with a client who is nervous about leaving her dog at no cost to her; you would struggle to find this sort of service from a Southern based company of our size, especially from the owner! It is second nature to us as we want the absolute best for the dogs in our care.
Because we are based in Yorkshire you can also be sure that we know all our sitters well. They are not simply signed up off the internet. This seems to happen more and more and it horrifies me. Our sitters are all reference/police checked, employed and personally interviewed by myself in their own homes. We get to know them well so that we can be sure that they fit the bill for our clients and also so that we can match them with the right people.
Enjoy Yorkshire day and remember to support local business during the rest of the year too, it's important!!
Thursday, 26th July 2012 at 14:13 PM
Now we finally have a taste of summer we thought you might be interested in this useful article from the RSPCA with some sensible advice on keeping your pets cool this summer. Having a live in sitter also means that someone is on hand to keep the house aired and your pets as cool as possible!
Warm or hot weather can be very uncomfortable for
pets and cause distress, suffering or even lead to their death. It’s
important that you are aware of your pets’ needs in warm and hot weather
and know how to deal with these.
Many animals can’t sweat
through their skin in the same way as humans. They only cool down by
sweating through sweat glands in their feet and panting. So it’s
important that you help your pets to stay cool.
Never leave your pet in a car on a warm or hot day
- This can cause distress and suffering, and lead to death.
Never leave your pet in direct sunlight
- If your pet is unable to escape to a cooler, more shady environment when it’s feeling hot, it may become unwell and suffer.
- Animals
should always be housed out of direct sunlight. Make sure your pet
can get to a cool, shady place to escape from the sun at all times of
day. This includes outdoor enclosures where small animals and birds are
kept
- Fish should also be kept out of direct sunlight, and their water kept clean, well oxygenated and algae free.
Make sure your pet has a constant supply of clean, fresh drinking water
- To
keep cool, it’s important that your pet can replace any water that is
lost through sweating and panting, otherwise it could become
dehydrated. So check and fill water bowls or bottles regularly.
Exercise your pet at times when it is cooler
- Animals
still need exercise when it’s hot, but don’t allow pets to exercise too
much in hot weather. It is best to walk dogs early in the morning or
later in the evening, when it’s cooler.
- If possible, keep cats indoors in the heat of the day if the forecast is hot.
Protect your pet from sunburn
- Animals can get sunburnt too, especially those with light coloured noses, or light coloured fur on their ears. Ask your vet for advice on pet-safe sunscreens.
Be aware of the signs of heat-stroke
- Heat stroke in pets can be fatal and you should do everything you can to prevent it.
- Signs
of heat stroke are excessive panting, heavy salivation, rapid pulse,
very red gums/tongue, lethargy (tiredness), lack of co-ordination, being
unable to get up after collapsing, vomiting, diarrhoea. In extreme
cases, loss of consciousness is likely.
- If you suspect that your pet has heat-stroke, move it to a shaded, cool area and contact your vet immediately for advice.
You can find further information and additional articles on the RSPCA website
Tuesday, 24th July 2012 at 16:22 PM
Over the last few months we have had endless calls asking if we will take on sits in Southern England so I thought it might be beneficial to clarify where we cover and why!
Pet and Property Sitters are based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. We pride ourselves on being the Northern based company offering a local service from local people. Our sitters are not simply recruited online or at interview days; we are close enough to be able to travel to meet them in person in their own homes. Because we operate in an area local to us we are also personally in reasonable traveling distance to all our clients and will not hesitate in jumping in the car and being there if there is a problem. Despite the fact our sitters are all extremely capable accidents/problems can always happen and our clients have the extra peace of mind of knowing that they will receive nothing less than a highly personal service. If we were to expand into the South we would loose this.
Our local policy means that currently we cover from Derbyshire/Cheshire/Lincoln upwards! Our most Northern sitters are based in the North East of England although many are willing to travel into Scotland. We also pop into Wales on occasion! You can find a slightly more detailed list at the bottom of our homepage.
If you are still unsure if we cover your area please do not hesitate to get in touch. Many of our sitters happily travel a little further on an occasional basis but as we also try to keep travel costs as reasonable as possible we do try to be sensible and ensure that you have someone from a workable traveling distance. it is also important to consider logistics of getting someone to you in the snow from the opposite side of the country; not always the best idea!
Tuesday, 22nd May 2012 at 15:21 PM
We have been so very patient but at last, some sunshine! Fingers crossed that it stays a little while as everything seems to be coming alive again. Our garden already looks so much better, and I am starting to feel a little more inspired to actually do some work out there without getting wet thru and frozen!
Don't forget that you pet sitter will also keep an eye on your garden, from watering and basic maintenance to lawn mowing. Another reason to have someone staying when you are away!
Wednesday, 4th April 2012 at 13:39 PM
We found this picture on facebook yesterday and had to share it on our blog; really think it says it all!!
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