How many of you have a security system that is monitored? Have you ever thought about what would happen if God forbid there was a fire in your home and either you didn’t have a security system, or it was unmonitored? We care about your pets. If this tragedy ever struck your home, who would know to save your pets? If it was just a noisy alarm and wasn’t connected to the local fire department, the results could be fatal.  Just something for you to think about. We care about your pets best interest.

If you are interested in helping to protect your pets, we have a great contact with a local alarm company that has been around for a long time. Just email me at: info@bellashouseandpets.com and we would be happy to provide you with this reference as they are a part of Bella’s Concierge Program.

Also on Bella’s Concierge Program is Furry Friend Alert. These aren’t just any stickers. These are stickers with your pets picture on them that are placed in the window near your entry way to help emergency crews know who to look for. http://www.furryfriendalert.com

This is something that everyone should consider.

This information has been provided to you from Bella Vasta, the Pack Leader for Bella’s House and Pet Sitting in Scottsdale AZ. For more information please cal 480.330.4552 or go to: http://www.bellashouseandpets.com

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I first told you about Kosmo’s Dog House about a month ago here, http://www.scottsdalepetexpert.com/articles/kosmos/

Now I am glad to say that they are OPEN and ready for business. Kat has some very high end QUALITY food that only a few places in Az sell. Kosmo’s Doghouse offers training, grooming, self grooming (the tubs are adorable!) and more. Next to AJs, it is the perfect destination for the Scottsdale Ranch neighbors to go walk their dog, grab a coffee at AJs and then go see Kat and Morey (he dog who comes to work) for a great afternoon. Prices are very affordable. Congratulations Kat! We wish you much success!

http://www.kosmosdoghouse.com

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Car wraps, magnets, vinyl letters on a car. For pet sitting? Some may think that this is a great form of advertising. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting does not.

One of the top benefits that we provide our clients with is security. We feel that it is a big breach of security when our cars are sitting in clients drive ways that say HOUSE AND PET SITTING. “Oh geesh… guess the owners are not home” = potential target to anyone looking to break in or steal anything. We will not sacrifice the safety of your home and pets to try to get more clients by signage on our vehicles.

What about doggie doors? – It has been said in the East Valley Tribune 4/19/08 that, “The pair gained entry to the house through a doggie door after entering the home’s backyard through an unlocked gate.” Being a professional pet sitter and going into many homes, I can’t tell you how many people this actually applies to. Some even ask us to leave their backdoor open for their pets to come and go from. We explain that we can not do this and explain that we care about their home and pets and it is too much liability for us. Clients always understand and thank us for bringing them back to reality.

What about the rebuttal of, “Oh come on, we live in Scottsdale. It is safe.” Think again. The same article mentioned above goes onto say that the break ins in Scottsdale exceed that of Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, and Tempe and that the rate of break ins are slightly higher than the states average.

Luckily this has never happened to any of our Bella’s House & Pet Sitting clients when they have been away from their home or pets. We intend to keep it this way and do everything possible to discourage this sort of thing from happening. That includes not advertising that our clients are not home when we go to care for their pets.

This information has been provided to you by Danielle Vasta, Owner of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs.

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MONDAY, FEB 8th

4PM for TV

6PM regular start

Salty Senorita’s North

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEB 1, 2009

(Scottsdale, AZ) – Bella’s House & Pet Sitting will host YAPPY HOUR at Salty Senortia’s North on Feb 8th at 6pm.  You can come at 4pm for your pets chance to have their TV debut! This is a chance for pet lovers to take man’s best friend for a night on the patio to mingle with other dog lovers in a dog friendly establishment. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting hosted this event last month and had over 100 people and their dogs! This month it is expected to be even larger. Complete with Bowser Beer (beer that is good for dogs), FREE Raffel, and pet & parent pictures, Salty’s drink specials, Hpnotiq shot girls, doggie bags, and more…it is the best place to spend your Monday night! Best part, it is FREE ADMISSION WITH YOUR RSVP.

RSVP is REQUIRED to:    INFO@BELLASHOUSEANDPETS.COM

To see pictures of last month’s event: www.cowdreamz.com
Click Client access, PW: Yappy Hour

Event contact:
Danielle (aka Bella) Vasta, Pack Leader
Bella’s House & Pet Sitting, LLC
T: 480.330.4552
www.BellasHouseAndPets.com

Jan 11, 2010 – Fox News TV

click here: Yappy Hour

Dec 12, 2009 – AZ Republic, Scottsdale

Hpnotiq banner they had made and hung at Salty’s…

Special Thanks to our Partners!

Salty Senorita, Hypnotiq, McDowell Mountain Animal Hospital, Love 2 Live, Cow Dreamz Pet Photography, Bowser Beer.

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This is part three in our 3 part Christmas 2009 series. Part1 & 2 can be found here:

http://www.scottsdalepetexpert.com/uncategorized/part-one-the-uh-oh-factor-but-thank-goodness-for-bellas

http://www.scottsdalepetexpert.com/uncategorized/adventures-in-pet-sitting-part-two-pawjama-parties/
This is the part that hurts me. I have learned that after seven years of owning and now mostly managing Bella’s House & Pet Sitting that we simply can not be everything to everyone. As you can imagine holidays are often our busy time. I am always careful to not overbook my staff (or myself) for the following reasons:

1 – Emergencies like in Part One. Bella’s is a unique company because our staff truly is like family. We only service N Scottsdale. We all live in N Scottsdale. We truly are like a family. If my staff is working that day we are in constant communication. I feel very blessed to know that I can rely on them with the business that I have built from the ground up. They are all very cautious and observant of every and all things that go on during pet sits. When things occur like mentioned in Part One, we are easily able to help solve them because no staff member is so heavily scheduled that it doesn’t allow for emergencies. Our clients love this because they know we are a team, that we have backup, and their pet and home are our first priority. We are not running off to the next house because we are over booked. We are not booking 20 pet sits a day for one person like some of the sole proprietor pet sitting companies do. You and your pets best interest is in our best interest. Not the quantity of pet sits we can fit into a day.

2 – We don’t charge by time. This means that I am not rushing the Bella’s staff to get through the routine at one home and onto the next. Whether it is 20 minutes or 1 hour, we are there to do a quality job, not a quantifiable job. We have a window of time that we arrive at homes and I know roughly how many visits each staff member can do in that window. This unique practice has proven time and time again to be a great way to do business as the pets interest is really taken into account individually. Additionally, our clients do not get up charged for extra minutes spent with their pets in instances like blood in the urine, throw up, “redecoration of the house” (as we like to call it), etc. Our clients never come home to an unexpected bill.

3 – Our loyal current clients come firs. If you are an established client with Bella’s and decide to go on a last minute trip for the holidays chances are very good that someone on our team will be able to provide service for you. Again, we are never working at capacity so that we can not take care of our current clients, our extended family.

Now that part that hurts me… as I write this, it is 9pm on Saturday December 27th. I have had three calls tonight from people who are requesting pet sitting services for tomorrow.
One of the callers actually called us 6 mths ago and decided to go with a pet sitter recommended by her vet. They never showed up. Another caller had a consultation with a pet sitter today, who never showed up and she is leaving tomorrow. I had to decline services to all three callers for the reasons listed above. I did however suggest that they sign up online with us and do a consultation so that in the future they will never be in this predicament again.

Why does this all matter to you?
These business practices may seem unorthodox to some, but this is why I Bella’s IS the best. I have made it a point to create business practices that don’t just copy what is out there, but to run a way in which relationships and integrity are most important. It is a major way our business practices are very different that most other companies.

I care about the quality that we are able to provide our current clients this week, not the quantity of clients we have. It hurts me, because I get calls like the above few times a month. I feel bad for the pets and for the pat parents who may not be able to take their trip. We can not be everything to everyone, but we can be everything to our clients.

This information has been provided to you by Danielle Vasta, Owner of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs.

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This is part two of three in our Christmas 2009 three part series. Part one can be found here: http://www.scottsdalepetexpert.com/uncategorized/part-one-the-uh-oh-factor-but-thank-goodness-for-bellas/
Bed Time! Our pawjama parties are the best.  Personally, this Christmas 2009 week I have been working on the LOST seasons on DVDs and been spreading the love with all the pets I have been sleeping with. First I have had the pleasure of sleeping with Emmie. She is an awesome rescue with a lot of puppy energy. She is the only dog I have ever experienced in my seven years of pet sitting that will jump up on the couch and rest her head right under my chin and cuddle up to me like a little child. She is such a doll and does lots of tricks. Here is a cute picture of her looking at me, with LOST in the background…

Cuddle puppy Emmie!

Next, I had had the pleasure of sleeping with this gang…

Personality packed!

The cats Max and Molly are amazing… See this video taken a few months back.Pet Sitting Scottsdale Max and Molly excited to eat!

They have a “cat door” going into the laundry room so the other kids don’t get into their litter box. Aren’t they gorgeous?

This is late night… heads hanging over their beds fast asleep. Too darn cute!

Zonked out at our pawjama party!

Lastly long time VIP clients of Bella’s… Payton and Murphy. They “let” me sleep in bed with them the past few nights. Notice how I get about 30% and they get the rest? Haha…Joys of the job…one morning Payton actually burped up some bile right on the comforter for me. Good morning! Oh well, poor baby was just fine we took good care of her

Where do I put my feet? lol

In any case, your pets do not have to sleep alone when you go out of town. Our overnight service is so popular that we have three staff members that provide this service for our clients. We love sleeping along side your pets when you can’t be there

This information has been provided to you by Bella, Pack Leader for Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or http://www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs.

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Happy Holidays from Bella’s House & Pet Sitting.

You wouldn’t believe the things that happen when you make being a pet sitter your fill time professional job. This Christmas week has been bursting with interesting stories that I just had to write about. For some, I even have pictures. This is part one of a three part series.

We have one of the most incredible and sweetest chow’s that we are caring for named Missy.

Missy the Chow....cute, huh?

Her brother, Butters is a pretty exciting cat and always seems to be playing with something. I actually have taken out three different pens over the course of the week for my care notes because Butters keeps using then as toys. Too cute! He is very smart. Unknown to many…cats have a very keen sense of smell. I have been taking a few pieces of the “junk mail” and crumbling them into a ball for him to bat around.

Lovin the attention from Bella's!

One visit, after it had rained, I opened the garage to see a puddle of water IN the garage. Uh oh…. LONG story short our client had been having some trouble with a toilet upstairs and the tank began to overflow causing the leak to drip on the tile, through the floor, insulation, ceiling, releasing a fluorescent light in the garage to leave it hanging on only one end…

Uh oh....

We were able to catch this disaster early on before the damage got TOO bad and have made ourselves available to the contractor (meeting him three separate times) so that we can assist in the process of fixing the problem. Imagine if our client didn’t have a professional pet sitter to help her out? It could have been days until she was home and water can do a lot of damage. We protect our clients pets AND homes providing an invaluable service.

As I was writing this…one of our overnight sitters was outside with three of our canine clients and the door locked behind her. She was locked outside at night with the pups in the 40’ weather. Brrr! She called me and I got the spare key (we always require two copies of the house key) and went over to unlock the door.

THINGS HAPPEN.

When things like this happen (a handful of them each year) Bella’s House & Pet Sitting is there to step up and act on the clients behalf. Since 2002 we have assisted in:

• Meet with workers to assist in a bug infestation because the kids left out sugar cereal.
• AC sparking a fire in the units outside
• AC units going off on a house with pets inside when it is 110 outside
• Sprinkler leaks from the ceiling.
• Pets pee-ing blood. We noticed and took them to the vet to find out it was the early stages of cancer.
• …and more.

We take on these emergencies for FREE to our clients because we are a full service professional company. Rest assured, if you do not have a service provider for any of these unforeseen circumstances, Bella’s Concierge Program can most usually recommend a company due to the extensive networking we do in the Scottsdale community.

How can you afford NOT to have the built in insurance policy of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting to make sure that your pets are still healthy and your house isn’t damaged while you are out of town?

This information has been provided to you by Bella, Pack Leader for Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or http://www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs.

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Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Kat from Kosmo’s Dog House that will soon be opening in the Mercado shopping center at Via Linda and Shea in Scottsdale. For those of you who have been around for a while, it is actually the old space that Scottsdale Ranch Hospital used to be in.

When you meet Kat, you will see that she is a very cheery, welcoming, and pet loving person. While we were getting to know each other over coffee, I learned that the namesake of the business was her old rescue who recently passed on from cancer. Since then she has a new fur kid (picture) named Morey who is also a rescue.

Bella, Morey, & Kat

We toured the new facility as the contractors were still working away. I was able to picture her vision as we strolled around the place. Upon entering and passing through the boutique section, customers will walk into an area where there are four rooms for them to book with tubs and all the fixings to was their dog. She described the picket fences that would be in the doorways thus creating some privacy, yet still maintaining the openness.

One of the most exciting parts (to me lol) is the hydrotherapy room, which is the last room. She is only resource for this type of therapy for those dogs who have their aches and ailments.

Kat continued on to show me where her groomers would be located, for those who do not want to get down and dirty with their pets. She finished up showing me where she was going to have her puppy training and socialization classes.  Kat is certified through the Animal Behavioral College and will also be conducting training classes for all ages of pets.

Bella’s House & Pet Sitting is very excited to be working with Kosmo’s Doghouse. Kat told me in our meeting that she began this venture because she loves dogs so much. She said she knew that she would be working lots of hours and if that was the case, she wanted it to be her passion. She also has a passion for rescues and plans on helping them out as much as she can once she opens.

Kosmo’s Doghouse should be opened by the 1^st of the year. Stay tuned…as I am sure in the near future you will hear about some dog washing parties that we will be hosting at her facility.

Kosmo’s Doghouse
10105 E Via Linda #9A
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
www.kosmosdoghouse.com

This information has been provided to you by Bella, Pack Leader for Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or http://www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs.

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According to the American Diabetes Association, 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes. Another 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes. With trends like these one out of every three children born today will face a future with diabetes. It’s a very serious disease that leads to potentially life threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.

What many might not realize is that our companion animals, such as dogs and cats, are suffering from this debilitating disease as well. Diabetes is one of the most common endocrine (hormonal) diseases of cats. Catching the disease early is crucial for the health of pets. Some of the symptoms to look for include increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urination (polyuria). Other signs may include weight loss despite an increase in appetite. In order to diagnose the disease accurately, diagnostic tests should be run to determine the underlying cause of the diabetes. These tests will also be used to exclude other diseases and help guide subsequent treatment recommendations. With long-term treatment and dedication diabetes is a treatable condition.

Prevention of diabetes is the best course of action and should start with regular veterinary check-ups, proper weight management and diagnostic testing.

Dr. Judy Karnia, a leading cat practitioner from the Scottsdale Cat Clinic regularly diagnoses the condition: “We find diabetes in many older overweight cats. Treatment can be very successful if the disorder is diagnosed early in the course of the disease and the cat’s owner is very careful with the insulin given and food offered. Some cats will even have their diabetes go into remission and no longer require insulin injections. We try to prevent the development of diabetes in our patients by working closely with all clients on proper nutrition, weight loss, and wellness blood testing.”

This blog is taken from: http://scottsdalecatclinic.blogspot.com/

We recommend you follow this blow or subscribe to the  RSS feed if you have a kitty at home

This information has been provided to you by Bella, Pack Leader for Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or http://www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 14th

6PM

Salty Senorita’s North

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOV 24, 2009

(Scottsdale, AZ) – Bella’s House & Pet Sitting will host YAPPY HOUR at Salty Senortia’s North on Dec 14th at 6pm. This is a chance for pet lovers to take man’s best friend for a night on the patio to mingle with other dog lovers in a dog friendly establishment. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting hosted this event last month and had over 30 dogs and over 50 people. This month it is expected to be even larger. Complete with Bowser Beer (beer that is good for dogs) free dog bowls, over $600 in prizes, pet pictures with Santa and his Elf, Salty’s drink specials, Hpnotiq shot girls, doggie bags, and more…it is the best place to spend your Monday night! Best part, it is free admission.

RSVP is REQUIRED to:    INFO@BELLASHOUSEANDPETS.COM

To see pictures of last month’s event: www.cowdreamz.com
Click Client access, PW: Yappy Hour

Event contact:
Danielle (aka Bella) Vasta, Pack Leader
Bella’s House & Pet Sitting, LLC
T: 480.330.4552
www.BellasHouseAndPets.com

Dec 12, 2009 – AZ Republic, Scottsdale

Hpnotiq banner they had made and hung at Salty’s…

Special Thanks to our Partners!

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