Archive for the ‘Pet Sitting Experiences’ Category

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.

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.

www.rescuseagolden.org

Last week I had a really great meeting with Deb, the founder of Rescue a Golden. They are always looking for more families who want to foster I just had to share this picture with you!

Countless times we get calls from inquiring cat parents telling us, “My cat is a scardy cat, they will probably not let you touch him/her and you may never see them either.”

This is Lucy. She has a brother named Jackson (Jack). They have very distinct personalities. During the consultation, I left a dirty TShirt with their mom so they could get used to my “smell.” We are on our fourth day of pet sitting a almost two week long reservation. Upon arrival, they are usually in their respective spots…under the bed, and behind clothes in the closet.

I come in the room, sit on the floor, sprinkle some “peace offerings” (treats), and say their name and wait a few minutes. All of a sudden I see a head peak out from under the bed. There’s Lucy!!!And a few minutes later, out comes Jack. They are both georgeous cats. I let them tell me the rules of the game and watch their body language but by our third visit they were both being pet at the same time by me.

Little things like this make me feel like the “victory!” that players get when they score the touchdown, hit the ball, land the shot, etc. Knowing that these pets are timid and shy and that I have built up their trust is an awesome feeling. So the next time you consider leaving town and worry about your kitties…make sure you have a trusted professional who will really spend the needed time with the proper strategies to make sure your pets are as happy as can be when you are not there to love on them.

Just another example of the services you can find at Bella’s House and Pet Sitting in Scottsdale, AZ http://www.bellashouseandpets.com

Almost every time you ask a dog this, their ears perk up and tails begin to wag. Cats, well that is a different story. In a prior blog ( http://www.scottsdalepetexpert.com/articles/driving-safe-with-your-pets/ ) I mentioned tips for driving safe with your pet. These are some good helpful and useful tips to keep in mind for your pets safety.

This week we had a client that we were doing overnights for. Since he works very long hours and just moved to the area he used Bella’s Concierge Program to assist him in finding a groomer, vet, and getting his pets transported. (www.Bellashouseandpets.com/extras)

We were able to recommend Dr. Casey at McDowell Mountain Animal Hospital for all his needs. (www.mcdowellmtnvet.com) We dropped off Max and Buddha at her office first thing in the morning for an examination, shots, and grooming appointments. We even facilitated getting the records from their prior home in a different state to Dr. Casey’s office.

Bella, Pack Leader for Bella's House and Pet Sitting at Dr. Casey's with the kids!

We picked up the happy pups from her office in the early afternoon and returned them happy and healthy to their home in Scottsdale. How cute are they???

We are happy to be able to have personal relationships with excellent service providers so that we can pass those benefits onto all of our clients. Our client will now come home to his pets being slept with, fed, exercised, groomed, and brought to the vet! How convenient is that? (We also can have your refrigerator stocked with fresh food to your liking, but our client was only gone for 4 nights)

For more information on Bella’s House & Pet Sitting in Scottsdale AZ please view our website at: http://www.Bellashouseandpets.com or call 480.330.4552

The past 12 nights I have spent with Abby, JHawk, Rex, and Calli. They have been clients of Bella’s for the past 4 years and really like my extended family. Here are some clips and pictures of my stay with them this July….

 This is Rex talking up a storm:

This is Abby and JHawk playing…. then in the pool. I love my job!

 
Isn’t it cute how JHawk’s tail wags even in the pool?

And this is Abby swimming….Abby LOVES to lick and talk. I will upload a video of her talking soon too!

This is Skippy. Skippy is a very curious beagle who’s life focus is to capture anything that moves in his desert backyard. The following are pictures taken and a description written by Deborah, one of Bella’s pet sitters – Warning… You will laugh out loud. Make sure no one is around you when you read.

Danielle – Here is Skippy w/ the chuckwalla – Yesterday while he was in the back yard he caught it and tried to bring it in the house. Oh no! Holding his collar and trying to pry it out of his mouth was next to impossible, especially since I wasn’t interested in actually ‘touching’ the icky creature – it’s tummy bulging, eyes blinking and squirming – in a split second I got Skippy’s mouth open just enough to free it and it took all my muscles to hold onto him since he wanted it back – it scurried off the patio – heart pounding – thank God the trauma was over – AH – but maybe not!

This morning Skippy showed up with a stick? NOT! It was the tail of a chuckwalla!! See the photo of him peeking through the crack in the sliding door wanting to bring in his new trophy to play with – afterall – it was twitching still – what a plaything he would have had fun with! My CARE NOTES asked the client to please have their back yard declared a wild life refuge so it would be illegal for Skippy to hunt there. This afternoon I was relieved that it was ‘over’ nothing could possibly happen like this again.

Unbelievable – he was standing there with the same chuckwalla as yesterday morning – the same one he snapped the tail off of this morning!!! And I have to dislodge it from his mouth – AGAIN!! I’m a pet-sitter – not a professional creature removal expert from the pet’s mouth! Can my heart take this trauma again? Fenced yard or not – Skippy gets to explore on my terms – on a leash! My CARE NOTES said, “OH MY GOD!!!…The chuckwalla must be the dumbest creature on the planet! You’d think he’d find another back yard to live in without a Skippy!”

You think being a professional pet sitter is easy? This is just a glimpse! lol….Have you ever had similar experiences. Feel free to hit the reply button and tell us all about it

(ps) For those of you who do not know what this creature is, here is a description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckwalla

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.

This is Zeke.

Zeke needed a pet taxi last week while his mom was caught up in work.  He is such an AWESOME dog! He actually runs out the front door and grabs the newspaper to bring it in the house in the morning.   

Poor Zeke managed to break his front leg and needed his cast taken off and a split put on. His Mom had a full day of work so Bella’s stepped in and helped out. This is a pic of Zeke and I off to the Animal Medical Surgical Center. It was the first time I actually had been in there and it is quite amazing! Dr. Pullen (who built the facility and head vet) actually spoke with me about Zeke. While in the waiting room I saw all the awards this hospital has received. Very impressive! I would suggest checking them out sometime.

See his cast at the bottom of the screen? He doesn’t even notice it is on. In fact when I picked him up it was quite the sight. He was dragging the vet tec behind his because he was running out to the lobby to see me! It was priceless.

Anyhow, if you EVER need to get your four legged loved one to the VET, or picked up from BOARDING because you are arriving home at a time they are closed, or just need them picked up or dropped off to doggy day care – give us a call! We are here to help and provide you with our PET TAXI SERVCIE!

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.

Just another service offered by Bella’s House & Pet Sitting to help promote our customized packages and care for your home when you can not be there.  Currently I am sitting with Abby and JHawk and the cleaning ladies are here as well as the TV repair men. This is JHawk (Golden) looking at me like, “when is my TV going to be done and these vacuums’ be off?” Abby asking me, “Why aren’t they here to play and love on me like you are?” Just adorable!

Let us know anytime when you need to be two places at once. We will wait when you can’t. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting in Scottsdale AZ always strives to be the best!

http://www.BellasHouseAndPets.com

Henry is not your typical American bulldog. He can jump high, run fast, and actually hang in the air holding a toy when we play tug of war….  Right now at our overnight, a service where we will sleep at your home, Henry is snoring away next to me. Just too adorable that I couldn’t not share it with you all. The next time you go away, remember that your fur kid can stay in their home and have a PAW jama party with Bella’s House & Pet Sitting.

For more information on our services, please go to: www.BellasHouseAndPets.com or call (480)330-4552