I don’t claim to ever be a food expert – but have always respected those who are.

This week, Mark from Doggie Steps Dog Training came by to meet my ROCCO the Rockstar. He saw the Bil-Jac Liver Treats for Dogs that I was using for Rocco’s potty reward (he goes potty outside all the time!) and did a “tisk tisk” shaking his finger at me.

I was like, “WHAT??? He (Rocco) likes them!”
“Danielle,” he said, “these cause cancer. Check out this BHA thing…and he points to the ingredients.”
“Huh?” I said.
Concerned mother instinct kicked in and I started my research.

Are you hearing what she is saying?

One google search of BHA resulted in all I needed to know. These “treats” just got a one way ticket to the trash can. I posted on our Bella’s House & Pet Sitting Facebook Fan Page and Sabine added to my discussion. What I found out from her site has been so valuable and I wanted to encourage you all to take a serious look at what is in your pets food and treats. When they are being fed the same thing, day in, and day out… well – I hope you catch my drift.

For instance…. According to www.dogfoodproject.com here is what I was feeding Rocco with these treats:

Chicken Byproduct Meal
AAFCO: Consists of the dry, ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines — exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Chicken byproducts are much less expensive and less digestible than the chicken muscle meat.The ingredients of each batch can vary drastically in ingredients (heads, feet, bones etc.) as well as quality, thus the nutritional value is also not consistent. Don’t forget that byproducts consist of any parts of the animal OTHER than meat. If there is any use for any part of the animal that brings more profit than selling it as “byproduct”, rest assured it will appear in such a product rather than in the “byproduct” dumpster.

Phosphoric Acid
A clear colorless liquid, H3PO4, used in fertilizers, detergents, food flavoring, and pharmaceuticals. A harmless but unnecessary ingredient, used in inexpensive, poor quality dog food as flavoring, emulsifier and discoloration inhibitor. Used for example as a flavoring for Coca Cola.

Propylene Glycol
A colorless viscous hygroscopic liquid, CH3CHOHCH2OH, used in antifreeze solutions, in hydraulic fluids, and as a solvent. Used as humectant in semi-moist kibble to keep it from drying out. May be toxic if consumed in large amounts, and should definitely not be an ingredient in a food an animal will eat daily for weeks, months or even years of its life. In countries of the European Union, propylene glycol is not cleared as a general-purpose food grade product or direct food additive.

BHA
Butylated Hydroxysanisole – a white, waxy phenolic antioxidant, C11H16O2, used to preserve fats and oils, especially in foods. Banned from human use in many countries but still permitted in the US. Possible human carcinogen, apparently carcinogenic in animal experiments. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity.

Still think this is a TREAT? Think again. I bought this at PetSmart.  I think I will be going back to FETCH Doggie Store later this week. I am grateful to have such wonderful friends and resources in my life to help make sure that my FUR CHILD stays happy and healthy.

Curious to know if you are feeding your pets any ingredients that are on the AVOID list as seen on the Dog Food Project? Check it out here.

Pet Food Nutritionist – Sabine, The Dog Food Project www.dogfoodproject.com
Dog Trainer – Mark, Doggie Steps Dog Training www.doggiestepsdogtraining.com
Pet Food Store – Dawn, Fetch Doggie Store and Kitty too www.fetchdoggiestore.com

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who *don’t* know, I am Rocco and I live with Bella now!  See, she wanted a pup just like me for quite a while, but she was only home for 2 hrs at a time because she was always out working. NOW, she only leaves for 2 hrs at a time because of all my Auntie’s who help out (Kelly, Christina, Allison, and Desiree) thus it was the perfect time for us to meet.

The story goes like this -Bella has been seriously looking for a new member of her family for about two months. One Sunday she came home to read a note from my God Mother (Tasha) who SAVED me and my brothers and sisters from a cave in the desert. CRAZY!?!?! I know! Here is the story…..

To all our special friends, We have an amazing story to share with you….. This past Thursday, Tasha stopped off at a gas station in her territory out in the middle of the desert with not much around…. she saw a stray dog and soon found out from the gas station attendant that someone dropped her off about 8 months ago and she has been there every day since begging for food and water… what Tasha noticed right away is that she was nursing puppies, but the puppies were no where to be seen or found. On Saturday of this last weekend, Tasha and I went back to this area and fed and watered the mom a few times, hoping that she would eventually lead us to her puppies.  No luck, until we tried one last time!  We fed the Mom and she got full, we started to drive away and saw her go over a hill into the desert.  Tasha jumped out and tried to follow her, but she lost her…I joined in helping and we searched for about 45 minutes and found ourselves 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile into the desert with NOTHING around but sand, trees, cactus, and thick bushes.  All of a sudden, we came around a corner and saw this hole/cave (see picture), and the Mom’s head popped out!  We quickly saw a bunch of little tails, which of course were the puppies!  5 of them to be exact! We walked up to the puppies and the Mom ran off, she is very very scared.  The puppies quickly scurried into the hole/cave and sat at the mouth of the hole/cave and barked at me (Tasha had ran back to the car to get a kennel to put the puppies in). Tasha had to “army crawl” into the cave as it was very small to capture the puppies, which she eventually did….there is more to this story but I am keeping it short. I am attaching some pictures of the puppies….they are the cutest little things and are starting to warm up to Tasha very quickly. They are a shepard mix and will be medium sized dogs….there is one that actually crys until Tasha brings him into bed with her and he immediately falls asleep.  We were definately the first humans that these puppies have seen! If anyone knows of anyone that would give one of these little miracles a good home, please let us know!  We know it is a lot to ask.  We have a vet appointment for them this Friday to get them checked out and for their first round of shots so we will keep you posted. Please pass this email along to anyone that you know and TRUST would take GOOD care of a puppy! Love, Kevin and Tasha UPDATE May 30th, 2010:  The puppies had their first vet appt on Friday and they are in good health… The vet was very surprised that they were as fat and healthy for being found in the desert!  They got their first round of shots and are really coming into their own now….running, playing, eating, drinking, etc.  We have found a great home for 2 of them so far.

Well, Bella read this email and was over to see us in less than an hour. She came over to meet us – and even though I was already promised to someone else I did everything in my power to communicate with the humans that I WANTED HER. Gotta admit – it was sorta love at first sight for the both of us….  Ru-rooo!!!!

Anyways, I am doing sooo good in my new home. I have been here for three weeks, and am now 11wks old. She takes me on meetings with people (you can see my picture all over FB www.facebook.com/bellashouseandpets). I sleep though out the night, go potty outside, know the word “no” (although sometimes I back talk…) and she gives me lots of love! I couldn’t be happier. I even got to see my brother and sister last week because Bella knows how important family is!

More to come – but I applied to be the new Office Manager…We will see how it goes. My paws are really hurting now from all this typing so I am going to go… (how do you humans do this?)

July 5^th is known as the most busiest day at valley shelters because so many pets freak out and escape from their homes sue to the July 4^th festivities.  If you will be leaving your pet at home during the 4^th of July – try doing these tips to ensure they have a safe and stress free night.

1 – Secure all GATES, DOORS, and LOCKS. You do not want anything blowing or pushing open, giving your fur kid an easy way out.

2- If you are leaving the home, leave a TV or radio on loud in efforts to drown out the noises that may be going on outside.

3- Make sure your pets IDs are on or they are micro chipped. If your pet escapes, often times it is your only hoe of finding them.

4 – Be sure to close all doggy doors.

5- Leave them in a secure area with lots of chew toys and dog proof the area. Sometimes when stressed, pets will chew. If your baseboards are attacked – we have a handyman we can recommend J

6 – Do not give your pets any leftover bones. Cooked bones are the worst for your pets and could split in their intestines and cause internal bleeding. Please also be aware of guest feeding your pets.

7 – Do not take your pets to firework displays and keep them far away from those who might be lighting them off.

8 – Do not leave alcoholic drinks where pets can reach them. It could be fatal. Instead think about Bowser Beer! (www.3busydogs.com)

9- Be careful if you want to “decorate” your pet. The glow sticks could be toxic if they chew them and if they are not used to bandana’s, they can get caught on things.

10 – If your pet gets scared easily, try Rescue Remedy or consider staying home with them.

If you follow these tips your pet should have just as an enjoyable 4^th of July as you have.

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

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.

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.

Michael, owner of Postal Max

I must admit…I am pretty tough when it comes to customer service.  I want to feel as though the person I am giving my money to is really trying to help me in every way they can. This is the way I feel when I walk into Postal Max of Scottsdale. Michael will not even let other pet sitting companies drop cards off at his location because he has loyalty to Bella’s House & Pet Sitting.
This is the type of loyalty that I love. This is the loyalty that I give to our clients and I look for when working with others. Recently, Bella’s House & Pet Sitting made the switch to change our mailing address. Our new address is as follows:

15560 N FLW Blvd #B4-123
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

We made the switch mainly because of the community feel one instantly encounters when they walk into Postal Max. Michael, the owner, is who I call “The Mayor of  Scottsdale” By that I mean that he know EVERYBODY! Just walking in there is a networking experience. You never know who you will meet. In addition to Michael’s awesome hospitality he provides things to his customers I wouldn’t ever have guessed a store like his would. For example, walk into Postal Max any day and you could: Buy coffee (www.airparkcoffee.com), tea, greeting cards, candles, send a video email to a loved one, send packages, get your passport “stuff” taken care of, desk labels, key cuts, video conversions to VHS and SO MUCH MORE! They have special certification in packing and shipping and are looked at as the experts in the shipping industry. Ask him to tell you the story about shipping cow milk!   If he can’t help you, I don’t doubt that Michael knows someone who does. It is that small town feel in this big city!

If you are looking for a nice place where you can feel like friend, support local businesses, and go where you can TRUST…I highly suggest you go in and say hello to Michael. Tell him you are a friend of Bella’s!

www.postalmax.com
Tel: 480.860.8446

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.

Quality. On the front page of our website I show every visitor that Bella’s is the Best. We provide a QUALITY service (vs quantity) and we can prove it.
Webster’s defines QUALITY as follows:
1.    An essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute
2.    Character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a thing
3.    Character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence
4.    High grade; superiority; excellence.

Buyer beware that not all pet sitters are created equal.  How is Bella’s the Best? Simply put, we have top notch QUALITY. The following will take a deeper look showing you some things that not many other pet sitters can claim:

1. 2007 National Pet Sitting Business of the Year – This award was given out by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. They are the country’s largest non profit pet sitting Association that has 1,000s of members all over the country. They determine the winner based on outstanding business practices and vision in maintaining and growing their business. No other pet sitter in AZ has achieved this high honor.
2. Angie’s List Super Service Award – Angie’s list is of the people, by the people. We have achieved a perfect A+ for customer service and because of that also earned their Super Service Award. Fewer than 5% of companies on their list meet this standard.
3. Pet CPR/First Aid Certified – I took the extra education in attending the Red Cross’ class in order to ensure our clients that I can handle emergencies and have been trained by a well known and national organization.
4. Bella’s Concierge Program – Simply put, you need something I will help you find it. I am constantly out at networking events all around Scottsdale. I have known the integrity of other business owners and their work and can 100% vouch for their services (as they can with ours). Anything house or pet related, just ask. We are the only pet sitting service in Scottsdale that offers this COMPLIMENTARY service to our clients!
5. Founder of The Business of Pet Sitting, LLC –BHPS is run by a nationally leading pet sitting coach and expert. This is an online community unique of its kind to inspire, motivate, and challenge pet sitters in the USA and Canada to take it to the next level. I am the Founder and the Coach in this community complete with weekly challenges, webinars, teleconferences and more. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting is lead by a national expert in the pet sitting industry.
6. Ready Key Program – We have a amazing system that secures and codes your key. Going away on a last min trip? We have your key already. Convenience is key!
7. Personalized Service – During the consultation we create a customizable program for our fur kid clients. No two programs are the same. Clients are paired up with their personal sitter who they are able to build a relationship with. If appointment is booked with enough advanced notice, clients will always have the same pet sitter.
8. Bonded and Insured & Workman’s Compensation! This is HUGE! And we show you proof during our consultation. This is for our two and four legged clients protection. What would happen if an independent sitter hurt themselves in your home? Flooded your downstairs because a toilet was left running? You would be unprotected and responsible for their mistakes.
9. Disaster Preparedness Plan – What happens if there is a fire on McDowell Mountain? What happens if there was some sort of natural disaster in our area? We have a plan (as outlined by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters) to combat anything. We also have the resources to put the plans in motion. Not all pet sitters have given serious consideration to this. It could mean life or death for your fur kid.
10. Member of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS)
    Being a member means that I had to sign the Pledge of Professional Conduct.  The Pledge guides them in conducting their businesses by the highest standards of ethical behavior.  It also promotes humane interaction with animals and fellow human beings. Details can be found here: http://www.petsitters.org/index.cfm?section=BecomeMem&content=Indvmembers#ethics
11. Philanthropy – We care about giving back and do so on a regular basis. We are supporters of the United States Humane Society (USHS), Gabriel’s Angels, Arizona Rescue a Golden and Paw Placement. In fact, in addition to donating money we have created events for their benefit.One can that can be found here: http://www.bellashouseandpets.com/P4P.html http://www.scottsdalepetexpert.com/announcments/what-is-20-really-worth-to-you-a-life/
12. Highly trained employees (not independent contractors!) Bella’s is the best…. All of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting employees (not independent contractors!) not only go through an extensive background check, but are personally hand picked, screened, and trained by Danielle Vasta, the Owner. As Danielle states, “Each of my employee’s are a direct extension of me. They are like my left and right arm. I trust them, I have trained them, and tested them, therefore vouch for them.” Bella’s only hires the best!” In addition, because we have a team – our clients will never be left high and dry. We are almost always available and have back up if GOD FORBID something happened to one of us. Most independent pet sitters can’t say the same thing.
13. Easy to use on line scheduling system! No more playing phone tag or wondering if your booking was received. We have eliminated any scheduling mistakes making it virtually impossible to “forget” a pet sit because of this technology. Not all pet sitters have this. Almost no independent pet sitters have this.

And if you still don’t believe us check out these sites to see what clients are saying about us:
http://local.yahoo.com/info-33875475-bella-s-house-pet-sitting-scottsdale?tab=reviews
http://www.bellashouseandpets.com/rants

So that folks is how we show QUALITY. Is it really enough to leave your home and your fur kid in the possession of someone who only loves the pets…but doesn’t provide a quality service with a plan B or plan C?

Another reason why Bella’s is the BEST is because some of our client will start getting videos like this of their pets!