Napps spring 2017 magazine

Spring 2017

Volume 25 · Number 1

Roy Cobb: Three Generations of Pet Sitting

Spotlight on NAPPS Forum Speakers

The Trick to Using Twitter

Coping with Pet Loss

Pros/Cons of In-Home Boarding

Indoor Cat Care Tips

Meet Lucky Dog’s Brandon McMillan

2017 NAPPS Forum · May 5-7, 2017 · Chicago Spotlight on Some

Forum Speakers

By Arden Moore Be prepared to learn, be inspired and network. NAPPS members heading to Chicago for the 2017 NAPPS Forum on May 5-7 will be treated to a slate of speakers and training sessions guaranteed to take your professional pet sitting business to the next level.

“Coming to the Forum is an investment in your business,” declares NAPPS President Yvette Gonzales, owner of As You Wish Pet Sitters based in Highlands Ranch, CO. “I always say that if you come away with just one piece of information that makes your life easier or makes your business prosper, it is worth it.”

To motivate you to attend, we reached out to a handful of speakers who shared summaries of what they will discuss at the Forum and why they are excited to present at the Forum. Let’s start with keynote speaker Jamie Migdal.

Speaker: Jamie Migdal, chief executive officer and founder of FetchFind.com. Keynote is May 5 from 9-10 a.m.

Talk Topic and Time: Setting Everyone Up for Success, 4-6:45 p.m. May 6 Talk Summary: Which one is the most important species in your pet organization: Humans? Canines?

The correct answer is…both. They both need positive reinforcement, attention, proper handling and management. In this special course, learn about how and where to implement behavior modification techniques across all areas of your operations to yield a positive impact on people and pets.

Background on Migdal: She is a pet industry innovator and entrepreneur. She has successfully started four businesses and got her start in the pet industry as a pet sitter and dog walker. She joined NAPPS in 1995.

Why speak at the Forum: “As I moved forward into education and technology, it has always been about helping pet sitters and dog walkers for me. They are our primary customers at FetchFind and I love being able to re-engage with this community.”

Her message to NAPPS members: “At the end of the day, I feel it all comes down to sales and customer service. Make sure your staff are employees, that you have the right liability coverage and that you continue to learn. We need education to help make this a stronger profession.”

Learn more: Visit www.fetchfind.com

Speaker: Candace D’Agnolo, CEO and founder of Pet Boss Nation Talk Topic and Time: The Secrets to Cash In When You Cash Out, 2-3 p.m. May 5 Talk Summary: Even if you’re absolutely in love with your pet business, at some point, you’ll need to exit. Will your hard work be worth something? How much could you sell it for? Would anyone even buy it? In this session, learn the secrets to cashing in, when you’re ready to cash out.

Background on D’Agnolo: She is a successful business coach, author and speaker. In 2006, she founded Dog-a-holics, Inc. initially as a retail store but it evolved into becoming all things dog, including daycare, grooming and training business. She turned her brick-and-mortar location into multiple revenue streams. In December, she founded Pet Boss Nation to provide coaching and mentoring to help pet business owners succeed.

Her message to NAPPS members: “The price of your business isn’t just about the mathematical formula of your profits and assets. There is a value in your ‘non-measurable’ assets — your reputation, reviews, team longevity, customer loyalty, how long you plan to stay and assist the new owners with the transition and more. In my talk, I will share my ‘Pet Boss Nation Cash In Quiz & Planner’ to help you determine if you can name your price or if you still have a little more work to do.”

Learn more: Visit www.petbossnation.com Speaker: Dr. Dani McVety, veterinarian and CEO and cofounder of Lap of Love Talk Topic and Time: HomeBased Hospice Care for Pets, 2:15-3:45 p.m. May 6 Talk Summary: Hospice care for pets has been around for generations, but veterinarians simply haven’t called it hospice until now. This rapidly emerging field of medicine is one that centers on the human-animal bond, the bond that pet sitters have the privilege of supporting each and every day. What to say to your clients, how to broach the subject of end-of-life care and how to properly support them through the transition is one of the most valuable things you can do to retain a client….and Dr. McVety will show you why.

Background on Dr. McVety: She is a veterinarian, speaker, consultant, author and host of PetCareTV. She practiced emergency medicine before co-

founding Lap of Love, a nationwide mobile veterinary practice dedicated to home-based veterinary hospice and euthanasia.

Why speak at the Forum: “This is my first year speaking at the NAPPS Forum and I am incredibly excited!”

Her message to NAPPS members: “First, make sure the pet parents you deal with feel comfortable talking about euthanasia with you. Tell them, ‘I am here when you are ready to talk about it, whenever that might be.’ Give advice only after you have listened to their priorities for their pet’s end of life. Hold back on your opinion until you know what they are working against. Finally, it is better to help a friend a day too early than a moment too late.”

Learn more: Visit www.lapoflove.com Speaker: Sonya Wilson, co-founder of Southpaws Playschool Talk Topic and Time: Plan for the Worst; Hope for the Best, 10:4511:30 a.m. May 7 Talk Summary: The world is in a constant state of crisis. Businesses in the pet industry are not exempt from this ‘new normal.’ Find out from an expert how you can put emergency procedures in place so that your business is better able to recover physically, financially and emotionally from disaster.

Background on Wilson: She is a native Texan who has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and been involved in dog training since 1990. Southpaws Playschool addresses a dog’s whole life and includes training and manner classes, daycare, behavioral counseling, health and nutrition advice and much more in South Austin.

Why speak at the Forum: “I thought this would be a great opportunity to spread the message, which is that if a pet sitter or any other pet care business owner does not have a crisis plan that addresses all contingencies, he or she will fail when a crisis hits. I am also looking to promote my book, Hairy Situations: Crisis Planning, Response and Recovery for Your Pet Business.”

Her message to NAPPS members: “Clients should only be hiring caregivers who have a written plan and have preparations in place that they can communicate. Pets are family members and their care should not be left to chance. Having an emergency plan is definitely a marketing plus in this day and age of uncertainty.”

Learn more: www.southpawsplayschool.com

Register Today at http://www.petsitters.org/annual_conference.php

INSIDE SPRING 2017 PROFESSIONAL PET SITTER COVER: Cover photo courtesy of Jeff Roscher

Spotlight on Some Forum Speakers ................. 2 Media Mewsings............................................... 4 President’s Message......................................... 5

6

INDUSTRY NEWS OF INTEREST Raise the Value of Pet Sitters............................ 6

8

TIPS OF THE TRADE The Tricks to Using Twitter................................ 8 10 Reasons For Keeping Cats Indoors............ 10

PROFESSIONAL PET SITTER

MISSION

S TAT E M E N T

The mission of the Professional Pet Sitter is to provide tools for members to enhance their business, help them expand their knowledge of professional pet sitting, and communicate association news and events.

Copyright 2017. The Professional Pet Sitter is published four times a year in March, June, September and December by NAPPS Headquarters: 1120 Rt. 73, Suite 200, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. Periodical mailing privilege pending at Mt. Laurel, NJ and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: send change of address to the Professional Pet Sitter c/o NAPPS Headquarters, 1120 Rt. 73, Suite 200, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. The Professional Pet Sitter is free to National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, Inc. members. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

BUSINESS Pros/Cons of In-Home Boarding..................... 12 Spotlight on Some Forum Speakers................ 14

10

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Pet Sitting Is a Family Tradition....................... 16 FEATURES Meet Lucky Dog’s Brandon McMillan.............. 18 Coping with Pet Loss...................................... 20

12 16

CONNECT WITH NAPPS About Your Association................................... 22 NAPPS in the News........................................ 23 NAPPS Chat Message Board.......................... 25 New NAPPS Members................................... 26

Editorial offices: 1120 Rt. 73, Suite 200, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

18 ONLINE ALL THE TIME www.petsitters.org National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, Inc. 1120 Rt. 73, Suite 200 Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Phone: (856) 439-0324 • Fax: (856) 439-0525 Email: NAPPS@petsitters.org • www.petsitters.org

www.petsitters.org

Like us facebook.com/THENAPPS Follow us @TheNAPPS pinterest.com/source/petsitters.org Join us @National Association of Professional Pet Sitters 3

20

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

TMIPS ED IA O FMTEHWES T IN RG AS DE

Article and Photo By Arden Moore

Arden Moore, Executive Editor Cathe Delaney, Managing Editor

Learning CPR Is As Easy As A-B-C

Making the Doggone Right Choices

I J

magine entering a client’s home to see her dog or cat lying motionless on the living ohn room made floor.a You badcall decision. the pet’s Thename, 16-year-old but sheboy doesn’t boughtrespond some marijuana and you quickly from an realize undercover she is not breathing cop. As aand result, fearJohn that isherliving heartathas thestopped.

Illinois Youth The nearest Center (IYC) veterinary Chicago, clinic a juvenile is 15 minutes detention away. facility You for the neednext to immediately six months. John perform is not a hardened cardiopulmonary criminal.resuscitation And maybe if(CPR) he hadn’t to save beenthis caught pet’s life thisbecause early in athe catgame, or doghecannot might survive still be 15 on the minutes streets,without perhaps thenow heart stealing pumping to buying oxygenated larger quantities blood to her of marijuana—maybe brain and other vitaleven organs. cocaine You or crack.

But landing in IYC is perhaps the best thing that could have happened to John and the other 12-17-year-olds like him. They’re receiving the discipline, training, counseling, education and programs they’ll need to reinvent themselves once they’ve completed their stay, via a program called Lifetime Bonds.

Created by Best Friends Safe Humane, this program targets youth who have been involved in illegal activities. Each week, a group of dog handlers and their dogs visit the teens.

The teams teach the young men the proper way to approach a dog, a few commands and a chance to socialize with the dog. By receiving the immediate gratification of a happy wagging tail, friendly lick on the hand, or the roll-over request for a belly rub, these youngsters begin to realize— sometimes for the first time in their lives—that kindness begets kindness. And that sets the stage for profound behavioral change.

Best Friends Safe Humane National Director Cynthia Bathurst believes Lifetime Bonds is an integral component of the program in that it aims to stop violence in its tracks before it has a chance to grow further. “Safe Humane” gives these young men knowledge and skills they can use to positive advantage for the dogs they and their friends or family members encounter in the streets, especially dogs viewed as ‘fighting dogs,’” she may says. have had good intentions to sign up for a pet first aid/CPR class being offered in your area, Changing but scheduling Beliefs the Is fourThe to First six-hour Step class may be challenging The youngwith menyour could workhardly schedule. wait for the bell to ring,But signaling can youit’sspare timean forhour the Lifetime any timeBonds of program, the day or or,night? as theyCornell call it,University “Dog-PlayCollege Time.” of The Veterinary group breaks Medicine, into five in conjunction smaller groups with and the begins American eachCollege sessionofbyVeterinary learning how Emergency to approach and a Critical friendly Care dog. (ACVECC) One by one,now theoffers boys take a one-hour turns holding online out CPRthe course backsforofpet their professionals hands for the anddogs pet toparents. sniff, then gently petting the dogs on the side.

Then the “The boysobjective hold treats of this in their onlinehand course while is to asking teach the youdogs how to properly sit and lie intervene down, then if a give cat orthe treats—and give and receive more love. After 20 Professional Pet Sitter · Winter 2016

PROFESSIONAL PET STAFF BySITTER Amy Abern

dog suddenly collapses,” says Daniel Fletcher, Ph.D., DVM, associate professor of emergency minutes, and critical the care groups at Cornell switch to and new thehandlers author ofand this dogs. new pet CPR course.”It also guides you on how to initiate All CPR the participants on the way toaretheanxious nearesttoveterinary spend time clinic.” with Rou, the pit bull. One boy commented on howThe Routwo resembled main goals his ofAmerican CPR areStaffordshire to provide terrier. blood flow It was by surprising compressing to hear (pushing him refer on) atopet’s his dog chest with to the mimic official the normal breed title. function “That’s of abecause beating we’ve heart seen and to allprovide these different oxygen while guys removing fight and we know carbon who dioxide the best by blowing ones are,” intoheasays. pet’s nostrils And this offers the(mouth-to-snout) perfect segue to talk to mimic about dogfighting. “Do you the think normal theprocess dogs like of fighting?” asks Triptow. breathing.

Most of the boys nod. “Do you think the dogs like being stroked?”

“Our course Allshows the you the right way to do chest compressions and ...if you don’t itlike getting is important to avoid stopping and starting, hurt and the dog doesn’t like stopping and starting because you stop getting hurt, do youonce really chest compressions, flow drops off,” think the into blood a situation says Dr. Fletcher. “Every time you they stop CPR, it can like fighting where most take about 45 seconds certainly will get to gethurt? back up to that blood flow, which is why we promote not stopping boys nod. “Do you like the chest feeling compressions of being hurt for when someone hits you?”any Allprolonged the boys shake periodtheir of head. “Do you think dogstime.” like the feeling of being hurt, like when another dog bites Thisthem?” online Cat-Dog Tentative shakes all around. “So think CPR course about it—if takes you about don’t like getting hurt and theone doghour doesn’t to complete. like getting The hurt, do you really think fee the isdogs $45.like Thegoing self-paced into a situation like fighting where course they features most certainly short howwill get hurt?” Definite head to videos shakes andallphotographs around.

The teens have onlyand participated explains proper in the Lifetime Bonds programways for two to perform months, chest but already, changes in thought, compressions attitude and and rescue behavior breathingareonevident. all typesNikki of dog Robinson, and catAssistant breeds.

Superintendent/Programs At the end of the course, IYC Chicago, studentsobserves must test the what boys they notlearned only look by forward answering to the a 14-question sessions because assessment. they’re Individuals enjoyable,who but correctly that theyscore really “get” 70 percent why the or program higher onisthese important. answering these questions earn certificates issued by the How American You College Can Help of Veterinary Emergency and Critical BestCare.

Friends TheySafe will Humane have unlimited relies on number of donations opportunities and to in-kind achieve services a passing fromscore. local businesses To enroll andinindividuals. the course,Ifvisit you’d www.ecornell. like to make acom/course/veterinary-courses/pet-cpr. donation to the Safe Humane Lifetime Bonds program, What send youalearn checkinpayable one hourto:just Safe may Humane save P.O. the Box life of 7342 a dog Chicago, or cat under IL 60680-7342. your care.Ifnyou’d like to learn more about volunteer opportunities

4

Please send all letters to the editor: NAPPS@petsitters.org Letters should include your name, address, and daytime telephone Letters may edited with Safe Humane, call number.

312-409-4790.

Forebemore for length or clarity.

Submissions may be mailed information on Best Friends, visit their Web site at or emailed as a word document.

www.bestfriends.org. n

Professional Pet Sitter is published quarterly by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), a nonprofit organization, and is available through membership subscription. No portion of the magazine may be reprinted without the written consent of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. The letters and advertisements contained in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the association. NAPPS is not liable for validity or correctness of any claim, express or implied, made in advertisements or writings of this magazine.

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES NAPPS Headquarters 1120 Rt. 73, Suite 200 Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Phone: (856) 439-0324 Fax: (856) 439-0525 Email: NAPPS@petsitters.org www.petsitters.org Cathe Delaney Administrative Director Cocee Baker Administrative Assistant Caitlin McWilliams Public Relations cmcwilliams@petsitters.org Business Insurers of the Carolinas PO Box 2536, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2536 Phone: (800) 962-4611 ext. 224 www.petsitterinsurance.com For Dishonesty Bond and/or General Liability Insurance The National Group Insurance Exchange 3210 Doolittle Dr., Northbrook, IL 60062 Phone: (800) 955-0418 Fax: (847) 559-9499 Email: tngie@aol.com www.wwins.com Contact: Alan Leafman For Dental and Health Insurance For pet sitting questions contact: www.petsitters.org www.petsitters.org

PR ESID EN T ’ S M E S S A G E

By Yvette Gonzales, President

Invest in You — Attend the NAPPS Forum Why should I go to the NAPPS Forum? Over the years, I’ve heard that comment a hundred times. My questions is why wouldn’t you? Why wouldn’t you surround yourself with leaders from the pet sitting industry? Many are wise professionals who have “been there and seen that.” They offer sage advice and could save you a heartache or two. Many are young and eager whose enthusiasm energizes and motivates those of us who have been around the block a few times. But, why wouldn’t you come and meet and learn from your cohorts?

Why wouldn’t you invest in your business? We often hear, “No one takes us seriously. They think all I do is play with puppies and kittens all day.” Well, do you take yourself and your business seriously? Do you invest in further education? Do you take the time to learn from industry leaders? Business owners who treat their business like a business invest time and money in themselves and a major portion of that is the 2017 NAPPS Forum. NAPPS gathers speakers who are leaders in not just the pet sitting industry but many others. The goal is to fill your head and your heart with the ingredients to rise to success! Why not take advantage of the vendors who are gathered together to display services that will make your lives easier? That may be the missing piece that causes all those loose ends to come together.

Why wouldn’t you invest in yourself? Many of you are sole proprietors. You rarely, if ever, take a day off. Eventually, this makes you an ineffective pet sitter. Exhausted, overwhelmed and often lonely. Come to Chicago and re-charge those batteries. Relax, learn and feel the warmth and friendship of those who share your passion for our fur clients as well as our people clients.

Why wouldn’t you come to share your knowledge? It’s common to hear, “The speakers were great but the best thing I learned was from another pet sitter.” This is an experience that is priceless! There are so many of us who have taken home that one little bit of knowledge or those words of encouragement that have made all the difference in the world to their businesses or their lives. What if you held that piece of advice or offered those supportive words and truly made a difference for a fellow sitter?

Why wouldn’t you come to meet new people from all over the country and to rekindle old friendships? We work in a solitary industry surrounded by wonderful fur balls that just don’t offer much in the way of stimulating conversation. It’s incredible to gather around a large or small group and share stories and experiences, to laugh and to cry and to just be able to relate to each other.

So, why wouldn’t you come to the 2017 NAPPS Forum in Chicago, May 5-7? I really don’t know, but I think you would be crazy not to be there and I tell you I’m going to invest in myself and my business, to recharge, to rekindle old friendships and hopefully, to meet many of you and grow a new network of friends and collegues.

Yvette Gonzales Dedicated NAPPS Volunteer and President

www.petsitters.org

5

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

I ND USTRY N E W S O F I N T E RE S T

Are We At An Industry Tipping Point?

Raising rates and raising salaries may be a way to raise the value of hiring professional pet sitters.

T

hrough my consulting practice, I regularly speak with owners of professional pet sitting businesses from around the country. While they obviously share a lot in common by being in the same industry, they also have many things that make them quite different. This is often due to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual business owner, the size of each of their companies, and the unique attributes of the market they work in that create challenges specific to them.

Recently however, my ears really started to perk up when I realized I was having the exact same conversation with each of my professional pet sitting company owners—even though they are all spread out across the country. Despite the Professional Pet Sitter · Winter 2016

myriad of differences between each of them, they were all very frustrated at their inability to find and hire new pet sitters despite their diligent hiring efforts. They were also worried at how many staff they were losing because the sitter(s) said they simply could not make a living wage as a pet sitter.

Most people have heard the saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Well, from my perspective, that is how many petsitting business owners are feeling about staffing their businesses. Why is it so hard to find reliable, mature, detail-oriented animal lovers to fill the open pet sitting jobs in this country? And why is it so difficult for those who do take the jobs to stay for a reasonable length of time?

6

If every pet sitting business owner is having the same exact problem, then why do we keep doing the exact same thing when it comes to hiring and keeping staff? Do you want to remain in an industry long term if this is always going to be your Number One business impediment to growth? Have you been on the same exact hiring treadmill as the business owners I have spoken to, and do you keep expecting your staffing results to be any different?

When I hear the frustration in my clients’ voices on this topic, I typically utter one of the phrases I am famous for amongst those who know me, “Let’s take a look at this from the 30,000-foot view for a minute.” From the 30,000-foot view, my clients agree that they www.petsitters.org

Article by Erin Fenstermaker

are doing the exact same thing from a hiring and staffing perspective, hearing the same feedback, yet they still keep doing the same thing and hoping for different results. Which often makes them feel insane. So what are the options as far as “doing something different?”

The obvious answer, and the one I am more and more convinced is the correct answer in the long term for the betterment of the industry, is PAY BETTER WAGES. I am not advocating an increase in pay that will erode a business’ margins. I am recommending a pay increase that is supported by a simultaneous price increase.

I am sure there may be many readers who will scoff at this suggestion saying, “There’s no way I can do that, and it would never work in my market.” But hear me out. Let’s think about who pet sitters are and what they do. First, a pet sitter is someone who comes INTO YOUR HOME, usually without any supervision. That is not something most people take lightly. I know I personally am incredibly selective on who I invite to my home, let alone who I am going to allow to enter my home when I am not there.

This means that, as a potential petsitting client, I want someone thoroughly screened before I even consider letting that person in my home because he or she will have access to things that are very important to me. This potential pet sitter is going to have a key to my home, know my alarm code and have access to my belongings when I am not there. Again, how many people would you even consider giving that kind of access to?

Second, as a single woman without children, my pets are my surrogate kids. I take their welfare very seriously, so I want a potential pet sitter who understands their importance to me, and takes pride in providing great care for them. Third, a good

What do I recommend?

Raise industry prices so wages can also be increased. pet sitter is someone who has to have integrity, because they are doing their work without any supervision.

It’s not like working a retail job in a store or at a restaurant, where a worker can continuously be monitored, coached and directed. A pet sitter is trained and then let into a client’s home without a manager monitoring his or her every move. The pet sitting company owner has to have faith that the screening and training they performed was effective, and they usually do not have a way of knowing if their pet sitters need additional coaching unless a client complains about the job they perform.

Sitting from that 30,000-foot view, do you think it is realistic that you are going to find someone with this level of integrity who will remain a loyal employee of your company if you are paying him or her the equivalent of around $12/hour (when you also include driving time)?

In most cities in America, it would be very difficult for a full-time pet sitter working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, living alone, to survive on the equivalent of $24,000 per year without health insurance, or even sick or vacation days. But that is what we are asking of our staff today. Is this what we really want for the pet sitting industry?

So then why aren’t more professional pet sitting companies choosing to raise their prices to stop the staffing insanity? The number one reason is

If every pet sitter is having the exact same problem, then why do we keep doing the exact same thing when it comes to hiring and keeping staff? www.petsitters.org

7

fear. In particular, price pressure fear, a lot of it due to the national Match.com-like companies Rover.com, Dogvacay.com and Wag.com. These “just-about-anyone-can-join-and-say-theyare-a-pet-sitter” sites typically have individual sitters who are not bonded or insured, and charge about one-third less for a pet sitting visit compared to a locally-based professional pet sitting company. From what I have seen the appearance of these national websites has resulted in a price freeze just about everywhere by local professional pet sitting companies, and has also exacerbated such companies’ hiring problems.

What do I recommend? Raise industry prices so wages can also be increased.

Combine this with a well-thought-out-andexecuted rewrite of your website to better highlight the importance of who you hire to let into your home, care for your beloved pets and belongings. Remind visitors to your site that a lot of thought and precautions should be taken when you let someone be your pet sitter, and that your company takes these issues very seriously by hiring quality people that have been screened, background checked and thoroughly trained.

Potential customers who realize “you get what you pay for” will appreciate that you understand the trust they place in you. As an industry, if we do a great job of creating the value proposition by reminding the public about what integrity and training we have to have to be great pet sitters and communicate this in a thoughtful way, I strongly believe that most clients will support the price increase. Those who do not will go elsewhere in the short term, but will likely be back as soon as they have their first negative experience with someone else that has not valued the importance and seriousness of the service requirements.

You have the power to stop the insanity.

What are you waiting for? n Erin Fenstermaker is a small business consultant specializing in the pet industry. A certified dog trainer, Erin was also a part-time pet sitter for seven years while working full-time as a small business chief operating officer. Learn more at www. erinfenstermaker.com.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

T IPS O F T H E T R A D E

The Tricks to Using Twitter Everybody who uses Twitter knows it can move extremely fast. And if you are following a lot of people, the speed at which the tweets fly through your feed can be absolutely maddening. The insanity can make it difficult to keep up with tweets from your favorite people. In fact, many people give up on Twitter for this very reason.

It doesn’t need to be so frustrating though. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to tame the madness. The solution: Twitter lists!

With Twitter lists, you can organize your feed by adding people to lists that you set up based on your own criteria. You can add people you follow as well as those you do not. And, these lists can be public or private. The result is that, rather than having one busy feed to you will be able to view segments of your feed based on who you want to hear from.

Public vs. Private Lists Public lists are able to seen by anyone, whether or not they follow you, and can subscribe to your lists. Private lists are only visible to you.

People you add to your private lists will not know they have been added and neither they, nor anybody else, will be able to view or subscribe to them.

• Tap the Private option if you want your list to be private • Tap Save

• Tap Save How to add or Remove Someone from a List • Go to the person’s profile you want to add • Click the gear icon (iOS) or the menu option (Android) • Click ‘Add or remove from lists’ • In the pop-up, select the list you would like to add that person to. To remove someone from a list, uncheck the box by the list you’d like to remove him or her from.

If you want to remove yourself from a list

Create a List on Android • Tap on your profile image or the navigation menu icon • Tap on Lists • Tap the plus sign • Type a name and description for your list • Tap the Private option if you want your list to be private

How to Create a List From a Browser • Click on your profile image in the upper right of your browser • Click Lists • You can then can set up a new list, view your lists, and view the lists other people have added you to.

you were added to, block the person who created the list. You can then unblock that person if you’d like, and you will not be added back to their list.

If either of you were following one another other before you blocked them, that will be removed as well.

Create a New List on iOS • Tap the Me tab • Tap the gear icon • Tap on lists • Tap the plus sign • Type a name and description for your list

When you set up a public list, keep in mind that when you add people to that list they will be notified and will see the name of the list. Anybody else who views your lists will also see the name.

If you give it a catchy name people are more likely to pay attention, and may even subscribe

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

Naming Your Lists

8

www.petsitters.org

By Therese Kopiwoda

to your list. For example, if you set up a list of your customers, rather than simply naming it ‘customers’ you might want to name it something like ‘my awesome customers.’ If you make a list of knowledgeable people in the pet industry, you might name that list ‘pet industry rock stars.’

How to Add Yourself to Your Own Lists Be sure to add yourself to your lists, when appropriate, so that anyone who subscribes will see your tweets along with the tweets by other members of your list. Twitter does not have a way to add yourself to your own lists, but you can easily do it with Tweet Deck. Tweet Deck is a free app to help you manage your Twitter feed (www. tweetdeck.com). After you login to your Tweet Deck account, do the following to add yourself to one of your lists.

• Click on the search button • Type your name into the search box • Click on your name • In the popup window, click the people icon • Click on ‘Add or remove from lists’

My favorite way of finding lists is with our good friend Google. You’ll need to use the following search term: [site:twitter.com inurl:lists <your search term>]. For example, if I’m looking for Twitter lists of people in the pet industry, I will type this into Google: [site:twitter.com inurl:lists <pet industry >] This will bring lists up that have the term ‘pet industry’ in the title (and URL) of the list and/ or lists that have the term ‘pet industry’ in the list description.

Now that you know how and why to use Twitter lists, here are a few ideas for lists you might want to set up.

Industry Experts Keep track of the experts in your industry and start to engage with them. Start responding to their tweets, answer questions they might pose, and mention them. Pay attention to their tweets and retweet those that you think will be most helpful to your followers.

Favorite Broadcasters Whether it’s broadcasts from the Twitter app or through the Periscope app (which is owned by Twitter), you’ve likely seen many live videos in your feed.

Add your favorite broadcasters to a list.

Commenting on their broadcasts is a good way to get noticed by them. If you’re a broadcaster as well, follow them and they will be more likely to follow you.

Events

How to Find Lists In addition to creating your own lists, you may want to find lists by other Twitter users. You might choose to follow everyone on the list, add him or her to your own list, or follow the list itself.

Twitter doesn’t have an easy way to search for lists, but fortunately, there are ways to find them. One way is to simply visit other users’ profiles and view their public lists. You can also view lists you have been added to, which you’ll find on the same page where you see the lists you’ve created. www.petsitters.org

Setting up lists centered on events is a great way to connect with people with whom you have a common interest. Many events have custom hashtags for people to use when live tweeting.

Watch that hashtag to see who is either attending, or interested in the topic, and add them to a list specifically for that event. Be sure to add the speakers and organizers as well. This can come in handy later when you want to remember who was at a particular event, or to remind you how you met certain people. And, if you make the list public, each person will be notified that you’ve added them to the list, which may help get their attention.

Customer or Client Lists Keep up with your customers or clients by adding them to a list. Staying in touch with your clients will keep you on their mind, and if they have the chance to refer someone they’ll be more likely to do so. Of course, if they say something nice about your company, retweet it! And if they

9

say something less than flattering be sure to follow up.

People who Mention or Retweet You Most of the time, when people mention or retweet you, they have essentially told you they like what you had to say. This could be the very first step in establishing a relationship with these people. Start paying attention to them and start to engage with them with replies, mentions, and retweets.

Competitors Keep track of what your competitors are doing by setting up a private list. Watch how they interact with their followers, keep an eye on any promotions they may announce, and get a feel for their marketing strategy.

Lists for Your Clients Most pet sitters have clients asking them recommendations all the time. It might be for a veterinarian, groomer, dog trainer, or even the best store to buy pet products. As someone who works in the pet industry, you probably know of quite a few pet-related businesses in your local area, and online, that you are happy to recommend. Set up a list of these businesses and give your clients the link.

Twitter lists can be a very powerful way to make your lists more meaningful and useful. They also help alleviate some of the angst you might feel about following people just because they followed you. You can feel more comfortable about doing a follow for follow, knowing you can still watch the people you’re most interested in on your lists. n Therese Kopiwoda has is a live stream and social media consultant, and web designer for the pet industry. She broadcasts on Periscope and Facebook Live, and works with solopreneurs and small business to help them leverage live streaming for their own businesses. She is the founder of The Pet Scope TV, the live stream network all about pets (on Periscope and Facebook Live). She is also the founder of the #PetLoversTribe, Periscope’s first live stream community for pet lovers.

Therese is a presenter for webinars, workshops, and conferences, and other events. She has presented for NAPPS, PSI, SXSW, Lone Star Mensa, and the Texas Pet Sitters Conference. Therese has worked in the pet industry for over 15 years. She is a former pet sitter and the founder and former owner of PetsitUSA. Visit Therese’s website at Social Media Hound and follow her on Twitter at @kopiwoda.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

T IPS O F T H E T R A D E

10 Reasons for Keeping Cats Indoors A controversial subject regarding appropriate pet care is whether to keep cats indoors only or allow them access to the great outdoors. Some people think “cats should be cats” and should be allowed outside to chase field mice, lie in the grass, and have all sorts of outside cat adventures. Other people think cats should never be allowed outdoors.

After knowing many cats during the 15 years I’ve been a professional pet sitter, I am of the mindset that the cats we love and share our homes with should not be allowed outside unsupervised. Below are 10 reasons to keep cats indoors. Feel free to pass along this information to your pet-sitting clients.

1. Indoor cats typically live many years longer than cats who are allowed outside. According to national research, indoor cats live an average of 16 years or more, while cats allowed outside live only about five years.

2. Cats who are allowed outside can be stolen, abused, killed, run over by cars, get lost or injured or killed by other creatures.

3. Cats who are allowed outdoors can get

4.

5.

themselves trapped in things like other people’s garages or sheds, and if they are not found, they will slowly die of starvation.

Cats are very curious, hence the saying, “curiosity killed the cat.” Cats can lick antifreeze, or other poisons, crawl up into warm car engines where they can become hurt or taken for a harried and unexpected journey under the hood of a moving car. They can come back home from their day out sicker than a dog (no pun intended) and you won’t know what they ingested and that will make it more difficult for your veterinarian to try and save your feline friend.

If a cat is let outdoors, an owner won’t know if his/her bowel movements are regular, if

6.

7.

8.

9.

she or he has diarrhea, constipation, or even going at all. A responsible pet owner will be aware of their cat’s health by monitoring their elimination habits and that is more challenging to do with an indoor/outdoor cat. Outdoor cats can have urinary tract infections and their owners may not be aware of it until a more serious issue arises.

Outdoor cats can bring home all sorts of things like dead mice and birds, and harass the lovely birds in the yard and at the bird feeders.

Cats can bring in fleas and ticks, cuddle up on beds with the owners, and the next thing you know “oh, oh!” there is a new problem in your house!

If a cat comes home with injuries after fighting with who knows what type of creature, he or she will have to be rushed to the veterinary clinic, incurring medical fees and time spent nursing the cat back to health.

Cats who are let outdoors without identification may become lost and will not be able to be returned to the owner simply

Enrich the lives of indoor cats by teaching them tricks, like jumping through a hoop.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

10

www.petsitters.org

By Linda Norton

because there is no way to find them. They may be returned to a shelter and might have to stay days before they can be located, causing further stress and anxiety. The person who found the cat may also opt to keep him/her and the owner may never see their cat again.

10. Cats who are allowed outside may not come home at night and leave an owner worried.

This will impact the owner’s life the next day because they’ve been up most of the night worrying if their cat is okay.

Some people have the misconception that cats cannot be happy indoors because it is not their “true nature” to be inside all the time. If owners train their cat to be an indoor cat and provide him/her with lots of attention, love, great nutrition, an assortment of toys, scratching posts, a tower or two, a clean litter box, and some sunny spots, he or she will thrive and probably live to a ripe old age. Owners will also know where their cat is at all times, will not be wary of cuddling their cat for fear of fleas or ticks or by aggravating your allergies with the pollen the outdoor cat brought home, and they will be more able to monitor the cat’s health.

As professional pet sitters, especially as NAPPS members, we need to uphold the welfare of animals. Sometimes this includes counseling or encouraging our clients about proper pet care.

This is made easier if we continue to educate ourselves through personal learning, networking, and accessing the information and tools available to us via NAPPS. Long live our feline friends! n www.petsitters.org

(Left photo) Encourage your clients to take their cats for annual wellness exams.

(Right photo) Give indoor cats safe and sturdy perches so they don't try to balance on top of the bathtub door frame.

More Insights into Cats To help you understand indoor cats better, here are some surprising feline truths reprinted with permission from the book, Fit Cat: Tips & Tricks to Give Your Pet a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life by Arden Moore:

Cats are furry Rip Van Winkles. Indoor cats sleep nearly two-thirds of every day — up to about 18 hours a day. Only opossums and bats snooze more — about 20 hours a day.

Cats are speedy and springy. A house cat can reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour and jump up to seven times his height from a sitting position.

The fastest domesticated cat breed on record is the Egyptian Mau, clocked at 36 mph.

Cats outtalk dogs 10 to 1. Cats can make more than 100 distinctive vocalizations as compared to about 20 sounds for dogs. But these feline sounds are mostly directed at people because they rarely meow at other cats.

Cats can give off a ghoulish glow in dim light.

Causing this glow is a group of light-sensitive cells located behind the retinas known as the tapetum lucidum. This is a Latin term meaning bright carpet. These cells allow cats to take in extra light in dimly lit situations. These special cells enable cats to quickly adapt to low-light conditions in the house.

Cats put the C in color. Cats come in more than 75

11

different colors and patterns beyond white, black and brown. Some sport shades of red, orange, silver, lilac and other hues.

A cat’s tongue contains rows of barbs called filiform papillae. Barbs are the reason behind the sandpaper-like texture of your cat’s tongue. These barbs are positioned toward the throat and are designed to help a cat hold his prey, such as a mouse — or a paper wad — in her mouth.

Some cats actually like to get wet. Turkish Vans hail from Lake Van and earned the nickname, “swimming cats.” Bengals also are drawn to water and have surprised some of their owners by joining them in the shower.

Linda Norton, owner of Precious Pets Pet Sitting since 2002, resides in Pawcatuck, CT. She is a former NAPPS Board member. She is also a freelance writer, currently writing regularly for the Four County Catholic newspaper, teaches “How to Start Your Own Pet Sitting Business” classes for Connecticut Continuing Education organizations. Linda publishes a quarterly newsletter for her clients entitled “The Precious Pets Gazette”. She is also the founder of the Candle Project for Religious Freedom. You can see her full profile on LinkedIn under her full name, Linda May Norton, and can contact her via lindamay@snet.net.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

B USINESS

Considering In-home Boarding?

Make Sure You Are Covered.

As professional pet sitters, especially as NAPPS members, we need to uphold the welfare of animals. Sometimes this includes counseling or encouraging our clients about proper pet care. This is made easier if we continue to educate ourselves through personal learning, networking, and accessing the information and tools available to us via NAPPS. Long live our feline friends! In-home pet boarding has been around for years, but with the arrival of online directory matching services such as Rover.com and DogVacay.com, this alternative to traditional professional pet sitting and boarding has certainly increased in popularity. This also appears to ring true with NAPPS members insured via the NAPPS Liability program, as today, almost 25 percent of members insured under the program now include coverage for this service as opposed to just 5 percent a decade ago.

Unfortunately, many people will jump at the opportunity to board pets in their home and sign up on one of the online directories without considering the risks they may take by doing so. So for this briefing, let’s take a look at some of the claims we have seen arising out of inhome boarding (they, too, have increased!) and examine the different risks involved to make sure NAPPS Professionals and any others that may be reading this are aware of the exposures that exist.

Before we begin, it is important to note that some exposures that exist may not be insurance related, but still may pose a risk to your business.

For example, many states and municipalities have laws in effect that are directly related to boarding one or two pets in your home. Some require you to take out a permit in order to board, while others may not allow you to board in your home at all due to zoning regulations. Be aware that even if you are boarding 1 or 2 pets in your home at a time, and are being paid for it, that this would likely be considered a home-based business, and many communities will have specific zoning laws that stipulate what types of home-based businesses are allowed in a given community. To protect yourself, be sure to consult with your town/ Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

city, county and state officials to be sure you are operating legally. Otherwise, you may one day be hit with an unexpected fine and/or a cease-anddesist letter.

Now let’s take a look at in-home boarding in terms of liability risk, and how it differs from traditional pet sitting in client’s home. When you are paid to take care of a client’s pet in your home, you cross a line in the insurance world from personal liability to business (commercial) liability. Although some people may think they are covered automatically if they have a homeowners or renter’s policy, which typically includes personal liability coverage at their premises, they, unfortunately, are not.

Most homeowners/renters policies specifically exclude coverage for business-related liability claims. Therefore, if a dog in your care were to bite someone while at your home or bite another dog in your care, you need a business liability policy that specifically provides coverage for in-home boarding, including veterinary medical coverage for the pets in your care. Most insurance companies are hesitant to offer this coverage, due to crisscrossing of personal and business liability.

For example, what if your teenage son brings home a friend and that friend gets bitten by a dog in

12

your care? Or what if a plumbing contractor is working at your home or a deliveryman dropping off a package is bitten? To better illustrate, here are a couple of actual claims examples: 1. While staying at the pet sitter’s home, a client’s dog got into an altercation with the pet sitter’s roommate’s dog.

The roommate was bitten attempting to separate the dogs. Total claim paid: $4,174 2. A pet sitter opened the door to her home just as a mail carrier was entering through the front fence gate. The mail carrier did not see the dog coming out until she turned around and was bitten on the leg. Total claim paid: $21,647.

These are not the typical exposures you would be concerned about if pet sitting in the client’s home, as you are not likely to have personal friends, roommates, or repair or delivery folks coming to see you at the client’s home.

Another difference to consider when boarding in your homes is the pets themselves. After all, they are the ones you are caring for. If they have never been to your home before they are not familiar with where things are, where you want them to hang out, or other people or pets that may be in the home. When you are taking care of pets in the client’s home, they know all of these things and are accustomed to their routine. Bring them to your house and it may just rock their world, or cause them injury! Below are several examples of claims: 1. While boarding at a pet sitter’s home, a dog got into the sitter’s medications, which were left on the counter, and required veterinary care. Total claim paid: $575.

2. A dog suffered a ruptured disk while staying at a pet sitter’s home. Total claim paid: $5,054.

3. A dog ate a rope while staying at a pet sitter’s home. Total claim paid: $5,116.

4. A pet sitter was taking care of a client’s dog in her home. The dog attempted to be social with the pet sitter’s personal cat, but the cat scratched the dog in the eye. Total claim paid: $4,170.

5. While staying at a pet sitter’s home, a dog fell off deck and suffered injuries.

Total claim paid: $2,652.

Furthermore, if you are providing in-home boarding and are boarding more than one client’s dog at a time, you run the risk of dog fights/dog www.petsitters.org

By David Pearsall, CIC, CWCA

Do you have the insurance coverage and proper municipal permits to have in-home boarding in your house?

injuries. This is by far the number one claim we see arising out of in home boarding operations.

The fact is, dogs may get along great with other pets in their own household, but if you put them in with other pets from other families without caution, you may be in for a rude awakening. Most animal shelters and boarding kennels are aware of this exposure and typically perform temperament tests before placing a dog in a playgroup with other dogs. It is highly recommended that if you are going to board multiple dogs that you do the same, as some dogs can suffer anxiety and be stressed if outside of their own home environment.

While some dogs are simply more prone to aggression, and others are more fearful in groups and around others. Here are a few examples of what can go wrong: 1. A pet sitter was boarding multiple dogs at her home. She left to go eat lunch and upon returning home discovered two of dogs had been in a fight, and one had passed away. Total claim paid: $3,531.

2. Two dogs staying in a pet sitter’s home got into a fight, and one of them had to be hospitalized due to loss of one eye and multiple injuries. As a result of injuries, the dog lost a lot of blood and passed away. Total claim paid: $17,311.

3. During a play group at a pet sitter’s home, two dogs began to fight and both suffered multiple injuries. Total claim paid: $9,989. www.petsitters.org

4. Multiple dogs were being boarded in a pet sitter’s home. One of dogs attacked two others and caused multiple injuries. Both required extensive medical care. Total claim paid: $8,238.

In addition to injuries to client’s pets, please be aware that most business insurance companies, including the insurer for the NAPPS Liability program, exclude coverage for injuries to your owned pets and damage to your personal property (contents of your home). This is another example of the crossover between personal and business exposures. So if a client’s dog in your care attacks your personal pet(s) and inflicts injury, or chews up your furnishings or personal belongings, you would be on the hook for the cost to replace these items. You could purchase pet health insurance to cover injuries to your owned pets, but unfortunately, even a homeowners or renters policy will exclude coverage for your contents if they are damaged by animals who are owned or kept by you. Additionally, many insurers will also exclude injuries to pets in your care that are caused by your personal pet (all though not the case with insurer for NAPPS Liability program), so if you have a pet who can be aggressive or fearful around other pets, in-home boarding may not be ideal for you or your pet.

Finally, depending on the number of pets you are caring for in your home, there is one additional exposure that can be a potential nightmare, and that is fire. When you are pet sitting at a client’s home, if you accidentally

13

cause a fire, you would likely have coverage under a business general liability policy if you carry one. If this occurs at your personal home/ residence, you would be covered by your personal homeowners or renters policy for your home and contents, but what about the pets in your care?

Once again be sure that you carry a general policy that includes coverage for pets you care for boarding in your home (or the “In Your Home Pet Care” endorsement option if insured under NAPPS Liability policy) and that you have a sufficient limit of coverage to cover all pets in your care, custody and control, or else you may be out-of-pocket for claims like these: 1. A pet sitter came home to find her home on fire. At the time of fire, the insured was caring for multiple pets and all but one passed away. In addition, the sitter also lost her personal pets to the fire.

Total claim paid: $15,522.

2. A pet sitter’s home caught on fire and three dogs in her care passed away.

Total claim paid: $10,000. n David Pearsall, CIC, CWCA, is vice-president/co-owner of Business Insurers of the Carolinas, a multi-line commercial insurance agency specializing in insurance for pet service professionals since 1995.

He is a licensed insurance agent in all 50 states and has held the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and the Certified Workers Compensation Advisor (CWA) designation since 2002. David can be reached at 1-800-962-4611, ext. #214, or via email at DP@business-insurers.com.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

B USINESS

2017 NAPPS Forum · May 5-7, 2017 · Chicago Build Your Future

Create Your Destiny

NAPPS 2017 Education & Networking Forum Program Thursday, May 4, 2017 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Build Your Foundation (with the right blocks) (Additional Fee) Pre-registration required This 5-hour boot camp style business only course is designed specifically for NAPPS Members who have less than 12 months in the pet sitting industry. Candidates should apply via the jot form link here (https://form.jotform.com/70315902969159) and after submission will be interviewed prior to acceptance. Class size is limited to 10.

During the business only course, each Candidate will receive instruction and construct a customized Marketing Plan, Annual Budget, Service Agreement, company policies and procedures and techniques to qualify a potential client. Additionally, 3 30-minute mentoring phone calls will be scheduled with each Candidate to take place within the year.

Qualified Candidates must bring their own laptop, complete the jot form (link above) and email all attachments before deadline in order to be considered.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Early Registration In-Formal Exhibitor Meet & Greet Get to Know Your Program App

Friday, May 5, 2017 7:30 am – 8:00 am 8:00 am – 8:30 am 8:30 am – 9:00 am 9:00 am – 10:00 am 10:00 am – 10:15 am

Early Bird Exhibiting Continental Breakfast/Networking/Exhibitor Time President’s Message Keynote Address: Speaker: Jamie Migdal, FetchFind Networking Coffee Break / Exhibitor Time

10:15 am – 11:15 am

Life beyond Default Speaker: Marty Bhatia, Digital Ninja Consulting Marty Bhatia is a digital strategist specializing in small to mid-size business operations. Digital Ninja helps with a breadth of technologies that small business owners and their teams use every day. By taking a wide look at the landscape Marty and his team are able to help guide their clients as to what tech to pursue and why. In addition, Digital Ninja helps implement and train those technologies. In this presentation Marty empowers the audience to embrace the learning curve a new technology with the right mindset.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

11:30 am – 12:30 pm The Productivity Buzz - How to Get More Done in the Time You Have

Speaker: Erica Gomez, For the Love of Business/ Whoa Doggy! Pet Sitting

Professional Pet Sitters share a common struggle: getting quality work done in our businesses with the limited time we have. Many of us have to juggle completing pet visits ourselves in addition to running and growing our businesses. We work long hours, many of us even work seven days a week. We also have families and loved ones that we want to spend time with. In other words, we have a lot competing for our time! This session will: • teach attendees how to free up hours of time each week, even with an irregular or inconsistent schedule.

• demonstrate a new way of scheduling time to be able to focus more on fulfilling and important work and spend less time on busy or reactive work.

• show attendees how to eliminate distractions and overcome unavoidable interruptions.

• present a new way of working so attendees can overcome pet sitter burnout and feel refreshed about the work they are doing.

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Volunteer Recognition Luncheon / Networking / Exhibitor Time 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm

Business For Sale: The Secrets to Cash In When You Cash Out Speaker: Candace D’Agnolo, Pet Boss Nation Even if you’re absolutely in love with your pet business, at some point you’ll need to exit. Will your hard work be worth something? How much could you sell it for?

Would anyone even buy it? In this session, learn the secrets to cashing in, when you’re ready to cash out.

Five Keys to Stress Reduction for Improved Health and Productivity Speaker: Kathy Gruver, Alternative Medicine Cabinet Stress is unavoidable. In this fun and motivational workshop you will learn how to use the power of your mind to change your response to stress. Techniques such as meditation, affirmations, visualization, breath work and mindfulness will be taught in a way that you can use them today to improve your life, health and future.

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Networking Reception ~ Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us!

14

www.petsitters.org

Saturday, May 6, 2017

4:00 pm – 6:45 pm

8:00 am – 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast/Networking/Exhibitor Time

8:30 am – 10:00 am Pet Sitting is a People Business

Speaker: Erin Fenstermaker, EF Consulting LLC

Many pet sitting business owners get into the pet sitting industry because they love pets. While this is an important quality, an even more important quality that will gauge your success as a pet sitting business owner are your people skills. In working with many pet sitting businesses, the ones that are most successful understand that mastering customer service and treating your staff with respect and gratitude are the most important fundamentals to running a successful pet sitting business. If you aren’t good at managing these people areas, your business will not grow--no matter how much you love animals.

In this workshop I will detail what it means to be great at customer service and great in your treatment of employees, how to make this part of your company mission, and help you figure out what to do if you aren’t innately good in these areas.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm

Marketing Methods to Make You Memorable Speaker: Hank & Sharyn Yuloff, Yuloff Creative Marketing Solutions In today’s online world, businesses must keep their message relevant, and deliver it in the proper way, to the places where their exact target market is looking. Hank and Sharyn Yuloff are experts at assisting companies develop a marketing plan that does just that.

Home Based Hospice Care for Pets Speaker: Dr. Dani McVety, Lap of Love Hospice care for pets has been around for generations, veterinarians simply haven’t called it hospice until now! This rapidly emerging field of medicine is one that centers on the human animal bond, the bond that pet sitters have the privilege of supporting each and every day. What to say to your clients, how to broach the subject of end of life care, and how to properly support them through the transition is one of the most valuable things you can do to retain a client... and I’m going to show you why.

Join Jamie Migdal of FetchFind for this special course where we will learn about how and where implementing behavior modification techniques across all areas of your operations will yield massive impact with both people and pets.

Sunday, May 7, 2017 8:00 am – 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast/Networking/Exhibitor Time

8:30 am – 9:30 am

The Sky Is Not the Limit... The Mind Is Speaker: Olga Wharton, PetSitConnect.com, LLC; DFW Pet Sitting Services, Inc.; Paw Valet, Inc. I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. I set goals one year at a time. I am here to show you how YOU can grow your business in any way you want. I am here to show you how you can apply computer technologies to manage your business remotely. I am here to inspire you that the sky is not the limit, the mind is.

10:00 am – 10:30 am Networking Coffee Break / Exhibitor Time 10:30 am – 11:45 am Hiring for the Best Fit: Speaker: Christine Dvorak, ADP

In today’s work environment, it’s important to hire the individual who not only possesses the proper skills, but also possesses the attitude, character and drive that aligns with your business culture. This interactive session will include group activities that will develop behavioral interview questions specific to the pet sitting industry.

Setting Everyone Up for Success ~ FetchFind (Additional Fee) Which one is the most important species in your pet organization: Humans? Canines? The correct answer is.... both. They both need positive reinforcement, attention, proper handling, and management.

9:45 am – 10:30 am Stay Safe: Chicago Police Department 10:45 am – 11:30 am Plan for the Worst; Hope for the Best

Speaker: Sonya Wilson, Southpaws Playschool

The world is in a constant state of crisis; businesses in the pet industry are not exempt from this “new normal.” Find out from an expert how you can put emergency procedures in place so that your business is better able to recover physically, financially and emotionally from disaster.

11:30 am – 11:45 am

Closing Remarks

11:00 am – 4:00 pm Pet Tech Course (Additional Fee)

Are You Prepared to Act in an Emergency for Your Best Friend?

They are members of our family, our best friends, and lifelong companions. You would do anything to help them. The 5-hour Pet First Aid and CPR Training will give you the confidence to know you are prepared to act in the event of an emergency. This instruction is a half day course designed for pet parents and pet care professionals. You will learn: • ABC’s of Pet First Aid, Assessing Your Pet’s Vitals, Rescue Breathing, Canine and Feline CPR, Snout-to-Tail Assessment, How to Help Your Pet in a Medical Emergency. Additionally, the class includes our PetSaver™ handbook. Upon successful completion each participant will receive a certificate.

*Program speakers and times are subject to change Register Today at http://petsitters.org/annual_conference.php www.petsitters.org

15

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

Pet Sitting is a Family Tradition for Roy Cobb Cobb has expanded pet care offerings since taking over the reins of Tarheel Total Pet Care

By Arden Moore

Y

ou might say that pet sitting is very much a vital part of Roy Cobb’s DNA. After all, he represents the third generation in his family to provide care for the pets. His grandparents began this family tradition about 80 years ago, decades before the birth of the professional pet sitting industry.

Cobb, 51, who joined NAPPS in 2009, returned from college in 1989 to eventually take over the reins of Tarheel Total Pet Care from his parents. He shares two more family traits in

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

running this business based in Bedminster, New Jersey: being calm under pressure and willing to meet the ever-growing needs of his clients, who live on farms, suburbs and condos in cities.

“My grandfather, Bain, was a very calm, collected guy and my dad, Stephen, is the same as well as being unflappable,” describes Cobb.

“They taught me that being frantic will not make anything better and to take your time and get it done right.”

Tarheel Total Pet Care provides full-service

16

pet care that includes pet sitting, doggie daycare, grooming, dog walking, obedience dog training, overnight in-home stays, backyard pet waste remove, pet taxi services and more. Cobb and his staff of 12 cater to dogs, cats as well as horses, birds, rabbits, gerbils, snakes, hedgehogs and yes, even a bunch of poisonous dart frogs.

“Dart frogs can hurt you, so you need to be careful not to touch them, but they can die easily if not properly maintained with the right temperature,” says Cobb. “You need to spray them with a mister to keep them moist. One of my clients had 15 dart frogs in a large terrarium.”

What also can hurt you is trying to operate a pet care business without belonging to NAPPS. Cobb has been a member since 2009, inadvertently let his NAPPS membership lapse last year and made a quick call to the NAPPS headquarters.

“I spoke with Melissa Garvan (who serves on the NAPPS membership committee), and she is one of the nicest people in the world,” recalls Cobb. “Not only did I renew, but we talked about a lot of different aspects of pet sitting, including offering expanded services like pet taxis and backyard waste cleanups.”

Cobb has now hired a person who is in charge of his company’s business duties to make sure that never happens again. But back in 2009, www.petsitters.org

What They Are Saying About Roy Cobb he first reached out to NAPPS, liked what the organization offered and happily joined.

“I like doing things the right way and that’s why I reached to NAPPS,” says Cobb. “It’s a good organization and I find its staff and members easy to deal with.”

He continues, “I know the importance of being licensed, bonded and insured. And, I spend a lot of time on the NAPPS message boards to get tips from other members on how to deal with various issues in our industry, like how to watch out for scams, should you take cash or credit card payments and other topics. Our company is also using new pet sitting software called Time to Pet that is making scheduling visits and communicating with customers much easier.”

Cobb relies on the resources available to NAPPS members to meet the changing needs of his customers in what is billed as the Equestrian Capitol of the United States, but also home to growing suburbs and more people wishing to live in surrounding cities.

Case in point: Cobb now offers pet taxi services. “Some of our clients must leave very early in the morning to jobs in New York City and they don’t get back home until later that night,” he says. “We are available to take their pets to veterinary visits, groomers, whatever they need.”

And he believes in giving back to his community. He has served as a Boy Scout troop leader and helps sponsor the electronic scoreboard for his alma mater high school – the Bernards High School Mountaineers. This is the same school that includes among its graduates Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.

“Meryl graduated a year ahead of my mom and dad and she was a cheerleader and acted in our high school theater productions,” says Cobb. “It is great to be from the same school with someone who is a class act like her.”

www.petsitters.org

Roy Cobb and his family have been part of the Bedminster, NJ community for more than 80 years. We reached out to his customers, employees and pet rescue groups and here is what they had to say about Cobb.

• Gabrielle Rhymer, who operates the non-profit Hunterdon Somerset Animal Rescue Center (www.hunterdonsomersetarc.com): “Roy has been extremely charitable to our foster-based rescue group, especially when we pull animals from crowded kill animal shelters and he gives us safe havens for these animals until we can get them adopted at an extremely discounted rate. He and his staff do more than just house these rescued shelter animals. They also work to socialize these animals, provide them grooming and invite them inside their doggy day camp. Roy and his staff have really been a blessing to our rescue group.”

• Gretchen B. Lerach, a longtime customer and friend: “I travel quite a bit for work and I know my two Jack Russell terriers, Lucy and Henry, are well cared for by Roy Cobb. I work for Chanel and sometimes, I need to fly to Paris or stay late at work and I need someone with last-minute flexibility and that person has been Roy. Why, he even threw a birthday party complete with doggy cupcakes when my Henry turned 13. He and his staff are simply wonderful.”

• Norm Englander, Tarheel Total Pet Care employee: “I’ve been a longtime friend of Roy and when I left the corporate world about seven years ago, I was looking for something to do and I became Roy’s first full-time person. Now, I’m happy walking dogs for clients who live in big townhouse developments as well as farm houses on dirt roads. Roy really cares about the animals and he is involved in the business every day. I do not personally have a dog now, but am known as Uncle Normie and I get to be with lots of dogs who come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments. Roy really cares for the people who work for him and all the clients love him.”

As for NAPPS colleagues, what advice does Cobb wish to impart?

“If you are thinking about getting into – or staying in – pet sitting, your dedication level needs to be off the charts,” he says. “To keep clients, you need to be there when they want you. You also have to sell clients not only on you, but your staff, so introduce them and be there with the staff the first few times on a visit. Staff education and training is also important. Be sure to look into what NAPPS has to offer you.”

Cobb, and his wife, Lijing, are proud parents of three young children: daughters Xia and Xiao

17

and son Xun. Will Cobb’s children continue this family tradition and eventually take over Tarheel Total Pet Care?

It’s too early to say, laughs Cobb, as all three are under the age of seven.

“But they all share my love for animals,” he says. n

More about Tarheel Total Pet Care Location: Headquartered on nineacres in Bedminster, NJ, known as the Equestrian Capitol of the United States.

Business Founders: Roy Cobb’s grandparents, Bain and Alice Cobb, who started the business in the 1930s. Roy’s parents, Stephen and Margery Cobb, took over the business in the 1970s.

Company motto: “We take care of any pet, any time!”

Company staff: 2 full-time and 10 part-time employees.

Average daily pet sitting visits: 20 to 30 NAPPS member: Joined in 2009.

Licensed and bonded by Business Insurers of the Carolinas Website: www.tarheeltotalpetcare.net Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

Meet Lucky Dog’s Brandon McMillan

By Arden Moore

B

randon McMillan isn’t your ordinary dog trainer or conventional author.

These are two great reasons why he is the Emmy Award-winning host of the “Lucky Dog” show that airs Saturday mornings on CBS-TV and why he waited until now to pen his first book, Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days.

In the pages of his book released late 2016, he spotlights his innovative and practical training tips on how to bring out the best in any dog of any size or temperament. Now in his third season as host of Lucky Dog, he searches animal shelters all over the country on a mission: From hopeless to a home, that’s my mission…one dog at a time.

“All my educational background is from 100-percent experience in the field — no books, no classrooms,” says McMillan, who has trained lions, bears, tigers, reptiles and even insects for such films as The Hangover, We Bought a Zoo, The Jungle Book II, I Am Sam, Buddy, Soul Plane, Red Dragon and television’s 24, Dharma and Greg, Jackass, Wildboyz and Carnivale, plus hundreds of commercials and ads.

Inspired by the story of a 24-year-old soldier named Tyler who lost his legs from

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

an I.E.D. while on duty in Afghanistan, McMillan co-founded the Argus Service Dog Foundation to train assistance dogs for disabled military veterans.

For each episode of “Lucky Dog,” McMillan rescues an untrained, unwanted shelter dog and within a week or so, these dogs undergo a miraculous transformation as they learn to trust

18

McMillan, overcome their behavior problems and master what he calls his 7 Common Commands (Sit, Down, Stay, No, Off, Come and Heel).

“These 7 Common Commands are the ones we use most with our dogs on a daily basis, and they eliminate many commands that are basically the same,” he explains. “For example, NO and LEAVE IT are redundant, but many people teach their dogs both. Same with STAY and WAIT.” He points out that obedience in a dog is not about the number of commands a dog knows, but about whether you’ve practiced, conditioning your dog to the point of perfection.

“Some of the best-trained dogs I know have only a few commands, but they’re perfect and quick with each,” says McMillan.

“The 7 Common Commands are really all you need for your dog to be polite, controlled and safe.”

But the first lesson for any dog is all about trust. “Without this essential element in your relationship with your dog, you cannot be an effective trainer,” he points out.

“Dogs I rescue from shelters have been lost, neglected or locked up for reasons they can’t begin to understand. At

www.petsitters.org

worst, they’ve been abandoned or physically abused. That’s why I begin every relationship with a new dog I rescue by making sure it’s clear I can be counted on to be predictable, patient and kind.”

He shares the story of Skye, a shy, sensitive white German shepherd who he met when she was about 18 months old at a shelter. When McMillan slowly entered her kennel, Skye was so skittish and scared that she tried to climb straight up the wall.

In his book, McMillan writes: “So the game plan was simple: build trust. I told Skye we’d train when she was ready, and for the next week, I spent hours getting down to her level, sitting with her, feeding her, petting her and giving her affection and attention without asking for anything in return. After a few days, she had a breakthrough. Skye came up to me, kissed my face and looked right at me, steady and ready. I had the green light to start her training.”

McMillan identifies six behavioral approaches to establish trust with a dog: 1. Be calm. Being loud or taking an aggressive stance will send a shy or fearful dog running in the opposite direction. Instead, as McMillan demonstrates on his “Lucky Dog” show, he will avoid direct eye contact, sit down on a floor to give a dog the chance to come to him and remaining calm.

2. Be patient. Establishing trust and a true bone with any dog takes time. Before you can begin to teach commands or solve www.petsitters.org

behavior issues, you have to learn the art of patience. An impatient trainer can actually take a dog back a few steps in his training. Also, waiting for a dog to come to you is a very subtle way of getting him to begin to see you as a leader.

3. Be understanding. You need to acknowledge that dogs want to be part of a pack and need to know where they stand in the family. They also have strong drives for food and for whatever specific jobs they were bred to do. Take time to observe your dog and think about his likes, dislikes and needs.

4. Be consistent. When building trust with a puppy, rescue or a shy or fearful dog, you need to continually demonstrate that you are a consistent, predictable person. So, establish a routine for your dog that gives him an idea of what to expect day to day.

5. Be reassuring. If your dog is afraid of something, show him your care and reassure him in a calm, low tone. As you starting training you may be able to gradually ease his fears through distant exposure in a safe environment.

6. Be a friend. Spend time with your dog.

Give treats. Pet and praise. All of these things reinforce the idea that you are someone your dog can count on in good times and bad. They show you can be trusted.

For his television show, McMillan often trains between five and seven dogs each week.

Some require more time to train, especially if the dog is very young, very old, unsocialized, traumatized, a little on the slow side or too smart for his own good.

McMillan shares this parting advice to be successful in training dogs: 1. Breed does matter in training. Learn about your dog’s breed before training so you know where his talents and shortcomings may lie.

2. Training is not about dominating.

“There is no good way, for example, to force a 500-pound tiger to lie down when you say so,” says McMillan. “Over the years, I’ve continued to live by this philosophy in training animals of all sizes because I believe that the most effective training happens when an animal does what I ask willingly.”

3. Training is a marathon, not a sprint.

Setbacks can happen. Just take a break, remind yourself that your love this dog and start again.

4. Let your dog know what he is doing

19

Brandon McMillian Trivia: • He was born in a circus and raised all over the world.

His parents were animal entertainers.

• He got his first paying job as a six-year-old when he put up flyers on telephone poles that read, “Dog Trainer Availabel” (He admits spelling was not one of his early talents). He trained a Golden retriever to do a “down” and “stay” in a man’s living room as his first gig.

• He jokes that he has been “picking up tiger poop” for as far back as he can remember.

• He has trained dogs for such Hollywood A-list celebrities as Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dr, Janet Jackson and Wolfgang Puck.

• He enjoys his recurring role as host of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. He climbs into a steel cage to interact with Great White Sharks.

Learn more by visiting http:// www.cbsdreamteam.com/lucky-dog/ and www.canineminded.com. right. “I encourage my dogs during training with an intensifying ‘good, Good, GOOD” as they figure out how to follow a command. Use verbal encouragement.”

5. Train every day. You can’t just train a dog and let that be it. If you don’t keep up, your dog will eventually regress.

“If each of us contributes in some small way — by rescuing a dog, fostering a dog, volunteering to help train a dog, or donating to feed and house one a little while longer — we can save the next Bruno or Skye or Lulu who comes along,” says McMillan. n

Tune in to Hear More Got dog questions? Curious about sharks? Brandon McMillan makes his third guest appearance on Arden Moore’s Oh Behave Show on Pet Life Radio. To hear this episode, click here: http://www.petliferadio. com/behaveep297.html Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

Coping with Pet Loss ALPB offers tools to help pet sittters deal with their bereavement

By Arden Moore

A

s a professional pet sitter, you face daily challenges imparted by Mother Nature, bumper-to-bumper traffic and last-minute requests from loyal clients. But the main benefit that motivates you to give your best are those purrs, tail wags and other welcoming greetings you receive when you walk into a client’s door and care for their pets.

Face it, you develop strong bonds with many of these dogs, cats and other pets belonging to your clients. In some cases, you have seen them evolve from the crazy puppy and kitten days through adulthood and into their geriatric years.

When a beloved pet succumbs to cancer, injury or simply old age, coping with the loss strikes people hard. And, this loss is also felt by you as a pet professional. How do you express the emotions you feel about the death of a pet belonging to a client? Where can you go to talk out your feelings? How do you wrestle with the possible sadness, depression or frustration welling inside of you? And what do you say to the grieving client?

Fortunately, help is here for you. NAPPS is in the early stages of cultivating a partnership with members of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB), headed by president Joe Dwyer and vice president Sandra Grossman, Ph.D. Be sure to mark your calendar for May 16 when the pair will conduct a webinar for NAPPS members covering the topic: “Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care Strategies.”

By definition, compassion fatigue can develop as a result of the emotional and physical Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

exhaustion a pet sitter faces from the daily demands of caring for and interacting with the pets they are hired to care for. It is not burnout, but like burnout, can take physical, mental and emotional tolls on a person.

Dwyer and Dr. Grossman are both certified pet loss counselors and successful business people who have both had to cope with the loss of beloved pets. For Dwyer, it took him years to process the death of dogs named Fritz and Rommel.

“Everyone processes the death of a much loved pet differently and there are different ways to heal,” says Dwyer. “It would be writing down your feelings in a journal, holding a pet memorial, going ahead and rescuing another animal in need or talking to close friends about your feelings. For me, I created a memorial for Rommel and Fritz in a room in my house. Every day, I go in that room for 3 or 10 minutes and speak to them and thank them for what they have done to make me a better person.”

Dr. Grossman lost an amazing Siamese cat named Mazel Tov to lymphoma back in 2007 when there were hardly any pet loss support groups in her area. She stumbled upon the APBL online and it marked the start of her personal healing.

“Mazel Tov was my source of calm, my Zen master. As I began to heal, I felt the need to give back,” says Dr. Grossman, who has a doctorate degree in organizational psychology and now conducts group counseling for pet professionals and pet parents on pet loss and compassion fatigue.

20

“I have four or five pet sitters in my compassion fatigue group and their loss is just as validating as others,” notes Dr. Grossman. “I tell them when they lose a client’s pet due to death, to go ahead and write a letter to the client to let them know what that pet meant to them. Send it.

It helps the client know that they chose the right person to care for the pet. And to the pet sitter, it helps them memorialized that pet.”

Adds Dwyer, “There is a tendency among pet sitters to say, it wasn’t ‘my dog,’ but you still need to express your feelings. You were in the role of caretaker and offered love to that pet. You were part of that pet’s life.”

Both Dwyer and Dr. Grossman encourage NAPPS members to spend time on the APLB website, which is full of many healing tools, information on pet loss events to attend in person, chat rooms, tips on how to celebrate the life of the departed pet, newsletters and much more. The site offers condolence cards, tile art, pencil portraits and other items to remember the life of a pet.

As the text on the home page states, “We are all professionally trained volunteers in pet bereavement counseling, and are here for you.

Our beloved animal friends have brought us together, and in honor of them we are now all here for each other, as well. Welcome. The APLB is unique, and the only organization in the world doing all this. Our services are free and available to anyone bereaving for a beloved pet. We pride ourselves in incorporating the collective wisdom and experience of all our friends and members.

And we make that freely available to anyone who can use it, during deep bereavement for a beloved pet.”

To learn more, please visit the APLB website at www. aplb.org. www.petsitters.org

More About Sandra Grossman and Joe Dwyer Sandra Grossman, Ph.D.: Her connection with animals comes from growing up surrounded by pets and getting to learn the lessons they shared with her. She has a doctorate degree in Organizational Psychology and has spent 20 years working in the business sector. It was the loss of her Siamese cat “Mazel Tov” to lymphoma and her own need to heal that caused her to change career directions and enter the field of Pet Loss Support.

Mazel Tov had been by her side as her best friend for 17 years and seen her through many of life’s challenges, and his loss left a huge hole in her life. Dr. Grossman earned her certification as a Pet Loss & Bereavement Counselor from the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. She serves as Vice President of the APLB as well as a host for the APLB on their online Pet Loss Support chat rooms (www.aplb.org).

Dr. Grossman currently provides individual as well as group pet loss counseling in the Glendale/Burbank, Los Angeles, and South Bay areas. Sandra firmly believes that it was another gift from Mazel Tov that guided her to find her passion of helping others deal with the loss of their beloved pets. Her two rescued cats, Jeter and Faith, continue to make her smile on a daily basis. Learn more at www. petlosspartners.com.

www.petsitters.org

Joe Dwyer: He is a motivational speaker, author, animal advocate and president of the APLB — and much more.

He is an accomplished dog trainer, an animal chaplain, a pet loss counselor, and he still exercises daily and has earned a third degree black belt in karate.

He has over 25 years of business experience serving as an executive both at Verizon and the Archdiocese of Newark. He won many awards for his Labor/ Management relations’ efforts and settled grievances fairly but with a decisive style. And of course, he learned much of this conflict resolution from his dogs!

Dwyer has been active as a motivational speaker focusing on combating bullying and championing animal rights as his primary topics. He weaves those topics together into a series he calls “Knocking Out Toxins.” Joe has been active with the National Speakers Association and Coach U (a world-class coach training organization).

He is the author of Shelby’s Grace and Daniel, The Miracle Beagle — two books that tell poignant stories of two of his rescues. Daniel is the beagle made famous for surviving a toxic gas chamber and being then adopted by Dwyer. He is also the author of The Dog Ate My Homework, a book about accountability from a dog’s view. He and his wife, Geralynn, live in Nutley, N.J. their children, Joe and Jenna and of course, their canine kids, Greta, Spartacus, Shelby (a certified therapy dog), and Daniel (The Miracle Beagle). Learn more at www.danielsdream.org and www.danielthebeagle.com.

21

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

On this day we celebrate what it means to be a pet parent, from the trials of potty training to remembering those who have crossed the rainbow bridge.

Celebrate

NAPPS Pet Parent’s Day! April 30, 2017

Not sure how to celebrate? You could:

• • • •

Write a press release for the local newspaper.

Send your clients a thank-you email or a card for being great pet parents.

Send pet parents a photo of their favorite pets.

Send a note of appreciation from the pet(s) showing how much they appreciate what their parents do for them everyday, including hiring a NAPPS professional pet sitter.

• Host an event at your local pet boutique or bakery.

• Purchase a NAPPS Pet Parent Membership for only $10 a year.

• Visit the Members Only Section of the NAPPS website at www.petsitters.org.

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

22

The possibilities are endless…

www.petsitters.org

NA P P S IN THE NE WS NAPPS PR EFFORTS Your association has an active public relations and marketing campaign that raises the visibility of NAPPS and its programs, and establishes NAPPS as the authority in professional pet sitting.

Each month, the NAPPS PR team provides regular story ideas to national media outlets designed to increase awareness of the organization and the entire profession.

PR efforts have surpassed many milestones!

• NAPPS has a total number of Facebook “likes” of over 5,100.

• NAPPS has increased the number of Twitter followers to almost 5,910 as of March 8, 2017.

• NAPPS is helping to increase awareness of pet safety and caring for animals during extreme weather conditions through shareable content like digital media and infographics. n February is National Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States.

Please SHARE to spread this message! #NAPPS #spayandneuteryourpets 1,920 people reached

It’s Membership Monday!

This week’s highlighted benefit of #NAPPS Membership is our Customizable Infographics.

See all the great benefits of NAPPS membership at www.petsitters.org.

2,118 people reached It’s still National Dog Training Month! Do you have any tips or tricks to share? Comment below! #NAPPS #NationalDogTrainingMonth #DogTraining 5,545 people reached

Register for the 2017 #NAPPSForum, doggone it! #NAPPS #Chicago #Chitown 766 people reached

A little birdie told us that January 5 is National Bird Day! Hope you have a “tweet” day! #NAPPS #NationalBirdDay 730 people reached

Hurricane Matthew is making its way to the Atlantic Coast.

Please stay safe and take advantage of the emergency planning guides available through the NAPPS website: http://bit.ly/2dRBH7Q 993 people reached www.petsitters.org

It’s #kittenweek! #NAPPS 1,175 people reached Considering the idea of welcoming a pet into your home?

Learn more about the benefits of adoption on the #NAPPS blog: http://bit.ly/2dE47hU 23

Do you have an adoption story about your furry family members? Share in the comments below!

682 people reached Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

Proudly Insuring Pet Service Providers Since 1995!

-- Am I covered?

-- Do I have the coverage I need?

-- Am I paying too much?

Call us today at 1-800-962-4611 ext 214 or visit us online for a no-obligation quote.

http://napps.petsitterinsurance.com

Specializing in:

Pet Sitters • Dog Walkers • Pooper Scoopers • Doggy Daycares • Pet Taxi • Groomers

We Provide All of the Following Coverages:

General Liability • Property • Workers Compensation • Auto • Inland Marine/Grooming Equipment • Bonding • Employment Practices Liability • Umbrella

WHAT’S NEW ON NAPPS CHAT MESSAGE BOARD Welcome Molly Rosen ~ NAPPS Chat Message Board Moderator

Welcome Molly Rosen, Proprietor and Head Cat Servant of Molly the Cat Lady & Friends located in Minneapolis, MN. Molly has graciously accepted the position of NAPPS Chat Moderator.

Molly has been an active member of the Marketing Committee over the past year and has helped write and edit the NAPPS weekly blog posts.

Molly will do her best to enforce the NAPPS Chat Do’s and Don’ts that are posted monthly.

Please understand that the Do’s & Don’ts are in place to make the Chat a pleasant, informative place to share and network, as well as protect NAPPS from any anti-trust violations.

Thanks for stepping up Molly, we appreciate you! www.petsitters.org

25

Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

N AP P S NE W ME MBERS

Welcome our New Members NAPPS would like to welcome the following new members who have joined our association between January 1 and February 9, 2017. Here they are in alphabetical order by state: Arizona Pam Currier, Sun Lakes Pet Sitting LLC, Sun Lakes Angelika Russell, Alternatives in Home Care,LLC, Tucson Dani Schiefelbein, Faux Paws & A Tail, Mesa California Brittany Alwerud, Dogzenergy, Inc., Topanga Paula Brooks, Dog Day Afternoon, Hayward Masiel Corona, Zolotl Doggie Day Care, Rancho Cucamonga Miwa Denmark, The Pet Sitter, Corona Katie Luttrell, Katie’s Cat Care, Castroville Kait Martone, Kait Martone Pet Sitter, Watsonville Mary Parsons, Parsons’ Pet Sitter Service, Chico Kartik Patel, Cypress Dog Walker/Sitter, Cypress Daniel Rodrigues, FogDogs Daycare, Half Moon Bay Becky Sanders, Visits For Your Pet, LLC, Forest Ranch Kaisea Simmons, Royal Tails, Daly City Colorado Sarah Kubacki, All EnTails, Littleton Kay Olsen, Home and Heart Pet and House Sitting, Brighton Connecticut Richard Bollash, Walks With Worf, East Hartford Ellen Gleicher, Gold Coast Pet Sitters, Westport Delaware Kathy Roop, Noahs Ark Pet Services, Bear Florida Leah Armstrong, For the Love of Pet Sitting, Ave Maria Diana Gardner, Diana’s Cat Care, Melbourne Tracy Gerber, All Care Sitting Services, The Villages Alison Higgins, Sustainable Pooch Pet Sitting, Key West Angela Kesterke, Pet Comforts LLC, Branford Ashley Lee, Aussie Mom Pet Sitting LLC, Bartow Nicole Mueller-Lineberger, A Paws Ability Pet Services, LLC, Delray Beach Gillian Palacios, Good Girl Pet Sitting Services, LLC, Florida City Jaime Ross, Cuddle Bugs Pet Sitting, Ocala Caitlin Russell, MJT Dog Walking LLC, Port St Lucie Georgia Weimar Caceres, Stay PAWsitive, Smyrna Martin Leonard, Doggie Dens, Atlanta Illinois Stacy Gustin, Stacy Gustin, Evanston Faith Korey, Purrfect Paws, Chicago Stephanie McDonald, Furry Feet Pet Services, New Lenox Professional Pet Sitter · Spring 2017

Alicia Obando, Pitter Patter Parenting, Chicago Catherine Price, Cathy Price, Wayne Indiana Laura Thoma-Dickinson, All Fur You - Professional Pet Services, Inc., Fort Wayne Deborah Thompson, Custom Care, Bloomington Gary Vaught, Apart-Time Pet Assistant, Indianapolis Louisiana Shelli Newman, Pet Peeves Animal Sitting, Harahan Maryland Matthew Brent, Bone-Inn Dog DayCare, Glen Burnie Massachusetts Amy Boutiette, Amy’s Pet Pals, Watertown Lesley Maple, Stella’s Bones & Pet Care, West Springfield Gina Taylor, Gina’s Family Pet Sitting, Fitchburg Michigan Kara Zapko, Kara’s Critter Care, LLC, Temperance North Carolina Alison Baugh, Pupventure, Raleigh Shannon Brown, Let’s Go Pets!, Fayetteville Julie Chambers, Julie A. Chambers, Wilmington Pamela Hawkins, PAM LOVES PETS, Greensboro Alec Hunsucker, Little Fella’s Pet Sitting, Concord Pamela Nicosia, Crystal Coast Pet Sitting Services, Hubert Amanda Oliver, Oak City Pet Sitting, Raleigh Nebraska Elizabeth Burr, Elizabeth Anne Burr, Omaha New Jersey Karen Kane, Hoofin and Woofin, Middletown Michigan Colleen Kelley, Beck ‘n Call Pet Services, Albuquerque Nevada Tonda Benge, Professional Dog Mom, Reno Arianna Dimopoulos, Best Friend Care, Las Vegas Cheryl Morrison, Kreature Komforts Pet Sitters, Las Vegas Mary Turnbeaugh, Mary’s Crate Escape, Las Vegas New York Cortney Gangloff, Strolling Pups, Poughkeepsie Rachel Hazan, P.S. I Woof You!, Wading River

26

Karen Robinson, Pets and Peops, Catskill Christine Weldon, Battery Bark, New York Ohio Charla Blair, Walks & Wags Pet Service, Belle Center Patricia Heacock, Patty’s Pet Pals, Columbus Oregon Deborah Brown, Patient Pawz, Lake Oswego Pennsylvania Michael Cunningham, Two Dads and a Dog, LLC, Pittsburgh Hayley Sanders, Conewago Canine Companions, Hanover South Carolina Grant Hursey, HappyHounds, Greenville Shawnda Poynter, Your Time, LLC, Charleston Katlyn Smith, KS Pet Services, Mt Pleasant Tennessee Stephanie, Foster, Butler Bailey’s Pet Services LLC, Nashville John, Tower, The Pawsome Pet Concierge, Memphis Texas Marcia Allen, Blue Canyon Services, LLC, Coppell Rebecca Devine, Bex Pet Sitting, Georgetown Darrin Gifford, Love & Dogs Professional Pet Services, Tyler Cissy Smither, Uptown Pets, Houston Denise Vertrees, Agile AnimalsPet Sitting and Excercise Service, Kyle Virginia Jennifer, Beall Paws a Walking, LLC., King George April Koenig, Muddy Pawz, Locust Grove Washington Nicole Rathje, Walk Hike Play, Kirkland Thomas Seitz, Pet Care by Blaine, Morgantown West Virginia Thomas Seitz, Pet Care by Blaine, Morgantown

www.petsitters.org

BE A VOLUNTEER Your association needs your dedication, enthusiasm and ingenuity to continue to provide the best possible programs and services.

Committee members work together to accomplish the goals of the association, while growing it into the most powerful non-profit in the in-home pet sitting industry. We need your help to continue to provide the best possible programs and services.

Continuing Education Points for participation will be awarded depending on your placement. Your project leader will provide more information. bers in the effort to promote our organization, answer questions and expand NAPPS’ reach amongst professional pet sitters everywhere. We are looking for enthusiastic and outgoing volunteers who are dedicated to improving the NAPPS experience and bringing our membership together. The time commitment varies depending on the project.

We are looking for volunteers in the following areas: Marketing Membership Member Benefits

Future Webinar Ideas

Do you have some ideas for webinars that would benefit NAPPS professionals? Volunteers have the opportunity to discuss, host and select Monthly Webinar topics and speakers.

This is a way to network with industry experts as well as other NAPPS members in a learning environment.

We currently need host volunteers who will take care of some behind the scenes duties of the webinars.

Our group also updates and refines the NAPPS quarterly Professional Pet Sitting series. These presentations cover the details of establishing a pet sitting business during all of its’ stages and provides those in attendance with information about all the various benefits NAPPS provides to get their businesses off the ground and running successfully.

Committee members also have the opportunity to play an active role in improving upon the benefits package that NAPPS members currently enjoy.

Maybe you’ve discovered some resources that help pet sitters promote excellence in their business practices or services! Join a group of volunteers working to shape some of the benefits NAPPS offers its members.

MARKETING COMMITTEE

Feed your entrepreneurial spirit by joining the NAPPS Marketing Committee! We are working on social media, the web site, and

Monthly Meeting Dates: 2nd Thursday of each month at 3:30 p.m. EST

MEMBER BENEFITS COMMITTEE

developing creative strategies for the overall marketing of NAPPS and its committees.

Helpful skill sets include: • Marketing • Public Relations • Administrative • Writing • Proof Reading • Editing • Research • Strategic Planning • Creativity • Graphic Design Also, the Committee is seeking a Chair & Co-Chair.

Monthly Meeting Dates: 3rd Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. EST

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

The Membership Committee is hard at work, making an impact in our industry and our organization. We want you to join the fun! Membership Committee volunteers connect with new members, current members and potential mem-

Do you have some ideas for webinars that would benefit NAPPS professionals? Volunteers have the opportunity to discuss, host and select Monthly Webinar topics and speakers.

This is a way to network with industry experts as well as other NAPPS members in a learning environment.

We currently need host volunteers who will take care of some behind the scenes duties of the webinars.

Our group also updates and refines the NAPPS quarterly Professional Pet Sitting series. These presentations cover the details of establishing a pet sitting business during all of its’ stages and provides those in attendance with information about all the various benefits NAPPS provides to get their businesses off the ground and running successfully.

Committee members also have the opportunity to play an active role in improving upon the benefits package that NAPPS members currently enjoy.

Maybe you’ve discovered some resources that help pet sitters promote excellence in their business practices or services! Join a group of volunteers working to shape some of the benefits NAPPS offers its members.

Please contact NAPPS Headquarters, Cathe Delaney at 856-793-0905 or cdelaney@ahint.com if you are interested in becoming a NAPPS volunteer.

-