Scottsdale Dog Walker | Scottsdale Pet Sitter | Scottsdale, AZ

Tales of a Scottsdale Pet Sitter…

Here’s a question for you…  Just how much is your pet worth to you? 

Much like you, I LOVE my pets more than anything in the world, and I would never want to think about them in a sense of monetary value.  After all, they are my babies.

However, in the pet care industry, we are faced with this issue almost daily.  People constantly call our office and ask “What do you charge for…?”

I completely understand how important it is to be financially responsible.  People do need to be aware of their finances.  

However, when it comes to the well-being of your pets and home, how much is that worth to you?  

The reason I ask this question is because of a recent situation we experienced. 

Recently, a dog mom called to ask about our professional pet care services and rates.  She explained she would be gone for a week.  Her dog is 14 years old and on daily heart medication.  We discussed the details of the pet sitting appointments.  She explained how she needed our Live-In service where we have a pet sitter staying in the home night and day with the dog.  His medical condition was a serious issue, and he couldn’t be left alone for very long.  

She was thrilled to know we not only provided that service, but we also had the pet sitting staff available to accommodate her needs.  She was also excited to know that our pet sitters were certified in pet first aid, and experienced in dealing with issues like this. 

However, she wasn’t trilled about paying for the service.  We charge $150 per day for our Live-Ins.  That is actually cheap when you consider minimum wage.  Most pet sitting companies who have been in business for 5 years charge around $200. 

She explained that even though she could easily afford it, she just didn’t think it was necessary to spend that much per day for her dog.  She decided to just have her brother stay over instead.  

As I always do, I thanked her for considering us.  I explained that we will always be available for her in the future, and wished her the best. 

After the phone call, I really didn’t think much more about it.  I went on with my busy week as usual. 

Two days ago, I received a phone call from her.  She was an emotional wreck.  

She had left very detailed notes for her brother explaining her dog’s medications.  She thought she did everything right before she left for her vacation.  However, for the entire week she was gone, her dog did not receive ANY of its necessary medication. 

Her brother stayed the entire week with the dog.  When it came time for the medication, the dog didn’t want to take his pills, so the brother just put them in the food.  Thinking the dog would eat the pills with his food, the brother assumed this was acceptable.  After all, he tried.  Right?  

What ended up happening is that the dog was too smart for that.  He didn’t eat his food at all.  

During her trip, the dog mom called her brother to check on her dog.  He told her that the dog hadn’t been eating much.  She just assumed the dog wasn’t eating because he missed her and felt lonely.

Not only had the dog not been eating for nearly a week, but he also wasn’t getting his medication.  She didn’t even know this. 

I won’t go any further with the details, because I can’t stand sad stories, and I don’t want to relive this any longer.  But I’m sure you can tell what happened. 

After returning home, she called me in a state of devastation.  Although she wasn’t even a client, I knew she just needed a shoulder to cry on.  A fellow pet lover’s shoulder.  Someone who would understand exactly what she was going through.  

I had never even met this little guy, but I too felt the grief.  I felt like I lost him as well. 

I have been angry ever since.  

She blamed herself for not hiring us, and believed it was all her fault.  Nothing I said seemed to help.  I even offered to meet up with her for coffee to listen to her tell me all about her dog and the wonderful 14 years she had with him.  She thanked me, and mentioned that she didn’t think it was necessary.  She told me what I could do to help… 

She told me to tell everyone about this.  She told me to blog about it, put it in newsletters, tell all of our clients, any pet parent who would listen.  

So here it is.  

I hope this helps…

Thanks for reading about him. 

Tim Heise
– Certified Pet Care Specialist
Absolute Pet Care LLC – Best of Scottsdale 2013 – Pet Sitting
Scottsdale, AZ
480 560-3753 (Office Hours 9am – 5pm M-F)
Tim@AbsolutePetCareAZ.com
http://www.AbsolutePetCareAZ.com