Service sends dead pets into outer space | Springwise

WOW - when I heard about this service for people I thought, wow I'd love to make space my final frontier, not sure how my part time pets would feel about a trip into outer space - I reckon a couple of them would be right up for it!

You can read about the service right here on Springwise

Service sends dead pets into outer space | Springwise

Button'd Up

Bed Wars

Happy families - Billie likes to think beds work best upside down
 - Bob is grateful for his bed not being stolen - Catnap LURVES
her new Telly Tubby Sleep Solution

How come Billie always gets prime position
and there is never room for Bob?

Don't even think about taking me out of my Telly Tubby!

Rare sighting of Billie on HER bed!

Billie wins again!

 Dawg Time

 

Food o'clock?

 

Ball-o'clock? 

Cat Time

 

 

 

Autumn Splendor

 

An Old Cat Can Learn New Tricks!

Housesitters have to be great problem solvers.  CatNap (my pet name for her because she sleeps 23.5 hours out of 24) has reached the grand old age of 17 and has become very forgetful.  She forgets to go outside and wee, because she is getting beaten up by the new young guns of the neighbourhood and would just not use the litter tray no matter how much Dr Googling and how many tricks I tried.

So a new place had to be found so she could be outside at night.  Not easy because she is so little she can escape through most small gaps and is so sprightly she can still jump higher than a cat ten years her junior.  She has ended up in her Dad's blue tool shed, right beside the Dawg Hilton so her doggie bro & sis can bark at any maurading interlopers and keep the garden safe for her.  I managed to find her a lovely soft mohair rug, special basket and her big sis is out buying her a special little cover to keep her warm out in Cell Block Blue.

Weirdest thing - she will use the litter box in the shed!  She is making the most of being on the bed during the day and we figure she will eventually forget she used to sleep inside on the bed at night!  I guess an old cat can learn new tricks!

I hope I find a "sitter" who will look me as well when I get that forgetful :-)

My Part Time Pets on Video

Pets That Pack

Virgin Australia have recently released frequent flyer points for pets.

The program even has a pet ambassador, but I think my part time pets would have given Pepper a run for the top job - if only they hadn't snoozed through the nomination phase!

It made me smile as I imagine the next stage being a Virgin debit card that allows pets to get extra points when they login online and buy their fav chicken treats, chew bones and greenies.

I daresay with enough points they will be able to have their treats delivered inflight, on demand.  Sophie, one of my part time pets in San Fran knew exactly when it was 9PM and her greenie got dished out - 9:01 was never an appropriate time!

Perhaps their own private lounge if they're flying business class, where only the most discerning butts get sniffed pre flight.

Then how about the inflight meals provided by chef Luke Mangan served in crystal bowls when they get to platinum status.

I know many of my discerning part time pets prefer to stay at home and have me come by and sit with them so they get their every need met in the comfort of their own home.   But if my four legged friends gotta fly, well then I trust the flight attendants will store their cuddly rug, chew bone and favourite toys in the over head locker, just the way they like it and that their seat back and tray table will be moved for them into the upright position when they have to awake from their snooze.

By the time they get all their special stuff packed, I suspect flying a pet would require more excess luggage fees than travelling with kids!

You can check out the program here:
http://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/ProgramBenefits/pets/index.htm

Bed Time Stories for Dogs

I can't help thinking I've seen it all now.

I also can't help thinking that a few of my part time pets would just love this!

I still think the "in person" bed time story would be even better, but this could be a nice way to calm an anxious pet, especially in the first few days of a sit when they are getting used to their new sitter and coming to terms with the fact that their family might be away a little longer than they anticipated.

The Cost of Getting Pets Minded

Just how much do you save by having a house sitter come in and mind your beautiful pets?

Well Guardian reporter Miles Brignall over at The Guardian did an interesting article that shows some of the options for pet minding services.  You can read the article here

The thing he doesn't address is the invisible cost of leaving your pet in a strange environment.  I left my Great Dane for the day at a kennel while I went off with my parents on a boating trip.

First my dog was rather unimpressed at not being included in the outing, then secondly it seemed I stepped onto very shaky ground as I dared to treat her like ......... well ....... a dog!

My Great Dane Sarah - any wonder she
didn't like being left at a kennel - they
didn't even let her bring her own sofa!

She looked at me with the saddest eyes as I left her behind bars and you could see her wondering what on earth she had done wrong to deserve this type of treatment.  She had never been locked up before in her life, well we did try to put in her a very expensive kennel in the back yard once and we came home to find she had eaten her way out of it. 

But the heartache of leaving her wasn't the worst part of the ordeal.

When I went to collect her I was appalled to see how much condition she had lost from fretting just in a very short period of time.  She was listless, depressed and I think if she had been left there a few more hours she would have been in need of an expensive emergency trip to the vets office.

I'd made sure the kennels were clean and the people nice, but she was just not the kind of dog that you could treat like a dog.  She thought she was a person from day one and was used to a lot of people around her.  It was just too much for her to be suddenly confined with no people to interact with.

Dogs give unconditional love and to lock them up, no matter how fancy the boarding kennel, it can never replace the safety and security they feel being in their own home.

I've sat for several dogs know who think they are people.  I find most sulk for a few hours.  They sometimes hide or seek refuge in their little pet beds.  But as soon as their lead rattles or their dinner dish rings out a meal is on the way I see the first of many tail wags as they let me into their heart.

I've found the secret is to be very kind and chatty with them during those first few hours of sadness after their Mum's and Dad's have left, but not to be too pushy with them.  I just let them have their little sulk but let them know its ok if they feel they need a pat or some one on one time with me.

The longest any of the part time pets have sulked is for 24 hours, then they just accepted the situation and got on with sitting beside me in the office, sitting with me while I watch tv and if allowed sleeping on the end of the bed or beside it.  

Usually by day two we best friends and all is well.

The most heart warming thing is to see the joy in the tail when their folks do return and the pleasure on their owners face when they are met by a joyous happy, healthy dog in great condition.

Even the poshest pet hotels can't give a pet the same experience a dog can get from being at home and with many dogs competing for attention in those places, its hard for you pet to get the love and attention they need and deserve.

The cats however are another story all together ....... beware a returning cat owner, no matter how good of a time they've had with me, you're going to get a lot of guilt!

Playing Ball

A large part of a housesitters life is spent playing ball.  You become an expert!



One of the greatest ball players I've known is a gorgeous little Lhasa Apso gal named Shanti.

Shanti McGanti came to stay with me over Christmas one year and I swear I threw that ball a thousand times.

She would run down the hall, as she flew through the fly screen door, it would be open long enough for me to throw the ball through from the top step in the hall before the fly screen door closed.  She would race down the stairs and be ready to chase the ball as it hit the concrete below.

It always made me laugh that she took so long to get back up the steps because they were open, but she flew down them (technically way more dangerous) at speed without worrying.

Yes, you guessed right, I got sick of the game first :-)

Everyone Knows Ellie

Bush walk through to the Beach

My Beach and Camel Rock -
look carefully and you'll see the camel

Life's a Beach and Even More People Know Ellie Now!

Going out walking with my new part time pet, well its like being in a rock stars entourage - every time we go for a walk someone stops for a chat with Ellie and I invariably hear the phrase "oh everyone knows Ellie". 

Looking out toward Bermagui

Life's a Beach

Come In?  What's She Talking About?
She Knows I Swim At The Lake NOT the Beach!

Track through the caravan park to the lake

Ellie does her Thorpie imitation -
even if you had video - it would look the same -
she just likes to stand in the water and cool off

A very small part of Lake Wallaga

The Tale of the Office Power Play

All well for two weeks, now an imposter not only lurks but perks the top spot in the office.

I thought the power plays in the corporate world were horrendous but nothing compared to the power plays of two part time pets in San Francisco.

When I first arrived little Sophie the lovingist little dog wanted to come and sit on my knee in the office. There just wasn't room, so I bought her groovy little growlie day bed in and put it beside me.

She was happy with that arrangement so long as she got the right amount of pats and attention throughout the day.

Marcel the very sweet natured three legged cat with a cone on his head was happy down in the lounge for ages.

Then one day he decided he'd get in on the office action when he figured out he could lay in the sun and get some of the extra attention too.

All went well with that arrangement for days on end.

In fact both would share the floor when the sun was in the exact right spot.

Then sweet and timid little Marcel who has been very quiet for the whole time just yesterday he stepped up and decided the growlie bed was for him, leaving Sophie out on the carpet.

Now there is a race for top spot.

Even though he's only got three legs - Marcel seems to be winning

But Sophie has fought back with a valiant strategy to achieve the sympathy vote .... she took up residence in my backpack.

The coaching lesson in all this:  with the right fire in your belly, anyone, despite their circumstances can claim their rightful place in the world, if they have the courage to make the move.

AND there is always a bigger bed ......... luckily big bro Luke has been at behavioural bootcamp while I've been here and his vacant bed has now been made available for Sophie allowing my KnoMo backpack to remain in its original shape. 

But we all know what's going to happen next ............ yep you guessed right!

The Power Play Continues.................



Love my part time pets!

The Part Time Pets LOVE to Help Out at the Puter

The one thing my part time pets seem to have in common, particularly for the smaller ones, is their need to put their IT skills into action and help with the puter.  Its a shame they are not so willing at filing!

"Marcel the Parcel" as I called him was a master at supervising anything going on in the office in the last few days of the sit.  He had surgery before I arrived and was meant to be out of his cone by the time I got there, but he figured out how to get around his first smaller cone, and chewed out all his stitches.  So he was very quiet the first week of the sit, but once he started to feel better - he was right into everything.  Not bad for a three legged rescue cat :-)

Will Technology Replace HouseSitters?

I was amused to read about a new service in cat shelters which allows the shelters site visitors to play remotely with cats in cages.  Its a great scheme and is showing greater number of adoptions and donations to the sites.

But of course this technology will be easily applied to other areas including housesitting.

Sylvie loved to climb up on my knees and have a snooze
while I worked on my iPad - she made a great stand

But will there ever be a replacement for a pat and hug, being walked all over and sat on and really just to have human contact while an owner is away?

You can visit the website here

Part Time Pet Hall of Fame

Over time I've had the pleasure to make the acquaintance of some wonderful part time pets - they all end up with a special nickname from me - you can meet some of them here:

The Ozzies

Katie and Sophie - Daylesford

  

This is "Katie the Matie" and "Sophie the Lophie" collectively
known as "The Tailwaggers".  Katie has a heart the size of
Texas and well Sophie would just loaf off as soon as your
back was turned and go find dead kangaroos bones to bring home

 

One needs one's futon for lying in the sunshine

 

They would beg their way in promising to keep me company, 

then all I would hear is snoring by the fire

 -oOo-

Jelly Bean - Hepburn Springs

 

This is "The Bean" - she is a hugger girl that likes to help with the computer

 

Every princess needs her beauty sleep

Funny thing was, this sofa was empty the day she arrived,

by the time she left she had more blankets and pillows than I did! 

 -oOo-

Ellie - Bermagui

-oOo-

Thunder and Jadore - Gold Coast

Their folks had gone off to Bali to get married so we 

decided we'd get our fascinators on and have a special 

wedding dinner and send them a wedding message with photos

 Thunder the Wonder took to the whole
fascinator thing well and posed beautifully and 

seemed a little disappointed when he had take his off

Jadore the Princess seemed a little less impressed with

hers and it disappeared as fast as her dinner

There was also Freddie the exotic blue fish but he

refused to have anything to do with fascinators and was

content to just go round and round and round his bowl

-oOo-

Dunolly, VIC, Australia

Madge and Max were my only buddies 

in Country Victoria - they didn't say much 

but hopped in morning and night
and did a good job of keeping 

the lawns mowed.

-oOo-

Izzy and Blackie - Adelaide

 

I called her "Izzy Whizzy Lets Gets Busy" - but her favourite thing (well apart from walks) was sneaking onto MY blanket and leaving HER Snoopy blanket for me!

Her third most favourite thing was tummy rubs!

Blackie liked to lie in the sun and was happiest when left alone.
Funny thing was Blackie wasn't black.

The Americans

Sylvie - San Jose

 

"Sylvie McGilvy" - the "let me find the best and sunniest 

spot in the house and lie in it" gal

 

She was such a loving gal - she had to be in on everything.

She made a great iPad stand - she would sit a top my knees

and help write newsletters (yeah right - sleep more like!)

 

I had trouble convincing her she wasn't leaving with me!

~oOo~

Sophie and Marcel
San Francisco

 

Marcel the Par-cel - such a gift

He'd had surgery but outsmarted his

first smaller cone and ripped open the stitches,

which meant he was cone-head for the whole time

with me - don't you just love his ballet feet.

 

Sophie the Yoda Master

Straight out of Glamour Salon

 

Office Pals .... eventually

Read their story here

 Here's Marcel helping me set up the video for recording

~oOo~
 
Duke & Daisy
Washington DC

Daisy Di - very regal!

Dookie Doodle - the "Ma Num a Nah" cat

The Canadians

Donus - Sechelt BC

 

"Donus the Bonus" - that ear was always lop sided - so cute!

 

I even had to mind a Hamster called Hammy 

he loved his hamster ball I got him

-oOo-

Batman- Vancouver BC

 

This is "Batman the Catman" - he lives in Vancouver 

but he's from France originally, so he only speaks French

 I used to call him "Oui Oui" and "Bon Oui" when he was 

especially good because that's the only French I know!

He is the master at hide and seek