Pet Sitting, Dog Walking, Scottsdale, AZ

Archive for the ‘Editorials’ Category

Many of you may not know that a big part of a Scottsdale pet sitter’s job includes picking up pet’s messes. This can get pretty tedious sometimes especially if there are sloppy #2′s of throw up. (Eww, I know) Our clients love us because we don’t charge by time – so we can really get a good scrubbing in and not having to charge them extra for the time.

Bed Bath & Beyond (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, I decided to invest in a Bissell SpotBot Pet and wow o wow – I wish I could get a cleaning lady as good as this to do my house this efficiently. If you have a pet and end up with a ton of pet stains I highly recommend you get off your hands and knees from scrubbing and let the SpotBot do it for you! For the cost of $150 plus my 20% off coupon from Bed Bath and Beyond I carried this little wonder home and got right to work.

It’s so easy that a child could do it!
You just fill one of the containers up with water and about 1/10 solution. Put it over the trouble spot press START and in 3 to 6 minutes (depending if you put it on surface or deep stain) it is done! It even has a hose with a brush attached to it so you can use it in your car if you needed to.

They LOVE the pets!
As someone who is fascinated by marketing I found it amazing how they put testimonials from the pets on their packaging AND they did not discriminate. Both a cat and dog were represented explaining how this product works great for the both of them

This is a secrete weapon every pet parent should have. Rocco is a clean pup. Even rings the bell to go outside to potty. But lets face it, his bottom is full of dirt and dust and when he sits in the same place time after time it becomes a little dirty. No more dark spots.

This Scottsdale Pet Sitter LOVES the Bissell SpotBot Pet!

Now, her is a TIP from Jill, a SpotBot Pet owner and a Bella’s House and Pet Sitting client:
“Also, if cleaning/removing an unclear liquid, after cleaning with the SpotBot, you may observe that area now looking ‘almost clean’ (with some hint of color from whatever was soiling the carpet still remaining)’, or a very defined now ‘cleaner’ area. If that happens, move the carpet cleaner to the outer most area of the newly cleaned circle, in several spots, overlapping the original circle, and carpet clean again. It will blend the old/new clean areas together and resemble less of an ‘I stained the carpet here today!’ sort of clean area.”

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Photo by: Urban Distortions

Given the recent turn of events with Amanda’s Pet Sitting in Scottsdale Az I thought it would be important to tell you all a little about how to choose a pet sitter, what matters in their credentials, what to be aware of, and what really doesn’t matter.

As a professional pet sitter in Scottsdale Az since 2002, I have heard it all. Often times we gain our best clients from their unfortunate horror stories in the past and we look forward to the opportunity to build their confidence in our company. Recently, there was a pet sitter in the news who pet sat for a family with four dogs and two died in her care.Unfortunately this happens more than you think and this just happened to be one incident that was in the news.

See the story here aired 1/11/12: http://www.azfamily.com/news/consumer/dogs-die-under-care-of-pet-sitter-137191423.html

Follow Up Story Aired 1/25/12: http://www.azfamily.com/news/consumer/3-On-Your-Side-confronts-pet-sitter-accused-of-neglect-138064403.html

How To Choose A Pet Sitter It is really quite simple. Go with your gut! It is not uncommon for pet sitting companies to charge a fee for the meet and greet that you can apply onto your first booking. These companies understand what their time is worth and this is a good thing for you! It shows they take their job seriously. Are they on time for your meeting? Did they answer the phone the first time you called or did they get back to your promptly? Trust your gut. If you want a pet sitter you can get a hold of while you are away them pay attention to how quickly they respond to you.

What matters in their credentials? Of course being bonded and insured matters, however knowing what company holds their insurance is even more important. Think about it. If something were to happen and they were to “disappear” how would you know who to call? How involved are they with the community? How long have they been around and is it their full time job?

Be aware of the companies that claim they are the best in their area by their own proclamation.  Be careful of those who don’t offer up personal information about themselves on their website or social media. It is okay to take this to heart – these people could be sleeping in your bed with your pets! Relying solely on their credentials of being bonded, insured, and part of a national organization do not mean anything.

What doesn’t really matter are referrals from clients that the company gives you. Do you think they are going to give you people that are unhappy with their services? Also, hate to say it, but memberships in national organizations do not matter either. The way a company becomes a member is simply sending their dues in. So the company that is toting a national organization logo on the front page of the website, doesn’t tell potential clients anything. The organizations will say they have  a code of ethics, although the policing of every member’s ethics is a pretty big task.

Bella and staff at our monthly Mutt N Mingles so we can meet the community!

OK so what DOES MATTER?

Ask them who in the community vouches for them? Do veterinarians? What sorts of community outreach are they involved in? Have they won any prestigious awards? Do they return your calls or emails quickly? Does their website and social communities tell you who they are authentically? These types of things can not be faked or bought. They have to be earned.

The next time you are looking for a professional to stay in your home with your pets – keep these tips in mind. This is the truth because I have seen it over and over again over the past 10 years. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting represents all of this and more. We may not be the cheapest, but our reputation and integrity speak volumes and ultimately every pet parent want their kids and home safe when they are away.

Today was a great day.

I had two meetings with awesome people. One was the crew from Gabriel’s Angels. I love working with them as they are always professional, on the ball, and ready to work! They are the beneficiary for our Pet Pawshion Show at Barrett Jackson on Jan 20^th. Bella’s House & Pet Sitting is co producing this event in Scottsdale with Rock Me Arizona. In our meeting, we went over some final details and I learned even more about what they were doing. In fact, you might see a video of me soon on facebook talking with their puppet…errr, golf head cover. Get ready! It is going to be funny! But more about that later.

Marilyn from Barking Baby showing me some of the looks for the show

Then it was off to Tempe  Marketplace where I met with marlin to finalize all the looks for our pet fashion show. Marilyn is the creator of Barking Baby, a pet fashion line with amazing clothing. Marilyn has been so gracious to provide all the clothing for our show. It is the first time I have ever organized a fashion show and wow is it an experience. I have 30 dog models and matching them up to our 40-60 looks and getting the proper line up for the show is quite the adventure. Although, for those of you who know me, I love adventure! So bring it on.

Later, I returned to the home office to do some more work and send emails before off to another weekly meeting I have for Bella’s.  My days are

always fun and exciting. Tomorrow I get to meet a brand new client with Kelly who didn’t have a good experience with another pet sitting company in the past. I am going on this consultation so I can personally meet them and look them in the eye to assure them of our integrity.  This is important to me and I am excited to meet them.

What did you do today?

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We asked our employees what their favorite part of the Holiday Season is. Here is what Sarah said:

Sarah Post

Sarah:My favorite Holiday memory was in 2005. That year my mum and I went to South Africa for two weeks. On Christmas day we spend it surrounded by Buffalo, Elephants, Monkeys and much much more! It was a really great experience and I will never forget it

Stay tuned for more answers in this series “What I like most about the Holiday Season”

We asked our employees what their favorite part of the Holiday Season is. Here is what Kelly said.

Kelly Says:

My favorite thing about the Holiday Season is the sense of gratitude and joy that somehow always surrounds me Christmas eve. After the days of hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas I find myself overwhelmed with peace and hopefulness as I watch over my beautiful family laughing, squealing, & giggling as they marvel at the blessings the season brings, year after year. It is a feeling I try to grab onto and hold dear as I reflect on the past and wonder about the imponderables of our future.

Stay tuned for more answers in this series “What I like most about the Holiday Season”