1
00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:19,239
Speaker 1: This is Pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.

2
00:00:22,559 --> 00:00:24,879
Speaker 2: This is a two part episode, So if you're checking

3
00:00:24,879 --> 00:00:26,839
in here and haven't heard part one, go back to

4
00:00:26,879 --> 00:00:29,440
the feed check out part one before you listen to

5
00:00:29,559 --> 00:00:33,159
this portion. Respect is one of those things that's really

6
00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,039
funny to me. And when I was the keynote speaker

7
00:00:36,039 --> 00:00:38,159
at the NAPS conference, and one of the things that

8
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,560
I said during my keynote the first night was, you know,

9
00:00:42,679 --> 00:00:46,079
people think that this industry pet sitting is cute. They're like,

10
00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,159
oh my god, you're a pet sitter, and they have

11
00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:52,640
absolutely no idea what goes into it. It's twenty four

12
00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,520
to seven, it's seven days a week, it's in people's

13
00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,960
homes when they're not there. It's unsupervised access to what

14
00:00:59,159 --> 00:01:03,640
unfamiliar pets. But it is dangerous, it is vulnerable. It

15
00:01:03,719 --> 00:01:07,840
is emotionally and physically taxing. There's so much more to it.

16
00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,319
And I said, joking around, I was like, you know,

17
00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,840
our clients are like nine to fives with benefits, And

18
00:01:13,879 --> 00:01:17,560
if anything is cute, that's cute being a nine to

19
00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,159
five where you show up, show up to work, do

20
00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,000
your thing, and leave and you get benefits. That's adorable.

21
00:01:24,359 --> 00:01:27,920
Because a business owner has a lot more grit than that.

22
00:01:28,439 --> 00:01:31,640
Speaker 3: Well, and being self employed, if you don't work, you

23
00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:36,840
don't get paid, right exactly. So after nineteen years, you know,

24
00:01:37,239 --> 00:01:39,680
I mean, I've had people say, oh, we're so glad

25
00:01:39,719 --> 00:01:43,280
you're taking time off, and then there's other people that like, well,

26
00:01:43,359 --> 00:01:45,680
it's labor day weekend, you can take labor dy weekend.

27
00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,239
Speaker 2: Well I can, yeah, and I will like wats thread?

28
00:01:49,719 --> 00:01:52,319
Speaker 3: Oh I did that once. I took labor Day. In

29
00:01:52,359 --> 00:01:54,519
one year, I took fourth of July off, And it's like,

30
00:01:55,359 --> 00:01:58,719
you know what, no one has promised to tomorrow. I

31
00:01:58,879 --> 00:02:02,280
love what I do and I always the lady from

32
00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,319
the rescue years ago that helped me get into this industry.

33
00:02:06,959 --> 00:02:09,400
She always said, when it stops being fun, it's time

34
00:02:09,439 --> 00:02:12,360
to get out. Yeah, And to me, there's many more

35
00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,719
pros than cons of being a professional pet sitter, you know,

36
00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,639
but there are some days that you just kind of go, man.

37
00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,479
Speaker 2: This is a lot of it's a lot of work,

38
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,759
and I think anybody who's looking at it's for getting.

39
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,000
Speaker 3: Like you said, I don't think Joe Q Public and

40
00:02:28,039 --> 00:02:30,960
I'm not saying that in a derogatory way. I don't

41
00:02:31,039 --> 00:02:35,719
think mister and missus Jones really understand what it is

42
00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,639
we do and how invested we get into their pets,

43
00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,599
just like rescue and veterinary care. The capassion fatigue that

44
00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,439
runs rampant, I think in our industry, it's not so

45
00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:53,599
much burnout, is more of compassion fatigue. Yeah. So the

46
00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,879
pet loss alone, it's like losing one of your own.

47
00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,560
It really is. And you know, maybe it's I'm just

48
00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,879
a little more sensitive to that. But you don't want

49
00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:08,120
a pet sitter that is just looking for a paycheck, no, because.

50
00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,479
Speaker 2: Then they're in the wrong industry. Anybody who's looking for

51
00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:12,639
just a paycheck is in the wrong industry. Like I

52
00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,199
always used to say when I was interviewed in things

53
00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,639
when I ran my professional pet sitting business, I was like,

54
00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,439
I speak three languages fluently. I could be doing anything

55
00:03:21,719 --> 00:03:25,159
anything I wanted, But I've chosen, you know what I mean,

56
00:03:25,319 --> 00:03:27,560
like to be a professional pet sitter. There are so

57
00:03:27,599 --> 00:03:32,960
many people who were CPA's attorneys, banking professionals, all these

58
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,560
things that have chosen the professional pet sitting industry because

59
00:03:37,599 --> 00:03:40,560
it fills them. It's our calling, it's our passion, it's

60
00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:45,680
our vocation. But it doesn't diminish who we are as professionals,

61
00:03:45,719 --> 00:03:48,240
And it does not mean we don't have other options.

62
00:03:48,599 --> 00:03:51,159
We have plenty of other options. It just happens to

63
00:03:51,199 --> 00:03:53,800
me that this is where our joy is. And I

64
00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,360
really do say that. You know, there are a lot

65
00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,479
of people who get a lot more respect in other

66
00:03:58,479 --> 00:04:00,759
industries or make a lot more money and their industries

67
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,000
that are not half as dedicated as a professional petsitter is. Oh,

68
00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,280
and that's why I like to bring attention to the

69
00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,800
industry because it's such it's like the ugly stepchild of

70
00:04:09,919 --> 00:04:14,039
the pet industry, like it really gets no love, no respect.

71
00:04:14,159 --> 00:04:18,800
Like dog trainers are like so important. Obviously, veterinarians are doctors.

72
00:04:19,199 --> 00:04:22,279
You know that techs have some kind of medical training.

73
00:04:22,959 --> 00:04:25,439
Rumors have to be so technical and they have to

74
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,959
know all these you know, cuts and reed cuts and things,

75
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,160
and like, no disrespect to all of those people. They're amazing.

76
00:04:32,519 --> 00:04:34,800
But so are professional pet sitters.

77
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,040
Speaker 3: Well, you know what, because I'm not fear free certified,

78
00:04:39,319 --> 00:04:41,240
but you know, there is a whole fear free thing

79
00:04:41,319 --> 00:04:44,839
that groomers in vets and pet sitters are responsoribles for everybody.

80
00:04:45,399 --> 00:04:50,240
But I think experience, you know, and having dealt with

81
00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,439
behavioral veterinarians, you know, at conferences and having trainers and

82
00:04:54,480 --> 00:05:00,079
behaviors doing that continuing education about considerate approach and you know,

83
00:05:00,079 --> 00:05:01,879
how do you approach a dog or a cat or

84
00:05:01,879 --> 00:05:04,160
this or that. You know, these are things that we

85
00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,160
apply or that we've been doing for years and never

86
00:05:07,199 --> 00:05:09,600
even realized we were doing it. You know, now it's

87
00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,959
kind of juice to you know, the forefront, but you know,

88
00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,319
these are things that hopefully will you know, I joke

89
00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:19,959
with people and say, look, I am not a dietitian

90
00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,439
and nutritionist, a vet tech or a veterinarian, a behaviorist

91
00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,079
or a trainer, and I've never played one on TV,

92
00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,959
but you know my years experience between my own personal

93
00:05:32,079 --> 00:05:37,000
pets who were rescues and had their quirks, and some clients,

94
00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,920
you know, families of dogs that were working with trainers

95
00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,279
that when I'm there, you know, midday clients, well, what

96
00:05:44,319 --> 00:05:46,160
are you working on? What can I do to help

97
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,040
reinforce this behave.

98
00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,959
Speaker 2: Yes exactly in the home, in the same place where

99
00:05:51,959 --> 00:05:55,120
they're learning the skill that's so important, with a different

100
00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,040
hand exactly exactly.

101
00:05:57,399 --> 00:05:59,120
Speaker 3: I met with a new client the other day. I'm

102
00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:02,079
going to start care with the tomorrow and one dog

103
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,920
eats in another room because she will, you know, shark

104
00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,399
the smaller dogs. And she has a command that says,

105
00:06:09,439 --> 00:06:12,959
you know, go to your bowl, and she will literally

106
00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,680
go to another room in the house and wait there

107
00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,839
for her bowl to be put down. Oh, and I'm

108
00:06:18,879 --> 00:06:21,600
happy to say that she's a rescue that was adopted

109
00:06:21,639 --> 00:06:25,040
from a Doberman rescue that I helped support for years

110
00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,519
when I used to do the sand because I walked

111
00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,959
in there and I'm like, those are Adapt Rescue Martingale callers.

112
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,639
I know them anywhere. She's like, yeah, we adopted Taylor

113
00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,319
from ADAPT. I'm like, oh my god, So that may

114
00:06:36,439 --> 00:06:40,839
be had. But you know, I you know, like you said,

115
00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,519
pet sitting is not for the faint of heart. Pet

116
00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,120
sitters are a breed unto ourselves, and we're to pet

117
00:06:47,199 --> 00:06:50,560
parents out there. You know, we don't want to be difficult.

118
00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,959
We want to be good at what we do. And

119
00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,879
by being good at what we do, sometimes we have

120
00:06:56,959 --> 00:07:00,839
to ask the difficult questions and make the difficult decision.

121
00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,279
And it's not a matter of want or have to.

122
00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,199
Sometimes it's just not the right thing. And you know,

123
00:07:09,319 --> 00:07:12,000
you don't want someone who's not comfortable doing something you're

124
00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,240
asking to do. Now, Bush, your dog's gonna pick up

125
00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,160
on that. Yeah, and who benefits in that? Sure, I'll

126
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,240
get a paycheck for you being done for a week,

127
00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:23,519
but I'm not going to come into your house three

128
00:07:23,519 --> 00:07:25,199
times a day and stress your dog out.

129
00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,519
Speaker 2: Or stress myself out, like it's not worth it. So

130
00:07:29,879 --> 00:07:33,199
it's funny because I feel like petsitters don't get that

131
00:07:33,319 --> 00:07:36,920
much respect. I've been in the industry for sixteen years now.

132
00:07:36,959 --> 00:07:40,279
I'm a journalist and writer now specializing in the pet industry.

133
00:07:40,319 --> 00:07:42,839
But for twelve plus years I was a professional petsitter.

134
00:07:42,959 --> 00:07:46,759
We did one hundred thousand pet sits in over ten years,

135
00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,639
and I managed all that. I was the founder and

136
00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:51,959
general manager. And the other day I was having coffee

137
00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,680
with friends and one of my friends was sharing a

138
00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,560
frustration with her new dog that they just rescued. They

139
00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,439
found her on the street. They took her in and

140
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,079
she's a ape artist. And the first question I asked

141
00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:05,600
was is she Spade? And my friends were surprised that

142
00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,399
I asked such a good question. She is not Spade.

143
00:08:08,759 --> 00:08:11,879
She's looking for boyfriends. And you know what's funny, my

144
00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,319
friends were shocked that I had such a good question

145
00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:15,959
to ask, and I'm like, do you know what i'd

146
00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,360
do for a li So it's one of those things

147
00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:22,000
that people don't understand until it's like one of those

148
00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:27,279
situations where you intrinsically just know the answer. You intrinsically

149
00:08:27,519 --> 00:08:30,519
know what to ask, You intrinsically know how to approach

150
00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,919
the dog because you have nineteen years of experience. So

151
00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,039
it just works. Whereas the kid next door who's calling

152
00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,519
himself a professional pet sitter, who's nineteen years old, doesn't

153
00:08:42,519 --> 00:08:45,720
have the life experience, the pet experience, the home experience

154
00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,240
that you would have at sixty one, nineteen years in.

155
00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:52,639
So I feel like, if anything you can take away

156
00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:54,639
from this, like if there's one thing you can take

157
00:08:54,639 --> 00:08:57,960
to the bank from this episode, it's experience matters. It

158
00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,399
makes us the professionals that we are. The years actually

159
00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,279
do count. But we say in Spanish, the devil is

160
00:09:05,279 --> 00:09:09,039
the devil, not because he's the devil, but because he's old,

161
00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:13,240
and like because he has that life experience. The devil

162
00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,600
knows what he's doing because the devil is old. And

163
00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:19,639
it's really true, like we know what we're doing because

164
00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,879
we've been in it for as long as we have

165
00:09:22,039 --> 00:09:23,320
nineteen years. Bravo.

166
00:09:23,879 --> 00:09:27,879
Speaker 3: There's three words that I don't like. Normal, perfect, and expert.

167
00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,320
There's no such thing as normal because everybody's norm is different, right, true.

168
00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,960
There's no such thing as a perfect person or perfect

169
00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,960
dog or cat, or never or expert. Back in my

170
00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,240
youngen days, one of my first jobs I worked as

171
00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:46,919
a recruiter. I'm a headhunter for data for computer programmers.

172
00:09:47,159 --> 00:09:50,960
I knew absolutely nothing about computer programming, but you know,

173
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,039
I had my little script and do you do this

174
00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,799
and do that? And I remember the person that ran

175
00:09:56,879 --> 00:10:00,159
the agency said Scott. He's like, don't let any of

176
00:10:00,159 --> 00:10:04,320
these programmers tell you they're an expert in anything. And

177
00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,120
I'm like, okay, and he goes, let me tell you

178
00:10:07,159 --> 00:10:10,039
what an expert is. An X is nothing more than

179
00:10:10,039 --> 00:10:12,559
it has been in a spurt, is a drip under pressure.

180
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,840
He said, don't never let them tell you they're an

181
00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:20,279
expert in everything. So look, I am not an expert

182
00:10:20,399 --> 00:10:23,799
in professional pet sitting. I am not perfect. I'm human,

183
00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,279
but I would like to think I'm very I'm good

184
00:10:27,279 --> 00:10:31,600
at what I do, yes, sehyr since here, and I'm

185
00:10:31,759 --> 00:10:35,679
very detail oriented when it comes to getting all the

186
00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,559
facts about people's pets when I meet them and their house,

187
00:10:40,399 --> 00:10:43,799
and you know, again, what I'm comfortable doing, what I'm

188
00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,399
not comfortable doing. And anybody that's just going to go

189
00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,720
to a potential pet client's home and just go uh

190
00:10:50,799 --> 00:10:54,919
huh uhh, that may not be the person for you either.

191
00:10:55,519 --> 00:10:59,080
I don't want to give people pushback, but like I said,

192
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,039
if I'm not a hundred percent comfortable doing something, Look,

193
00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:05,559
I don't like shared care. I don't like someone else

194
00:11:05,639 --> 00:11:08,279
being in the home when they're gone. You know. I

195
00:11:08,399 --> 00:11:11,960
worry about pool services and yard services because of gates

196
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,879
and things like that. It is what it is. I mean,

197
00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:19,399
I'm not going to tell someone you cannot have someone

198
00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,480
in your home. But in my service contract, I have

199
00:11:22,519 --> 00:11:25,679
a third party liability clause that they have to initial

200
00:11:26,039 --> 00:11:28,879
acknowledging that I will not assume my ability to their

201
00:11:28,879 --> 00:11:30,679
home or their pet. You know. Yeah.

202
00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:32,960
Speaker 2: The only dog that ever got lost at the wag

203
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,360
Pack was a dog that was led out to the

204
00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,879
yard by the new door people like they were installing

205
00:11:39,919 --> 00:11:42,919
new doors, new sliding doors to the backyard, and one

206
00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:44,559
of the other guys left the gate open in the

207
00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:46,440
backyard and I got there to walk the dog, and

208
00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:48,480
he was gone, and he was fifteen years old and

209
00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,480
should not have been on an adventure around the neighborhood.

210
00:11:51,519 --> 00:11:54,000
And thankfully somebody found him before yat hit by a car.

211
00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,840
But yeah, like there are again. The devil is the devil,

212
00:11:57,919 --> 00:12:00,480
not because he's the devil, but because he's old. Like

213
00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:04,120
we learn by doing, and by doing, we know that

214
00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,639
these landscapers, as much as they tell you that they

215
00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:09,879
will be careful with the door, they're not. They don't

216
00:12:09,919 --> 00:12:11,879
have a routine of being careful with the door, so

217
00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,480
they may make a mistake and your pet could pay

218
00:12:15,519 --> 00:12:17,639
the ultimate price for that mistake.

219
00:12:17,639 --> 00:12:21,480
Speaker 3: Absolutely. Yeah, No, I mean driving around town, you know,

220
00:12:21,759 --> 00:12:24,320
I keep telling people, you know, I drive around in

221
00:12:24,399 --> 00:12:26,759
circles all day and go nowhere, but the stock's along

222
00:12:26,799 --> 00:12:28,960
the way or FuG I mean, I can't tell you

223
00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,679
how many dogs I have picked up thank god they

224
00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:34,639
had collars and tags on that did get out because

225
00:12:34,639 --> 00:12:37,159
the pool service was there or the yard service was there,

226
00:12:37,399 --> 00:12:40,320
and people like, oh, no, he's in our backyard. I said, no,

227
00:12:40,399 --> 00:12:44,799
he's not. They might crr, you know, And then I say, oh,

228
00:12:44,799 --> 00:12:46,759
and by the way, I'm a pet sitter. Here's your dog.

229
00:12:46,799 --> 00:12:49,440
And here's my card. You know. Nice. No he's in

230
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,799
the backyard. No he's not. You know, Oh lord, it's

231
00:12:52,799 --> 00:12:56,159
your dog name, you know, Charlie. Uh huh yeah. Is

232
00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,039
he a black lab? Uh huh? Does he have a

233
00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:03,000
blue collar on? Uh, he's not in your backyard. You know.

234
00:13:03,919 --> 00:13:06,919
We see it all and again, you know, when you

235
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,879
talk to people, it's a I think experience matters. I

236
00:13:11,919 --> 00:13:14,519
am a totally different pet sitter than I was in

237
00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:17,600
two thousand and five. I'm a different pet sitter I

238
00:13:17,639 --> 00:13:20,559
was in twenty twenty two. Oh of course, I joke

239
00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:24,080
and say, you know, we become shape shifters sometimes, you know, yeah,

240
00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:29,039
in more waste than one. But things that happen you

241
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,279
kind of have I don't want to say an epiphany,

242
00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,559
but you have those aha moments and you say well wow.

243
00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:38,159
You know, and living in the Houston area with hurricanes

244
00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,480
and things like that, you know you have to be prepared.

245
00:13:42,519 --> 00:13:45,559
And again, a deal breaker again would be a client

246
00:13:45,919 --> 00:13:49,720
that's not on board with a backup plan. Yes, I

247
00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,679
had a client during hurricane we were without power for

248
00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,120
two weeks. They're like, well, we're not coming back to

249
00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:55,919
leam power.

250
00:13:56,279 --> 00:14:00,480
Speaker 2: There's sense of responsibility when you're a professional in somebody's

251
00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:04,559
home is really big. It's a really big sense of responsibility.

252
00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,879
It's a big ask to have somebody in your home

253
00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,159
who's supposed to be there three times a day to

254
00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:15,639
now become your handyman, your you know, your emergency contact.

255
00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:19,200
I remember we had an earthquake in northern Virginia, which

256
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,879
is not common, and my dog walker was like I

257
00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,440
went to everybody's basements to make sure that everything was okay,

258
00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:27,720
Like I you know, we didn't sign up for that.

259
00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,799
Speaker 3: I have a thing on my intake form, you know

260
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,320
about an HVAC company, a plumber, and an electrician. You

261
00:14:34,399 --> 00:14:37,080
know how damn hotty gets here in the summer. I

262
00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,039
would hate for a house to get to ninety plus degrees.

263
00:14:40,639 --> 00:14:43,879
I have a lot of the brachiophaslad pets, you know,

264
00:14:43,919 --> 00:14:46,960
a lot of frenchchies and bulldogs and some boxers that

265
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,240
I care for that you know, they just don't do

266
00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,120
the heat well you know, and well they can't no,

267
00:14:52,399 --> 00:14:53,840
you know. So I mean I don't want to be

268
00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,360
in a ninety degree house either, But you know, I

269
00:14:56,399 --> 00:14:59,240
mean I tell people, look, I can't fix these things,

270
00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:01,960
but I could prevent them from getting worse. And you

271
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,120
know when people travel and they're on a cruise ship

272
00:15:04,159 --> 00:15:06,159
or out of the country and there's time differences, or

273
00:15:06,759 --> 00:15:08,679
you know when some people just don't want to be

274
00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:10,759
bothered while they're gone. Yeah.

275
00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're praying for a premium service, you know,

276
00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,799
you know that you're gonna get that right what you

277
00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,480
paid for at least right. And then what you choose

278
00:15:19,519 --> 00:15:21,639
the right person, you know you're gonna get even more

279
00:15:21,679 --> 00:15:24,279
than if there's an emergency. Okay, so we've got to

280
00:15:24,279 --> 00:15:26,879
wrap it up now. But how can my audience learn

281
00:15:26,919 --> 00:15:30,279
more about you, especially if they're in Kingwood, Texas well?

282
00:15:30,399 --> 00:15:36,879
Speaker 3: My website is petsit dot com slash PTPs for Personal

283
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,720
Touch pet Sitting. I'm on Facebook for both Personal Touch

284
00:15:40,759 --> 00:15:44,519
pet Sitting and Scott Black, you know, and I am

285
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,320
very passionate about what I do. If that hasn't come

286
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:52,399
across and I just love to talk about the pet

287
00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:57,000
sitting industry. Even if someone was considering getting into the industry,

288
00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,440
I would be willing to speak with you about out

289
00:16:00,559 --> 00:16:04,279
what you need to do first, do it right. I

290
00:16:04,399 --> 00:16:07,759
wish I knew than what I know now, And actually,

291
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,279
between you and I I am seriously thinking about reaching

292
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,559
out to solopreneurs now, not as a mentor or a coach,

293
00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,559
because I don't want to get paid to do this right,

294
00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,519
but more of an accountability partner that, you know, let

295
00:16:21,559 --> 00:16:24,559
me help you not make the mistakes I made years

296
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,039
ago or even now. You know people starting out in

297
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,080
the industry. Don't make it more work than it is,

298
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,879
you know, don't overfake it. I think you know as

299
00:16:34,919 --> 00:16:39,120
well as I is. Sometimes keeping things simple works best

300
00:16:39,639 --> 00:16:42,759
across the board. You know, in my business, these are

301
00:16:42,759 --> 00:16:47,080
my policies. I don't have packages. You're paying for thirty

302
00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,080
minutes of my time at this price. Midday dog walks

303
00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,519
for thirty minutes. If it's too hot, we are outside

304
00:16:52,519 --> 00:16:54,720
for ten inside for twenty or in the backyard of

305
00:16:54,759 --> 00:16:57,840
the shade drop in pet visit thirty minutes, three or

306
00:16:57,879 --> 00:17:00,879
four times a day, same price. You know you only

307
00:17:00,919 --> 00:17:03,120
need me twice a week instead of five days a week.

308
00:17:03,559 --> 00:17:07,079
Is this price I don't discount. You're paying for my time,

309
00:17:07,279 --> 00:17:11,559
you know. Yeah, my policies are pretty upfront and straightened forward.

310
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,599
What I'm comfortable doing, what I'm not comfortable doing. Keep

311
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:15,160
it simple.

312
00:17:15,519 --> 00:17:20,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, you went through the process of having policies enforce them.

313
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,480
And if you hire a professional petitor with policies, expect

314
00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,440
them to enforce them, because I remember one of the

315
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:29,160
funniest conversations I had with a client was I understand

316
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,680
having policies but enforcing them. And I was like, why

317
00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,440
wouldn't have policies if I wasn't planning to enforce them?

318
00:17:34,799 --> 00:17:37,039
Speaker 3: Talk about a deal breaker. And I don't know if

319
00:17:37,039 --> 00:17:39,279
you're going to edit this in or out, but someone

320
00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,039
call me. You come so highly recommended. I went to

321
00:17:42,079 --> 00:17:44,480
your website and it says you're insured, and they're like, yes, sir,

322
00:17:44,519 --> 00:17:47,519
I am how much you ensured for? I'm like, that's

323
00:17:47,519 --> 00:17:48,319
none of your business.

324
00:17:48,799 --> 00:17:52,000
Speaker 2: Hmmm. They're trying a lot of commit insurance fraud there.

325
00:17:53,079 --> 00:17:56,319
Speaker 3: Well, either that or like this guy is a leggious,

326
00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,920
you know, person is looking to find something wrong that

327
00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:02,400
I just don't think we're a really good fit.

328
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:04,960
Speaker 2: No, of course not. It's not a good fit. And

329
00:18:05,039 --> 00:18:07,039
you know when it's not a good fit when people

330
00:18:07,079 --> 00:18:10,880
start fighting you already. And if you, as a pet

331
00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:15,160
parent have like a really important buying factor where you

332
00:18:15,319 --> 00:18:19,640
really do have a pet with a specific medication that

333
00:18:19,759 --> 00:18:23,119
has to be given at some time, specifically during the

334
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,759
day and your pet sitter, the person you're calling is

335
00:18:25,799 --> 00:18:27,640
not willing to work with you, then that too is

336
00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,200
a deal breaker. So there's deal breakers on both sides.

337
00:18:30,519 --> 00:18:33,319
The idea, and i'll wrap this up since we've been

338
00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:35,640
on for so long, but the idea of a professional

339
00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,400
pet sitter, in my opinion, and I think you'll agree, Scott,

340
00:18:38,839 --> 00:18:41,920
is that you do that whole intake and you get

341
00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:44,240
to know each other initially, but then it becomes a

342
00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:48,480
long lasting relationship. So there's no backendory. You did your

343
00:18:48,559 --> 00:18:52,119
due diligence at first. And so now for me, it's

344
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,440
five years later and I still have the same pet

345
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,880
sitting company because I did my due diligence then and

346
00:18:57,920 --> 00:18:58,319
now I.

347
00:18:58,359 --> 00:18:58,799
Speaker 3: Just go on.

348
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,839
Speaker 2: I email them, I request you know the dates. The

349
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,480
same person comes over. He knows what we do. I

350
00:19:04,519 --> 00:19:07,440
know what he does. We have an established relationship. So

351
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,240
that's really the goal. The goal is not to you know,

352
00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,720
make something work. The goal is to find a good

353
00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,920
match kind of like data where it will be a

354
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:18,200
long term relationship.

355
00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:21,079
Speaker 3: Well, and you know again, part of my whole process

356
00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:23,359
is like I don't even go and do a meet

357
00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:25,920
and greet. I don't put dates on my calendar until

358
00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:28,759
I have a meet and greet scheduled, because that's a commitment.

359
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,799
But I tell people, I said, look, even though you've

360
00:19:31,839 --> 00:19:34,519
given me a bunch of information about the routines and

361
00:19:34,559 --> 00:19:37,759
this and that, I said, when I come, I said,

362
00:19:37,839 --> 00:19:40,599
I am not going to rush through this. Let's at

363
00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:43,839
least schedule a minimum of an hour. I know pet

364
00:19:43,839 --> 00:19:46,680
sitters right now, if they heard this, their heads wild explode.

365
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,160
They do a thirty minute, forty five minute meet and

366
00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:50,119
greet and they're done.

367
00:19:50,279 --> 00:19:53,640
Speaker 2: That's long. I mean, honestly, that's long. I remember some

368
00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:55,680
of my pet sitters would go in and out in

369
00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,400
fifteen minutes. Like the pet parent was like eye bye,

370
00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,160
and I'm like, no, you didn't, do you do you

371
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,559
know where the recycling bin is? Do you know where

372
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:04,359
the extra bags?

373
00:20:04,559 --> 00:20:06,839
Speaker 3: Well? You talk about a dog that may not let

374
00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,640
you in the house, right, yeah, So I'm like, well,

375
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:13,799
you know what, the longer I'm there, yea, the more

376
00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,839
comfortable he or she may. They can hear me, they

377
00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,079
can smell me, they see that I'm not a threat

378
00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:24,559
to the house. Oh my god, that this dogtail or

379
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:26,319
she brought me, I mean I got that. I was

380
00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:28,839
afraid of her. I mean, Doberin's are the biggest babies.

381
00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:31,519
But she brought me a tennis ball, and then she

382
00:20:31,599 --> 00:20:33,519
brought me another one, and then she went and got

383
00:20:33,559 --> 00:20:35,599
him and had two tennis balls in her mouth. I said, oh,

384
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,160
you're so mean and vicious. You know. No, But to me,

385
00:20:40,039 --> 00:20:42,440
I say, please, let's a lot the time. I said,

386
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:44,799
I'm not going to rush through this. This is only

387
00:20:44,839 --> 00:20:46,119
going to benefit.

388
00:20:45,839 --> 00:20:48,200
Speaker 2: The pets and myself, everybody.

389
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,440
Speaker 3: And you know what, I don't charge for the meat

390
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:52,960
and grease. I know that's a hot topic in the industry,

391
00:20:53,279 --> 00:20:55,799
but you know what, who benefits at the end, the

392
00:20:55,839 --> 00:20:59,759
pets and I do. Yeah, I'm not going in their stressed.

393
00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:03,079
They're not going to pick up on the stress. Again.

394
00:21:03,319 --> 00:21:05,799
To me, it's a win win. I'm one of those

395
00:21:05,839 --> 00:21:09,319
people that I don't want this. You know, I want

396
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,200
this and you know, whatever I need to do that

397
00:21:12,599 --> 00:21:15,200
there's some things, like I said, I may not agree

398
00:21:15,519 --> 00:21:18,400
to do and then that's just not my ideal client,

399
00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:20,759
you know. And then then we get into the whole

400
00:21:20,799 --> 00:21:24,400
ideal client thing is you know, to me, the ideal

401
00:21:24,519 --> 00:21:28,839
client is the person that respects you as a business owner,

402
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,359
at respects your experience, and your knowledge, but keeping in

403
00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:38,039
mind that you're not a veterinarian and you're not this

404
00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,960
and you're not that. But the credentials you have hopefully

405
00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:45,799
support what I would consider what a true professional pet

406
00:21:45,839 --> 00:21:50,200
sitter is. And you know your experience, you know, I mean, yeah,

407
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:56,119
someone doing this for ten years versus five years, or

408
00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:59,960
fifteen years versus ten years, or hey, I know, sider,

409
00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:01,839
and you know some of these people too, from the

410
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:06,920
organizations that are doing this up to thirty years already, yes,

411
00:22:07,519 --> 00:22:10,839
or pet sitting was even a thing. Yes, they had

412
00:22:11,079 --> 00:22:14,519
no place to find out how to do this, and

413
00:22:14,599 --> 00:22:17,279
we you know, we're lucky. I mean I look back

414
00:22:17,319 --> 00:22:20,319
and say, man, if I knew then what or if

415
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,599
things were available then that are available to people now,

416
00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:27,680
it'd be easy peasy. But no matter how we slice it,

417
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,440
whether you have staff or your solo, you know, you

418
00:22:31,559 --> 00:22:35,039
were the face of your business and I'm the face

419
00:22:35,079 --> 00:22:39,559
of my business and I'm about it's hard to separate

420
00:22:39,599 --> 00:22:42,359
the two. I think when you're solo, because you are

421
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,839
the business and the businesses you. But getting back to

422
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:49,440
the respect is when people respect the fact that I

423
00:22:49,599 --> 00:22:52,759
need to remove myself from the business to take some

424
00:22:52,839 --> 00:22:57,599
time for Scott. There's some people that just don't Is

425
00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,880
that your ideal client, or you can't take a holiday?

426
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,759
Speaker 2: I can no. My ideal clients were always the ones

427
00:23:04,759 --> 00:23:08,200
who supported the business. So they would obviously schedule if

428
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,480
we had If we had an event that we were supporting,

429
00:23:10,519 --> 00:23:14,240
they would support it too. If we did a podcast,

430
00:23:14,319 --> 00:23:17,920
they would listen to it. If we sent out a newsletter,

431
00:23:18,039 --> 00:23:21,480
they would open it. Those were my ideal clients because

432
00:23:21,519 --> 00:23:24,319
they understood that I was putting so much effort into

433
00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:28,720
building this business and into providing these services, into training

434
00:23:28,759 --> 00:23:33,880
my team, into meeting everybody's expectations, that they wanted to

435
00:23:34,519 --> 00:23:37,359
just celebrate and benefit from all the effort that I

436
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,720
was making. So like I can think of specific clients

437
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,359
that I will forever remember who sent me checks during

438
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,079
the pandemic. It was like seven hundred dollars here to

439
00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:50,720
tide you over. Maybe we'll schedule something in the fall,

440
00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:53,920
Like you know, like that's the ideal client, the one

441
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:56,519
that believes in what you're doing is so important.

442
00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,359
Speaker 3: I had a client during COVID that zeld me money

443
00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:03,400
and I'm like okay, and I looked at the amount

444
00:24:03,519 --> 00:24:06,279
and I was like, oh my god. So I called

445
00:24:06,319 --> 00:24:08,680
her and I said, hey, I think you hit the

446
00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:13,680
wrong contact or payee, I said, She goes Scott. She goes, we,

447
00:24:13,759 --> 00:24:17,160
you know, had to cancel these trips and I said yeah.

448
00:24:17,279 --> 00:24:20,039
I said, it's not your fault. The country of Italy

449
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:25,000
shut down. I said, there is no way I'm sending

450
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,400
this back. She said, don't you dare? Yeah, she goes,

451
00:24:28,839 --> 00:24:31,720
we want to make sure you're okay. And I said, well,

452
00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:33,440
when things open up again, you're going to have a

453
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,359
hell of a credit. She goes, oh, no, we won't.

454
00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,200
She goes, I will ask her my key back. Don't

455
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,480
go there. We want to be able to help support.

456
00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:43,240
Speaker 2: Yeah.

457
00:24:43,319 --> 00:24:45,839
Speaker 3: They were self employed too, but he was still able

458
00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:49,839
to work. He was in construction and good big building construction.

459
00:24:50,279 --> 00:24:53,559
He was still able to work. You know. She's like, no,

460
00:24:53,839 --> 00:24:56,279
she goes, we want to help you. And I had

461
00:24:56,319 --> 00:24:59,119
another daily client. She was only a three time a

462
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,880
week client, and he kept paying me, will you please.

463
00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,880
Speaker 2: Theop Yes, And we had that too.

464
00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:07,880
Speaker 3: Ease please, I said, I appreciate it, but you know,

465
00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,039
we're okay. You know, once we started getting the stuff

466
00:25:11,079 --> 00:25:12,720
through exactly, you.

467
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:15,240
Speaker 2: Know, the department labor or whatever it was.

468
00:25:15,319 --> 00:25:18,880
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, I said, thank you, but we're good.

469
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,759
We're good. I had more people check it on me.

470
00:25:21,839 --> 00:25:23,319
How are you doing you okay?

471
00:25:23,559 --> 00:25:25,880
Speaker 2: Like those are the idea lions.

472
00:25:26,039 --> 00:25:29,759
Speaker 3: Yes they are, they are. And there's something about this

473
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,039
industry where where it is hard to stay within the

474
00:25:33,079 --> 00:25:36,920
boundary of keeping it professional. But most of these people

475
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:39,640
that reached out to me were people that started with

476
00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:43,599
me years ago. Yeah. That I've seen their dogs go

477
00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:47,720
from puppies to seniors exactly, and their kids graduate high

478
00:25:47,759 --> 00:25:51,359
school or get married, you know, or so they are

479
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,759
family in many ways. And I appreciate people check it

480
00:25:55,839 --> 00:25:56,160
up on.

481
00:25:56,160 --> 00:26:02,039
Speaker 2: Me, absolutely absolutely, and they appreciate you because it's symbiotic.

482
00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:06,279
They appreciate you too, because we see as professional pet sitters,

483
00:26:06,519 --> 00:26:10,880
like you said, cancer diagnoses, surgeries that lay people up

484
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:15,519
for weeks. We see divorces, we see children struggling with addiction,

485
00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:19,480
We see a lot of things. Because you become part

486
00:26:19,519 --> 00:26:21,559
of the family. You are part of the pet care team,

487
00:26:21,559 --> 00:26:24,200
but it's an in home pet care team. So you're there.

488
00:26:24,319 --> 00:26:28,160
You might overhear conversations, you might see suitcake this.

489
00:26:28,559 --> 00:26:31,359
Speaker 3: We are like a bartender and a beautician. You know.

490
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:33,799
People just feel comfortable. Top tip us.

491
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,160
Speaker 2: Yes, exactly, exactly.

492
00:26:36,279 --> 00:26:39,200
Speaker 3: So here's a little tip though, real quick. Okay, the

493
00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,640
pet parents tell them not to buy a plane or

494
00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:45,559
a train ticket or book a hotel until they check

495
00:26:45,599 --> 00:26:46,680
with their petsitter first.

496
00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,640
Speaker 2: Yes, exactly, I have mine trained.

497
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,559
Speaker 3: I said, please, don't buy a plane ticket and then

498
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,000
call me and say you're going away.

499
00:26:53,319 --> 00:26:56,680
Speaker 2: Check with me first, especially not a non refundable ticket

500
00:26:56,799 --> 00:27:01,279
or non changeable ticket. Agreed. Wait, don't wait till the

501
00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:05,839
last minute. Plan with your pet sitter. Always know that availability.

502
00:27:06,039 --> 00:27:08,920
Speaker 3: I have someone reach out to me for Thanksgiving, her ready,

503
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,160
and she goes, is it too early? I said, it's

504
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,599
never too early. I said, God will and I'll still

505
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:14,519
be breathing, you know.

506
00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:16,200
Speaker 2: But you're one of those you know.

507
00:27:16,559 --> 00:27:17,240
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah.

508
00:27:17,279 --> 00:27:19,359
Speaker 2: We didn't take stuff that far out because most of

509
00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:22,039
our business was midday dog walking, so for pet sitting,

510
00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:25,720
I wasn't necessarily sure about my staff, so I didn't

511
00:27:25,759 --> 00:27:27,640
want to book out more than two to three months.

512
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,839
But like the second that go opened up, it was

513
00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,759
like Thanksgiving is open, start requesting.

514
00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:36,240
Speaker 3: You know. Back in the day, I used to hold

515
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,680
spots for people that traveled every holiday, and then they

516
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,599
stopped traveling. I said, I'm not doing that anymore. Yeah,

517
00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,759
first come, first surf exactly, and people know that, so

518
00:27:45,039 --> 00:27:47,599
that I fill up quick. And you know that I'm

519
00:27:47,599 --> 00:27:49,559
only going to be able to do what I can do.

520
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:51,359
Speaker 2: You're one person exactly.

521
00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,559
Speaker 3: Okay, Well, and that's just it. And I will never

522
00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:59,039
compromise the quality of care over quantity. Yeah, And I

523
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:03,359
always want to make sure that when that client calls

524
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,440
me and says, Scott, we've got a sick family member,

525
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,039
someone passed away, I want to be able to say

526
00:28:10,279 --> 00:28:13,920
I got it covered. Go not Oh my god, I'm

527
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,359
so overbooked as it is, to be honest, as I'm

528
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,799
getting older, I had a little bit of an epiphany

529
00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,599
during covid Is. You know, as a solo sitter, I

530
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,400
was doing eighteen twenty twenty two visits a day between

531
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,319
mid day dog walks and you know, dropping pensils. I

532
00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:30,680
don't want to do that anymore. You know, I'm good

533
00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:35,000
with about sixteen as a busy day. I'm shaking my moneymaker. Girl.

534
00:28:36,759 --> 00:28:39,759
Speaker 2: Ah, that's a lot. That's a lot, so long as

535
00:28:39,799 --> 00:28:42,319
it's sustainable, where it's like a short period of time,

536
00:28:42,319 --> 00:28:44,759
but it's not sustainable. Three hundred and sixty five days

537
00:28:44,799 --> 00:28:45,079
a year.

538
00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,720
Speaker 3: Oh no, No, it wasn't like that every day. But

539
00:28:47,799 --> 00:28:50,440
there were some days that, you know, the holidays and

540
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,480
stuff like that, but exact Geordie short period. But you know,

541
00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,920
for the most part, like right now, today was a

542
00:28:58,039 --> 00:29:00,200
very light day for me. I do have to go

543
00:29:00,279 --> 00:29:03,599
back out in about an hour, but you know it

544
00:29:04,039 --> 00:29:06,759
overall it's a light day. But you know, I embrace

545
00:29:06,839 --> 00:29:09,759
those two because it gives me time to kind of

546
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,319
just regroup, you know, the mornings that I don't have

547
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:14,400
bedtime visits and have to get up for a morning

548
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,880
visit where I could sleep in a little bit with

549
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,839
my own dogs, it's even better. So then you're busy

550
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,160
during the day and then you know, someone says, hey,

551
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,240
we're going to be in town, can you do a

552
00:29:24,279 --> 00:29:27,240
dinner visit for us? Well? Sure, you know, And that's

553
00:29:27,279 --> 00:29:30,200
another thing too that I think pet sitters need to

554
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,160
share with their clients. Again, depending on their business model,

555
00:29:33,559 --> 00:29:36,640
I guess don't do midday dog walks and vacation sitting.

556
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,640
If you become an established client and you know, God

557
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:43,640
forbid you get stuck somewhere. Yeah, you guys just are

558
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,200
gone for an extended period of time and need a

559
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,039
mid day letout, or you want to go to the theater,

560
00:29:49,599 --> 00:29:51,680
but you work downtown and you're just going to go

561
00:29:51,759 --> 00:29:54,240
right to the theater from work. Sure, I'll come and

562
00:29:54,279 --> 00:29:57,200
do a dinner visit, you know. Yeah, I'm not opposed

563
00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,519
to going out for one visit if I'm a ready

564
00:29:59,519 --> 00:30:02,480
you know, if I'm already out making other dinner visits now.

565
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:04,799
But you know the con sitters out there that just

566
00:30:04,839 --> 00:30:06,839
won't go out for one visit or won't do this

567
00:30:07,039 --> 00:30:10,359
or won't do that, and you know, I think that

568
00:30:10,559 --> 00:30:15,119
one visit could become a longtime client. Or those that

569
00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:17,920
only will do a minimum of three midday walks a week,

570
00:30:18,319 --> 00:30:20,480
you know that they're not going to take on business.

571
00:30:20,799 --> 00:30:23,039
Well you know those midday clients are going to become

572
00:30:23,119 --> 00:30:26,440
vacation clients. Yeah, don't rule that out, you know what

573
00:30:26,519 --> 00:30:29,559
I mean. So to me, there's no job too big

574
00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:31,799
or too small for me. But if I can provide

575
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,519
quality care, whether it's one visit a day for a

576
00:30:34,559 --> 00:30:38,039
cat or one mid day visit walk a week because

577
00:30:38,039 --> 00:30:40,480
that's they only work one day a week, or they

578
00:30:40,559 --> 00:30:43,359
volunteer at the hospital and they're gone all day, you know,

579
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,720
or whatever else is. You know, I mean to me,

580
00:30:46,839 --> 00:30:49,480
it's a win win. I'm still providing a service to

581
00:30:49,519 --> 00:30:51,920
someone that di ses the value in it, and that's

582
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:52,920
what it comes down.

583
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:55,640
Speaker 2: To, absolutely, And I just want to propose a toast

584
00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,920
to you because I really do think you've painted the

585
00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,000
picture of what this relationship between a pet parent and

586
00:31:01,039 --> 00:31:03,680
a pet sitter should be. It should be symbiotic, it

587
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,319
should be a win win for everybody. So cheers. Thank

588
00:31:06,359 --> 00:31:09,880
you so much taking the time to share your story

589
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:10,400
with me.

590
00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:12,400
Speaker 3: My pleasure, my friend.

591
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:14,359
Speaker 2: I also want to propose a to host to my

592
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,599
executive producer, Mark Winter. Thank you, Mark, and to our

593
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:20,319
audience for joining us for these awesome conversations. This is

594
00:31:20,359 --> 00:31:22,839
a deep dive into pet sitting because you are looking

595
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,480
at two people who love the pet sitting industry and

596
00:31:25,599 --> 00:31:27,519
want to see it thrive and want to see more

597
00:31:27,559 --> 00:31:30,359
pet parents take advantage of the benefits of having a

598
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:36,200
long established relationship with a professional pet sitter, elevating the industry,

599
00:31:36,279 --> 00:31:39,759
elevating pet parenting, elevating everything that matters to all of

600
00:31:39,839 --> 00:31:42,559
us with Chase a life Covered in pet Hair, because

601
00:31:42,599 --> 00:31:47,680
there's no better way to move cheers. To learn more

602
00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,319
about Covered in Pet Hair, please visit covered in pethair

603
00:31:50,359 --> 00:31:54,200
dot com or petlife radio dot com. Thanks for watching,

604
00:31:54,559 --> 00:31:57,160
and don't forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and

605
00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,160
wherever you get your podcasting shows, because I want to

606
00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:04,240
reach more pet parents and the more five star ratings

607
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,839
you give us, the more pet parents I can reach.

608
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,559
Thanks again for watching and I'll see you next name.

609
00:32:10,079 --> 00:32:15,160
Speaker 1: Let's talk pets every week on demand only on petlifradio

610
00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:26,319
dot com