This week is Pet Sitter Appreciation week!

From all of us at TBAR, and all of our personal and foster pets, we want to THANK everyone who steps in when we have to step out. Sometimes it’s for fun things, like a vacation, sometimes it’s for sad times, like a funeral, but no matter the reason your pet only knows that you are gone. Some pets get sad and confused, and even might refuse to eat. Sometimes our pets may be old or sick, and our pet sitters make sure they get special love and their medicine on time. That is why we have to pick certain special people whom we know can be there for our pets. So for all those people that we trust to come into our homes, or to take our pet into their own, we thank you for being responsible and also loving to our pets.

Having a pet doesn’t mean you can’t get out and travel if you want/need to, it just means you’ll have to find someone who can take great care of your pet while you are gone! Visiting Pet Sitters International is a great way to locate a sitter. One of our TBAR volunteer staff members, Amy, is a regular pet sitter and offers the following advice to those looking for a pet sitter, or looking to become a pet sitter:

“I chose to take on pet sitting as secondary income to help pay surgery bills almost 2 yrs. ago. I wanted something with flexible time & didn’t want PT work after my FT job and something in retail or fast food. I love animals so sought out to get my name out there. I’m registered on care.com & sittercity.com Most of my success has come from care.com & word of mouth. I have a few regulars right now and love all their animals as if they are my own.

Always make sure to meet the owner & animals before the job starts to learn the routine, get emergency contact #s including their vet, trusted neighbor or friend, etc. Interact with the animals so you can get to know them & vice versa.

I love the interaction with the animals especially after a hard day at work. There is nothing more relaxing than talking to “someone” who is happy to see you, listens, & loves you unconditionally.”
– Amy Hemsell, TBAR Staff (and TBAR Pet Sitter)
Amy pet sits for the 10 mile radius from downtown Brenham and can be reached at 713-992-4700 or email [email protected]

And here is some advice (and notes of appreciation) from some of the TBAR Officers and Staff!

“As an owner of multiple dogs and cats, vacation time can either be stressful or not considered at all. We ask ourselves ‘how can we afford to go anywhere?’ A ‘Pet Sitter’ who comes into your home to care for your animals is the best way to go. Especially if you have large animals like horses or donkeys, someone who can come to your home twice a day to feed and check on your extended animal family is the best way to go. Be sure to provide a safe environment for each animal as the care taker will only be checking on them twice a day. Supply all medications, food, access to water and emergency phone numbers for your care taker.  Planning ahead will make your vacation time away from home much more enjoyable.

My friend Harriet Patrick does “In Home Boarding” for limited number of dogs. She temper tests her boarders because they  must get along with her own personal dogs. She likes to meet your dog in her home before you leave on vacation. There are certain advantages to an “In Home Boarding” environment over a professional kennel. Dogs are in the house interacting as a family.  This situation causes less stress on the dogs. Harriet provides Pickup and Delivery if you are in a rush to get to your appointment or airline flight. Don’t worry about coming home to a dirty dog that has been in a small kennel while you are away. Harriet will also bath and groom on request. Harriet has 30 years training and showing dogs, and she has experience with older dogs and those with special needs.

Larriet Spaniels, Home Environment dog boarding: 11818 Beinhorn Dr (Houston, TX 77065), 281-705-0364, [email protected]”
– Linda Taylor, TBAR Marketing and Events Director

“I’d like to thank my sister and future brother-in-law for pet sitting my little furry man, Archie. Knowing I was going to be leaving him for two months was difficult enough, but having family there to care for him while I was gone was a huge relief.

Being trusted with someone else’s fur child is a big responsibility, but being able to bond with animals you don’t see every day is always a joy and can hardly be considered work! That is unless you’re pet sitting for TBAR. That’s hard work and all of the furry friend love you could handle in a single day!

You wouldn’t leave your children in the hands of strangers and neither should you for your pets! Always check references from previous clients for potential pet sitters.”
– Alissa Cannon, TBAR Secretary

“Finding a sitter that you can rely on is hard. But finding one that you know can take care of all your pets needs is even harder. My pets are my children and all have different little needs. I am grateful that I have a friend that is taking the time to try and bond with all my pets, even my most shy dogs.”
– Olivia Moore, TBAR Photographer & Journalist

“In our last city we had a great pet sitter. He loved his dogs and loved all dogs. Our dogs loved going there, and even used to stare out the back window and whimper when we took them back! I learned from his facility that a good pet sitter should be willing to let you visit them and show you where your pet will be staying. This will help alleviate YOUR stress, which will make your pet more at-ease as well.

In our new city we have not found a new pet sitter, so the pups have been staying at camp – that is, my parents’ house, and home to about 35 TBAR foster dogs! My dogs have so much fun running around with all the other dogs! Thanks Mom and Dad for taking in your ‘grand-dogs’ so I can take a break!”
– Jessica Ripley, Webmaster

“True Blue Animal Rescue is a volunteer organization made up of foster homes. We don’t have a facility with staff to take care of the animals. They are all cared for by the families who foster them. Foster homes usually have more pets than most people, making pet care a challenge. As the largest foster home in Tbar I know this first hand. I also know how important it is for us to take breaks from caring for the 30 or more dogs and over 35 horses that my family fosters at our home. To us, a good pet sitter is very important. We love and care for all of our pets and foster pets and we couldn’t leave and relax if we didn’t feel comfortable with our pet sitter. For us a pet sitter is someone who will not only feed and water the pets but will also be observant and look around and see how they are all doing. If they have any questions they can call and we can make sure that our pets are getting everything they need whether we’re there or not. With that type of dedication and communication we get to take the breaks we need so we can continue caring for this many animals and that’s what keeps Tbar going. So, on behalf of all the animals we help in True Blue Animal Rescue I want to say ‘thank you’ to the pet sitters we’ve had here and to all the pet sitters everywhere. I hope you know how important you are!”
– Melanie DeAeth, TBAR President