Our boy, Milo: a beautiful, slightly skittish rescue Birman, with piercing blue eyes and a healthy addiction to catnip.
Us, TJ & Lexy: a happy, healthy slightly paranoid couple, who work long & thankless hours in an industry which requires vast amounts of travel, often with very little notice.
Our sitter, Carol Ann: a caring, compassionate, trustworthy, lover of all creatures, who over the years, has become an honorary member of our family.
Knowing that we can always depend on Carol Ann provides peace of mind and ultimately helps the three of us sleep soundly.
WHY.
* Carol Ann adores Milo, Milo adores Carol Ann.
Milo gravitates toward her energy. Positive, fun, reassuring, reliable ( he knows exactly what time it is ).
* Carol Ann calls us religiously - every visit, every day, same time, without fail.
Wherever we are. U.S.A, Europe, Australia, South America. It doesn't matter. We've set up a Skype number which transfers her ( twice ) daily calls to our cell phones. In the rare event we miss a call she'll leave a magical, animated, descriptive & sincere message - a blow by blow account of exactly what's happening in our home. Very reassuring, as it affords us, as owners, the ability to remotely diagnose any less obvious issues which may be occurring. Things that only an owner, would or could know - i.e subtle behavioral changes, feeding oddities etc.
* Carol Ann has our implicit trust.
House keys, alarm codes, our bed. All left for her. Whatever she needs to do her job, she gets.
* Carol Ann is the consumate professional.
Looking after other peoples pets, may be one of life's more stressful jobs. When I think about the logistics in detail, it becomes obvious there's a daily, almost unsolvable, time crunch conundrum ( feeding, walking, administration of meds to various animals, in different neighborhoods, at similar times ) and a HUGE amount at stake if you mess up. The key to success probably lies somewhere between military style preparation and meticulous organization. A small amount of borderline OCD may help too.
Ideally, a 'pet sitter' should be transparent when it comes to their emotions. Carol Ann is exactly that. She doesn't B.S. She'll never pretend everything's ok, if it isn't. If something's up, you'll know about it immediately. She always errs on the side of caution. For that reason, she's head and shoulders above anyone else we've ever encountered.
To some degree, Carol Ann becomes 'us' when we're away. She's hyper sensitive, instinctive and empathetic. She cares. We spent years looking for someone with all these unique qualities. They're not techniques learned from a book or some fancy med school. They're innate qualities. You either have them or you don't.
Q & A.
* What happens if my Whippet with a Myostatin gene mutation gets bitten by a Raccoon?
Carol Ann will administer whatever treatment she deems necessary. If required, she'll take him / her to your Vet or to a local reputable emergency clinic or she'll supervise a DVM home visit.
* What does she charge ?
We pay $14 - $18 per 30-40 minute visit. This includes, grooming, feeding, chatting, play time, cleaning, walking, the famous phone call. All peace of mind. Which seems very reasonable to us.
* Is Carol Ann an athlete ?
Yes. When we first met her, she rode a bicycle ( pro style bike with clips, water bottles, toys, medicines ). She did some serious mileage. From Marina Del Rey to Venice to Santa Monica into the Palisades, Brentwood, Beverly Hills and back to the beach, visiting her 'babies'. Blistering heat or torrential rain, she still rode that bike. Pure dedication.
* Is Carol Ann eccentric ?
Possibly. See answer to previous question.
* Does Carol Ann drive a car now ?
Yes. I think the bike's in storage.
Like most care work, Pet Sitting's whatever you want it to be. It's all about expectations. Quite a few people make a living off it. Some decide to perfect it. Others go a step further and dedicate their lives to it.
Carol Ann does all this and more.
She loves what she does. The animals sense this and love her back.
Simple, honest, effective, quality. read more
