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Become a dog sitter
I began dog sitting in October of 2012 and have loved every minute of it. Rover.com allows dog owners to find local, loving dog sitters as an alternative to kennel boarding, and you have the opportunity to open your home to some amazing dogs!
Since summer is here, Rover is in need of dog sitters nationwide. Summer is also the best time to join because of the high demand for dog sitters since so many families travel.
You can choose to dog sit full time or part time. I’ve paid for two European vacations with my earnings, and SO CAN YOU!
Benefits of dog-sitting on Rover.com:
- Set your own price per night
- Choose what services you want to offer
- Be selective with size of dogs you want to host
- Manage your own schedule
- FREE business cards to hand out to friends, family and neighbors (ask me how!)
- Free tools to promote your business
- Cute dogs!
I am working hard to recruit some amazing, kind, compassionate and responsible dog sitters. If you are interested or have any questions, please get in touch — I am happy to help get you started!
P.S. I work for Rover and am a super active sitter, so bring on the questions!
Happy Valentines Day!
When Lauren’s away the DropCam catches Squish…Play?!
Ever since I discovered a live stream of puppies, I have been hooked on webcams. I now use them to check weather abroad, take a mental vacation by checking in on a beach on Maui, or take a virtual visit to the Rover office via the RoverCam when I am working from home.
What’s even better than puppies, Maui, or Rover? SQUISH CAM. Squish is one of the funniest dogs I have had the pleasure of meeting. Lauren (Squish’s mom) recently put up a DropCam in their living room and what she’s caught has been priceless. Although Squish sleeps most of the day with his big brother Brando, these fine moments are some of the highlights of his time away from mom.
The 3 A.M. poop: a nice gift to leave mom and dad to find right when they wake up.
The Frenchie pop-up:
The most ridiculous tongue jiggle you will ever see:
Watching Squish has made me consider getting a DropCam – you never know what you’ll witness!
Valentines Day Gifts For Your Dog
I’ve always loved Etsy, but lately… I’ve become obsessed. So obsessed that it took me over two months to pick something to purchase with my $25 gift certificate because it had to be the RIGHT thing.
Since I consider Gus my “fur child” I put together a list of my 5 most favorite Valentines day gifts from Etsy. All of these dog themed gifts also happen to be VERY reasonably priced. Happy browsing!
Pick #1: Adorable blue bow tie with tiny hearts ($7.50). I absolutely love this. It’s not red or pink, so it could be worn at any party or just because!
Pick #2: Love Bug Heart Hat ($10). Does this need an explanation of why it is so cute? Didn’t think so!
Pick #3: Twinkle Hearts Dog Collar ($16.00). You are sure to get compliments if your pup sports this. Etsy has some AMAZING dog collars, and I refuse to buy them anywhere else.
Pick #4: Pumpkin Heart Shaped Dog Cookies ($10). I’m not going to lie… these look like something I’d buy for myself! I’m a big fan of fancy cookies for special occasions for Gus. His birthday is coming up and fancy cookies are surely on the list!
Pick #5: Heart ID Tag ($7.50). This tag is simple, cute and customizable to your dog’s name and phone number. Almost the same price as those you can get at major pet retailers – but 10 times cuter!
Our trip to San Francisco
About a year ago, my friend Lauren moved to San Francisco, taking Gus’ best friend Squish along with her. Last weekend, Gus and I made the trip down to visit and it was nothing short of a blast. Our trip included burger patties for the dogs at In-N-Out, Fort Funston, bike riding across the Golden Gate Bridge, and a “Weapons of Ass Reduction” workout class (put on by FitMob). I took WAY too many photos – enjoy!
Throwback Thursday
Aaaah to be young again…..
Dog Safety in the Car
A good friend recently shared an article with me. The Center for Pet Safety (CPS) tested several dog harnesses on a 55 pound dummy dog in a 30 mph collision to determine the safest harness. After reading this, I was shocked to read and watch the videos showing pet safety harnesses that not only fail, but fail miserably.
The top harness was the ClickIt, made by SleepyPod. Lesley Wolko, CEO of CPS, stated: “This was the only brand that consistently kept the dog on the seat for every test. It prevented the launch of the dogs and prevented side-to-side and fore-and-aft rotation of the dog, and helped keep the spine fairly stable.”
The results of the other tested harness brands are:
- Kleinmetall Allsafe Harness – Exhibits integrity; however, allowed test dog to launch off of the seat, risking secondary impact. Tether is adjustable.
- CoverCraft Ruff Rider Roadie – Exhibits integrity; however, allowed test dog to launch off of the seat, risking secondary impact. Tether is not adjustable.
- RC Pet Products Canine Friendly Crash Tested Harness – Exhibited hardware integrity problems; however, test dog did not launch off of the seat for sizes small and medium. Failure of size extra large met CPS catastrophic failure definition.
- Bergan Dog Auto Harness – Exhibited severe harness deformation. Allowed dog to launch, risking secondary impact. Failure of size large met CPS catastrophic failure definition.
- Kurgo Tru-Fit Enhanced Strength Harness – Exhibited tearing of neck strap and harness deformation. Allowed dog to launch, risking secondary impact. Failure of sizes small and large met CPS catastrophic failure definition.
- IMMI PetBuckle – Exhibited a consistent failure of the stitching of the connection point. Failure of both sizes met CPS catastrophic failure definition.
These four brands failed the preliminary strength test:
- Coastal EZ-Rider Car Harness
- In the Company of Animals CLIX CarSafe Harness
- Snoozer Pet Safety Harness and Adapter
- USA K9 Outfitters Champion Canine Seat Belt System
My Pet Food Drive – A Big THANK YOU!
I’ve started an annual tradition of hosting a pet food and supplies drive to benefit The Doney Memorial Pet Clinic, and this year was even better than last year! I donated the items yesterday and the reaction of the recipients is what motivates me to do this every year. People are so appreciative for the donations – the claps and cheers give me chills.
Seattle DogSpot recently posted an article about my drive. In addition, Rover.com was also kind enough to do a blog post to spread the word about less fortunate residents in Seattle. These two wonderful Seattle based companies genuinely care about all things dog and what a privilege it is to work with (and for!) them.
Thank you to all who donated or gave words of support. This cause is near and dear to my heart and I couldn’t have done it without you.
P.L.A.Y. Introduces New Bed
Gus’ BFF Squish works for P.L.A.Y. and they just released this awesome mustache bed. There is only a limited quantity so you better check them out! ALSO, if you purchase one, you can use the promo code HANDLEBAR to get a free small ECO Bone.
We recently purchased two beds from P.L.A.Y. and I can guarantee you they have been the best investments I have made for Gus’ beauty sleep.