BarkSpot

Welcome to BarkSpot from Bark PDX, a blog dedicated to our pets and our lives and adventures with them. Here we will share ideas, information, news, links, fun stories, anecdotes and basically everything pet related.

Home Alone

I have many clients that have a different idea of how long they can leave their dog unattended and I figured I would share some thoughts and experiences regarding this matter. First, let me begin by saying that every dog is different and has different needs. Puppies will need the opportunity to relieve themselves more frequently than adult dogs until they can better develop the muscles that help them control the need to go to the bathroom. As a general rule I follow this method: a puppy can spend as many hours alone as their age in months. So, for example, a puppy that’s 1 month old will need to be let out every hour; a puppy that’s 2 months old can hold it for 2 hours, and so forth but never exceeding 8-9 hours (trained adult dogs). You may or may not agree with this method, but it has always worked for me. If you’re puppy knows that you don’t like it when he relieves him/herself in the house but you don’t give him/her an opportunity to go outside to do it, the puppy unfortunately is raised in an environment of anxiety and stress. If the dog has a way outside (e.g. “doggy door”, etc.) it can obviously withstand more time unattended.

At the end of the day though, a dog needs companionship, especially those that are used to having it. Don’t that don’t receive attention become stressed and anxious and this usually leads to behavioral issues with your pet that most people wouldn’t want, like biting, destructive qualities, digging, etc. Let me know what you think.

Welcome to BarkSpot from Bark PDX, a blog dedicated to our pets and our lives and adventures with them. Here we will share ideas, information, news, links, fun stories, anecdotes and basically everything pet related.

Rich Dog, Poor Dog

Pets, much like humans, live in very significantly different economic classes. Some eat the most luxurious food possible while others search the trash in hopes of finding some form of sustenance. Some receive the best veterinary care, grooming, nail painting, trendy clothing, soft beds, varieties of treats and bones and more. Others are not nearly so fortunate.

I have friends who looked after their elderly neighbor’s 2 dogs and after when their neighbor passed away they decided to adopt these dogs (who incidentally are very sweet and I’ve provided care for). They then found out that their neighbor left his dogs a hefty sum in his will, a number in the thousands. Today I learned that Leona Helmsley also intended to leave a large part of her will to animal related charities only to have those funds redirected by five trustees managing the estate including her brother, two of her grandchildren, her lawyer and adviser. As it turns out, less than 1% of her will shall go to pet related charities which seems inconsistent with her dying wishes. That’s not to say that her trustees (ironically includes the word “trust”) aren’t donating her money to noble causes because they are. It’s just that the allocation of funds that will reach pet charities don’t mirror Helmsley’s wishes, which seems to be more important considering that’s what Leona wanted. You can read the story and decide for yourself and tell me what you think:  Rich Dog, Poor Dog

Welcome to BarkSpot from Bark PDX, a blog dedicated to our pets and our lives and adventures with them. Here we will share ideas, information, news, links, fun stories, anecdotes and basically everything pet related.

Quality Time

I belong to this networking group for pet sitters here in Portland and we discuss a range of different topics relating to pet care. Recently, someone brought up the topic of making money in the industry, which for most of us is no easy feat. They mentioned how much they admired this pet sitter located in Hawaii for being able to make over 100K a year pet sitting. When explaining how this was possible, they mentioned that the pet sitter would spend about 20 minutes of “quality time” with her clients. This message was followed by an a barage of responses which wasn’t much of a surprise to me. Being a pet sitter, I offer a 30 minute minimum visit that I would consider quality time, but more often than not my visit lasts for more than 30 minutes. I find it increasingly difficult to believe that spending only 20 minutes to provide “quality” care for an animal is possible. By the time you scoop out and refill the litter box, fill up the water, feed, and leave a note that doesn’t leave much time for anything else. Now that’s just talking kitties. Dogs are less than satisfied with a quick spin around the block once. And we haven’t even discussed animals with special needs, the need for medication, etc. Personally, without going into much more detail than this, I think pet sitters like this do us all a disservice.

Welcome to BarkSpot from Bark PDX, a blog dedicated to our pets and our lives and adventures with them. Here we will share ideas, information, news, links, fun stories, anecdotes and basically everything pet related.

Flying Dog?

I used to think it was totally unfair that small pets could travel along with passengers in the cabin of a plane while larger animals had to suffer the grueling experience of travelling in the cargo hold. Granted, large aimals can’t fit under your seat, but I was always hopeful that someday things would change to better the experience for our larger travelling companions. I have travelled extensively with my pet and I’m pretty sure that she hates the experience of flying. As it turns out, things have changed! For about $150, it appears that your pet will be able to fly in the main cabin on Pet Airways, an airline specifically for pets set to open it’s doors sometime in May ’09. Now, it’s not like they will offer service to every city,  seems that they will be limited routes to be offered, but it’s a much welcomed start. I guess the only catch is that the pet can’t be accompanied by you, he/she has to go it alone. That to me seems like another hassle associated with travel, extra stops for drop-offs and pick-ups, etc. But at least you can have the peace of mind of knowing your buddy doesn’t have to suffer… as much. Anyway, check it out for yourself:   Flying Dogs