Jackson Pet Sitter wants you to play with your dog!

Have you ever read studies about animals and wondered, "Where do they get all those statistics? They have never seen MY pet!"  Well, now you can be included. We just heard about a citizen science survey where you can be involved.  Here are the details from the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab in New York.

“Our latest study investigates all the different ways people and dogs play together, and we need your help — well, you and your dog’s help! For the first time, we are crowdsourcing, asking dog owners to submit short videos of themselves playing with their dog.
Here’s a brief summary of what the study entails (the full details are at www.DogHumanPlay.com):

• Find or make a 30-60 second video of you and your dog playing in whatever way you like, and then upload the video to our website and complete a short survey. The video must capture both you and your dog playing together onscreen.
• You are also invited to add a picture of you and your dog to our growing Wall of Contributors.
• Submit your video by March 31, 2013.

Project: Play with Your Dog is entirely online and is open to anyone, in any country. If you live with a dog, we want to see you play!

Do you know other people (and their dogs) who would want to participate? Please spread the word! 

Want to know more? Here are some links to previous media coverage of the study:

• Scientific American: How Do You Play With Your Dog?

• Citizen Science: Call to Participate

• The Bark: Playing with Our Pups

Thank you for playing!

Cheers,  Julie,  Lab Manager, Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab”

Wow! How cool is that?!! And while you are uploading your video, feel free to post it on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/PriorityPets   We would LOVE to see how you play with your dog!

Pet Sitting vs. Dog Boarding | Pet Sitter Madison MS

Pet sitting or dog boarding? Which is better for my pets when I am out of town? Not every pet owner has the same needs.  This article is written to help you decide which is best for you.

Dog boarding or kenneling may be the best choice for you if ...

1) Your dog chews up furniture when you are out of the house.  If you've seen Marley in the movie, Marley and Me, then you know what I'm talking about.
2) Your dog's separation anxiety causes him or her to howl incessantly when you are away.
3) Your dog may enjoy the company of lots of other dogs.  If the boarding facility you choose offers doggy daycare, this may be an option for you.
4) You have only one dog and it is ok that he is kept in a cage most of the time with potty breaks outside several times a day.  The barking of other dogs doesn't bother him.

Pet sitting may be the best fit for you if...

1) You have multiple pets in your home.  Kennels have a fee per each pet.  Pet sitters, on the other hand, have a fee per each visit to your home.  A pet sitter in your home may actually SAVE you money if you have multiple pets.
2) You enjoy the convenience of having someone visit your pets in your own home. You don't have to load them up, drive to drop them off, and pick them up during kennel hours.
3)  You want to avoid your animals being exposed to other viruses that are going around.
4)  You know your pets would be happier sleeping at home in their own beds.
5)  You believe your home would be more secure with someone coming and going or staying overnight with your pets.
6) Your dog does not play well with other dogs that are not part of his family.

Call us with any questions you may have about pet sitting versus dog boarding in Madison, MS.

How Often does my Cat need to be Visited | Cat Sitter Madison MS

People tell me all the time, "My cats will be ok if you come by every other day."

Really?!!

Cats can get into all kinds of precarious situations. My grand-cat, Sebastian, is famous for climbing on top of open doors.  I don't know how he gets up there! But this is where he was sitting when his mom came home.

And then there is Jackson, a beautiful Ragdoll kitten who is very loving.  His litter box is in a little storage closet.  One night after I left his home, he closed the door to his "bathroom." The next morning he was so glad that I was there to open it!  His owner has us coming by twice a day to take care of Jackson.  Good thing, otherwise he would have had a lot of cleanup and deodorizing to do.  I propped the door open to prevent this from  happening again during this trip.  

Cats can contract urinary tract infections that can make them very ill very fast.  If there is a urinary tract blockage, this can become life threatening for your cat very quickly.

I recommend that your cat be visited at least once every 24 hours while you are away.  What could be more important than your peace of mind about the health of your cat?

Easy-to-Make Fall Treats For Your Dog

Have you ever thought about making your own dog treats?
You can save money and offer healthy snack fare for your
fur babies! 

And real pumpkin (which is on clearance sale at the groceries
after Halloween) is so easy to cook and puree.  Dogs love pumpkin!

Cut a whole pumpkin into two halves.  Scoop out the seeds and
stringy stuff.  You can clean and rinse the seeds for roasting
separately. Put the two halves of pumpkin cut side down on
a cookie sheet which has been lined with heavy duty foil.
Bake at 375 F. for about one hour. Time varies with the size
of the pumpkin.  Remove from oven, cool a little while,
and the skin of the pumpkin will come right off.  Puree the
pumpkin "meat" in a blender or mash through a colander.

Easy-to-Make Fall Treats For Your Dog

What can go wrong with Pet Sitting in Jackson, MS?

Many of you have asked me, "How long have you been doing this?"  I've been pet sitting since 2005, so a little over 7 years now.  I started the Priority Pets business in June of 2010, so I've been promoting my own business since then.  I've taken care of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds, fish, and there was one house with a snake (they promised I would not have to look at it, let alone feed it).

And some of you even want to know, "Have you ever had problems while pet sitting?"  Sure, and those learning experiences help us come up with our policies and procedures.  Here are some examples:

I locked myself out of a client's home one night.  My car keys, the client's house key, everything I had taken inside the home...were all inside on the kitchen counter.  I solved the dilemma by carding a back door.  If this had not worked, I would have had to pay a locksmith to open the door.  This led to our policy of requiring two keys from everyone. 

Two of my staff members broke a key in a door on two separate occasions.  The guys have big hands, what can I say?  Another very good reason for me to require two keys for every location.

A key did not work on a client's home just 3 days after I had tested the key in the door myself.  I usually always will test the keys in the doors at your "Meet the Pet" visit.  Either the house shifted (all the Yazoo clay in our area causes lots of this) or the lock just plain wore out.  In any case, I now have a great locksmith contact who can take care of me if this ever happens again. 

A homeowner left me a garage door opener for entering their home.  I asked for a key in addition to the opener.   Good thing I did, because the electricity was off on the very first visit to their home while they were out of town on vacation.  Garage door openers require electricity to work.

Another client who prefers the garage door opener had a bad battery in the g. d. o.  The spare key saved the day again.  Folks appreciate the fact that I've had these experiences and that I will do everything possible to be prepared for the unexpected emergencies that may come up.

What other emergencies have come up while you were away from your home?  Comment below!

Jackson Pet Sitter warns you about Nature's Recipe recall

Nature's Recipe Voluntarily Recalls Nature's Recipe Oven Baked Biscuits

Salmonella can cause diarrhea and/or stomach ache in your pets. 

The Nature's Recipe Oven Baked Biscuits may be contaminated with salmonella.  Click on the link
for more information.

Jackson Cat Sitter Weighs in on World's Best Cat Litter

I visit lots of cats and take care of the litter box chore
when I am there to play with the cats.  So I see my fair
share of different kinds of cat litter.

Let's see, there's clay based, clumping, non-clumping,
scoopable, crystalline, pine, wheat, and corn.
There's scented cat litter and unscented; there is some
with baking soda added for odor control.  There are
cat litters that advertise "multiple cats," as opposed
to single cats.

So when I saw a cat litter called "World's Best Cat
Litter" I was intrigued.  What was different about it?
How could they say they had the "World's Best?"

Here are the plusses:   World's Best Cat Litter is made
from ground up corn.   So it's biodegradable which
means it's friendly to the planet.
World's Best Cat Litter clumps so you can remove
the cat urine from the litter box.  (Please do that at
least once a day.)
The multiple cat variety that I used was scented
with lavender.  Nice touch if your cat likes the smell
of lavender.

And now for the minuses:  World's Best Cat Litter
has light weight particles and it's tracked all around
the litter box.  I recommend a towel or a rug or mat
under the box to make clean up easier.
Some people say it's expensive.  At $7.99 for a 7 lb.
bag, which may last an entire month, what do you think?

Give me your feedback below.  Have you tried the
"World's Best Cat Litter?"  Here's a coupon for a free
bag   FREE BAG OF WORLD'S BEST CAT LITTER