It's A Dogs Life

2007-12-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming and no doggies are visiting right now, it's the calm before the storm. The visiting and partying of the humans start happening about the 15th of the month and the visiting of many doggies at Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches starts about that same time. We will have many, many doggie visitors over the Christmas and New Year Holidays.
When we shop for presents for Santa to leave under the tree there will be 12 little presents for the visiting doggies too. When the presents are opened the visitors will be opening chew sticks and sheepskin teddy bears with squeakers inside. There will only be three humans here Christmas morning opening presents from Santa but there will be 12 doggies and one regal, yellow striped cat named Chester. Chester doesn't just tolerate dogs he thinks they are great fun. He does practice certain caution when we have many visitors. When he comes into a room his nose and eyes peek around the corner first and then the rest of the body tip toes quietly behind. At the first opportunity he jumps with one strong, agile leap onto the top of the computer cabinet where he sits amid the angels and peruses the room for danger. When he is sure that who ever is visiting doesn't think it is major sport to chase and bark at cats he joins the crowd for the pleasures of the evening entertainment. One thing he is always sure of is the doggies will go to bed before he does and he will have all night to have the run of the house by himself. What great fun it is to live with the four legged visitors and residents of Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches.
When we all go to bed, I often chuckle as these little furry friends arrange themselves on Peter's and my beds all cuddled down together. I may be single in my old age but I never have to worry about being alone in a "cold and lonely bed" not with all my warm, friendly visitors. What fun.
Santa may enjoy coming into this household so much that he doesn't want to leave.
And may you have as much fun as we are having around here getting ready for the jolly old elf again this year.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

2007-11-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Each holiday I create a postcard to send to our clients with a photo of one of the doggies who come visit us on the postcard. The doggie whose photo is on last years Thanksgiving card died this year of a congenital problem with her heart. She was only four years old and nobody expected this to happen. When I went into the dog sitting business I knew I would have dogs with me that I would fall in love with and then their owners would either not travel again and not need our services or they would make other arrangements when they did travel. But Maisey, that was her name and she was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was a daycare doggie and with us four days a week for 3 years. When she died if left a big hole in our hearts.
What I didn't realize was that over the course of the 5 years we have been in business so many doggies would die. Small dogs often have life spans of 15 years or maybe a little more. So I just didn't realize how much loss there would be over the years.
It does make me realize, as many things in life do, how necessary it is to enjoy life each day and have fun with the friends, human and canine and feline, that you have with you on that day. Nothing is more precious than friends both two legged and four.
I think in honor of Maisey I'll include her photo from last years Thanksgiving card on todays post. And then I will go give the doggies who are here, Angel the Chihuahua, Rocky the Cairn Terrier, Abbey the Clumber Spaniel, and Tootsie the Doxie , all great big hugs and throw three or four balls for everyone for a while.
Then it's time to clean the deck again. Some poop detail but mostly leaves that are continuing to fall even now in mid November. And there are still some up there on the trees waiting until I get this load cleaned up to fall down and make more work for me. Cleaning the deck is kinda dreary in the NW fall weather but today we will remember to make it fun, enjoying the spirit of the moment.

Amber, The Wonder Dog

2007-11-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

Amber, The Wonder Dog, The Dowager Duchess of Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches who was born on March 11, 1991 left us for her next great adventure Thursday November 8th, 2007. She was 16 1/2 years old. She was the deciding vote in which dogs we accepted as visitors at Aunt Kate's and she was the one who stopped the playing when it got too rough and before it broke out into scraps. She was the one who got into the middle of everything and kept control. She will be sorely missed. She was wise far beyond her doggie nature. She was an "old soul" and my constant companion for the last 15 years.
The doggie visitors we have right now are feeling her loss as am I. Rocky and Ripley and Boomer all know that Amber is missing and are sad to feel her loss.
Good Bye Amber, all of us still on this plane all wish you a pleasant journey, we will join you when it is our time.
Farewell

Koda and Ellie came to vist

2007-11-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

We were really busy over the weekend we had several doggie visitors and the sun shone so we spent time in the yard doing fall cleaning.
Koda is a very small Collie he really isn't much bigger than a light weight Sheltie and he is so sweet and loves to play. He particularly loves to play with the water from the hose and jumps around biting at the water flow and then jumping in the puddles I make while cleaning up the deck. We have lots of fun. This time Sparky a Yorkie that was visiting thought Koda was attacking me when he went after the water from the hose so Sparky was scolding Koda and Koda was bouncing at me. We all had lots of fun. Laughing and hooting around on the back deck like a bunch of kids. The neighbors must have thought we were nuts over here. The neighbors can hear us but there are really good fences so they can't see in the back yard at all. Some of the times when we are playing with the dogs I bet they really wonder what is going on.
We have a delightful five year old Cairn Terrier named Rocky, staying with us whose owner, a 42 year old woman, died suddenly a few months ago. The husband is in a position now where he can't keep Rocky and we have been asked to find Rocky a good home. We have such wonderful clients I hope I am going to be able to find him a home with some of our clients where we know he would have a good loving home.
Probably more about Rocky later as his story develops.
Right now the doggies are telling me it's time for dinner. So bye for now.

Sparky for Halloween

2007-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

When the Trick or Treaters come to our house, they will be met by Sparky the Yorkshire Terrier in his Witch costume and Rocky the Cairn Terrier all dressed up as Spiderman. Max the Havanese hasn't decided which costume he is wearing yet and Amber will wear her diamond Tiara and pink feather boa. The lady in the picture with Amber is not Aunt Kate it is Jannine a friend of the family..For many years Amber has worn her diamond Tiara as befits the Duchess of the Manor. She could be no less.
At Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches everyone has fun on Halloween even Aunt Kate who is wearing her witches garb with a black pointy hat with a lime green boa around the rim and a matching boa for her shoulders. Peter with be in his Mad Scientist outfit.
Spiders and Bats hang from the roof of the front porch and you have to walk through the graveyard to get to the front porch.
For treats we pass out full sized Hershey candy bars.
For some reason every year we have more kids stop by, I think we are the talk of the neighborhood.
Doggies love kids and kids love dogs and everyone loves to get dressed up. What fun we have.
We hope you do to.
BOOOOOOO

Morning chores

2007-10-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's another morning in the doggie sitting business, all the visitors and our own doggies have been out to take care of their morning chores. Then back in so the people who wait on them, Peter and I (I'm Kate) can get their special breakfasts prepared. It's quiet today compared to yesterday when Ripley and Rocky were playing so hard together and so much fun to watch. Ripley's owner picked her up last night and I let Rocky and Ripley together in the main part of the house so he could see how much fun they were having together. When Rocky realized that Ripley was going home he was visibly sad. Ripley comes back on Thursday and Rocky will still be here then. So that's good but not a concept it's possible to communicate to the dogs sorry to say.
When doggies come to visit for the first time they have a hard time adjusting to the idea that the friends they have made are going to leave them. When it happens the doggie who stays is visibly sad and the owners tell me that the doggies they take home miss being here.
It really is good for all of them to have the company of other dogs. They make friends and have fun. That is why daycare is so good for doggies. Simplistic but very true.
Well, it's time for me to get out and pick up and scrub the deck. One of my daily chores. I must say a much easier one in the summer time when the sun is shining. We are definitely into the "dark times" of winter here in Western Washington. I have saved seeds from my cosmos which bloomed so beautifully last summer and am looking forward to planting them again in April.

Basenji's and Cairn Terrier's

2007-10-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

"Ripley", a Basenji we have helped raise since she was a puppy is quite a handful and full of mischief. She is somewhat of a schoolyard bully too towards the other dogs. I compare her to the kid in school who pulls the girls braids and sticks the ends in the ink wells. No, I'm not old enough to remember ink wells but I read a lot.
Anyway, she is visiting right now and she has finally met her match in "Rocky" a Cairn Terrier who is also with us for a week. They are rough-housing non stop, dashing around on the deck and into the house and around the table and bouncing off the couch, both of them having a wonderful time. We also have a mini-doxie named "Yadda" visiting who really wants to get right into the thick of things too. Ripley and Rocky have been letting her play with them and it's fun to watch because they are so rough and tumble with each other and then so gentle with Yadda.
Amber, our seventeen year old Poodle is too old now to supervise the rough play much any more like she used to but she is sitting on her pillow on the sidelines overseeing the activity like the Duchess she is.
In other words life is normal around the Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooch household. Besides our own Havanese and Poodle we have visitors that include two Mini-doxies, a Pug and the Basenji. Not a totally full household but enough to be a lot of fun.

An adventure

2007-10-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
We're posting again! Buying a house is such an adventure, we just havent taken the time to post.

Follow up

2006-06-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

We got the house! Yay!
Your intrepid blogger will be very busy the next little while so dont expect my usual timely postings.

It looks like all the doggies will just adore the new place.

I will still try to blog after the move. I promise. Again.

News!

2006-06-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

We've got a house(almost)!

No doubt some of you were wondering where we had got to. Well, things have been busy around the old doggie daycare. We havent closed on the house yet, so I cant provide many details there; but its safe to say, things have been busy.

Aside from everything else, we've been busy trying to recapture our top spots on the Web. I tell you, you turn your back on your search rankings for just a minute and, poof!, they're gone.
After the update to the website, our hits went from ~75 or so to 4, and they havent recovered since.
But we are diligently working to recover our coveted spot in the visible search ranks.

A Full House

2006-04-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

These last few days we have had a really full house. In addition to our own Havanese, Poodle and cat, we have had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (who only comes for daycare), a Basenji, another Havanese, an almost-out of puppy-hood "fluffy white dog", a Yorkie (on steroids-not really, but at 23 lbs for a normally 7 lb breed, you'd think so) and a Cairn Terrier (also daycare). The Cairn Terrier looks just like the little black dog from the movie "Howl's Moving Castle."

The second Havanese who is visiting acts just like our own Max. When you pet him, he rolls over and does the whole "oh yes, more rubbing, more petting" thing that Max does. I am told that is is something of a characteristic of this breed. If this, and the behaviors that both exhibit, are indeed part of the breed, then Havanese dogs must make of lot of people happy.

Because a happy dog makes for a happy person.

Squirrels!

2006-03-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

In addition to pet-sitting doggies, kitties, birdies and fishies, last weekend, we also pet-sat a pet squirrel. His name is Andy and he was raised from a baby when he fell out of a tree in the clients front yard.
Andy has been raised just like any other pet; taken to the vet, given his shots, and everything else. Just like a regular pet. When he got older, his "parents" re-introduced him to the outside world, where he now lives. But because he is tame, he still comes into the house and expects breakfast in the morning just like any other pet.

Andy is a new addition to an existing client; one who has a teacup Pomerian and a black-and-white cat. The Pom came to visit us for the weekend, while I went to the kitties house to pet-sit her and the squirrel.

Its not just a dog's life, it's a squirrels life, too!

Long time, no update.

2006-03-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

Several things have happened since last we posted. I took care of a couple of adorable Chihuahuas, we've been to another WBC monthly meeting, we've got new doggies here(including the incredibly cute Elly Mae) and more things than I can remember.

And so I will update more often. Honest.

We're Back!

2006-02-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hi again!
Sorry for the long interval between posts; if it isnt one thing, its another.
Starting a blog like this is easy, but remembering to add to it regularly isnt as easy as it looks.

Later that week, I went to my first after hours meet-up with some of the people from the Biznik business networking group I've joined. It was a lot of fun, and I got to meet a lot of people; which is why you join a networking group, right?

Now you are up-to-date.

Oh and did I mention being up to our ears in little doggies? Sweet little doggies. A couple of Shih-Tzus, a little white fluff-ball, and a Peki-dachs. Yep, thats right; a pure-bred cross of a Pekinese and a Dachshund. He was a "designer cross-breed" which I understand is all the rage right now.

Anyway, it was a long week full of unexpected surprises and a lot of sweet little doggies, who are really good at helping take away stress and frustration.

Pup mixer

2006-02-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a smaller picture of Max...

And speaking of cute, last Monday night I went to SpaceCityMixer's 'Woofalicious Pup Mixer' at The Barking Lounge near Westlake. It was in the evening, and boy were there alot of people there, and a lot of cute dogs.
Amazingly for anywhere near downtown Seattle, there was plenty of parking! I didn't even have to cross any streets. Everyone brought their dog; some people even brought two! I met a lot of nice people, and nice doggies, there and hope there will be more of these kind of events soon.
I found this event on the Space City Mixer website(address is the same name) along with a boatload of other activities; looks like I'm going to be a busy person this year!

We live in an area with a lot of people who have and love their pets. Not just dogs, but also cats and we offer bird and fish care as well. If a person doesn’t have any pets, we also offer to water their plants and make the house look lived in while they are out of town so burglars and vandals don’t think the house is empty.
Other services we offer for pets is taxi service to and from the vet or groomer.
Recently we have had to turn away business; this is one of the reasons we want to expand.
If you want to see our website, go to http://auntkates.freeservers.com.
Thanks.

In The Beginning...

2006-02-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

Hi, for those who dont know, or who missed it on the previous blog at LiveJournal, we are Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches pet sitting. I am Peter, your blogger, and Aunt Kate is my mother and business partner. Here's what we said in our first ever blog posting:
"This is our first blog posting. We're a little late to the party, but here we are.
We'll just be talking about whats happening in the daily life of our business.

We (that is Kate and Peter) live and work in Mukilteo. We've been pet-sitting for about 2 1/2 years now. We recently started going out to people's homes (last year), and our customer list is growing.

Kate has been around animals all of her life, dogs, horses; all kinds of animals. She often had friends say "Can you take care of so-and-so?" so she has experience in taking care of pets. Peter, me, has also been around pets all of his life; his own.
I have had cats as pets most of my life; I really love having a cat around. And I have found that I enjoy taking pictures of cats and dogs (and pretty much anything else, for that matter!)."

Now that you're here, lets show you some cute pictures of Max and Amber...

New blog location

2006-02-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

After only two posts on LiveJournal, I've decided that I didnt like the having a blog there. The color scheme I liked was only available in old style format and couldnt do any of the cool new stuff people see in blogs and none of the templates looked good.

So here I am on Blogger; same doggies, different host.

Speaking of blogging, this weekend, I have an outside(our home) client, two dogs; one is a black Lab and the other is a honey-colored Lab-sized dog of unknown breed(her owner said "mixed"). These dogs are as sweet as anybody could wish. The Lab is an attention-sponge who will put his head in your lab and look at you like "Please pet me," he's adorable. The honey-colored one is just as adorable and likes being petted just as much but isnt as much of a sponge as the Lab.
I cant see how any dogs could be sweeter than these two.