Care to Your Dog!

The term “concierge,” has become very popular in the corporate world among the rich and famous. However, very few know the origin of this customer-service based profession. The word “concierge” evolves from the French comte Descierges, the “keeper of the candler,” a term that referred to the servant who attended to the whims of visiting noblemen at medieval castles. Eventually, the name “concierge” came to stand for keeper of the keys at public buildings, especially hotels. In Paris there is a famous prison that is called The Conciergerie, in honor of the warden who kept the keys and assigned cells to the inmates.”
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary a concierge is a resident in an apartment building especially in France who serves as doorkeeper, landlord’s representative, and janitor. It has further meanings which is a usual multilingual hotel staff member handling luggage and mail, making reservations, and arranging tours.
Apart from of the origin, hotels from around the world were the first ones to adopt the concierge concept and offer the service to their guests. Today, independent concierge companies have brought this ancient service to the modern world to corporations as well as other individuals.
Many people agree that today time has become one of the most precious items to waste. They spend most of their days making their living and trying to build themselves more than the average man, along with working the individuals try to find some time to relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
When we talk about Concierge the first that clicks the mind is Personal Assistant.
The concierge industry itself is only about 10-15 years old which was started with a few brave pioneers who took the hotel concierge idea and decided to offer it to the corporate world. Today there are thousands of clients from 30 countries and every US state.
Today Concierge is present everywhere, in hospitals, malls, corporations, apartment buildings, office buildings, airports, colleges, associations, churches and so on.
Although the concierge industry is fairly young, the number of companies that are catering to time-starved people is booming as is the customer demand for such businesses. The reason for such a rise is that people are trying to squeeze 36 hours into a 24-hour day.
Here are a few services that are currently offered by concierge around the country:

• Search for tickets to concerts and special events

• Transportation Services

• Restaurant Recommendations and Reservations

• Dry cleaning pick-up/delivery

• Grocery shopping

• Pet services

• Travel and Vacation Planning

• Meeting and Event Planning

Most everyone at one time or another has dreamed or thought about owning their own business; being their own boss; setting their own schedule. Most legitimate or franchise businesses take a lot of capital to start with and these get rich opportunities are nothing more than throwing your money down a black hole.

Most everyone has a passion and love for animals and most everyone has some type of animal for a pet. In today’s society where two-income families have become the norm and young professionals delaying marriage and/or children, many own pet’s and taking better care of them than ever before. This is a great opportunity for you to tap into this growing market and start a pet sitting service business.

Why not take your love for animals and turn it into a profitable business. With over 120 million dogs and cats in the United States there is a huge market for this type of service. This number doesn’t include other types of pets such as fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, birds, ferrets, rabbits and other pets that require care and attention.

As a pet sitter you’re your own boss. With being a pet sitter comes independence and pride in being your own boss. No time clock to punch; no boss looking over your shoulder. You decide when and where to work. Having a business will not only give you a sense of confidence but the self-satisfaction you’ll receive in your abilities to run a business.

Most pet owners will be more than happy to pay for this service if they know their pets are well cared for while they are away.

You can either start out on a part-time basis, full-time basis or only occasionally. You can generate additional income with either of these options.

In the past when pet owners had to be away they either had to leave their pets at unfamiliar kennels or impose on a friend or neighbor to care for them. With a pet sitting service you can provide them with the best alternative in caring for their pets in their own environment enabling the pet owners to travel and knowing their pets are in good hands. People don’t mind paying for a good service that allows them to be worry-free when away from home.

Unlike many other business opportunities, pet sitting can be started with limited cost. It is not necessary to spend a lot in starting a pet sitting service. There’s no inventory and a small investment.

Anyone who has ever started looking around for an animal to add to the family knows that getting a new pet can be very expensive, and it seems almost impossible to find a free pet. Many breeders ask for several hundred dollars, even for the smallest dogs or cats. Golden Retrievers are usually $700 to $800, Maine Coon cats can cost up to $900 or $1000, and rare exotic animals run much higher.

However, considering all of the pets in the world who are currently homeless, and are living in animal shelters without a loving family, it seems unreasonable and nonsensical to spend hundreds of dollars for a pet when there are so many who need to be saved.

While there are a number of animal rescue organizations and pet shelters around the country, there is only one resource which you should always start with, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Healthy Pets Aren’t Always Free

Before we examine why it’s best to start with the ASPCA, which does charge some fees for adopting and rescuing pets, it’s important to note that it is possible to find a free pet, if you are careful and follow a few important guidelines.

Searching through the classified ads in the newspaper or online classified ads like PetsAds or PetsClassifieds.us, you can locate listings for free pets that people are giving away. It’s critical to understand that most free pet ads are from people who are giving away their pets for the following reasons:

• They are moving to a place that doesn’t take pets.
• They can no longer afford to have a pet.
• They found a stray, but can’t keep it.

These are usually well-meaning people, but keep in mind that if they have a pet that they can no longer afford to keep, the pet may not be 100% healthy. If you do decide to take the classified ad route, just remember that most of the things that the fees pay for at the ASPCA, you will have to pay for anyway – including all shots, medical checkups and neutering.

It is perfectly okay to find free pets on your own, just remember that pets are never “free”. You will need to pay for the up-front (and continuing) health care for the rest of it’s life.

ASPCA and Pet Adoption

The ASPCA is a wonderful organization that helps to promote animal shelters and rescue organizations that take excellent care of animals across the country. At the ASPCA Website, you can adopt and save homeless animals in the following ways:

Find a Shelter

By clicking on the “Find a Shelter” link, you are taken to a search page where you can search for local animal shelters by city and state. The ASPCA doesn’t technically endorse the shelters listed by this utility, but it provides the search function to animal lovers who need a resource to find local shelters.

This is a very comprehensive National Shelter Directory, and it is a service to help families with lots of love to offer to connect with animals that need the love. Buying a pet from a local shelter is essentially like getting a free pet, because the fees to adopt a pet cover many of the upfront medical costs you were incur if you’d picked up the animal as a stray or free from a classified ad. Animal shelters take care of the upfront health concerns, so that when you adopt a pet from a shelter, you can be certain that the animal is healthy and well cared for.

In addition, many shelters offer a unique incentive for people to have their pets properly neutered by offering a discount or refund for the procedure with local vets.

ASPCA Adoption Center

The ASPCA Adoption Center provides listings of hundreds of cats and dogs who need a home. The main page of the adoption center explains everything you will need in order to adopt a pet. This is good to read even if you aren’t going to the ASPCA, because most shelters require the same information. Things you will need if planning to adopt a pet:

· Two forms of identification with your address on it (at least one picture ID)

· Two personal references who can be reached by phone

· Proof of vaccination for the pets that you already own.

· Proof of income

While this may seem excessive to some people, it’s important to understand that there are a lot of people out there who would not think twice about harming or being cruel to animals. The job of the ASPCA and all animal shelters across the country, is to protect animals from cruelty, and to make sure that animals are placed in homes where they have the best chances of being as loved and cared for as they deserve to be.

The benefits of adopting through the ASPCA (many animal shelters offer these same benefits):

• 14 days of free follow-up vet care
• A leash, collar, and pet carrier to help bring the animal home
• Educational literature about pet behavior and pet care
• Free spay/neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and registration, all provided as part of the adoption fee.

Obviously, the only good option for finding a free pet is going through the ASPCA, or through a local animal shelter. This will ensure that you are getting a healthy pet, and you can feel good about doing your part to save an animal from a live without a home, and without love.

Support Animal Rescue Efforts With a Portrait

When you adopt your new pet, show people how much you love your new furry friend by having a pet portrait done by professional artist Nikky Hughes of Los Angeles. Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. She will accept photos through the mail of pets, and then create stunning portraits from those pictures. Pet portraits are ideal because they can be done from a photo (as apposed to getting the pet to “pose” at a studio.)

The great thing about Nikky is that she’s a pet lover herself, and this is reflected in how she runs her business. Nikki donates 5% of every commission to an animal rescue foundation. This is a wonderful way that you can help to support the cause of animal rescue – and receiving a stunning portrait of your new pet in the process.

Vacations are extremely difficult for those who have pets. –We are always trying to figure out where we can leave them in safe, capable hands. For those who have friends they can trust, they often leave the pet at home or with their friend. If you don’t have someone the dog or cat knows to take care of them, you may want to look into boarding your pet.

Boarding your pet can be a difficult decision because choosing the wrong place will allow for bad behavior or neuroses to develop. What to look for when you are boarding your pet is rather simple, if you read these below tips:

• Check more than one boarding house.

• Compare the cost of the boarding houses you have looked into. You are looking for a moderately priced boarding house for your pet. If the price seems outrageously cheap, there could be a chance that the proper equipment and care are lacking. Boarding houses on the more expensive end might offer extra luxuries, however it’s up to you to decide if those luxuries are within your affordability. Before deciding, you should compare the offers of each boarding house to make sure you are not overpaying for the same services you could find at a less costly boarding house.

• Get a bit of background information about the staff that will be handling your pet. Are they loving pet owners? Is this just another summer job for an inexperienced individual? Do they want to be a vet? There are all types of questions to ask regarding their personal tastes. Someone who isn’t into pets, but has the job because that was all that was available is probably not going to be the best handler. On the other hand, someone who wants the knowledge for further education may be the best person you ever find.

• When choosing to board your pet you should choose a facility that has no more than ten pets at a time. The facility should also be able to comfortably house those ten pets. This type of place offers a better likelihood of giving your pet individual attention and care, as opposed to an over-crowded and under-staffed place.

• You also have the option of boarding your pet with a private person. A private pet sitter usually allows the pet to stay in their home, and they treat the pet as if it was theirs while you are gone. It is a more intimate surrounding and can help the pet feel less anxious in your absence.

• No matter where you choose to board your pet you should always personally check out the facility beforehand. Make sure the cages are spotless, that there is no overwhelming pet odor, and see the activities they offer for the pets—sit in on a few if they allow it. In fact, a surprise inspection never hurts. You can find out a lot by showing up and asking to see the facilities without calling ahead.

Once you have found the place to board your pet, you will need to introduce your pet to the staff, as well as the other “tenants”. This can be done with a couple of visits a week before you are actually going to leave. Pets can become very stressed in surroundings and situations they are unaccustomed to, therefore the more you familiarize your pet with the boarding kennel, the less likely they are to feel anxiety when you leave.