Newsletters

Hello to my fellow pet loving friends!  It has been two loooong years since the last edition of The Pampered Pet Gazette.  I am sorry for the delay…thank you to everyone who has called or emailed to get this issue out!  And how exciting...an online newsletter!   This edition of PPG is chock full of pictures, valuable information, updates, and just fun stuff.

My first announcement is that March 1, 2007 marked The Pawsitively Pampered Pet’s ten year anniversary and 1000th client!  Many of you have been with me since the beginning.  Ashland Eggling, my longest running mid-day dog walk still keeps me on my toes!  Some of you have just started with PPP…I look forward to growing up with your puppies and kittens   The Pawsitively Pampered Pet’s  success could never have happened without such amazing clients!  We have been through it all: marriages, divorces, pet/human deaths, new homes, fires, babies, you name it!  You have all enriched my life by letting me do what I love-care for your pets!

Earthquake preparedness

With the 100 year 1906 earthquake anniversary not too far behind us, we should all remember you can never to too prepared!  There is a great site online www.quakekare.com.  They have everything you need in case of an earthquake, terrorism attack, and other disasters.  Also on the site, is an area to buy emergency kits for your dog and/or cat (food supply, wound care, etc).  Please remember, you CANNOT take your pets with you to most emergency shelters. 

Ranger

After being a pet sitter for 10 plus years, I have finally got a pet of my own.  Ryan and I adopted Ranger, a golden retriever pup, two days before Christmas, 2006 (CRAZY I know!)  Simultaneously, we got a shinny new digital camera. We took a lot of pictures.

Gardeners beware!

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called "Theobromine".

It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens. Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate -especially dark or baker's chocolate - which is toxic to dogs.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

Please email the manufacturer at michellemessick@hersheys.com and request that accurate information about this product be posted on the packaging to avoid further tragedy.

True information about the mulch can be found here -

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoa.htm This site gives the following information:

Taken from snopes.com

Wow!  Thank you for the wonderful response to the 2010 Holiday Letter.  So many of you emailed and called to express gratitude for the past fifteen seasons.  We all really appreciate your kind words and well wishes.  Thank you to the early birds who have already put in their reservations. I know there are many of you who have contacted me to say you are still putting your dates together...don't worry, I will do everything in my power to have a sitter available!   Below is the Holiday Letter as a reminder of due dates, etc.  Please call me if you have any further questions.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Holiday Letter

As most of you know, the holidays are a very busy time for pet sitters.  Can you believe this is PPP's fifteenth season of caring for your wonderful pets!

 

Please read the next two paragraphs carefully for important reservation dates and fee changes for the months of November through January 2011.   Please make your reservation early.    

On Thursday 11/25/10 (Thanksgiving), Friday 12/24/10 (Christmas eve), Saturday 12/25/10 (Christmas day) and Saturday 1/1/11 (News Years Day) all pet sitters will complete their visits by 4 p.m.  We will shorten visits on the above dates (but full visits all other days). This means I will take reservations for the entire holiday season but may have to decline some p.m. visits on the above dates or do them earlier than normal.   *A $15 holiday fee will be included on the dates of 11/25, 12/25 and 1/1/11.

 

Please have your Thanksgiving reservations called in by Tuesday 11/16/10 and Christmas/New Years reservations by Tuesday 12/14/10.  We may be booked before then (especially house sitting reservations).   This year the holiday cancellation policy is 50% of total if canceled anytime after making your reservation.

 

For our daily dog clients, please call the office if you need to cancel any dates in November, December, or January around the holiday time.  If I do not receive a cancellation call, a pet sitter will be sent to your home as usually scheduled even on the day of an actual holiday and you will be charged the normal fee.

 

I hope this does not cause difficulty in your holiday planning.  We are all looking forward to seeing your pets during my favorite time of the year.  We are also looking forward to spending quality time with our families and friends during these few hectic days.

Thank you for being such great clients with such wonderful pets.  I appreciate your consideration of the above information.

 

Happy Holidays,

Heidi Kistler

510-336-9861

Holiday Newsletter, 2010