In Home Care For Your Animals While You’re Away Several businesses in the Mid-South area provide small and large animal pet-sitting services. By Nancy Brannon Having a baby-sitter come to your house to care for your children is a long-established service, but what about at-home care for your animals while you’re away? There are businesses and folks who take care of animals in their own home while the owner is away n Pet-Sitters. Several in the Mid-South area provide small and large animal pet-sitting services. Gracie’s Pet Watchers is owned by Virginia Tyler, and is named after her dog “Gracie.” She started her pet sitting business last January after retiring from 34 years at the U.S. Postal Service. She still wanted something to do in retirement, and being a life-long animal lover and caretaker, caring for other people’s pets seemed the right thing to do. Virginia explained, “I grew up on a cattle ranch and had horses all through high school. I developed a deep love for all animals from a very young age and it was not uncommon for me to bring home a stray following close behind! I took great pride in nursing each one back to health and happiness. I used to show Quarter Horses and, until last summer, had two horses of my own for 14 years. My husband and I love animals, so this business was the best thing to do. I spent a few months getting my business license from Fayette County, getting liability insurance, joining professional pet sitting organizations, and getting my web site set up.” Virginia cares for both large and small animals at their homes. “I’ve cared for horses, dogs, cats, birds, a turtle and a hamster,” she said. “I take extra time with pets, play with them and spend quality time with them. With horses, I follow their regular routine, doing whatever the owner would do. I feed, hay, water, turn out, blanket them, muck stalls, check for injuries and lost shoes, give medications, supplements n anything they need. I can even brush them if requested.” Horse care is usually for a weekend or short period when the owners are out of town. For dogs and cats, Virginia provides mid-day on a regular schedule to several homes, especially if the owners work long hours. “Some people want a mid-day service, where I go let the pet out for a potty break and play with them for a while. I can also do over night sits.” Virginia had an interesting story about the turtle in an aquarium she cared for. “When I walked in the door, the turtle would get excited and start splashing water and moving the rocks around in his aquarium. He knew it was chow time and he was excited to see me.” A bird she once cared for took her by surprise one day. “I opened the cage to clean it out, and the bird jumped on my hand and then sat on my shoulder for a while. When I got the cage cleaned, the bird went right back in the cage.” Virginia said she has great animal clients. “The hardest part of the job is walking away, saying good bye to the pets after the job is over. You form a bond with the animals.” Virginia is a member of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, Pet Sitters International, and Professional United Pet Sitters. Her home base is on Highway 196 in Fayette County, Tennessee. Paws and Relax is owned by Alma Washburn and Linda Pritchard of Collierville, Tennessee. Their business is mainly caring for dogs and cats, occasionally birds, and they once cared for a flying squirrel named “Glider.” Alma and Linda started their business as a hobby, stemming from their love animals and not wanting to kennel their two greyhounds when they traveled. “We found that dogs taken care of in their homes are healthier and happier” than dogs kenneled, Linda said. “We started the business in May 2004. Our first call was to care for a Chocolate Lab named “Dumbo” and business has expanded from there. We have about 100 clients we’ve cared for over the five years.” Alma emphasized how important it is to spend time with a client’s pet with the owner present before taking on the responsibility of caring for them while the owner is away. Alma and Linda have nine animals of their own: four dogs, three cats, and two horses. Linda is a hunter rider, competing at the Alderwood shows, and has cared for a friend’s horses over a weekend. They are members of the American Humane Association and the Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option (MSGAO). Alma is a member of the State of Tennessee's Disaster Area Response Team (DART) and a certified canine massage therapist. Pet Pal pet sitting services is owned by Christy Long of Cordova, TN. She mainly cares for cats and dogs, a few birds and fish, and on rare occasion, a horse client. Christi said she once sat for a client who “had goats, chickens, and a horse. I love animals and I am taking care of some pet somewhere seven days a week.” As an animal lover, “I read magazines about pets and read about pet sitters. When the company I worked for was closing, I decided to start this pet sitting business.” That was 13 years ago and she has been working straight through every day since then. “I have not had a full day holiday in 13 years,” she said, although she does get half-days off. “My last full day off was in October 2007.” Christy’s Pet Pal services cover the Cordova, Germantown, Collierville, East Memphis, and Bartlett areas. Most are “once a day” clients, although depending on the distance she has to drive, she can provide twice a day services. “I mainly feed and water the pets and take them outside. For cats, I scoop the litter box. I play with the dogs” what ever game they are used to playing. “I also bring in the paper, the mail, put the garbage out, change or alternate lights n do things to give the appearance that someone is home. I can give medication, give insulin, whatever is needed for the pet.” A favorite client of hers, “almost like a family member,” is an elderly lady in an assisted living facility, whose dog she cares for. “Many people don’t realize that they can have a pet in an assisted living center; they just need someone to care for it. Pets mean a great deal to people in these facilities,” she said. So her services make it possible for the elderly to take their pets with them when they move to assisted living quarters. Christi’s services start at $15 per visit and prices vary by the distance she has to drive and the number of services required. More about Pet Pal can be found at http://www.petpal-petsitting.com/ or call (901)755-7733. More information about Gracie’s Pet Watchers is available at http://www.graciespetwatchers.com/ Read about Paws and Relax at http://pawsandrelaxllc.com.