Things are looking up! October 20, 2009

The weather has been beautiful, even with the snow…  I’m truly a New Englander at heart!  The Pumpkin Fest was a great weekend, Chocolate is as spunky as ever dispite his old man status now, Rich Bitch jewelry has a second location in Milford (at True Hair Studio on Lorden Dr), and I’ve found not only one, but two jobs as a groomer!!

First, I’ll be working at Petsmart in their North Nashua store salon, next to Panera Bread and Target.  Definately on the weekends, and at least two other days during the week.  I’m really excited to be in there and to have my own clients and style and be able to make dogs and their people happy with Petsmart!  It wouldn’t be a first choice aside from the benefits of insurance and also that they will build a customer base for me.

Second, I’ll be a little farther south.  A mobile grooming rig, The Woof Wagon is based in Fitchburg, MA, and I’ll be working with the owner to start and eventually taking the truck out on my own.  I rode around with Meghan on Monday and had a great time!  I’ll be with her to start for two days a week, depending on my schedule with Petsmart, and hopefully after a month I’ll be driving around by myself.

I’m so excited about all this, but as anything else it’s bittersweet.  With all the commitments I have grooming, I won’t be as reliable as a petsitter.  I can’t guaruntee to not leave pets for less than six hours as I have been able to do in the past and that is very important to me.  I hope everyone understands, and I will definately miss it!  But I’ll still be sure to post my adventures with canines, although in a different capacity, here!  At least I’ll try…with a busier schedule than ever it might be hard!  I’m definately excited to have a schedule and something to work around, I never thought it would be true but that’s how I work best.

For now, enjoy the weather, the leaves and soon the snow!

Out later than expected? May 6, 2009

This is a bit out of the norm, but it does happen to all of us!  In this past week alone I’ve had two clients call with last minute trips, and asking for mid-day visits because their day is running longer than planned.

Not a problem!  This is why for regular clients I like to keep an extra key (or know the garage door code!) so that if you’re ever stuck and worried about the little one at home with his legs crossed, I can ease your mind!

With summer coming and the nice weather already here, there’s nothing better than a spontaneous night away, so don’t think it’s impossible if your pooch can’t join you…there’s always a chance I have that night free.  And if you’re stuck all day at work, or want to spend the day at the beach, one or two visits during the day out to potty and for some extra attention would be just fine to make sure your pets are comfortable at home while you play!

As promised… March 18, 2009

I said more, so here goes!

As for the details of my trip, first stop was New York City.  I took the train in from White Plains, it was much easier than driving in that mess…and found my cousin and her boyfriend for dinner, and then crashed at her place in Brooklyn.  It was just a quick stop through, and I’m hoping to go back soon to see some sights.  After a short train ride back I drove what should have been a three hour trip in five hours from traffic on the George Washington Bridge…what a nightmare!  But once I got to Philidelphia it was a breath of fresh air.  It was a beautiful day and I spent it just wandering around the University of Pennsylvania campus.  Who knows what my chances are at an Ivy League school, but we’ll see!  I only spent the day in the city, and after driving around a bit more I headed to Lewisburg, PA.  I didn’t find any traffic there, and found Bucknell University just fine.  It’s located on the side of a sweet small town, with a wonderful downtown and nice rural town…very similar to UNH where I’ve been the past three years.  After two nights there I traveled the final leg of the first half of the trip to Greensburg, PA, where Seton Hill is located, along with my boyfriend Josh.  After too long we spent two days in Greensburg to give me a break from driving, and then embarked on the ten hour drive home with Josh’s friend Mike.  The drive wasn’t as bad as I feared…it was actually alot of fun!  Mike is a great guy, and we made the trip in good time.  It was nice to finally be home after all that, and back to Chocolate! I seriously considered bringing him with me…but nothing beats that greeting after being gone for so long.

Once I was back, after two weeks (Carol was on vacation the previous week) I was back to work too!  It was great to be so busy and have Josh around.  Unfortunately, the week flew by and he was gone too soon.  With only a little more time on my hands, I’m still keeping busy.  Working with Carol and making jewelry with Dara, I’m really excited with some of the things coming up.  Business cards on en route hopefully, and Dara and I will be visiting other doggie businesses to hopefully sell the fruits of our labor.

Housesitting is also picking up, it seems as though everyone goes on vacation at once!  For the next two weeks I won’t be back home, staying first in Wilton for a weekend, Milford for part of the week and weekend, and then another house in Milford for the next week.  The first of which is a new client, the others I’ve stayed with before and can’t wait to go back to!  Once business cards come in I’ll be sure to post pictures, and will be bringing them around to local vets and other pet establishments to hopefully widen my horizons…so keep an eye out!

With a bit more time on my hands and a laptop in tow, I’ll be sure to keep you more updated on my petsitting adventures!

March Already?? March 1, 2009

Wow…I can’t believe I made it through February!  It was a great month, I think I stayed at my own house for less than a week.  This past week I’ve been with Baily, and by the middle of the week I think he accepted me as someone to listen to.  Once we got that settled things went a bit more smoothly

In other news…Dara has made me part of Rich Bitch.  Hopefully by the end of the month we’ll have earrings in J.M. Princewell on the oval, and even more pieces in a shop next to Real Bodies in Amesbury.  I’m looking forward to really getting into making things for the upcoming summer shows Dara has booked, and coming up with some creative original pieces, so keep your eyes out!

So the snow is starting, and I’ve resigned to leave on Tuesday.  First stopping in NYC to stay a night with my cousin, then to Philidelphia for a day to look at the University of Pennsylvania, onto Lewisburg to visit Bucknell, and making my final stop in Greensburg at Seton Hill to pick up Josh and his friend Mike.  It will be an interesting return trip, but I’m really excited to have Josh home for a week…I haven’t seen him since January!

Long time No post! Till now… February 24, 2009

Hello out there!  It has been a while, and for good reason.  I’ve been BUSY!  With my business cards out there I’ve gotten more calls than ever before about petsitting, and have met lots of wonderful new people…working with Carol at Bark Easy has been great and really rewarding…stopping by to lend a helping hand to Dara has, as always, been great fun…looking into graduate programs has been like digging in the mud…and to top it off I’ve been at houses for the entire month of February, while trying to make my room at home a paradise to return to!!!  WOW!

This week I’ve gotten a chance to breathe a bit, Carol is on vacation with her family and is not in need of my bathing services.  Up till now I’ve been working with her Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays bathing, drying and prepping dogs for her to finish.  Apparently I’ve lived up to the raving recommendation Dara gave for me, and Carol seems very happy with my work.

Last week I stayed with Molly, a 13 year old Maltese, Pepper, a 13 year old Shih Tzu, Montreaux, an 8 year old Golden Retriever, and Clousseau and Austin, two cats.  It sounds like a handful, but boy was it a treat!  Molly and Pepper are two of the cuddliest creatures I’ve stayed with so far, and Montreaux would have been on my lap too if he would’ve fit.  Clousseau and Austin took a few days to warm up to me, but once they did they came by regularly for a friendly pat and scratch.  Karen and Alan have such a lovely home, I felt so welcome staying there with their pets.  I was sad to leave!  But look forward to staying with them again.  It’s such a great feeling to give an ease of mind to people while they’re on vacation, letting them know their pets are in good and capable hands.

Also, I’ve started daily visits with Tigger.  He was a bit nervous at first, someone new entering his house without anyone else home…but after taking him outside and being generous with treats, he was ready to play.  After a few more visits he’ll be much more comforable and ready to play as soon as I come in.

This week I’m staying with Bailey, a Yellow Lab with infinite energy.  With the snow we just had he enjoys romps through the back yard and catching snow balls with his teeth.  He’s a bit of a handful, but great fun.

Next week I will be headed out (finally!) on my trek through Pennsylvania.  I’m planning to stop at Bucknell University to check out the Animal Behavior program, which if impressed, I will hopefully be attending next spring.  Don’t worry, I’ll be home all summer and through this year’s holidays to take care of all your pets while you’re away!  Wish me luck on the drive, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about it upon my return!

I did mention up there that I’ve redone my room…actually, I’ve switched with my sister (who has been living and working in the Boston area for quite some time now) to have more room and a bigger closet!  It’s great and I really love it, and Chocolate is thrilled with the new fuzzy blanket on my bed just for him, and the chair in the corner that’s just the right size for him to curl up on   His short buzz cut is growing out nicely, but if it’s too cold out he’ll still wait for his coat to be put on!

Working weekend February 2, 2009

This weekend I was so happy staying with Loui!  He’s such a great little dog, just the right size with lots of energy, but boy does he love to sleep.  Saturday morning I had to carry him downstairs at 10am to go outside because he didn’t want to get up!  If only they all were like that…   Later that afternoon I brought him down to visit Dara so that he was nice and clean and tangle free for when mom and dad got home.  It was much nicer snuggling up with him that night!

Such a ham for the camera!

Kisses :)

Ready for his close up…

I spent Sunday night watching the game via tv in the kitchen while I did dishes and took out trash for my neighbor Kelly.  She hired me for the evening to help out with her Superbowl Party, and boy did she work me!  I only stopped to sneak a peek at the halftime show, and then kept going!  It was a lot of fun though, and everyone had a great time

On to continuing the job search, hoping to hear something this week.  Good luck to all with the oncoming snow…stay warm and keep safe!

In my next life… December 6, 2008

An interesting question came up while I was at work today…and while I was out in the yard watching some dogs, I gave it some thought.

But, I was wondering what you think!

leave a comment and tell me why

I think I would be a Newfoundland.  They always seem happy, they’re good in many different environments, they don’t require alot of exercise, they swim, and they love the cold!

The end is near… August 27, 2008

So here I am, at my last job of the summer!  I’m at Dara’s staying with all six of her critters.  It’s great to have three little heaters situated around me at night since it’s starting to get colder, and her kitties restore my faith in cats because they are so friendly and loving.  Weasel purrs like a motor boat, and Silo will crawl into my lab and curl up like he’s trying not to be noticed.  I’ve also started working with Maple, boy does she love her food!  Pixie on the other hand hasn’t quite accepted me in mom’s spot, but I think she’ll come around soon enough.

I can’t believe summer is almost over!  Don’t forget though, I’ll be home in four short months and available to take care of your four legged friends when you go away

What a week! August 22, 2008

Bailey fit! He left some hair behind, but thoroughly enjoyed a ride in my car resting his head out the window. Although there are a few extra teeth marks in my sandals, we had a good time. And he learned a new trick!

For those of you with problems getting a collar on your dog, (sometimes they like to try to eat it…) make them sit, take their collar and a treat, hold the treat in the middle of the collar and feed your dog the treat while you slip the collar over his head. Now his collar is on and he’s ready for a walk!

Bailey

Wednesday was a very busy day…Chocolate had an appointment with Dara to get his “Back to School” haircut. I call it that because he lives with my parents and while I’m not around during the school year, my Mom doesn’t like to have to clean dirty feet and brush him out as much. So…

We got up on the table for one last look at his locks...

Look at all that hair! Dara took off some length before he got in the tub for a mud scrub and blueberry facial

And then we were done! He blends right into the floor...haha

Now it’s been two days and it’s starting to grow on me. It will take some getting used to but it’s the best thing for his skin…which has been a bit dry this summer from allergies. Don’t worry though, when I get home he’ll grow out and be fuzzy again!

Later Wednesday I headed out to Brookline to stay with Vader. I stayed there until this evening, and had the best time! He is crazy about tennis balls, almost too crazy…and is very well trained. We went for walks and lounged outside, and he even cuddled with me while we watched the Olymics last night! I really hope I can play with him again sometime

Vader lounging with me on the couch

Lazy Loui August 18, 2008

I think my favorite thing about staying with Loui is that he’ll sleep in as late as me!  If anything, he’ll sleep later, making me feel bad dragging him out of bed to go outside at 11:00am!  It was great staying with him, he has so much energy and really loves his toys, especially his new pig.

I can’t believe there’s only two weeks left of summer.  It’s been a bit dreary for me with Josh being gone and so busy at school with soccer, but exciting at the same time because I’m bouncing around and spending lots of time with new dogs.  For this week I’m with Bailey Alcox, and come Wednesday I’ll be staying with his cousin Vader.

Bailey’s mom mentioned he thoroughly enjoys car rides, so we’ll see what he thinks of my little neon!

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer, live it up!