Being six again

Sally, me and Harry

What a nice and brand-new experience today! I felt like being six again myself. All eyes on me, the children and three adults. I was invited to have a talk about cat care at a 6-year old girl's birthday party this afternoon. Fiona and her six friends had all dressed up as kittens with painted faces. Not sure they were excited at first about getting a talk from a cat sitter but when they heard about the cats in my car, they were all ears :-) I did not prepare a speech or script. I wanted it to be spontaneous and let them ask questions. My calico cat Sally was cooperating nicely but poor Harry was very nervous and I left him in the carrier most of the time. I did do a lot of the talking; it comes natural to me and interjected with lots of questions. I was able to keep their attention and they asked so many questions...really impressive and cool! I explained why Harry and Sally were scared and nervous and not acting like themselves. Their questions were cute and sometimes surprising and smart. I love the way a child's mind works. I showed them how to approach a cat, how to pet a cat, never to chase or grab a cat. We also checked out the sharp teeth and claws. And what are those whiskers and paw pads for? Little girls: they come up with the craziest but also best creative or innovative ideas. I hope our half an hour get-together was educational to them and they take home that it is important to take very good care of one's pet and watch out for other pets in need.

Our calico Sally was a true sport!

Fiona's mom wanted to pay me for my time but instead I asked her for a donation check to the attention of  Pets with Disabilities. I could see she was thrilled about this special appearance during her little girl's birthday party. The smiles on the girls faces and on birthday girl Fiona's in particular were more than enough a reward to me. I feel like I did a good thing here.

Giving Back

It's with great pleasure that we announced our recipient for this year's KSR Pet Care donation in honor of Professional Pet Sitters Week yesterday. Last year we donated $800.00 to Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) with KSR Pet Care. The FOHA volunteers were overjoyed and we had a great day at their facility in Aldie, VA. We hope to do as well this year for...Pets with Disabilities, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the adoption of dogs and cats with disabilities. The organization serves as a shelter and an adoption placement aid for animals that have been injured through trauma or disabled by illness. Joyce Darrell, along with her husband Michael Dickerson, founded the Pets with Disabilities organization in 2000. Their lives were changed forever after their rescue dog Duke broke his back playing as a puppy. 

How it works to collect the money for the donation, is we take 10% of the proceeds we made from March 1-15.  I admit it is always a bit scary too...You never know how well business will go in March but it's also hard to predict the rest of the year and as a business we are first of all responsible for our expenses and our invaluable dog walkers' and pet sitters' pay checks. So usually I hold back on my own pay checks for a couple of months just to make sure the cash flow is going okay ;-) It's a sacrifice I am willing to make for a great cause like an annual donation to an local animal organization.

Fingers crossed and thanks to all for your support! Check out our posts on our KSR Pet Care Facebook page and like like like please!