Bethany Burleson: Companion Animal Services

It's bound to happen when you are a dog walker or dog sitter. Every now and then you may get a client with an anxious dog. The dog might have been traumatized, perhaps has a health issue, or is just naturally have a  timid personality. There are certain things you can do to make sure your meet and greet as well as subsequent visits with the anxious dog goes as smoothly and incident-free as possible. Give the dog time. Some dogs take A LONG time to warm up to new people. Don't force interaction, even simply petting a nervous dog can spell disaster. When I meet any new dog, I always let the dog lead. I enter the home when prompted and typically let the dog sniff me. I am as gentle and quiet as possible, avoiding eye contact and crouching down to a lower stance (kneeling more or less, not bending or hovering) until I get a feel for the situation. Sometimes it helps for the first meeting to be at a neutral location. Some pups tend to be more anxious and possibly territo

Although I have loved animals as far back as I can remember, I never wanted to be a vet. However, I never even considered or dreamed I'd have a job as a dog walker and providing other companion animal services. How I got here really seems like fate and I couldn't be happier or luckier! In fact, I really don't know why I never considered this when I was younger. I was working in sales for a large company and making decent money when they decided to close our office. To relocate I would have needed to apply, interview, and commute over an hour to a new location. I honestly hated the job and wasn't sure what my path was at that point. A week or two later, as luck would have it, I discovered I was pregnant. I tried to be creative and attempted a few MLM and direct sales companies, but I didn't really know how to market best and get my sales up to a point where I could contribute to my family's finances. Obviously I wanted to find a way to assist in paying th

It's a delicate situation when a client has fleas. Sometimes the client doesn't know their dog has gotten fleas. Sometimes they know and just don't tell you. Regardless of whether the client is aware, there are some precautions you can take to not spread the fleas to other client's homes or to your own home. Fleas are itchy and uncomfortable for the dogs or other animals that are unfortunate to have them. Fleas are parasites and can spread very quickly. They can be difficult to get rid of because they constantly lay eggs and they are so small they can be hard to even see. Firstly, the client needs to be made aware of the situation (just in case they don't know) so they can get it taken care of. I had a client who didn't know he had fleas and was actually very embarrassed, but I assured him it was nothing to be ashamed of and I let him know the best ways to get the situation under control. It can take weeks to eliminate a flea problem. In the meantime,