Sam's Pet Sitting

How many people will be going in and out of our house? Last time we used a service, the owner sent different college kids every day and several things were damaged. Many pet services send an adult out for the initial interview in your home but then hand your keys over to kids they hire at minimum wage, people who may not have your pet's best interests in mind and who can often be irresponsible. There is usually a big turnover in employees of pet walking services. With Sam's Pet Sitting, you get me, the owner and operator. If I'm really booked, my husband or father help out, all responsible adults and big suckers for a fuzzy face.

How many sets of keys will I need to provide? Some services ask you to provide two complete sets of keys (they need them because many people will be sharing the pet care). We require one set of keys, front and back door, separate them, keep one in a safe place and use the door you specify. We prefer entering through the rear to make it less obvious that you are away.

Do you provide care at your home? If you live outside our service area, we can provide care for your pet(s). We prefer to take in small mammals, reptiles or birds. Our house is usually filled with dogs, but if your dog is trained and doesnít mind sleeping in its own room at night (we can't let spoiled dogs sleep in our bed, our dogs would be insulted) and respects barriers, we can arrange to care for it. Your pet must have a current rabies inoculation to stay at our home. The rates for our home or your home care are the same.

Will you cage my dog at your home? No. Caging dogs is what kennels do. However, we do have several large crates on hand for dogs used to sleeping in them. Please provide your own sleeping material.

Do you have references? Yes. Most of my business comes from pleased clients who refer me. I provide a list of client contacts upon request.

My dog likes to run off leash. Will you let him run? Sorry, we cannot allow clients off-leash. It's illegal and dangerous, given the numbers of squirrels and cars in the city. Even if you have a well-trained dog (we don't see too many of those!), he will be leashed while in our care. It's simply safest for all. If you have a cat that's allowed outside, unattended, it will be kept inside during the duration of our care for it. We can take cats outside on a harness. My rabbit used to walk with me while harnessed. The neighbors appreciated his dandelion habit.

Why are your rates so low compared to other pet services? Good question. Other people charge too much? Seriously, $50 for in-her-home care of one dog is the going rate of one competitor. You can't equate the amount of money you spend with the quality of the care given. If you pay $45 a day and some kid comes in, yanks your dog around the block, dumps some food in his bowl and leaves without positively interacting with your pet, you're not getting much for your money and your dog will be miserable.

My rates are reasonable because I service neighborhoods close to me. I'm not spread out too thin, trying to cover the entire city. I don't have to hire anyone to do my work for me. I'm not a snob who will only take well-behaved dogs. (Yep, the guy who leaflets Norwood Park and Edgebrook only wants well-behaved dogs!) I'm not cranky from being tied up in traffic.

My introductory rates are far better than the competition and, once you've tried my service, you probably won't ever want to use anyone else. However, you might be jealous of the attention your dog gives me. Some dogs have been known to ignore their owners' arrival after a week or two of my care! Read the testimonials below for customer rave reviews.

Is there any type of dog you won't take care of? I'm guessing you mean pitbulls. I care for any breed, as long as they do not show aggression towards me at the in-home interview. Pitbulls are my favorite dog breed; I love to care for them. Pitbulls (and Rottweilers and Dobermans) have a reputation they don't deserve. Statistically, more people are bitten by small dogs such as poodles and yorkies each year; pitbulls register very low on the bite frequency list but we hear about them because of media bias. Speaking from personal experience, a pitbull makes a wonderful pet. If you are looking for a loyal, funny, sweet dog, please consider adopting a pitbull. Hundreds are languishing in shelters across the nation. Visit Petfinder.com to find your special furry friend.

The photos you took of clients and your dogs are really nice. Would you take a picture of my pet? Yes. Pet photography is my hobby. I charge $35 for one session of color (or $40 for black & white), you get the prints and negatives after developing, which is included in the price. All I ask is that I get to post the shot of my choice on my Web site.

Have you ever had a pet die while in your care? Yes. That's something all petsitters dread. I was caring for two birds, fish, a guinea pig and a dog in one household. The third day I arrived, one of the birds was dead at the bottom of the cage. I carefully wrapped it up and put it in the freezer, then phoned the emergency number left by my client. While she was sad to hear about the bird, these things happen. She was later able to give it a proper burial when she came back home. In over 25 years of caring for other people's pets, that was the only time one died.

I was more freaked out by an upside down swimming goldfish (fish usually invert right before they die). Its owner later assured me this was normal behavior! I also thought I lost a turtle client. It had climbed out of its swimming pool through an opening the owner hadn't secured. I searched the entire house, top to bottom, air vents and all. I was perplexed. The next day I was standing in the yard with my father, who was taking over care of the two basset hounds, when he pointed off into some hosta and said, "Look, there's a turtle." We figured out that one of the bassets had picked it up and carried it outside through the dog door. The turtle was no worse for the wear and had spent the night contentedly eating snails off the hosta plants. He went back into his reinforced cage and hasn't escaped since.