Pet Nanny Diaries

By Tammy Kubo, Owner Hawaii Pet Nanny

Email me if you want to post a day at work for you. tkubo@hawaii.rr.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Y-ChooTnc

Big to small I love them all!

Here is a snap shot of pets I have cared for, Bull Mastiffs to shrimp and worms. Yes, I sat a bucket of worms for a sweet grade school student who started a school project on cultivating worms to create mulch. I visited the worms each day and sprinkled their bucket (home) with water. I never saw the worms, but I know they appreciated the visit.

The Bull Mastiff is a sweet girl; she is actually one of my favorite walks. She is so mellow and never pulls me. We stroll at a slow phase as she looks around. This compared to her Labrador pet sibling who pulls and walks me most of the time. They are such a cute pair. Like Thelma and Louise.

Fish, I love fish! They know when you are around and the entire tank celebrates that food is arriving. It is like food Woodstock as the flakes drop from the surface.

No matter the size of the pet there is a common bond. Food and love! (Kind of like men) all pets want to be fed and feel the love. This can range from turning on a fish light to walking a dog for 45 minutes up hill.

The passing of a pet

I once pet sat a sweet terrier named Bear, who since has passed away. He would some how know when the pet sit visit was almost over and would try to hide from me. He thought that if he made his body stiff I could not see him. It reminded me of when I was young and would cover my eyes thinking I was invisible. Once I found him behind the living room curtains, as I searched for him I saw four legs in the corner. When I went to pick him up he made his body stiff, throwing a doggie protest to me leaving. Another time I couldn’t find him any where and then looked in the bathroom and there he was tucked in between the toilet and the bath tub. I loved him and was very sad when he passed; this is one of the difficult things about my job. The loss of a pet. I have mailed out too many pet condolence cards. Each is hard to take as I have grown to close to each pet I care for.

Yet, there is some comfort in the fact that I can talk to their pet parents and we can share happy memories of the days we spent together.

My Healing Pet Children

My son joined the Army, the first few days after he left was so very hard for me. I remember even thinking I wanted to take a leave from pet sitting and just vegetate at home watching E! TV all day while eating Fritos. I will be the first to admit that I have always been an over bearing mommy when it comes to TLC! So not having a Son to hover over was selfishly harder on me than on him, in fact he probably joined the Army to get away from me. HA!

I went to work anyway and soon discovered that it felt as if all of the pets I care for got a memo that I was sad. As each visit passed I found myself more and more uplifted and happy! Pets are so healing and they truly took me out of the funky stage I was in.

I realized when my day was done that I lost a Son for a few months to a year, but gained many segregate pet children who would make sure that my emotional love bucket was full until he retuned! How I love my pet children and I am eternally grateful to them.

Thoughts about being a Pet Nanny

Your clients are always happy to see you!

I can be tired and grouchy with no make up on and I am greeted at the door with sheer and utter happiness! Pets are the best! They are so excited when you come through the door. It amazes me that I give them the same thing for dinner each night, for my dog clients I walk them basically in the same route and yet, they think I am the Queen of the planet.

Pets can’t send email

That’s right! I have over 300 clients and they never try to contact me on my days off. I don’t need to buy benefit tickets from them for their kid’s soccer team, or listen to their family problems. I do my job; they love me and can’t wait to see me again.

Same clothes everyday

One of the best business decisions I ever made was to invest in a really good logo and company slogan. I made tee shorts for all of the Nannies working for me and they wear the shirts all of the time. I can’t tell you how much money I have saved by not having to buy expensive work clothes. No more dry cleaning or standing in front of the closet for 10 minutes each morning deciding what to wear. Instead of high priced shoes I now wear tennis shoes.

You will lose weight

I will be the first to tell you that I hate to exercise unless it has purpose. I have bought and wasted so many gym memberships in my life time that I could probably buy a small car. The only time I ever exercised with purpose was when I was a Cheerleader in high school and now as a Pet Nanny. I don’t think of it as exercise, but I am doing it, and I love it!

I have a V on my chest

Remember that great idea I had to have uniform I can wear everyday and save money? Well now it is in bedded in my body. When I look at myself in the mirror I can see a V on my chest and I can see where my tee shirt and shorts end. I have tried sun screen and walking away from the sun but it hasn’t helped. It is like my body likes my new job and it is telling me where to place my Pet Nanny uniform.

Poop Happens

I have had two poop episodes that really stick in my mind. The first was when I just started my company and was still working a full time job. I saw pets on lunch breaks or before and after work. One day a puppy made poop on me and with in the same hour I had to meet with a CEO of a company that we were trying to do business with. I tried desperately to mask the smell, but I think it might have made it worse. The entire meeting I was very self conscious about the way I smelled. I was either stink smelling or smelled like cheap perfume, either way it was not good. The meeting went well and months later after I left my full time job to run my company the CEO ended being one of my best customers. I am still embarrassed to tell him what happened the day we met.

My second poop episode was with Rocky!! I love Rocky, but he was a shy pooper! I walked Rocky for three weeks while his pet Mommy recuperated from surgery. Each day I would take him waking and he would not poop. It killed me. I think for the first time in my career I met a shy poop dog. (Definitely not a Labrador) Well on day four Rocky made poop and I was so happy! I was accepted by him!! It made me laugh to think that this made me so happy and just a year ago I was meeting with CEO’s and would be happy if we signed a business contract.

What really matters???

I am so balanced and happy! Being a Pet Nanny, I have the power as a business owner to now choose who I work with, set the parameters of our relationship and work at a job that I truly love. If you want to pet sit for money don’t do it, but If you are in a place in your life where personal fulfillment out weights the figure on your 1099 then consider being a Pet Nanny. Not only do you work with pets, but you interact with pet parent who truly appreciate your services. I have never felt more appreciated for the work I do.

Meet Sir. Winston

When I first met Winston with his pet parents on my Nanny meet and greet, he was a bit stand offish. I thought he was just shy and had to get to know me. I booked the pet sit visit and looked forward to my first day at work.

Day one of pet sitting was a different story. Winston was very unhappy to see me and I could not get near him. This would be OK of course had he the use of a doggie door, but Winston is a condo doggie so I knew I had to find some way to leash him for his potty break. I tried everything, but would run away from me and when I got close to him he growled at me showing me his teeth. Poor guy!

Finally, I had him follow me in to the lobby elevator bribing him each step of the way with jerky treats, by this time he was just as eager to take his much needed potty break. We made it in to the elevator and I gently leashed him, but still couldn’t touch him with out being growled at.

Just as we started walking twards the lobby entrance the building security guard came by and told me that I had to carry Winston. I told him that if I carried him, I was going to be bitten; the guy didn’t seem to care, he told me it was a policy i had to follow. Then, as if Winston understood English, he gave me a look as if to tell me, OK game over, I am on your side. So I bent down to his level and swooshed him off his feet and cradled him my pet nanny arms.

As the day progressed he warmed up to me, and today a year later we are the best of friends.
When I come through the door he does the happy dance, and snobs me when I am getting ready to leave.

I am glad that Sir. Winston decided to love and trust me.

Tammy, Winston's happy pet nanny

Dreaded home alarms

I have a phobia of home alarms and now I find myself having to disarm at least two a day.

My fear of alarms stems from hearing an alarm go off at my personal residence three years ago. I think once you hear that shrieking noise you’ll never forget the sound of it, followed by the panic that takes over your body because you know the police are arriving. Of course under panic you forget your code and when the security company calls you so you go through every single password you ever had since high school.

Well today was no exception. It was a mid day visit to a beautiful home in Kahala. As I entered the home instead of pressing the enter button I pressed the exit button. I opened the door and a chirping sound went off. Then the chirps got closer together as if to tell him it was getting mad at me. OMG!! I screwed up the alarm. Lucky for me I was so paranoid that I wrote down the code on my clip board. Quickly I entered the code and the chirping sound stopped, just in the nick of time of the blasting alarm going off.

The dogs were all staring at me. I made them promise not to tell their pet parents since no harm had been done. I even gave them extra chicken treats to silence them. We are all good.

Just another day in the life of a pet nanny.

Meet Kerry

Kerry is a sweet lab who lives in Laniaki. I pet sit her when her pet parents go out to dinner. Kerry has a good soul. If she were a human I think that she would be a soft sweet librarian who wears a nice pastel sweater over a floral print dress and talks with a soft voice.

When I pet sit Kerry I feel relaxed and clam. I read a book as she sits by me.

She loves her treats and I give her a few through out the night.

Kerry is old so that I have to bribe her to go on potty breaks. She can't walk well so I have to lift part of her body to help her up and down the steps. I love caring for her! It is like caring for an elderly relative.

Kerry is so appreciative of my time and loving care, never grumbling or asking for much.

Kerry is loved by her pet parents. What a happy and content dog. I wish all pets were treated this well.

Tammy, Kerry's Pet Nanny