Guest Article - Danger! Some Food Isn’t For Dogs!

Filed Under Pet Health | July 2, 2009

Today’s article was sent in to me by Hayley – an 11 year old in th 5^th grade. Hayley has written a great piece to remind us of the danger of some everyday foods to our dogs. Especially important as we celebrate this weekend - keep that party food away from your pets. Thanks Hayley and keep up the great writing!

DANGER! Some Food Isn’t For Dogs!

Not all human foods are that great for dogs. Be careful not to feed your dogs the following foods:

Alcohol: Dogs absorb alcohol extremely quickly. Dogs can have seizures, have kidney damage, or maybe even die.

Chocolate: Chocolate contains theobromine as well as caffeine and both are highly toxic for dogs. The darker that the chocolate is, the worse it is for your dog but baking chocolate is the worst.

Coffee: Coffee also contains caffeine which again is highly toxic to dogs. Even if its decaf still don’t give them that, regular coffee, or any type of coffee or coffee bean candy.

Onions: Onions may taste yummy to us but are very treacherous to dogs. Raw and cooked onions can cause hemolytic anemia, the destruction of red blood cells. This is a serious condition- it can even cause death.

Garlic: This one can be confusing because as you know its often used in commercial dog foods. A little garlic is ok but a lot is not. If your dog consumes garlic in large amounts it can cause a serious condition called hemolytic anemia.

Grapes and Raisins: These simple, delicious snacks may sound healthy to us, but not to dogs! Expert veterinarians aren’t exactly sure why, but raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs.

Macadamia Nuts: Not that anyone would want to release these precious Hawaiian delicacies from their grasp but macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs so be careful!

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101 Ways to Market Your Pet Sitting Business - How to Get Your Free Report

Filed Under Pet Business Tips, Pet Sitting Business Tips | June 30, 2009

Today I released a new free report that gives you 101 ideas for marketing your pet sitting business. All subscribers here at Working with Pets have already received a link to download the report via email.

If you are not yet subscribed to receive my weekly blog updates just fill in your name and email address to sign up in the boxes at the top left of this page. You will immediately receive an email that gives you the download link so that you can get your own free copy.

It doesn’t matter if you are just starting your business or if you are a seasoned pet sitter - I know that you will find some fresh ideas in the report. The collection comes from my past 6 years as a pet sitter, tried and true methods that I’ve used, that I’ve been told that others use - and some straight from the top of my head that I will be using in the future!

Print this report and keep it for whenever you need some inspiration or want to try something new. I hope it helps to attract new customers and add buzz to your business to enhance your reputation as a business that is engaged in and gives back to the local community.

Please leave me any comments about the report after the post so that I can continue to add ideas and improve the report.

I hope you enjoy it!

Danielle

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Free Call - 7 Secrets of Todays Top Earning Brands

Filed Under Uncategorized | June 10, 2009

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Kim Castle as part of my Pet Sitting Success Circle program. She shared some great info with us about designing a powerful pet sitting brand.

If you missed this call or want the chance to hear Kim again and learn more of her brand secrets Kim and her partner Vito are holding another free call on June 16th. You don’t want to miss this call - at the end of the call they will tell you about an opportunity to spend 20 minutes one on one with them to discuss how to implement the 7 secrets in your own business.

Here are all the details:

Ever wonder how the big named conglomerates get their brand?

Ever wonder how the Fortune 500’s got their success?

Think that you could never work with Disney, General Motors, or Wolfgang Puck?

Think again…

My good friend and colleague Kim Castle, co-creator of BrandU has not only worked with these guys, but they were her clients.

While Kim is known for helping thousands of clients and entrepreneurs around the world translate their business ideas into marketable money-making brands, as well as working with the “big Kahunas” —she’s got some pretty amazing information to share that I think will shock you.

Don’t worry you’ll be pleasantly shocked.

You may already know BrandU and you may have witnessed the insane growth of BrandU right before your eyes. Their business skyrocketed within only a few short years and their revenues continue to grow.

You might assume it’s because they have worked with huge named companies like IBM, m&m’s and Domino’s Pizza.

But actually it has nothing to do the roster of influential big brands. It’s something else, and guess what? It’s not such a mystery.

But it is a secret that Kim has been holding in her back pocket… until now…

Join Kim Castle and her partner Vito Montone of BrandU
For a SPECIAL FR*EE CALL on
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
5PM PST

=========================================

The 7 Secrets Behind Today’s Top-earning Brands:
Why Some Businesses Are Still Thriving in Today’s Economy and
How Yours Can Too.

span>

strong>Sign up now.
LINK TO: http://www.brandu.com/rd.cfm?id=811&af=15397

On June 16th, Kim and Vito will reveal the secrets they used to manifest their continual business growth, which has allowed them to live the life of their dreams in Southern California, network with influential people who share their vision, have amazing opportunities fall in their lap, and most importantly, live their life’s passion of helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

I hope you are paying attention when I tell you that what they have learned and have proven, over and over, during the past few years is that there is indeed a much easier way to create big business success—just like the “big Kahunas.”

Are you ready to find out how? Join them Tuesday, June 16th for fr*ee.

================================================

The 7 Secrets Behind Today’s Top-earning Brands: Why Some Businesses Are Still Thriving in Today’s Economy and How Yours Can Too
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
5PM PST (6PM MT, 7PM CT, 8PM ET)
75 minutes
$97 FR*EE

strong>=================================================

Remember, it’s FR*EE!

Hope to see you there!

Danielle

P.S.- Don’t miss out on joining Kim and Vito of BrandU on this call. You won’t believe the business and life-changing information you’ll walk away with. Get your seat n*ow.
LINK TO: http://www.brandu.com/rd.cfm?id=811&af=15397

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Sneak Peak - 101 Ways to Market Your Pet Sitting Business

Filed Under Pet Business Marketing, Pet Sitting Business Tips | June 3, 2009

What If Wednesday What if you had a reference list of 101 different ways to market your pet sitting business to turn to whenever you need inspiration? I hope it would mean that you take more action and get more clients!

In the past few weeks I have been working on a new free report that will be sent to all current subscribers of this blog next week.

The report is a list of 101 Ways to Market Your Pet Sitting Business designed to give you ideas and give you motivation to get out in your community this summer and let everyone know about how valuable your pet sitting service can be to them. There is a good mix of online and offline marketing methods as well as some creative ideas for partnering with other pet businesses to get joint publicity.

Here is a sneak peak of the first 15 pet sitting marketing ideas:

Join a pet sitting association – PUPS, NAPS or PSI – they will give you a free listing on their online pet sitter locator service
Donate books on pets to local libraries or schools with a sticker on inner front jacket that shows your business name and contact details
Place bookmarks that advertise your services in pet books at your local library
Offer pet education classes or pet first aid classes at a local school
Write a weekly or bi-weekly physical newsletter or online e-zine and have a sign-up box on your website
Write a pet related column in a local paper or online newspaper
Distribute cards or flyers to local boarding facilities and offer to help them cover their customer overflow during busy holiday seasons
Join pet meet-up groups in your area to network with local pet owners – find them at www.meetup.com
Join twitter and have a customized background created that displays your website url, email address and logo (contact Leslie May at Pawsible Marketing for customized twitter backgrounds and twitter coaching)
Start a group on facebook for local pet owners that gives reviews of local pet businesses, info on local pet events, pet care tips, and a place for pet owners to chat and network
Create a facebook page for your business where your clients can meet and be a fan of your business. You can also list changes to your business, info on your sitters, and your policies and forms
Advertise in local home owners association newsletters and on their community websites
Have your flyers distributed by a local welcome wagon that gives out information from local businesses to new residents
Visit local realty offices and ask if you can leave flyers in their office or have them placed in packets that they give to new residents
Place your flyers in local pet friendly apartment offices and ask if they can be placed in new resident info packets

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How Do You Overcome Fear and Keep Taking Action?

Filed Under Pet Business Tips | June 3, 2009

Talk Back Tuesday When you face a big decision in your pet sitting business or are launching a new marketing campaign - do you ever feel that you delay action because of fear. Fear of success, or of failure, or rejection - or perhaps fear of the unknown?

Don’t feel alone if you do. Everyone experiences fear when they face new challenges or changes in their life. You just need to find a way to ease your fears, build your confidence, and gently push yourself to take the first steps. Once you start everyone will start to seem easier.

Here are my tips for facing the fear and acting anyway!

1. Break large tasks down into small steps and make an action plan.

2. Take small steps each day to start taking action.

3. Ask yourself what is the worst that could happen. Is it really so bad after all? Isn’t the possibility that you will be wildly successful worth the risk?

4. Ask yourself how your actions will positively impact others and what you are keeping from them by not moving ahead with your big plans!

5. Plan a reward to give yourself once you have taken the action that will get you closer to your goals. Make sure you give yourself this reward once you have completed the task

6. Find another pet sitter who has overcome the challenges you face or already completed the goal you want to achieve. Find out how they achieved success and get their support and lessons learnt

6. Seek an accountability partner or coach who can help you work through fears and keep you moving

The pet sitter mastermind groups are the perfect place to seek other sitters who can give you advice, help you work through fears, and keep you moving. To find out more check out the Pet Sitting Success Circle.

Another resource that I can recommend is Kim Castle’s Clearing the Path Workbook that she has available at her website BrandU. It has been designed especially to help entrepreneurs to work through their fears so that can acheive their dreams for their business.

I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions too. When you feel that fear is holding you back - how do you work through it to start taking action? Please share and leave your comments after the post