More About Me …

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Danielle ChonodyI thought it was time to tell you a little more about myself and my history loving pets. I was born in Adelaide, Australia which is a large city with a population of just under one million on the south eastern Australian coast. Compared to Melbourne or Sydney, the more well known cities of Australia, Adelaide is considered pretty small and I always thought of it that way.

My parents emigrated to Adelaide from London in their early twenties to start a new life - my dad had secured a job as a civil engineer with the highways department. I came a long a few years later.

Growing up I was an only child, I loved to read and sew, and I always wanted a cat. Unfortunately my parents were not so eager to have a cat in the family so as a child I had both a mouse and rabbits as pets. They were a poor replacements - but I loved them just the same.

Finally when I was 9 my parents decided I was ready for a cat. To my great disappointment the first several pet stores that we called told us that it wasn’t kitten season. We finally found a shop that had several kittens and when we visited my new cat Oscar jumped right out of the cage and into my arm, I knew he was the one I had to have.

Not long after we brought Oscar home, a stray that the neighbors had taken in decided that he would rather come live with us. He was a fluffy black and white cat that they had already named Guido. From there we just couldn’t stop at two and we adopted an orange tabby from the shelter called Marmalade and then finally bought a grey Persian from a breeder and named his Boswell. Some might say we developed cat co-dependence - but I thought it was great to have so many pets! I’ve never had so many since - but maybe one day…

I lived with my parents and our cats through high school and college.  In high school I found I enjoyed math and science but wasn’t too sure how I wanted to apply these to a career. I considered a science degree but decided that was too vague and ended up studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide.  It wasn’t a good job market for engineers when I graduated in 1996 but I did finally secure a job with an oilfield company in Melbourne.

Moving to Melbourne meant leaving my family and my cats. I missed them all terribly but enjoyed the big city activities of Melbourne and made some friends though work.  Renting in Australia is a bit different to what I’ve found in the US - more landlords will not allow any pets so for almost 3 years I had to rely on visits back to Adelaide to see the furry family. It was probably just as well as I did travel and spend several months working on an offshore oil rig - I wouldn’t have provided a very stable home!

Finally in 1999 I moved to a unit and was able to get another cat.  I found my Burmese cat Bouie and brought him home to be adored.  When I transferred to the US in 2000 there was nothing to be done except to bring Bouie with me to Dallas Ft Worth. He travelled with a pet care company “Jet Pets” who boarded him for 2 weeks after my departure and then sent him on to me - clearing him through customs and the medical exams. They did a great job, he arrived safe and sound and immediately ready to sniff out his new environs.

To be continued…..

The Key to Creating Customer Loyalty

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If you’ve followed my first two posts in this series on customer relations you already know the keys to making a great impression on the phone and at your first face to face meeting with new clients. But how do you take advantage of this terrific start and convert this new client into a loyal client that will come to you for their pet products or services on a regular basis?

Happy customers are a result of you providing the service or product that you promised them in your meeting and that is described in your marketing materials. Customer loyalty is earned when you exceed your customers expectations. Exceeding expectations is easy when you under-promise and over-deliver.

Over delivering means that you provide them with a bonus perk that they were not expecting. This perk doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming for you - just a small extra that shows that you care about them and their pets. Something that you do that makes the customer think or say “Wow they really provided an outstanding service”.

Here are a few suggestions for a small unexpected perk that you can give to customers:

1) If you are a dog walker or runner, after the walk is completed leave a short note detailing the dogs behavior on the walk, reaction to other pets or squirrels, the route that you took, and any training reinforcement that you worked on with the dog while you were walking.

2) If you are a pet photographer, produce some small wallet size pictures of the pets to give customers as a gift to show off to their friends.

3) If you are a doggie day care operator, provide a free dog wash or nail trim.

4) If you are a groomer, send the dog home with a fancy bandana to make him look a million bucks!

5) If you are a pet sitter, wash out the pet food bowls, take the time to clean up accidents on carpets, put out the trash on collection day, or take a photo of the pet during your visits and leave for the owner when they return

As part of my pet sitting business I have recently started giving all clients a key ring with our phone contact details before they leave on their trip. If they use this on their keys that they take this ensures that if there is any emergency or delay in their flights that they will always have our number on hand to let us know and ensure we continue to care for their pets.

I hope that you are now getting the idea behind over delivery. These small actions or gifts can be what sets you apart from your competition and drives clients to refer to their friends and family when they need your product or service.

If you have any other great ideas that you are using in your business please leave a comment and let us know!

Curious About your Dogs DNA?

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Have you ever wondered what mix of breeds your lovable pooch is? Using a new test marketed by Canine Heritage pet owners can now test their dogs DNA to find out.

Collection of the DNA is performed by using a small soft-bristled brush to gather skin cells from the inside of your dogs mouth. The test is able to identify genetic markers for 38 different breeds. This covers 75% of the most common breeds of dog in the United States.

Other than settling family dispute about whether Fido is a Lab/Jack Russell mix or a Lab/Terrier mix there are other practical benefits to knowing the breed of your pets. With knowledge of the breed you can investigate possible genetic health issues and have the opportunity to better manage the health care of your pet to prevent the onset of disease.

The test is also being marketed to shelters and animal rescues so that they are able to offer prospective owners more information about the dogs.

The test costs $65 plus shipping and handling and you test results are available four to six weeks after submitting the DNA sample. The test is marketed as being 90% accurate. Owners will receive a certificate that shows the primary breed, secondary breeds, and other breeds that are in the mix of DNA.

For more information about dog DNA testing visit Canine Heritage.

Unusual Pet Career - Dog Runner

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Dog RunningToday I spotted an article on the Pet Sit USA blog with another great idea for a new pet care career or business. In my e-book and articles I have mentioned the growing business of dog walking for owners who are not able to give their pets the exercise they require each day.

The article highlights another growing pet care trend - dog running. This service caters to active dog breeds for whom a walk is just not enough daily exercise. Read more here.

Minimize the Risk of Pet Loss in 5 Easy Steps

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Pet Loss AdviceDogs and cats are curious creatures and are prone to flee through open doors unexpectedly. My cat Bouie the Burmese is a great escape artist but luckily he only flees far enough to hide behind the bushes at the front of our house. If you are patient eventually he will casually stroll out from the other end and you can catch him. Otherwise we have to fight the bushes to find him amongst the branches! We need to take special precautions if we are expecting guests, the pizza guy, or just going out to collect the mail. Bouie just always seems to know when that front door is going to be opened.

If you have a pet that would also love to explore the great outdoors you also run the risk of the loss of your pet - unfortunately they don’t all know the way home. You should take the following measures to reduce the risk of loss your pets should they ever escape:

1) Have your pet micro-chipped by your veterinarian and registered with the Home Again or similar service that keeps a database of the chip number and your contact information. In the event of the loss of your pet the chip can be read by any veterinarian, rescue organization, or animal shelter. A chip is more reliable that a collar and tag as the collar or tag may be lost before the pet is found. A micro chip is implanted under the skin of pets shoulder so cannot be lost or damaged.

2) Ensure pets wear collars at all times with a metal or plastic tag that is engraved with your phone number and home address. It is also a good idea to place the pets rabies tag on their collar as this will bear the name of your veterinarian.

3) Invest in Pet ID cards that bear a photo of your pet and their physical details such as eye color, weight, breed, age, and distinguishable features. You can find these online for a low cost at Safety Identification Products.

4) Keep a recent photo of your pet on file so that you can quickly put together lost pet posters around the neighborhood. Take a front and side shot and close up and also record distinguishable features so that you can easily include these on the posters. Put the flyers up at post offices, grocery stores, animal shelters and local vets.

5) Keep a list of the contact numbers for your local animal control offices, animal shelters, and pet rescue groups so that you can refer to it quickly in an emergency.

Dogs can also escape from a leash or harness so be aware of your environment when you are walking them. Distractions such as squirrels, cars, joggers, or other dogs, can envoke the curiosity of your dog and they may pull away from you unexpectedly. Make sure you wrap the end of the leash around you hand rather than just holding the leash through the loop to ensure these sudden jerks are not able to pull the leash from you.

If you are a pet professional remind your clients of these steps in your newsletter or a informational flyer. They will thank you for the reminder!

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