BlogCarnival - Sunday August 12th

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There was only one article submitted for the carnival this week - thanks to Luke Houghton for his intelligent review of cat overpopulation -

Solving the Cat Overpopulation Problem 

I know there are more of you out there with great pet articles to share! Please send them to me at daniellechonody@gmail.com or submit through Blog Carnival for next Sundays edition.

Learn Pet Photography - 3 Day Workshop in Pennsylvania

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Next month there is a workshop being held in Pennsylvania to learn how to start a pet photography business. The workshop starts on September 14-16 in Hershey (great for all my fellow chocolate lovers!). But seriously, I don’t have any experience with the team holding the event so I can’t make any recommendations but they do seem to cover some very practical topics. Here are some of the subjects they plan to cover in their 3 day course:

  • Learn from our team of professional photographers how to turn people’s urge to pamper their pets into a profitable income-earner that’s not just fun, but lucrative, too.
  • Discover the secrets to photographing animals — how to put them at ease, how to make them look their best — and how to create photo packages pet owners will love.
  • Find out three more ways to turn a profit on every pet photo you take — with virtually no additional work — and triple or quadruple your pet-photo income.
  • Learn how (even with no technical savvy) you can quickly, easily, and affordably set yourself up to look — and sell — like a pro… so you can enjoy the freedom, flexibility, and independence that comes with being your own boss.

The course is quite pricey at $1597 but you can get discounted tickets for $1397 before August 13th (just a few days left).  You can find the full schedule at their website along with hotel details and course testimonials.

If anyone has been to one of these seminars please leave a comment and let us know about your experience.

Pets Across USA - Dog Rescue Project by PAWS Austin TX

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Pets Across USA BusThere is a new dog rescue operation happening this week that is trucking small dogs and puppies from overcrowded kill shelters Texas to California and Washington shelters where they have less dogs available for adoption. The operation is being conducted by PAWS (Protection of Animal Welfare Services) of Austin TX.

Each year the city of Austin’s shelter receives over 25,000 animals. Although Austin has a strong adoption program, unfortunately over 12,000 animals don’t make it out of the shelter. After seeing great accomplishments in animal rescue made through partnering after the Katrina hurricanes last year, Austin shelter staff conceived the idea of partnering with shelters across the country to solve their dog overpopulation problems.

The journey across the USA is being filmed for an Animal Planet documentary that will air later this year. The film will address many pet issues, from euthanasia, rescue stories, animal abuse, working animals, therapy pets and how communities throughout the United States perceive pet ownership. They will also address behavior problems and introduce training solutions.

You can follow the progress of the operation on their daily blog - Pets Across USA. On their blog they have pictures of the dogs making their first journey, pictures of the landscape, and pictures of their bus.

Unfortunately it is too late to donate items for their current journey but you are able to make a donation via Paypal at their website www.petsacrossusa.com.

When Is The Right Time To Hire Help?

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The answer to this question is going to vary greatly with each type of pet business but I thought this topic would make a good lead in to my next series of articles on pet care personnel management. If you have a storefront business such as a pet supply retail store or a doggy day care then the right time to hire help will probably be at start up. If you have a service orientated business such as pet sitter, dog walker, groomer, or dog trainer then you may choose to operate your business solo for the first few months or first few years.

If you have been operating solo there are several phases of your business when you should recognize that it is time to hire some help so that your pet care business can continue to grow.

The first situation that many pet service business solo operators encounter is burnout. We reach this point when we are so busy we don’t have time to take a break, we may not have been able to take vacation for months or years, and we are losing the joy of running our business. To avoid burnout we should be looking to find the right people to help relieve some of our daily visits or other business functions so that we have time to enjoy running the business and making sure we take time to rest and take care of ourselves as well as our clients.

The second reason to start looking to hire help is when we want to expand our coverage area. As pet care professionals we can only cover so much ground in one day by ourselves. If we want to be able to serve customers in a larger area then it makes sense to find help that lives in the areas we wish to expand into.

The third time to find help is when you are so busy working in your business (doing the day to day work of your business) that you have no time to work on your business. By working on your business I mean doing marketing, planning, creating new products, and other functions that strengthen and grow the business. When you are spending all your time working in the business then your business will be stuck at it’s present state - it will not be able to grow. At this point it is necessary to find help with the day to day running of the business so that you can find time to do the tasks that will allow your business to grow.

If you are in any of these situations in your business it is time to review your long term business goals. If you are happy to keep your business small and want to run it yourself then hiring help may not be for you. But if you want to grow your business beyond it’s current size then it is time to start considering the following questions:
1. What is your definition of an ideal staff member? Will they work full time or part time? What experience and skills will they possess?

2. Are you going to work with employees or independent contractors?

3. How will you advertise to reach these people?

4. How will you screen applicants?

5. How will you manage payroll?

6. How will you train personnel or what guidelines will you give them?

In this article series over the next couple of weeks I will help you form a plan to answer these questions and put together your own hiring process. I will also discuss contracts, common hiring mistakes, staff incentive programs, and ways to handle problems that arise with staff.

If there are particular topics that you would like to see me address or questions that you have about hiring staff please leave these in the comments and I will include them in this series.

Do Dogs at Work Provide New Opportunities for Pet Care Professionals?

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Dogs at WorkThe American Pet Product Manufacturers Association has just released survey results about the number of employers that now allow pets in the workplace. I was surprised to learn that one in five companies has now implemented policies that allow pets in the workplace. I wish my employer was one of them!

Allowing pets in the workplace has been credited with benefits such as stress relief, improving co-worker relationships, and creating a happier work environment. Here are some of the statistics from the survey on workplace pets:

55 Million Americans believe that having pets in the workplace leads to a more creative environment

50 Million believe having pets in the workplace helps co-workers get along better

37 Million believe that having pets in the workplace helps improve the relationships between managers and employees

32 Million believe that having pets in the workplace decreases smoking at the workplace

53 Million believe that having pets in the workplace decreases absenteeism

38 Million believe that having pets in the workplace creates a more productive work environment

A couple of the high profile employers now allowing pets in the workplace are Google and Chipotle (at headquarters and not their restaurants of course!)

All these pets at work can open up new business opportunities for creative pet care providers. I see a need for dogs to be walked during the work day to relieve boredom and make sure they get their daily exercise. Not all workers may be able to give their pets this break time during their workday. Dog walkers could offer offices their services at group rates to cater to workers in large office buildings.

Groomers could provide a pick up and drop back service to offices where pets are part of the workforce. They could also set up a grooming salon at the office location one day a week. This offers workers great convenience and could be a great regular client group for the groomer.

For the pampered pooch dog massages could be offered as an in-office service one day per week. Supplying gourmet dog treats to offices for purchase by workers to spoil their pets could also make a great business. Why not even have dog treat vending machines next to the Coke machine?

These are just a few ideas on ways that pet business owners can make the most of this new trend to bring pets into the workplace. With so many pets in one location for 7-8 hours per day there are many opportunities to service these pet communities.

These type of working environments excite me but I’m not so sure that the survey participants have met my Lab Tanner! He is quite a handful. I wonder if employers that allow pets in the workplace have strict conduct policies for pets that come to work? If you are one of the lucky ones who does bring their pet to work please leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

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