Avoiding puppy problems with small children

A new puppy in the home is very exciting  and we Perfect Pet Sitters love our clients’ pets – new or old - almost as much as they do! We certainly give them endless attention and whether living in (our premier service) or visiting your pet’s daily, they’re treated like stars.

As well as the love of pets, something else that unites us and our clients is abhorence of cruelty to animals. And something I saw recently made me think how ‘problem pets’ can be caused by what they experience in the very homes where they should find only love and kindess.

Let me explain. My previous blog was about little Harry who my clients rescued. From the way Harry would cringe they suspect he’d been beaten in his past.

Now with loving, caring owners, Harry finally has great life. And when I went to to live-in with him, I took him everywhere with me – even on a Road trip to Kiama. It was as I was walking around Kiama town that the following scene played out in front of me.

I was standing letting Harry do some sniffing, and right in front of me a man is his late 30s was sitting on the grass talking to friends. Behind his back limited by the length of lead was a tiny bundle of fluff I took to be a Cavoodle, probably not even 14 weeks old. As I stood with Harry, I saw the man’s daughter hit the dog on the head a number of times, then she poked, then prodded – until the distressed puppy yelped in pain.

How could anyone hurt a puppy?
This is a model - not the puppy ill-treated as described in this blog!

The father carried on talking completely ignoring the dog’s cries and the horrible scene going on behind him. The tiny puppy in trying to defend itself against the onslaught made a little growl which the 4 ish year old girl took as her cue to pick up a stick and then repeatedly hit the puppy over the head with it.

Fully expecting to get abuse, I nevertheless decided I could not walk on by and spoke to the man. However, whilst he acknowledged what I said, he simply threw the stick a few feet away. From his casual response (plus the fact he said nothing at all to the girl) I thought how she was treating the puppy was not the first time.

Here’s the thing – children are often rough with pets. But what this girl was doing was more than a little rough play. In fact it is not uncommon for children to hurt animals and there has been much written around the subject. Partly it’s about a child developing, realising their strength and finding they have power over something. But at some level a child knows what they are doing is wrong when they do it furtively.  

With the Instinct to fight or flight a puppy will try to escape, but children can be relentless and pursue them. Eventually if the torment continues the fight response could surface and the desperate animal might well snap at or even bite its persecutor. Once a child is bitten the dog is always blamed. If lucky it might get a second chance through Rescue. But if labelled ‘aggressive’ will likely be euthanised - a very unfair end to what is nearly always an avoidable situation.

No parent wants to think their child could be cruel  – but it has to be  acknowledged that this behaviour does happen and that small children and young, vulnerable animals are not always a marriage made in heaven.

I have witnessed first hand the way tormenting behaviour can change the character of pet which in a different home would have made an ideal family dog.

If you would like a copy of my PDF detailing the top 10 actions which will help puppies, and any dog including rescue dogs, fit in and be happy with your family, email me at perfectpetsitter@hotmail.com I will send you a copy.

Harry was beaten, but he's not beaten

Most pets that Perfect Pet Sitter meet must be amongst the luckiest in the World. They're adored by their owners and pampered and treated as VIPs when Perfect Pet Sitter comes to visit. But even in Sydney, not every pet is so fortunate.

Centennial Park - go visit if you haven't - dogs allowed off lead

Case in point, let me introduce you to little Harry.  We don’t know exactly what he is, but he’s Jack Russell size, and black and white. His age is unknown as he was abandoned, but estimated to be about 10.

Eastern Suburbs many and varied walk options

Harry’s current owners met him whilst volunteering at a dog rescue centre - and they fell for his gentle soul. They guessed he had been badly treated, but the full extent of the cruelty he must have suffered only became clear when they got him home.

Harry was very lucky that he had patient and adoring new owners. They helped Harry, but he was still nervous in many situations where he came across people. His owners felt if he had to go back to kennels he would be upset and regress  - and as they had a trip to the UK booked before they met Harry, they were worried about what to do.

Harry & Chico we were also minding 

About this time the owner came across a guest blog I’d written and she contacted me. Coogee is not a usual area we cover, but hearing Harry’s story it was clear he needed us – so it was Perfect Pet Sitter to the rescue (again!)

Curl Curl Lagoon, he was tired but didn't like being carried

Overlooking Bronte

With our comprehensive checklist for owners completed, they additionally flagged up that Harry likes his tummy rubbed at night on the sofa and to sleep on the bed with you. These points plus specific behavioural issues (doesn’t like little children or skateboarders) were very helpful. They meant I was aware of situations to watch out for both in the home and when out and about.

By giving Harry my attention and care (including those tummy rubs and letting him sleep on my bed! He bonded with me very quickly.  Each day we’d find a new place to explore and, aside from food shopping, I barely left him. He became my little pal and one of his Adventure walks was a road trip to Kiama - so Harry had his very own holiday!

How much is that doggie in the window?

Whilst they were away I sent Harry’s owners frequent texts to keep them updated on his progress. Then when they came home they received Harry’s diary covering each day of their little furboy’s adventures  – all 43 pages!

As all dogs do, Harry got on really well with dear Elly

Today Harry’s almost a celebrity with his very own website and on their return his owners wrote a blog:- 'Harry's holiday with the Perfect Pet Sitter' 
http://sydneydogslife.com

Most of all it’s wonderful to know this big dog in a little body has found a caring home where he can live out his life in safety and in the future know nothing but kindness.

He's smart - he really did this!

To paraphrase a saying; ‘It’s a (Sydney) dog’s life’ – and in Harry’s case he at last has the love and attention he so deserves. 

GSP Darcy, met during one of our walks

Queens Park, more of the locals:-)

If your pet needs high level care and you want the absolute best for your special dog or cat, no other pet minding offering can match the 24/7 live-in, one-to-one care that Perfect Pet Sitter provides. Check out our costs and be amazed by how much is included within our ‘no extras’ fee scale.

"But anyone can pet sit"

As experts in pet minding, having Perfect Pet Sitter come to care for your pet offers you something that well meaning friends cannot – reliability and real peace of mind. Why? Because when everything goes smoothly friends can be fine - but what if the unexpected happens?

Patient patient Maggie - bandage
on her left paw - read below

It’s true to say that most pet sits are straightforward and work like this: We come and stay with your fur pals, give them lots of company,  TLC and if required medications. With your dogs, in addition to GPS tracked exercise, we take them out and about with us just as you would.

You return not only to a contented pet, but to be presented with one of our unique Perfect Pet Sitter diaries. Updated daily, it’s packed full of pictures, notes and maps showing all the fun your pet had – evidence of their very own holiday whilst you were away.

Harry having his own holiday whilst his owners on Honeymoon!

So far so good – but what happens if things don’t run to plan? What do we do? We believe that the quality of any service can be judged on what they do when problems present – so here is our approach:

First, we’re proactive:  as a condition of us coming to sit for any duration - even our minimum two nights – every client must complete an Owner’s Checklist and set up an account with their vet to give us the authority to take their pet if for treatment if necessary.

Second, we’re professional: we take every pet as a serious responsibility.

Third, we’re experienced:  if your pet has a problem we first try to contact you. However, if we can’t speak to you, due to the number of animals we’ve cared for we can make rational decisions on the need and urgency required for medical treatment.

Here’s a few of the health issues we’ve managed:

Ulcers on dog’s eye:  owners were just leaving for a trip and thought their Lab’s sore eye was an infection she was prone to. However, I was worried and sought permission to take her to the vet who confirmed my visit was a very good call. It transpired she had two corneal Ulcers which were very painful and would have got worse without treatment. (click here to read the blog 'Red eye in the morning - vet's a calling')

‘Dead tail’: unusual condition found mostly in gun dogs. It’s when a dogs tail becomes limp and painful. Treatment with anti inflammatory prescribed (plus rest).

Grass seed: this was quite hard to see, but we picked up on early. It was quite sore and antibiotics were necessary. Took over a week to resolve.

Cystitis: right from the start we noticed Pippin squatting quite often - It was our first time caring for her it and it could have been normal for her. However, we kept watch – and then saw blood in her urine. She had to be taken to the vet and we dealt with the visit and administering the medications.

Cut in dog’s pad: in the case of Maggie a shell made a nasty cut to her pad. I knew from experience with my own dogs that vets cannot stitch pads. As long as the wound is clean it has to heal from the inside out by granulation. So I didn’t take her to the vet as I was confident about what needed to be done. I cleaned the wound, put on padding, a plaster and then a protective bandage. I rested her, each day refreshing the dressings (Maggie the patient, patient is in the picture above!) After a few days I took her out with Jack her partner - but kept her on lead, only walking allowed, until she fully healed.

Maggie all better again and with her beloved Jack

We frequently get calls from desperate pet owners whose friends have let them down at the last minute when we’re almost inevitably already booked and cannot help. When you have booked us, you can relax and know your sit is locked in.

Clients put their trust in us and we do everything we can to ensure their pet is cared for to the highest level possible. Which means when you want your pet to be in expert hands, Perfect Pet Sitter is the outstanding professional option from every perspective.