Fetch! Pet Care Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in Entrepreneur Magazine in an article titled, "Disaster Response," that is running in the March 2013 issue.

The article, which leads with Fetch! Pet Care, talks about how businesses rose to the challenge and helped provide above and beyond services in their communities hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. As a local businessowner wanting to help, Ed and Janice talked about their story housing their customer’s pets at their own home so the pet’s owners could seek shelter for themselves, mostly in hotels not allowing pets. The article also talks about how Ed conserved much-needed gas for the community by bicycling to customer’s homes to make sure they were OK and to ensure their pets were serviced as well. Overall, this showed how amazing Fetch owners stepped up and made a difference in assisting their customers during this disaster. This was a great story to be told!

To view a PDF of the full article, click HERE or begin reading below:

Disaster Response

By: Jason Daley

The dogs started arriving the morning after the storm. As people awoke to the reality that their homes were flooded, or damaged by high winds, or that the electricity wouldn't be turned back on anytime soon, they began dropping off their pets at Ed and Janice Saxton's home before seeking out that rare hotel with a vacancy. 

Soon the Saxtons, owners of a Fetch! Pet Care franchise and one of the lucky families in Bergen County, N.J. that didn't lose power during the Superstorm Sandy, were sheltering nine dogs. 

At one point, Ed remembers, there were six pups crowded onto the foot of their bed. "I don't think anybody could have prepared for what the hell happened," he says. "It was brutal for a lot of families. Our inconvenience was insignificant compared to what happened to other people."

Fetch! Featured on The Urban Mutt

Fetch! Pet Care Chicago was featured on an episode of the web series The Urban Mutt.

In the video, Urban Mutt host Chad takes his dog Guinness to the Wicker Dog Park in Chicago, IL. In the video, Fetch! Chicago representatives speak about the history of the franchise and its fast paced growth, including over 20,000 clients, along with many services offered from hotel to in-home sitting. An important focus of the video is the fact that keeping the pets in their routine is of the utmost importance, from a routine sitter and walker to anti-kennel boarding that doesn't remove the dog from the comfort of its own home. And not just dogs! Cats, rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs are all taken care of by this diverse staff.

The real stars of the video? The pets! You'll be able to see a group of dogs who are a part of Fetch!'s group exercise that allows social dogs to get interaction with other furry friends - a great change from the solitary walks many dogs may be accustomed to.

A wonderful job done by the team at Fetch! Pet Care Chicago, and many thanks to Chad and the Urban Mutt team for their wonderful interview. To view the video click HERE or view it below:

Bigger is Better?

The American Kennel Club has released their list of the nation's most popular breeds. While the Labrador retriever retained its #1 spot for the 22nd year in a row, the list shows some interesting finds. Larger breeds are on the rise, while the once-popular smaller breed slid down the ranks. The German shepherd was again runner-up, but the golden retriever rose to third, dropping the smaller-sized beagles to fourth. The bigger bulldog surpassed the tiny Yorkie to round out the top five.

Regionally, Labradors even managed to swoop the top spot in NYC, where the Yorkie dropped from first to fifth. However, German shepherds took Chicago's most popular spot where they're increasingly popular among families in addition to police, guard and military personnel.

The Labrador's two-decade reign seems almost unbeatable, and yet, the poodle also held the top spot for 22 years from the 1980s through the 1990s. Perhaps the bonsai hair grooming became too much to maintain for pet owners.

To find the most popular breed in your city, check the AKC's stats by clicking HERE.

FETCH! Pet Care featured in the Times Free Press

In the article, Will Feldman, owner of Fetch! Pet Care in Chattanooga discussed his background, his pets and his new Fetch! Pet Care opening in Chattanooga. He explains why he wanted to bring the Fetch! brand to the Chattanooga area, and talks about his future expansion, development and overall marketing plans.

Click HERE for the full feature, or begin reading below.

Small Biz: Fetch! offers insured, in-home services for pets

By: Shelly Bradbury 

Name: Fetch! Pet Care of Chattanooga.

Owner: Will Feldman.

Website: chattanooga.fetchpetcare.com.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Opening: Feb. 1.

Staff: Between three and six insured, background-checked pet-sitters.

Services: "We offer dog walking; in-home care for dogs, cats, fish, reptiles; yard cleanup. If they're out of town we could change the lights, take the mail in -- basically if the client needs it, we'll provide it," Feldman said.

How to Help Your Pet Deal With Separation Anxiety

As summer comes to a close, things may start to change for your pet. The kids go back to school, your hours at work get longer, and the weather no longer supports long days spent outdoors. Your pet’s routine changes as a result, which in turn often causes separation anxiety for them.

Separation anxiety is an affliction that many pet owners may not even know their pet has. Separation anxiety affects more pets than you might think. If your pet exhibits any or all of the following symptoms, they may be suffering from separation anxiety: Howling or barking, excessive biting or chewing, increased excitability on your return home, scratching or digging to try to reunite themselves with their owners, and/or unexpected urination or defecation of housetrained dogs.

Before we share some quick tips to help your pet deal with separation anxiety, let’s first try to understand what causes it. No one knows exactly what causes separation anxiety because it varies so much case to case, but there are definitely some well-known patterns to keep an eye out for. Most of the causes are self-explanatory, and very similar to that of human children.

If your dog is used to having a companion around all the time, when you leave they may become distressed. Or if a dog from a shelter experiences a traumatic event linked to their separation, that may carry into their daily life after you adopt them. The most common form of separation anxiety for pets occurs when you switch up their routine. Although, you may think that your pet will not notice this, pets are hyper-aware to things of this nature.

Now we get down to really trying to solve the problem. Leaving your pet alone for a period of time is something that most every pet owner has to do from time to time. Although, it can be heart wrenching, it’s an unfortunate reality of being a pet owner in a busy world.

There are many ways to help solve your pet’s separation anxiety. One solution is to give them something that smells like you, or not making a big deal about your leaving or arriving. Filling up a toy, such as a Kong, with peanut butter or frozen treats will keep them busy for hours. If the problem persists, you might seek veterinary help. There are many medications for dogs with separation anxiety issues, but we would recommend avoiding these if other alternatives exist.

The best solution is to get someone to take care of your pet, and give them the love, attention and daily exercise they need when you’re not able to do that yourself. Fetch! Pet care provides pet sitting and dogwalking services to provide you with peace of mind, and your pet with the care and love they deserve when you’re away. We can provide at-home care of your pet when you’re at work, on vacation, traveling for business or otherwise, and can be their best friend when you’re away. Our well-trained staff will help to make sure that your pet will never even feel stressed when you are at work or out of town. Your pet will be just as happy as when you left.

The Inconvenient Truth About Pet Boarding Facilities

When we think of staying at a nice hotel, it conjures up thoughts of a luxurious room with amenities, personal services and perhaps even delicious meals. Pet hotels, boarding and even kennel facilities know this and often connote these emotions in their consumer marketing to you – and many of us play right into it.

We have come to believe that private rooms for our dogs complete with TV’s at a pet hotel, or open running spaces with pools at a boarding facility, or companionship with other dogs at a kennel will be true paradise for them – ensuring Fido will be happy and blissful while we’re away from them. However, pets have very different senses and behavior characteristics than humans, and nothing could be further from the truth when they stay at these facilities.

Dog boarding, compared to at-home pet care, can actually be quite harmful to your pet. Dog boarding takes your pet out of their natural environment and places them into an unfamiliar environment that they have little to no time to get used to before you drop them off and leave them behind.

Also, by the very fact that you feed and walk your dog, you are most likely your pet’s pack leader. When your pet is left at a boarding facility they may feel displaced, confused and lonely. Many dogs experience stress when their normal routine is changed. Now consider the added stress when you change their environment and take away their trusted pack leader (you).

In these boarding facilities, hundreds of dogs before them have marked their spots, and this makes many of the newly checked in dogs feel unwelcome and uncomfortable in this environment. It’s also a common occurrence that some dogs will take the alpha role in boarding facilities and bully or cause physical harm to other dogs to show their dominance.

When dogs feel separation anxiety from their home and owner they often bark, and when so many dogs are barking at once your pooch can get even more stressed out. This anxiety can also lead to unwarranted aggression, housetraining regression, and social hyper-arousal. In many facilities, lack of exercise, unfamiliar smells, and a general lack of human contact can lead to a damaging experience for your pet.

Not only can your dog be emotionally harmed, they can also be physically affected. With so many dogs packed into one environment, ticks, fleas, as well as airborne diseases such as kennel cough and the rare canine influenza strain can afflict your canine companion.

With so many problems stemming from boarding your dog, an already expensive experience can lead to even more costly bills from your vet in treating your dog for physical afflictions sustained, stress related illnesses, as well as additional training to address any positive behaviors that may have been forgotten in their stressful boarding experience.

We started Fetch! Pet Care because we believe that pets should be able to maintain their normal routine in the safety and comfort of their own home environment through at-home dog walks and pet-sitting while their owners are away. We believe that dogs should receive two or three walks a day while their owners are away to keep them healthy, burn off excess energy, maintain socialization with other dogs and their surrounding environment, and to get one-on-one focused attention and loving care from a professional care giver. At home care promotes healthy, happy, and balanced pets. It also enables owners to know that their dogs will feel safe and comfortable while staying in their own home and maintaining their own routine. So, the next time you see some great marketing for a local boarding facility, think twice before jumping quickly to believe your pet will have the same great experience as you. Ask yourself what your pet would really like, not what you want, and you will likely make a pet care decision that will lead to greater happiness and well-being for them and true peace of mind for you.

Dog-Friendly Day Trips for the Summer Months

When deciding on a day trip for your pet it’s important to keep in mind that it’s still summer, so keeping your dog cool and hydrated is still priority number one. There are many summer activities that you may not think of as completely dog-friendly, but are likely in your local area. Most pets love the same activities as their owners, and there are easy ways to keep these activities safe for our canine companions.

Dog hikes are fun for both humans and dogs alike. The first thing you have to do when planning a hike for you and your pet is research the trails. It’s crucial that you check ahead to see if the trail you plan to hike allows dogs. Many National Parks don’t allow dogs and, although this is unfortunate for us pet owners, there are plenty of other options for you and your four-legged friend. Make sure the trail isn’t too arduous for your pet, and bring enough water to keep both you and your pet well hydrated. Also, don’t forget to bring poop bags for the inevitable poop scooping on the trail. Getting your dog walking and active is essential for an active lifestyle, and going on a hike is a great way to do this.

Beaches can also be a fun summer activity for you and your pet. As with the hikes, make sure dogs are allowed on the beach you plan to visit, and pack plenty of water. Many beaches have a pet-friendly water spigot accessible, so scout around and find that water source. After taking care of the water situation, try to find a spot of shade on the beach or bring an umbrella. You don’t want your dog overheating on those hotter days. Also, if your dog goes into the water make sure you keep an eye on them. Rising tides can bring large waves and strong currents that may catch you or your pet off guard.

Daily dogwalks are very important for a dog’s well-being. Most dogs require two to three walks a day in order to stay fit and happy. If you are using a pet-sitting or dog walking service let your pet sitter or dog walker know what times you usually walk your pets. This will allow your pet to feel a lot more comfortable even when you’re away. Although this may seem like an obvious activity, it’s still important to keep your dog active even in the summer months. Even a simple neighborhood dog walk can be very beneficial to your pet.

Another more obscure summer activity is to sign up for a dog-friendly running or walking event, preferably for a beneficial pet charity. Participating in one of these events is a great experience for both you and your dog. It allows a kind of connection with your animal and other pets and their owners that many other activities do not. It’s a great excuse to get you and your pet in shape, and a great memory for both of you

Safety is the main priority when planning your summer pet activities, and once you’ve got a good safe plan, a nice outing with your pet can be an amazingly rewarding experience.