When we arrive at each visit the first thing our pet sitters look for is mail or papers, coupons and flyers that are left in the driveway or front entrance.  We bring everything we find inside and stack on either a kitchen counter or table.  This ensures that it is not obvious that your home is not being permanently occupied while you are away.

When we get into the house the first task we do is to let dogs outside for a potty break (if they do not have a dog door).  While in the yard we often play fetch with toys to give dogs some exercise.  We supervise the dogs so that they don’t dig or get into things that they shouldn’t be messing with!

Of course while we are there we feed the pets and give medications if necessary.  We follow your feeding instructions closely including placing bowls in regular positions so that routine is kept the same.  We also tip out and refresh water bowls or refill water fountains.  Of course we can also spoil your pets with a few treats too – just tell us how many they are allowed to have.  We don’t want to encourage over-eating as we know over-weight pets are a growing problem.

Our standard visit also includes a 15-20 minute dog walk if that is part of your dogs normal routine.  We use your leashes and harnesses and walk the dogs on their normal route. Telling us how you walk your dog (keep them in a heel or let them roam) and how your dogs react to other dogs, children, or small animals we might encounter is important so that we can guard their safety.

If you don’t want us to walk your dog we will let them out in the yard for some more playtime before the end of the visit so that we make sure they are stimulated and have ample opportunity to go to the bathroom before we leave.

It’s our goal that your home will look just like you left it when you return.  While at your home we look around for any accidents or messes that may have happened since our last visit and we do our best to clean up.  It’s important to tell us where you keep towels also so that if we have wet weather during our visits we can clean dogs feet when we bring them in from the yard or our walks.

This clean up for cats also includes litter box scooping and clean-up.  We will scoop at each visit so that your fussy cats are not tempted to go to the bathroom anywhere else in your home.

Our sitters are all pet lovers and will also spend time sitting with your dog or cats giving them scratches and TLC.  If you leave brushes and your pet enjoys being groomed we can also do this for them when we visit.  We want your pet to feel loved and cared for while you are away.

In the heat of summer or during long visits we are also happy to water some plants in the garden for you while we are outside with the pets.  We can also top up ponds or swimming pools that need to be kept at a certain level.

At the end of our visit we will leave you a quick note letting you know what happened during our visit.  We’ll let you know if your pet acted unusually or if anything funny or noteworthy happens during our visit.  Most of our clients love reading these notes and recognize the little mannerisms of their pets that we mention.

Protecting Max in home pet sitting services will be attending the Dog Day Weekend at Grapevine Fellowship Church as a vendor this coming weekend April 28 & 29th.

Dog Day Weekend s is a fun family event at the Grapevine Campus and you are invited to bring your dogs to either the Saturday evening service at 6pm or the Sunday morning service at 11:30am. After the service they will have a pet fair with some fun events :

• pet adoptions
• flea prevention
• grooming
• dog trainers
• fun and games for the kids
• food available for purchase
• pet photo ops
• live music
• Best in Show dog contests

We will be there to educate pet owners about our in home pet care options and would love to have you stop by our table to pick up our free info sheet on pet first aid.

MDA Lock-Up 24th May 2012

The MDA is a non-profit health agency dedicated to curing 43 different neuromuscular diseases under the muscular dystropy umbrella by funding worldwide research.  It provides 6 medical clinics in the DFW Metroplex and assists people living with muscular dystrophy with equipment loans and repairs, support groups, summer camps, flu shots and education.

Please help me raise my bail so that I can get back to caring for the pets of Protecting Max Pet Sitting!

It’s easy to make a donation at my online donations page and all donations are tax deductible.

Thanks for your help!

Pugapalooza

Pack up the puggies and join us Saturday, March 31, from 10 am to 2 pm for Pugapalooza, our biggest spring event! Our third annual Pugapalooza will include all sorts of fun stuff for you, your family, and your pugs, so bring your lawn chair, picnic basket, and some cash for the silent auction and join us in Tipps Canine Hollow Dog Park, 7804 Davis Blvd., North Richland Hills, Texas.

New this year will be cotton candy, face painting, and nail clipping for the pugs. A sneak peek item for our silent auction will be a round trip plane ticket anywhere Southwest Airline flies. All proceeds will benefit our rescue pugs!

Last year we had a big turnout, some come early and stay the day!
Lunch is $5 and includes your choice of a hamburger or hotdog, along with chips and a cold drink. Check out our bake sale for dessert!

Schedule of Events & Contests
10 am – Silent Auction Opens
11 am to 1 pm – LUNCH (calm down!)
11 am – Longest Tongue 11:15 am – Curliest Tail
11:30 am – Best Kisser
11:45 am – Best Trick
12 Noon – Cutest Bonnet, Most Creative, Sassy Senior
12:30 pm – Silent Auction Closes

A friend let me know about this event happening in Bedford next Saturday.  Give back to the cats and attend for a fun day out.

Kittico Cat Rescue And TNR4BedfordTX Presents….

Cat Carnival Saturday Feb 25th at Cats Unlimited inBedford TX !

Kittico Cat Rescue, the Bedford Animal Shelter, TNR4BedfordTX and several other groups are teaming up to sponsor Northeast Tarrant’s first-ever “Cat Carnival” on Saturday, Feb. 25, from noon to 4 p.m.

* The event will feature cat adoptions for $35, discounted from the shelter’s usual $60 adoption fee, which includes a $25 credit voucher toward spay/neuter and a $10 voucher for immunizations!

* Keep your cat safe.  Low-Cost Micro-chipping for your kitties, Available for $25!   Thanks to Dr. Rebecca Epps Community Veterinary Services Euless , TX!.

* A feline behavior specialist will be on hand for free counseling about cat behavior and nutrition.

* The event will offer free pet food samples, treats, balloons for the kids and other giveaways!

* Information, education and awareness about feral cat management using the trap-neuter-return method!

*Coupons will be available from Kittico for spay/neuter services with rabies shot, 4-in-1 Vaccine, FVRCP and Rabies Certificate for $45!

* Cats Unlimited has unique gift items for every cat lover, grooming and boarding services.

The Cat Carnival will be held at Cats Unlimited, 2828 Brown Trail, Bedford TX 76022 . Come visit with your neighbors and some great kitties!

Sponsoring organizations include the City of Bedford Animal Shelter , Kittico Cat Rescue, TNR4BedfordTX and Community Veterinary Services of Euless.

English: Large blue dog food bowl, half full o...

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Make sure that your pets are getting the nutrition they need to stay healthy by feeding them quality pet foods.

Many of the pet food brands that you’ll find at the local grocery store are manufactured to standards much lower that for human grade foods.  They often add fillers and nasty chemicals to the foods which could be detrimental to your pets long term health.

Harmful fillers and chemicals include (Don’t buy any foods where you see these chemicals) :

• By-products – can include any part of any animal that is not fit for human consumption
• Dried Beet Pulp – no nutritional value ingredient added to create firm stools
• Menadione – synthetic and cheap version of vitamin K3 that can cause liver and kidney damage
• Ethoxyquin – artificial preservative
• Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) – artificial preservative
• Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) – artificial preservative
• Soy – inferior protein that is difficult for pets to digest
• Hulls – waste part of grain
• Animal Fat – with no identification it could be any type of animal source
• Appetite Stimulant – chemicals sprayed or mixed with foods

Dogs and cats require high quality protein, fat, fiber, water and easily absorbed vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for optimal health.

Make sure your pets food is fresh and has not been sitting on a shelf more than 6 months.  Keep dry pet food away from air, moisture, and light so that nutrients in the food is preserved.

Look for food made from human grade or USDA meats.

At our house our cats and dog eat Nature’s Select Pet Foods.  A new bag is delivered to our door step whenever we need one and their foods contain:

· Whole meats

· No Artificial Preservatives

· No by-products

Nature’s Select also carry some raw foods that are either frozen or dehydrated. You can see their range of foods at : http://naturalpetfooddeliveryfortworth.com/

Bark Avenue in Colleyville at the corner of Hall Johnson and 26 also carries some high quality dry pet foods and treats.

Over the next week I’m going to be writing a series of posts that give you some tips to keep your pets healthy so that they can live a long happy life with your family.

Healthier pets look younger, have shiny healthy coats, are a healthy body weight, and are alert and full of energy. Keeping your pets healthy by feeding them a high quality diet and getting them plenty of exercise will keep their immune system in tip top shape, help prevent disease, and keep you out of the vets office.

As part of the series I’ll be discussing:

1) Quality Nutrition and Recommendations for choosing your pet foods
2) Importance of Clean Fresh Water
3) Role of Supplements
4) Exercise, Training, and Socialization
5) Grooming

Problems associated with poor nutrition and lifestyle are seen every day in vets offices around the world. These include weight gain, increased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, skin and coat problems, hip dysplasia, and allergies.

Stay tuned for tips coming this week and keep your pet healthy and happy!

Each of these classes is 4 hours and covers pet first aid and CPR training.  In the class we do hands on practice of muzzling, bandaging, pet CPR, rescue breathing, choking, and patient assessment skills.  We also cover heat and cold injuries, insect bites, allergies, poisoning, and first aid and evacuation kits.

Saturday February 4th, 2011   1pm-5pm

500 Aurora Drive, Euless TX 76039

Click to Register Now

Saturday March 3rd, 2011   2pm-6pm

Hosted by A&B Kennels – Murphy TX

Click to Register Now

Saturday March 17th, 2011   1pm-5pm

500 Aurora Drive, Euless TX 76039

Click to Register Now

Take one of our classes this year so that you will be prepared and can give your pets a better chance of surviving a life threatening emergency.

The DFW pug rescue has been around now for 15 years and helps put more than 200 pugs each year into new loving homes.  It relies totally on volunteers to keep the organization running.  If you would like to get involved as a volunteer just hop over to their volunteer page on their website.

There are a couple of fun events coming up this month where you can help the Pug Rescue raise money and adopt out more pugs.

Pancake Breakfast

Join us for yummy Pancakes and raise money for the Pugs!

(This event is for the humans only!)

Saturday, January 14 2012, 8:00 am – 10:00 am

Location: Applebees, 1901 N Belt Line Rd, Irving, TX 75061

Our first fundraiser of the year! All you can eat pancakes with sausage and juice, tea, soda or coffee.

Adult $8, Children under 10 yrs old $5

We are encouraging people to pre-pay on our website so that we prepare enough food.

Purchase Adult Ticket Here: Buy Now
Purchase Child Ticket Here: Buy Now

Senior Pug Wine Gala at the Boarding Bungalow

Senior pugs often stay in rescue for a longer time than their younger pugs.  Senior pugs have so much to offer a family.

Come out and meet the senior pugs that are currently available for adoption at the Senior Wine Gala on Saturday January 21st from 6-9pm.

Event will be at the Boarding Bungalow 4833 Frankford Rd
Dallas, TX 75287

But puppy care can be a lot of work. They can’t hold it as long as older dogs and so they need to be given plenty of potty breaks during training.

We would love to help you get your puppy off to a great start by visiting during your workday to make sure your new puppy gets breaks and enough playtime and exercise to keep them stimulated and keep them from becoming destructive and learning bad habits.

Our breaks include walking, playtime, feeding, and TLC – plus we can also scoop litter boxes if you have cats while we are at your home.

We’ve been visiting Gambit – a cute and playful Husky puppy for the past couple of weeks each weekday for a midday break.

We give our midday break clients a discount if you have us visit 5 times a week or more.

Do you know anyone who just got a new puppy and needs some help?  Let them know about our service so we can make getting through puppyhood easier and so that they can raise a healthy and happy pup!

To setup puppy care just give us a call at 817 692 4404 or email us at danielle@protectingmax.com.