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National Pet Week Starts May 1st

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National Pet Week began back in 1981. It is celebrated during the first week of May. The American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA) helped create this week that celebrates pets and encourages the best possible care of our companion animals. 

The AVMA  themes each day that you can check out by clicking here.

You probably won’t be surprised by many of the recommendations. But it is always good to see if you can make any improvements. Many of the tips can be applied to the human beings in the household, not just the pet.

For example, the AVMA recommends proper nutrition and exercise for your pet. What better way to improve your own life by being active with your best friend? Finding an exercise routine that both your pet and you can share is an essential joy that has long lasting benefits.

Unsurprisingly, they recommend regular checkups and screenings, particularly as your pet reaches the senior years. Just like humans, the preventive measures you take could extend the quality and longevity of your pet’s life. 

You could also review preparation protocols for travel and review the latest procedures for handling an emergency event. 

Whether you are looking to find a pet or already have one, your veterinarian is a great resource for making sure you understand all the facets required for a healthy, happy pet.

Let us know how you plan to celebrate National Pet Week. 

Update on Holiday Scheduling and the Floofins Waitlist

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As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to let our clients know about the status of holiday scheduling and our first ever Floofins & Co. waitlist.

EARLY BOOKING

While we have always stressed booking visits as early as possible, this holiday season presents additional challenges. We highly encourage our clients to book your holiday trips in the system as soon as possible. Why?

Our commitment to the highest level of service. 

Like all industries, demand and staffing are in flux. Particularly at high volume times, like the holidays, we encourage early booking to meet pet care needs. We never overbook because that negatively impacts our clients.

We have seen a drastic increase in the volume of pet care requests. This likely results from many factors including increased travel from last year, new floofins additions to households, and the unfortunate decrease in pet care providers resulting from COVID’s hit to small businesses everywhere. 

WAITLIST

We appreciate your referrals and encourage you to continue to suggest us as an option for your family and friends. As a caution, some new clients, depending on their service location, may be placed on our waitlist.

New clients may temporarily be waitlisted clients until we can provide Floofins & Co. caliber service. We encourage you to establish your pet with us so that we can quickly transition to providing service as soon as possible.

Floofins & CO. appreciates all of our clients, new and established. We promise to continue to give you the service you have come to expect. And for new clients, we will make your pet a member of our Floofins Family as soon as we can.

Thank you and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday.

Avoiding the Summer of Separation Anxiety

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As we watch vaccination rates increase and society slowly tiptoe towards one another again, one thing those of us with pets will be attempting to avoid is separation anxiety. 

My dog, like most people, has a routine. And she likes to keep things in the rut in which she has grown accustomed. Just like humans, pets need to acclimate to new routines in order to mitigate the most severe reactions of separation anxiety that could occur.

As summer nears, people and pets may find themselves struggling to readjust. Just as you would prepare your children for bedtime hours in the days leading up to the end of summer vacation, you should consider how to manage your pet.

What to Consider

If your pet has grown used to having you home all day long and you immediately disappear as you begin to work outside the home again or go on vacation, your pet may demonstrate separation anxiety. It could be as simple as an involuntary urination in the house or as destructive as chewing drywall or breaking through windows or doors.

The best way to avoid any extreme reaction is to transition your pet back to your typical routine. Floofins & Co. can assist you by helping you get your pet out the door and back to a normal midday walk with our pet care specialist. We can also help you build up extended periods of your absence to reacclimatize them to potential travel periods.

What You Can D0

If you have a new puppy, you want to build times into your schedule where you leave them alone. Also, you want to get them used to a dog walker during the day. Exposing them to different schedules and people, with safe social distancing, will help to prevent separation anxiety.

We want to help you get out and be in the world again while making sure your floofin has had the time to remember what those periods away from home will feel like.

Hopefully, you can avoid any behavior issues from separation anxiety by taking steps now to get your pet readjusted slowly to different routines. Contact us to find out how to schedule your pet on walks with us and ask about any special accommodations you may have. Stay safe, transition slowly, and avoid separation anxiety.

Floofins & Co. Celebrates 11 Years in Business

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Today marks our 11th anniversary and we are so glad to still be in business despite the impact of a global pandemic. We want to thank each of our clients for their continued support and our staff for their loyalty and determination. 

As we begin looking forward to a more normalized future in the coming months, we want to highlight some of our hopes and also get feedback from our clients.

“We had planned to celebrate the confluence of our 10-year anniversary and our selection as the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters Business of the Year during 2020,” founder Kristin Skelton, recounted. “COVID had other plans.”

Floofins & Co. provided essential services to frontline workers and healthcare professionals and their pets while adjusting to shifting state and local protocols. And as things begin to reopen, we will continue to serve all of our clients and maintain our common sense safety protocols.  [Read more…] about Floofins & Co. Celebrates 11 Years in Business

Floofins & Co. Forges Forward Into 2021

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Most everyone will have heaved a collective sigh by the time this reaches you. Sending 2020 packing feels like a huge accomplishment, particularly for small businesses like Floofins & Co. 

We didn’t have the year we had originally planned. All of the events and celebrations (NAPPS Business of the Year and our 10-year anniversary) we had in the works had to be tabled. There wasn’t a way to celebrate as planned because of  shutdowns and folks generally being home all the time.
[Read more…] about Floofins & Co. Forges Forward Into 2021