Vote for Buckhead Pet Pals!

It's the voting time of year. Best of Atlanta and Best of Smyrna-Vinings polls are being circulated, and we want to make sure Buckhead Pet Pals gets the recognition it deserves.

Please take a minute to vote at Best of Atlanta and Best of Smyrna-Vinings.

Here's my countdown as to why you should pick Buckhead Pet Pals. I admit to some bias, but even so, every one of these is true:

10) Ease of registration. People just go on line to register with the service, or to book an appointment. You type in the dates you need, and tell them all the quirks of your house and your pets. The system asks every relevant question - so you provide details you might otherwise forget. And Buckhead Pet Pals does the rest.

9) Great customer service. When you call, a human answers. And helps. If you sign up online, a human contacts you with very quick turn-around and a commitment to the dates requested. And - the REAL customers, that is, the pets, are all very well taken care of.

8) Reliability. The sitters come when they say they will come. They clean cat boxes, freshen water bowls, and take extra-long walks. They brush fur and rub bellies. And they come when we expect them to, when we need them to.

7) Keep in touch. The sitters keep in close contact with pet owners. If anything is amiss - a cat is out too long, a dog won't eat, an alarm goes off... the sitters contact the pet's people immediately.

6)Accountability. Buckhead Pet Pals works with over 100 sitters. When a commitment is made, it is made on behalf of Buckhead Pet Pals. Each sitter is committed to ensuring everything goes well. They have a rock-solid reputation to protect.

5) Peace of mind. Buckhead Pet Pals sitters keep an eye on your house, bring in your paper, and have an up-close view of life in your house without you. They know as soon as anything at all is amiss, and their regular appearance helps deter would-be criminals.

4) Peace of pet's mind. Pets are homebodies. A sitter helps keep routine and known territory around your pet when you travel. Your pet hosts the sitter, rather than having to be hosted by someone else, in a strange environment, full of odd smells and foreign noises.

3) Fantastic people. All of them. Mom runs it, and she aligns herself with only the best sitters. They are reliable, conscientious, and kind.

2) Love. Buckhead Pet Pals are pals. They are friends to the furry and feathered. When they come around, they seem genuinely glad to see us. And that comforts us when our parents are away. (Frankly, all I want is love, my own home, food, and a clean bowl of water. They give me all that. Perfection.)

1) BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT. Buckhead Pet Pals has won Best in Atlanta and Best in Smyrna/Vinings for several years now. Because they ARE the best. Help them get that continued recognition. And thanks for your continued support...

Girls Girls Girls

You know how, sometimes, you will be in a strange place - maybe even a different state - and you run into somebody you know? It's fun, seeing somebody all out-of-context like that. If you like them, I bet you wish you could wag your tail.

That happened to my Mom yesterday. There she was, at the grocery store in her small town in Florida, mid-way through her beach vaycay, when someone called her name. It was our neighbor! Turns out, she is staying not far from my Mom. Neighbors in Atlanta, and now for July, neighbors in Florida.

It kinda feels like that every day for me. I never know who I might see when walking the 'hood. Still getting over that extended cooped-up time when I was getting my heartworm treatment (8 weeks of isolation! And me, a young boxer!), every excursion is a treat. My longer-term memory isn't the best, so every sighting is a surprise. I never know who I might see, or whose smells I might catch as having covered the path before me. It's fun to collect all that information.

I also get visitors at home, and different ones than when Mom is around. While my family is gone, I have had 3 sitters! Neighbor dogs, when they see me, wiggle with jealousy and curiosity - trying to sniff out who all these women are. I reveal nothing. Let them think I have a harem, I say.

The truth is, I am SO grateful for the continuity my girls (that's how I think of them) provide. Instead of brooding about my missing brood, I get to enjoy all these different and fun people. I'll tell you about them each - just don't tell the neighbor dogs they're paid (it will destroy the mystery.)

Laurie gets me everyday for my midday walk. She is super-reliable, super-friendly, and I just love how she calls me "Rocketman." It makes me feel all tough, like a super-hero.

Michelle came for recent overnights... it was her first time staying with me and I broke her in. (I can't be certain she was prepared for all my energy! It was fun watching her jump to respond to me!)

Finally, there is Catherine. O! How I love Catherine. I might write her poetry if I could figure out how to hold a pencil. She takes me on hikes and overnights and pretends I am her own. I hear she even talks about me... and? She is supposed to be taking me to Florida to visit my People!

I can hardly wait to find out who I see tomorrow, and what's in store for me then!

July Animal Happenings in ATL

We're going to start keeping an eye out for things in the Atlanta area that might interest animal lovers. If you know of something we should be telling others, please let us know!

Coming up this weekend is the Exotic Bird Fair at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross. At the fair, you can learn about birds of all times, purchase birds, and stock up on everything you need to care for them.

Extend summer with the Atlanta Pet Rescue raffle to win a 7-day Hilton Head vacation September 18th-25th. Enter now! Raffle tickets are $10 each and you can enter on via their website. The winner will be announced July 31.

Every month, Cocktails 4 a Cause selects a local charity to help raise funds and awareness. Atlanta Humane Society is the charity for July! Join the Atlanta Humane Society at the W's Market Restraunt in Buckhead , 3377 Peachtree Road NE, from 6-9PM on Thursday, July 8th. Your $10 suggested donation will benefit pets in need and will earn you complimentary appetizers and one drink.

The Georgia Aquarium Lecture Series provides ample opportunity to learn more about sea life. This weekend is an especially timely lecture, given the crisis in the Gulf. Learn about the Georgia Aquarium's sea turtle rescue efforts at Saturday, July 10th's Breakfast with Biologists: Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation. The talk is from 8:30-10 A.M. Learn more and reserve a spot.

It's not quite directly related to pets... but everybody benefits from a healthy family, and we all love Piedmont Park. Check out the Green Market this weekend and every weekend from May 1st through December 11th.

How'd you like to petsit a warthog? Zoo Atlanta offers a program for teens and adults that provides a firsthand look at working in a zoo. Through this program, participants get to spend a day helping zookeepers with their daily routines of food prep, cleaning, and animal care. The two upcoming programs include one for Elephants & Warthogs (July 10 or August 7) and one that focuses on Australia and Carnivores (July 24 and August 28.) Learn more at the Zoo Atlanta website.

And lastly, for a cause close to Rocky's heart (literally), the Atlanta Humane Society is sponsoring an educational meeting about canine heartworm disease. The event is Thursday, July 29th at 6:30 PM at the Atlanta Humane Society Auditorium at 981 Howell Mill Road NW. Heartwork disease facts, signs, treatment and prevention will be discussed, and drinks and snacks will be provided. (This is a great event for sitters!)

Prepared

My People are at the beach. Most of them. Which leaves me to Dad (when he's home) and the Girls. That's how I think of them, the sitters that love me. It's great now that I can get out and about again... I like the variety of having other people spend time with me, and I the extra belly rubs.

Knowing just how much attention I need, Mom and Dad have the Girls come take care of me even sometimes when they are home. When Mom and Dad both leave town, they help the Girls by letting them know exactly what I need all the time - so I get extra-super care.

I have heard, though, that some aren't as good at receiving sitters. "Jessie" (I am changing her name here, to protect the innocent) is a cat, and her people left totally unprepared. Her sitter is my sitter, so I pick up on some of it. And I worry about her (my Girl, not the Cat) because I like Laurie a lot. I want to make sure that doesn't happen with anybody else's sitter.

To help out, I have made a list. You can use it the next time you go somewhere. Maybe for that 'last hurrah' later in the month, before school gets back in:

• Checkup. Before you go, get your pet's annual checkup. Make sure he/she t is in good health, with current registration. Tags are critical for outdoor pets, and consider getting an ID chip under the skin. (I can't even feel mine!) If there are medical requirements, make sure these are clear to your sitter before you go.
• Food. Have a big bag of whatever food is your pet's favorite. Have enough back up so there is no chance of running out. Have treats you don't usually buy to bribe your furry friend if she or he is feeling lonely. Wet food if they usually eat dry, some Snausages. Whatever it takes.
• Water. It is summer time. For cats, have bowls everywhere. For dogs, too, put out an extra bowl.
• Alarm. Make sure your alarm is in good working order. If you have a remote to turn off the alarm, leave it when you leave your keys. Show your sitter how to use the alarm. Demonstrate. Test it one week before you go, so you can have your system serviced if it doesn't work. Let the sitter know what number the alarm company calls if something goes wrong, and share all applicable passwords.
• Keys. Also on your walk-through, show your sitter how to work the door with the key your sitter will be using. Make sure nothing sticks, and have the sitter lock and unlock the door so she/he can learn the quirks of your key/lock. Also, if there is an extra deadbolt and you are only giving the sitter one key, tape over the lock that will not be used.
• Litter. Or bags for poo. With litter, if you have more than one cat, consider having more than one box while you are gone. Disposable turkey pans work great. This helps ensure clean litter. Keep back up litter, too, just like the food. And leave waste disposal bags in a central location so litter is easily cleaned, or so your sitter can clean up behind your pooch on walks.
• Check your profile. Check your profile at the Buckhead Pet Pals Power Sitter scheduling tool and make sure everything is current - phone numbers, vet information, alarm codes.
• Rules. If you have a cat that divides time between inside and outside, leave instructions for what to do if the cat goes missing, or stays away for longer than expected. Have a back-up plan to leave food outside.
• Emergency. Let your sitter know who to call if there is an emergency, and ensure that the information of record at the vet's is up-to-date. Your sitter should have two emergency numbers - the vet and a non-vet emergency number as well.

Once all that is done, you can go in peace - knowing your pet will receive the best care imaginable (and will probably even get those extra belly rubs I mentioned!)