tony baconWhilst many of us look forward to holiday, meeting up with friends and family we only really get to spend time with on these days, many people do not consider the stress that this may cause their pets. Those pet owners who do can often get stressed themselves about how best to handle it. So whether the party is at you house or another’s, there are some things you can consider putting in place to reduce the stress for all of you, including and especially your pets.
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Preparing Beforehand for the Big Events in your Home
We know way in advance if it is your turn to host the family get together. There are no excuses for that one, no way you can say you didn’t know! So if you are expecting a late gathering you can prepare well in advance for it, the longer you prepare the better the results are likely to be. It is always nice having your pets around during these celebrations as they are of course family too, but you don’t want them to be around, they get stressed out and ultimately spoil your day, especially when this can be avoided through early preparation. Many pets, especially dogs, can get very excited when guests visit, especially if there are many of them all at the same time. They can get overly excited, anxious and in some instances even aggressive.
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One thing you can do to prepare for this is some obedience training. Get an increasing number of friends and family over for smaller gatherings leading up to the big day so these pet-friendly people can help with the new smells and noises in their home. Train your pets not to react to the doorbell, get used to being in an increasingly busy house, and be tolerant of all of the extra fusses and attention they will get! They are also looking out for you don’t forget, many dogs try to protect their family, and with all of this noise and excitement going on, your dog is likely to want to protect you. If you consider all od this leading up to the
day, you should have a much more pleasurable party with your pets present with you.
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Prepare a Room for Them Somewhere Else in the House
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Let’s be honest, some pets just won’t like it, no matter how much training and preparation you put in place. Some breeds will be less tolerant than others. So why not consider setting up a Safe Room for them? This should be out of the way with little to no chance of guests entering. Your pets should have some time in this room before the event so they are used to chilling out without any distractions. Then on the day of the party you can set them up with their comfy beds, toys, chews and water.
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I think another good idea is getting the use to soothing music or even playing the television in the background which will not only distract them but also drown out any party noises. Don’t forget to let guests know now to enter this room and to maybe be considerate of noise levels if they have to go near it.
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Use Our Pet Sitting Services
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It is becoming very common for our Mesa pet sitters to be booked to attend parties with the sole intention of looking after the pets. This is our busiest area at the time of writing so it is no surprise to us that the Mesa Pet Sitters are used more for these bookings. However, we have also had our pet sitters in Scottsdale, our pet sitters in Tempe, and our pet sitters in Chandler increasingly busy with these holiday party requests, whether it’s ThanksGiving, Christmas or any of the other holidays where families and friends tend to gather. This is always preferable to dog boarding, dog kenneling, cat boarding and any kind of daycare as there are inherent risks with these options including illness, injury and actually causing your pet higher levels of stress and anxiety than the party itself!
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During the holidays, the best option is for your pet to stay in your home, away from the noise, with someone looking after them. Your pet sitter can then make sure they are calm and relaxed, have lots of company and playtime, pop out for a walk and potty breaks and remove the burden from the owner who can themselves relax, enjoy the party and not have the ongoing stress in the background about the welfare of their pets.
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Holiday bookings at Critter Caretakers always go quickly, even with a large and increasing team across Phoenix and both valleys capacity is often reached well before the day itself.
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If you would like your Critter Caretaker to be your pet sitter for the duration of one of your events, be sure to make contact with us early to avoid disappointment so that everyone in your home can have a stress-free day! Contact Us today!
Tony Bacon