Relying on friends and family or choosing kennels when going on holiday, have historically been the most obvious choices when it come to making suitable arrangements for their canine companions, but what if these options are not available or suitable? How many of us actually admit to not going away when we’d like to for fear of leaving Fido? Research shows only 10% of dog owners use kennels and 28% are foisted onto friends and neighbours – 33% of whom would rather not have the responsibility!

Pet-sitting with a difference, home-from-home pet care, dog holidays, a welcome alternative to kennels. Home from Home Pet Care is designed to reduce stress for owners and pets alike. Home from Home is the revolutionary pet sitting concept that everyone’s talking about. Dogs stay in a loving home environment, when their owners are away on holiday.

Everything is designed to reduce stress for customer and pet. Customers are visited in their own homes with their dog(s) to find out about daily routines for exercising and feeding, likes, dislikes and healthcare needs. Obviously at the heart of the business are a dedicated team of host families. A host family is selected from a portfolio of trusted dog lovers. Accommodation is arranged in a warm, friendly home environment with one-to-one pet sitting; exercise and feeding routines (and house rules!) are maintained just as the dog would be used to. To make parting easier, our complete hassle-free service includes holiday transportation for the pet. All of the hosts are dog lovers who provide genuine affection and undivided attention for their canine visitors. Some are active retired people who have had dogs before and miss the routine and exercise. Others are at home during the day with children and can provide a busy family environment. Many have pets of their own for their guests to make friends with. All potential pet sitting hosts are interviewed in depth and visited at home to ensure that they meet with the strict criteria, they must be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of dog care, have somewhere warm and cosy for pets to sleep, continue home life routines for exercising and feeding, have a safe garden, and be at home during the day.

In such a volatile and fragile economic environment, the consumers’ normal tendency is to cut back on spending.

But in doing so, many people do not realize that they often end up buying a lesser quality product, which ultimately has to be replaced more often than if they had invested in higher valued (and often better quality- after all, there is great truth in the expression “you get what you pay for”…) merchandise.

The wise thing to do is to look for a few criteria when purchasing any item, including pet products.

Functionality, quality, safety, durability, price and of course style.

Whiner and Diner is a pet product company which puts high value on all of the above.

Their wine crate Eco-luxury dog and cat accessories are functional, high quality, durable, safe and healthy for pets. Because they are expertly hand-crafted out of reclaimed wooden wine crates, they are indeed stylish and Eco-friendly to boot.

They simply offer great value and are made in the USA.

Check out the Whiner and Diner pet toy boxes in any color, but red or green would make a great Holiday gift for any wine and pet lover.

And why not fill it with cute, pet toys to complete the ultimate Christmas gift.

And let’s not forget our less fortunate furry friends: the US economy is in dire straits, and too many pets are paying the price. The raising number of abandoned dogs and cats is becoming overwhelming. Our shelters are filling up with “foreclosure pets”, given up by owners affected by the economic turmoil.

“Sorry, I can’t pay my mortgage, I can’t take care of my kids, I can’t take care of my dog…Please, take care of him…” reads a note attached to a dog tied to a shelter’s front door. This is just heartbreaking!

But we can all help: donate what you can (pet food, clothing, toys, etc…) to your local shelter, visit The Human Society to find out how you can help them.

And if you are thinking about giving a pet as a Chritmas gift to a friend or a family member, please don’t!!! Unless it has been discussed with the gift recipient, it is not a good idea! Too many Christmas Pets end up in shelters after the Holiday Season.

Instead, give a Pet Adoption certificate from you local shelter , along with a book about animal care and training, and let them decide…Hopefully, they will rescue a dog or cat from the shelter.

There are many ways to help restore our economy. And refueling it by spending our money is one of them! We just need to do it wisely!

There are over 6 million households in Canada who own a pet or two. Dogs and cats are the most popular pets, while dogs are the most favoured dogs among pet owners primarly because dogs are most affectionate.

It used to be that when pet owners go away on holiday, they would leave their pets with a neighbour, relative or friend, or with a kennel service. However, many families do not live close to each other and kennels can be quite expensive while not necessarily providing a happy atmosphere for pets. Thus, a new service business of pet sitting and pet walking is born.

Today, the pet sitting service has become a mature business. NAPPS, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters provide publications, training videos, insurance information, and other business resources for its members. Canadian equivalent of such an association is the All Canadian Pet Service Network. Typical pet sitting fees are $15 for a one-to-one 15 minute pee break, $20 for a 20 minute pee break. Group walks are also available at lower rates. Clients are not limited to pet owners on vacations. Some stay-at-home pet owners book 2 to 3 services a week for extra relief from walking their pets. Typically, the owner would leave house keys to the pet sitting service, and the sitters would come to the house and take the pets out for a walk. Reputable pet sitting services run a criminal check on their pet sitter employees and provide insurance bonding. Some pet sitting service also offer dog obedience training and puppy potty training as well.

My husband and I had the unfortunate experience of having to care for a pet while her owners went away for a holiday. The first night, we both forgot that we had the dog, and left our front door open. It was not until four hours later than we remembered we were caring for the dog, and had to have a search party. Luckily, we found the dog. She had wandered away to the neighbour’s yard, and was crying. The dog felt so lonely while staying with us, and wouldn’t eat for the first two days. After our valiant efforts in entertaining her and giving her a lot of pats and talk, she finally warmed up and felt comfortable.

After this episode, I have learned not to take care of somebody’s dog and will gladly refer them to a pet sitting service. I am sure many non-pet owners felt the same way. In fact, many pet sitting services sell gift certificates which make ideal presents for all occasions.

Dogs are social animals, and love company. They also need daily walks and exercises at least once, and preferably twice a day. Without proper attention, dogs can be destructive and manifest behavioral problems. Older arthritic dogs who are not so agile, may not adjust well to new surroundings. If you are travelling and will be away from your pet, consider giving your pets quality care by using a pet sitting service.

If you love pets and want to start your own business, consider a pet sitting service. It can be run from home, and has low startup costs. Several add-on products such as dog accessories, and dog food can also bring in additional income. Here’s another plus! This type of jobs cannot be outsourced to a third world country.

Author: Trenna Young
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

The holidays are right around the corner and holiday merchandising is an important way to increase sales. Whether you have a boutique or traditional pet store, merchandising the store festively can increase your bottom line in numerous ways. Once customers see the beautiful holiday window displays and store merchandising, the holiday mood and spending has begun. There is some debate on when to start holiday merchandising – too early and customers might be put off but too late and you might lose trigger sales. A good rule of thumb is Nov 1st; take those Halloween displays down and replace with the Christmas and Hannukah displays.

There are many ways to increase holiday business but four key elements are knowledgeable salespeople, point of purchase displays, holiday gift baskets and setting the holiday scene. First and foremost is your staff – having knowledgeable salespeople who know the product line as well as all the product offerings is key to successful sales. Even with the most gorgeous holiday displays, if your salespeople can’t sell the items, the holiday displays are serving merely as a store decoration. Kerry King from Kool Dog Kafe, a doggie bakery in New Mexico, states, “Sales associates up selling last minute items or gift certificates are extremely important in successful holiday business.”

Point of purchase displays and those last minute items at the register are also a great way to increase add on sales at the holidays. Kerry King recommends, “Rounders or shelves around your counter for impulse purchases are important as well as point of sale signage at the counter with hot holiday items.” Kristen Stavistky from Max’s Place, a pet boutique in Spring Valley, NY, suggests holiday impulse items should be displayed at the counter, “Cute dog toys are perfect or all-natural dog biscuits. The key is inexpensive, $10 and under, and cute, unique gifts. You want to show items that people will “need” to buy.”

Gift baskets are also a key holiday merchandising technique that will increase your sales. The baskets add to the festivity of the store while giving your customers a great gift idea for their friends or pets. Kerry King states, “We find holiday gift baskets and packaged sets make for easy gift shopping and increased sales”.

Finally, your store should encapsulate the holiday season with color, in store merchandising and holiday window displays. Basically, you want to “set the scene” of the entire store with an assortment of products and holiday accouchements. Kerry from Kool Dog Kafe recommends, “We found using theatrical props such as a sleigh or fake snow, etc. in our window displays draws attention to the store with a hip/cool element.” Kristen from Max’s Place suggests, “We’ve found that it helps to set the scene; we include a range of products so that we can inspire our customers. They might feel as if they are looking at a room in a house, rather than a single item display. We also group products by color and style.” Elena Ferrante from Sophisticated Canines in Westwood, NJ recommends setting up little vignettes with a holiday theme to show people how the items could be used, i.e. have a little decorated Christmas tree set up with a dressed up stuffed dog wearing holiday attire. She states, “Set up the display so that people can envision how their purchases will look.” Whether it’s grouping products by color, style or showing how the products can be used, it’s important that the entire scene of the store flows together with your chosen holiday theme.

The holidays (Christmas, Hannukah, etc) are a great way to enlighten your store with color, products and displays but what about other holidays during the year such as Thanksgiving, Halloween and more. These are great opportunities to spruce up the store with color, themes and products to sell. Kristin from Max’s Place suggests decorating the store with goblins, ghosts and dummies at Halloween and she even has one idea that might really spook the clientele, “We also have been known to color our pond and fountain displays and have an eyeball or two floating by!” Kerry from Kool Dog Kafe says, “We bring Halloween decorations to create a spooky atmosphere and also use fall leaves and hay bails. This time of year is such a great time for creating that cozy (shopping) holiday experience.”

Whether you are decorating your store for Christmas, Hannukah, Halloween or even Ground Hogs Day, remember to spotlight your best holiday merchandise.

Quick Tips for Holiday Merchandising:

Do use holiday colors and holiday product assortment for unique displays
Do set up holiday scenes rather then random products
Do use fun props such as lighted sleds, snowmen, etc
Don’t let your props overtake your products being displayed
Don’t use items that can be dangerous to animals, i.e. poinsettias, open cords

Author: Lori Dotterweich
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty