FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I do have a standard system based on what I know the work is generally worth i try to also factor in extra costs i might encounter to travel and to situations or the animal needs, or has special medical needs. I've come to realize that some jobs are much more time consuming and I have to be careful to charge what I'm worth because time is really major factor in getting to all my clients.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I like to meet with a client to get an idea what they want ,what's our schedule is and what their concerns are for their pet and anything I should know about the history of the dog and to see them at home and see how they live.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I worked as a vet assistant for 10 years. Three of those years full time and assisted numerous times in treatment and in surgery. Because of the variety of situations which one sees over and over again I am more aware of signs of illness as well as situations which are likely to create potential harm. also again I have benefited from associating with the vets and vet techs who often give clients advice as far as how to manage animals and problems. I also worked as a substitute caretaker at the Humane Society and continue volunteering there. While I was working there I was so concerned about the dogs I often came in on my days off. They have a wonderful program in which they do exercises with the dogs to reinforce basic training which will make the dogs adapt better to a home. I was fortunate enough to follow around a staff member whose job was to train and socialize dogs and learned a great deal from him. I also spent about two years working at a cat only practice and also worked for a vet who did a tremendous amount of spays and neuters for the feral cat community and so learned a great deal about how to handle cats and slso ferals snd fractious cats, something that unfortunately is needed. Also as a vet assistant I had to understand a great deal about how to give medications without creating conflict end and how to hold and restrain for the doctor which has given me knowledge of how to safely handle animals. That also has been a benefit to me in the dog park where sometimes owners do not recognize cues from their own dogs and I have had to separate dogs. I also also observed how dogs interacted in the kennel of my first employers Hospital. At that time the runs were separated by wire fence- this was common at the time. I watched the way the dogs interacted under the stressful conditions and picked up on body cues that told me that some dogs did not belong next to each other or should be next to a wall. Seeing the dogs in numerous situations in the playpen in the exam room and on exercise walks and also by simply listening I learned a great deal about body language and behavior that had helped me to avoid potential problems. This is important because dogs benefit from socialization but sometimes also need to be managed