Best of Western Washington Interview

This is Nominee Spotlights, a series in which the Best of Western Washington chats with local business owners to get the inside scoop on everything good.

Like so many pet owners, Arnie and Grace Martinez felt badly and worried about leaving their two dogs and cat home alone all day while they put in long hours commuting and being at the office. Eventually, they decided the long hours away from home were not going to jive with a house filled with kids and dogs. That conversation sparked the idea to open their own pet sitting business: 2 Dogs and a Cat. What started as a part-time business in 2001 is now a full time job. We caught up with Grace to get the a glimpse into the pet sitting world.

How did you get your start in the pet sitting business? I have always loved dogs and cats. As mentioned before, we were in the need for a pet sitter. We couldn't find one that would meet our needs. We knew that we had good business sense and that our love for pets and the quality of care would be a great start.

Describe your role at the business We are a co-owner operation. I handle all the A/R, A/P, marketing, advertising, scheduling, communication with clients, and some pet sitting. My husband Arnie, does most of the visits.

How would you describe your clientele? Some clients have become dear friends and we are thankful for meeting them and their furry friends. We appreciate all of our clients and know that without them we couldn't be living our dream.



2 Dogs & a Cat, on Facebook

What about you - do you have any pets yourself? Of course! When we initially started we had two dogs & a cat. About two years ago, both of our original dogs passed. We were heartbroken. Luckily, our kids taught us the value of moving on and we opened our hearts to our newest dog Bentley. Our 14 year old cat, Katie is still with us. But unfortunately, due to her old age, she doesn't like change and refuses to like Bentley!

How do new customers find you? Referrals, word of mouth, social media, and church advertisement.

Do you offer any special services to specific types of animals? We tend to cater to pets that don't do well in boarding situations, aggressive, shy, elderly, and in need of medication.

Is there a time of year that is busier than others? End-of-the-year holidays tend to be the busiest for us. We are extremely booked during that time-frame.

What is your favorite animal that you have ever sat for? There are a few dogs that I look forward to visiting whenever there is a need because we have been visiting them for so long. They are a part of our extended furry family.

What's the best part of owning your own business? Even though we have been in business for almost 12 years, we are still learning. We are always trying to better serve our clients and their furry family by addressing issues as they come up and offering new services. We truly appreciate that we are self-employed, able to provide for our family, and doing something we truly love.

Are cats cheaper than dogs?

Dog and cat owners don’t pay the same amount for their four-legged family members. The ASPCA did a study on the average cost of owning a dog or a cat. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• Small dog – $1,314 the first year, $580 per year after
• Medium dog – $1,580 the first year, $695 per year after
• Large dog – $1,843 the first year, $875 per year after
• Cat – $1,035 the first year, $670 per year after

These totals include the following first-year costs: spay/neuter, other initial medical, collar/leash, litter box/scratching post for cats, cage/crate for large dogs, carrier bag for small dogs/cats, and training class for dogs. Annual expenses include food, recurring medical, litter for cats, licenses for dogs, toys/treats, health insurance, and miscellaneous.
Of course, those are averages – the ASPCA says, “You shouldn’t expect to pay less than this, and you should definitely be prepared to pay more. Don’t forget to factor in the costs of unexpected veterinary care, as well as boarding facilities, pet sitters and dog walkers, if you plan to use them.”

But what the ASPCA doesn’t mention is ways to trim expenses.

1. Vet bills
The ASPCA says cats and dogs should see a vet at least once a year. The first year (when they usually require the most shots) is slightly more expensive. For example, they say vet bills for a medium-size dog break down like this:

• Recurring medical – $235
• Other initial medicine – $70
• Spaying or neutering – $200
• TOTAL – $505

You might reduce some of those costs by comparison shopping for vets. B be sure to compare the costs of both regular visits and emergency ones.

You can also reduce your costs by shopping around for cheaper medicines. Target and Kroger offer $4 generic pet meds.
Some owners use pet health insurance to save money on their vet bills – both expected and unexpected – but it’s not cheap. The ASPCA says health insurance for a cat runs about $175 a year.

2. Food and supplies
The ASPCA says that the average yearly cost of food and supplies for a large dog like mine breaks down like this:

• Food – $235
• Toys and treats – $75
• TOTAL – $310

Try shopping online for discounts.

3. Grooming and training
According to the ASPCA, training and grooming for a small dog breaks down like this:

• Long hair grooming – $264
• Training class – $110
• TOTAL - $374
   
• WebMD Pets has great one-minute training videos featuring a certified dog trainer. You won’t learn everything you need to know, but it’s helpful to watch the techniques in action.
• Petfinder has a training section that covers everything from behavioral problems to basic dog tricks.

 If you’re looking for grooming advice, check out:

• Grooming FAQ from the ASPCA
• How to Groom a Dog from Beneful
• Grooming Your Dog’s Hair with Clippers from Dummies.com

Bottom line? Animals aren’t cheap, but as with two-legged family members, where there’s a will to save, there’s a way. But even if your dog or cat does end up costing a little more than expected, they’ll still do something no other purchase will: pay you back a thousandfold in companionship, loyalty, devotion, and fun.

Helping kids cope with pet loss

Here is a great article on helping kids cope with pet loss (excerpts only):

Whether expected or not, the death of a beloved family pet often leaves families feeling sad and unprepared. For families with young kids, a pet’s passing may be the first time parents discuss death with their children.

Few parents know how to approach this challenging topic, particularly with very young children. “Developmentally, children of this age do not understand the finality or permanence of death,” says Kate Munson, a Seattle counselor whose specialties include pet loss.

Munson urges parents to use straightforward and simple language when a pet dies. Parents can tell children, for example, “The pet’s body stopped working.” They should use concrete words like “dead, died or dying,” Munson says.

It’s not their fault
Even with simple, direct, to-the-point information, parents can expect misunderstandings. Preschool-age children are still learning the forces of cause and effect, and may believe they’re responsible for their pet’s death. “If anything happens to a pet and it dies, the child may very well think that he or she did something wrong,” says Wallace Sife, Ph.D., a Brooklyn-based psychotherapist, author of The Loss of a Pet, and founder of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement . Reassure children they did nothing wrong, he stresses.

And don’t lie. “Resist the temptation to say the pet went to live with a family in the country,” says Ann R. Howie, a Lacey-area counselor with expertise in human-animal interaction. Concocting tall tales can create even more problems. Let’s say the child wants to visit the pet or asks why another family gets to keep it. Euphemisms such as “went to sleep” or “put to sleep” don’t work well, either. They can confuse kids (what does that really mean, after all?) and can cause them to fear going to sleep, Munson says.

What to share
While experts favor honesty and openness, pet euthanasia presents an exceptionally difficult challenge for parents. Some parents may choose not to go into detail with their children, but simply say that a pet died.

“Euthanasia is a difficult concept for adults to grasp, let alone young children,” Howie says. A child’s age and maturity level, as well as the pet’s health status, may dictate how much parents decide to share.

First experience with death
The way parents handle the death of a family pet can have lasting effects.

“The first experience with death is usually with a pet,” Sife says. “It could be a turtle, it could be a goldfish, or it could be a dog or a cat.” And this first encounter “shapes how we will approach and view future deaths,” says Munson.

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Helping kids deal with the grief from the death of a pet
• Don’t feel you need to hide your own sadness; children learn from and model adults’ emotions.
• Be open to providing comfort and answering questions about the pet’s death; these needs may pop up at any time, even long after the pet has died.
• If children show interest, help them draw pictures of their
• pet or make a scrapbook of memories. Talk with them during the process.
• Establish a family remembrance of your pet; a specific place, a special time or something you do together as a family to memorialize your lost friend.
• Take it slowly when considering a new pet; make sure everyone is ready.
http://www.parentmap.com/article/when-a-pet-dies-helping-your-child-cope

Don't change the litter!

Our 14 year old cat taught us a very important lesson...never change her cat litter! She had begun going outside of her litter box & we finally realized it was because of the new litter. Once we ran out & changed it back, she no longer did that! Ergh. Lesson learned cat, lesson learned.

Please don't leave your dog in the car...

Animals can suffer brain damage or death from heatstroke in just 15 minutes.

Where or where has my litter box gone?

My poor cat Katie has had her litter moved countless times.  Poor cat literally needs to find her "bathroom" everytime we decide it isn't working out for us.  Imagine if your bathroom kept moving - would probably be annoying, no wonder she gets cranky sometimes.  The previous location was ideal but too much cold air from the garage was coming into our home. 

We moved her belongings to our closet.  Not ideal!  Pretty soon we started finding remnants of litter in our clothes and shoes.  We have an armoire in the closet and decided to take out what we had in the bottom half and put her litter in it.  It couldn't have been more brilliant!  Her litter is no longer an eyesore and "most" of the litter remains in the litter box or the armoire.  She has the privacy she needs and we have our closet back - free from litter smells.  I really wish she could pick up the broom and clean up after herself everytime she left a trail though...  So hopefully this will be the last time we move the litter box - I'm sure she'll be thankful and keep her space clean so that we don't move it again!

Summer heat - a dog's perspective

I wish pets could talk.  I wish my dog Bella could tell me if she's too hot to be outside or for that matter if she's too hot to be inside.  Does she need a fan?  Does she need more cool water?  A bath?  Hmm, I don't think she would say yes to that!  My dog hates baths.  She tolerates them, but would prefer never to have a bath again.

I think Bella would tell us to keep her bed cool.  She would want the sun beaming on her head only.  She likes to sun bathe but only if she doesn't move.  I wish I could lounge all day too.  What a life?  As the weather continues to creep up, I look forward to a summer of sunshine and heat.  I bet Bella looks forward to it too!

Babies and Pets

Bella, Reno, and Katie were our kids for a long time.  We got married in 1995 but didn't have our first child until 2003.  We were worried about how our pets would react to a baby in the house.  They noticed the baby things creeping into our home and would often go and smell them.  The day our daughter was born, we took a hat she had worn for our dogs to smell prior to us leaving the hospital.  They were happy to see us when we got back from the hospital.  They smelled our daughter and were satisfied with doing that.  Over the years, our daughter tried to ride the dogs, aggressively pet the cat, dress up the dogs, and race the dogs.  They were eager to have someone solely dedicated to playing with them. 

In 2009 we had our second child and our dogs were now 12 and 13 and our cat was 11.  Our pets were less concerned with the arrival of our newest daughter.  Our first daughter luckily kept them entertained when the baby got fussy.  Our boy dog Reno did not get to spend too much time with the baby - he passed away the day after Thanksgiving.  We feel bad that our second daughter will never really know him.

Before having kids we never thought our pets would be neglected in any way.  But after having kids it seems it is more of a balancing act.  We constantly have to remind ourselves to pay attention to them.  Our eldest daughter is good about giving them the extra attention they need.  I can't imagine life without our furry kids and our human kids.

Growing Old Together

I wonder when it happened.  Did the two of them decide to call a truce?  My dog and cat seemed to be at peace with one another.  Finally.

My dog Bella was two years old when Katie our cat walked into our lives.  Bella has always been curious about Katie but kept her distance.  Katie has always been fiesty and made it clear that she would not tolerate being smelled.  Katie seemed to like our other dog Reno (who recently passed away).  She weighs about 11 pounds, Reno weighed over 60.  Katie was his boss.  Poor Reno!  I often caught Katie swiping at Reno as he passed by her.  She would stare at him until he moved from the bed she wanted to lay on.  I would often find them sleeping together on the cold nights.  Bella had her own bed.  I believed they had a mutual understanding to stay away from each other.  For over 12 years that's what their relationship was - separate.

In the last couple of weeks, maybe they finally noticed Reno's absence and felt they had no choice but to interact.  I caught Bella a few times whining over a bed with Katie.  Katie would not budge.  But lately, they have been sleeping next to one another.  Bella is now 13 and Katie is 11.  With our 6 year old (going on 30!) and our new baby, life has been hectic.  It's nice to see that they have each other.  I hope that somewhere somehow they reached an agreement to accept one another and live amicably.  I hope that they learn to love one another as we love them individually.  If Reno was here (or maybe he's the one who convinced them?) he would be sleeping in the middle of them.  We'll see how long this lasts...