Your Furry Godmother Pet Sitting and Dog Walking 
Winter 2007 Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are staying warm on these cold winter days!  I just wanted to write and give you all updates on our services.

First of all, on March 14, we will be starting our sixth year of service.  Thanks to you and your wonderful dogs and cats, our first five years have been filled with fun, love, and growth.  I am so looking forward to our next five years!  A deeply felt thanks to all of you for helping us become the service we are today!

We are pleased to announce a new certification!  Sherry Mullins has achieved the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters Certification for upgrading her skills in management and understanding of the health and welfare of pets.  Also, our dog walkers Cindy Sherman and Juline Jordan have achieved their certification in Red Cross Pet First Aid.

Piggybacking on that, all of our Pet Sitters are now carrying Pet First Aid Kits with them to all jobs.  I found a great compact Pet First Aid Kit online for a reasonable price.  If anyone is interested in having one for their home, contact Sherry.

We have joined two new Professional Pet Sitters Organizations.  The Michigan Pet Sitters Association is a local education and networking organization.  Sherry will be working on a team to coordinate and host a local pet sitting conference.  We have also joined the Professional United Pet Sitters Organization, another educational resource for professional pet sitters.

We are now offering a new quarterly ezine for your information and pleasure.  You can find our first edition online at http://www.petsitters.org/ezine/2006/Ezine_Winter06_pg1.cfm?id=336.  Sorry for the long address…I didn’t make it up!!

Look for our new Furry Godmother cable commercial!  It will be airing in March in the Birmingham area of Comcast on CNN Headline News and the Travel Channel.  If you happen to catch it, the professional photos of our Pet Sitters with their pets were taken by Tina at Tina Shane Photography.  Check out her website at TinaShanePhotography.com for more information about getting awesome photos of you and your pets!

Are you planning your next trip?  I have two $500 discount airline vouchers good for travel anywhere in the world.  You must book a hotel with your airfare for a minimum of four nights.  You can select from a standard, deluxe, or luxury room.  I paid for the vouchers, but I am not going to be able to use them and I think they expire soon.  Would anybody like a voucher?  I’m happy to give them to you if you can use them.

I have two new documents for you to review and sign and return to your pet sitter.  (Keep one copy for your records).  One is a Veterinary Release Form.  The other is our Legal Considerations.  The Vet Release is self explanatory.  The Legal Consideration is common sense, but I want to point out two things.

First, I am trying to stay within the federal guidelines of treating my Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers as Independent Contractors as opposed to Employees.  One distinction of an Independent Contractor is that if I (Your Furry Godmother) do not get paid for a job, then I cannot pay your Sitter for the service they performed.  They have to be able to recognize either a profit or a loss.  So I need to implement a tighter payment plan.  Please see the details in the Agreement.  Please also note that late charges will now be assessed for late payments that do not have prior agreement.  I’m sorry to have to put this in place, but a late payment will mean much more coordination between the payment and my ability to provide adequate payroll.

The second thing to note is this.  “Price, Service, Quality…Pick Two.”  I am pleased to say that in six years, Your Furry Godmother has had only one price increase.  But great service and outstanding quality come at a price.  In 2006, we have joined and participated in new Pet Sitting educational networks, pursued continuing education, increased our insurance for your protection, certified all of our Sitters in Pet First Aid, purchased more supplies and equipment such as Pet First Aid Kits and Pet Identification Tags, the new Ezine, and have become active in both the Royal Oak and Birmingham/Bloomfield Chambers of Commerce.  Please take note of our nominal fee increase effective March 1, 2007.

So be sure to check out the Ezine and tell us what you think.  As always, thank you for your referrals.  We have been introduced to some lovely dogs and cats (and owners too!) thanks to your introductions.  We appreciate your thinking of us.

And remember, Easter is coming up!  If you have holiday travel plans and need to book a Pet Sitter, call early!

Sincerely,

Sherry Mullins
Your Furry Godmother
sponsored by our insurance company, Pet Sitters Associates, LLC.