If Your Pets Could
Speak
By Patricia Pantazis Hunnybun
Owner of Pampered Pets & People
February 5, 2013
Seeing Things from the Perspective of Your Pets -
Humans spend
a lot of time socializing and networking with other people. They love to engage with others who make them
feel valued and important. They treat themselves
to the best, such as; picking their favorite styles and tastes when they chose clothing,
vehicles, homes and even the foods they eat.
People want to be engaged with one another, have lots of fun activities and
feel that they fit in, belong, and are valued.
People love to get lots of positive attention and interaction through
others.
We, companion
animals, are limited to fully engaging in our natural environment or with
others of our own species. We rely
entirely on you and your time you make available to me. I am entirely at your schedule and your
tastes in how much time you spend with me, what you provide for me, and how
much fun and interaction I get with others of my own species or with you.
When you are
busy or have to leave town, I am lonely, scared and I miss you. I am apprehensive, nervous and stressed at
the change in my routine and environment.
When you have
to leave, can you please provide me with an attentive, caring, dedicated care
giver that will engage with me, play with me, treat me the way you do when you
are home. Can they give me more of their
time and not just run in and out to feed me and make sure that I have
water. I am already stressed and miss
you. I need lots of love and attention,
fun and playtime, engagement when you are away to make me feel important and valued. I really need a care giver that understands
that my normal routine, safety, security and well being is the most important
thing to me; because I am already stressed with being away from you.
What I love
in a pet sitter is someone who will talk to me, play with me, engage with me
and understand that I am missing you and stressed. Someone who will touch me, pet me, groom me
to help ease my nervousness and anxiety.
I need someone who isn’t distracted by anything else and is paying
complete attention to me while they are with me. I need to trust them and feel completely
comfortable with them. I truly will
appreciate someone who realizes that time is more important to me than anything
else. Please don’t look for the cheapest
price when looking for someone to take care of me. I hope that I am worth more to you than
that. You spend a lot of money on the really
important things to you, please look for someone who will give me everything I
need when I am away from you and will give me dedicated time and attention just
like you do when you are home.
When you
interview a potential pet sitter for me, please ask them how much time they
will spend with me. What types of
activities will they do with me? Ask for
proof of what they tell you. Look for
someone who is experienced, trusted, and reliable and also has training and
education in working with animals. I
prefer an experienced adult who will be able to identify any subtle change in
my behavior or physical condition to recognize something is wrong and are
capable of dealing with it. I prefer
someone who won’t be on their cell phone or device texting or playing games,
listening to music instead of paying attention to me. I prefer someone who is capable of ensuring
that my manners and obedience are consistent with your expectations and who can
teach me things if I am still young and learning. And, I really appreciate someone who
understands my natural instincts and behaviors and will engage with me as if
they were my owner or best friend and spend time playing with me to help me not
feel stressed that you are away.
Pampered Pets
& People
Patricia
Pantazis Hunnybun
No comments:
Post a Comment