May 2, 2017 | EMMie Stuff, Tutorial- Online Account
The EaseMyMind online booking tool utilizes color indicators to see the status of your booking request at first sight.
Requested visits with red ‘requested’ status in upper left.
When you first request a visit or a series of visits it’ll show those in white with the word ‘Requested’ in red at the top on your schedule calendar under your ‘My Schedule’ menu tab.
In this status, you can still edit and delete requested visits.
Requested (white) and accepted (green) visits
Once the visits get approved at the office, the color of the individual visits will change from white (requested) to green (accepted).
Tip: Here in this screenshot when looking at Monday and Tuesday, you can actually see the name of the sitter assigned on Tuesday, versus Monday it doesn’t show a sitter assigned yet.
Also note that once visits are accepted the option to delete a visit disappears. This is a safety precaution to prevent accidental deletion. Here, you would cancel a visit if not needed.
If you would look at your schedule right at the time a sitter is with your pets, so in progress you’ll see that the color has changed from green to blue (in progress) and once your sitter clocks out it changes from blue (in progress) to light grey (completed).
Explaining the colors for easy reference
As an easy reference on the color indicators, just click on the ‘Color’ button right at the top of your calendar.
We hope you found this post helpful, please stay tuned for more tips and tricks around your EMM online account.
See you next time! 🙂
Jan 31, 2015 | Cat Care, Dog Care, EMMie Stuff, Pet Sitting
Free? What is free in nowadays you might ask? Here you find out what you get free with your professional pet sitter while caring for your fur babies.
The main job of a professional pet sitter indeed is to care for your pets in their/your own home, to your detailed instructions and your pet’s routine, that is the main goal a pet sitter wants to achieve and accomplish.
Lets See Here What You Would NOT Get When Boarding Your Pet
[I promise, the boarding people do not come out to do that for you]
Alternating lights in your home – for security reasons to let your home look lived in and surely your pets love it too to have some ambient light at night. Who doesn’t like a night light.
Taking the trash bins out on trash day – again a security feature as it looks like someone is home to take care of business but also to not have the trash sitting there for days or a couple of weeks and grow what isn’t supposed to grow.
Bringing in your mail – no more hassle to deal with the post office for holding your mail. Often it doesn’t quite work anyhow and they still deliver to your mail box. Your pet sitter can pick it up from the box and bring it in for you.
Newspapers and other – your pet sitter brings in what is sitting in your driveway, let it be the newspaper or a box you were waiting on [appreciating a note for what should be delivered], the new area phone book or just flyers or biz cards stuck to your front door.
Opening/closing blinds – just like with the lights, opening and closing blinds leaves the impression someone is home but also allows for your pets to look outside during the day but have it closed at night so no one can peak in.
Watering flowers and plants – though not every pet sitter is born with a green thumb, he/she will try best to keep flowers and plants pretty and alive.
Watering the yard – some pet sitters even don’t mind to water the yard for you. Here either with extra allotted time when needed or when hoses and sprinkler are all set up, turning it on at the start of a visit and turning off when leaving is not a problem and doesn’t add extra time.
Security and bad weather checks – your pet sitter could probably tell you stories about bad weather damages but which could be kept to manageable level as it can be discovered at your pet sitter’s visits. No coming home to bad surprises!
Maintaining temperature – might sound unnecessary but the Central Texas weather indeed is unpredictable! Warm at one minute and freezing an hour later. And yes, those freezes will eventually damage the pipes in your home. Your pet sitter can make sure to adjust the thermostat in your home as needed, especially during the changing seasons.
Dishes left behind – not every pet sitter out there will do that but it is not totally uncommon that dishes are getting washed what were left in the sink due to a rush out of the house on departure day.
| All this and more can also be booked as a stand-alone service with no pets
| —> House Sitting/ House Security Checks
That’s a pretty long list of free stuff, isn’t it?!
And there could even be added onto this list, depending on some requests clients may specifically have.
What’s The Conclusion?
Now those are all services, extras or bonuses if you will what you get when engaging a professional pet sitter.
Boarding a pet at a boarding kennel doesn’t come with this nice “side effect” of an included house sitter, which either would mean:
- your home is all alone, unsupervised for the entire time you are away hence, it’s taking a chance and the hopes that everything will be alright when returning
- you have to ask friends, a family member or neighbor to check on your home and do all those things listed above [many feel too uncomfortable to put that upon friends]
OR
Hit Two Flies With One Swat and have your pet(s) AND your home cared for in one roundabout service with daily updates for your peace of mind that your precious pets AND your precious home is safe!
What do you think? Isn’t it great to get something free in nowadays?
Jan 29, 2015 | EMMie Stuff, Pet Sitting
“I Can Find Someone Cheaper On Craigslist”…. Oh YES, We Fully Agree!
You most likely find cheaper pet sitters on Craigslist. Now the question coming up is, WHY are they so cheap?
Is it because they do not have insurance? (those are business expenses, reflecting in prices)
Or because they are young Moms and just want to make a little money on the side?
But then what happens though when their children get sick or their friend or husband isn’t available to watch the kiddos at night?
Are they bringing their kids along to the visits in your home? What a liability this is!!
Why A Company Versus A Sole Operating Pet Sitter
What happens when this pet sitter herself gets ill or other has an emergency?
Has she thought of a back-up plan?
If yes, who will be the back-up person?
How is the backup person notified when this pet sitter is in a condition were she cannot talk?
Hobby Pet Sitter Versus Professional Pet Sitter
Is it someone what pet sits “on the side”, having another job?
If yes, when do those pet visits happen?
Accommodating the work schedule or actually the pet’s need?
SCARY, isn’t it ?!? …. and those are just a few questions a pet Mom or Dad should ask!
EaseMyMind,LLC- A Professional Service Company Offers
- a back-up in place when one of our assigned pet sitters gets ill or otherwise has a delay or heaven forbid, an accident!
- using state of the art devices and applications for clocking in/out, GPS tracked for your assurance that your sitter was with your babies and for how long you have booked.
- using state of the art scheduling systems which have long replaced that paper calendar, assuring that your booked services are never forgotten.
- higher coverage for openings over a sole operating pet sitter or boarding facility
- a TEAM of EMPLOYEES, not Independent Contractors who we would not be able to train and tell how work must be done
What Is Your Peace Of Mind Worth??
Jan 27, 2015 | EMMie Stuff, Pet Health, Pet Sitting
Though stay-at-home pet sitting is the most convenient form of pet care for pets and pet owners alike, there are still a few things which should be planned and prepared for to make it a positive experience for pet, pet owner and pet sitter.
Here are the most common things a Pet Sitter runs into or finds missing on the job:
For Your Home:
- Check all windows and doors upon leaving if all are closed and LOCKED, sometimes it’s simply forgotten to put that lock back in place after a beautiful sunny day.
- As nice as the plug-in room fresheners and Sensy wax warmers smell, they should be turned off or unplugged when leaving as they are a fire hazard and the wax warmers could also easily be tipped over by your jumping or playing pets.
- Table lamps are not the best and safest choice for ambient light for your pet, the cook top light or a ceiling light in a small hallway or with a dimmer is a safer choice.
- Ensure that the thermostat is on a comfortable temperature for your pets, they too can shiver when too cold or overheat when too hot in your home.
For Your Pets:
- Pet food, treats and needed medications or supplements should last and then some for the time away
- Extra towels for the event of rainy weather or accidents, then your pet sitter can switch them out while washing and drying the dirty towels.
- Extra litter, litter scooper and enough plastic sacks for the daily litter box scouring.
- Things which could be dangerous for your pets should be tugged away where they can’t get to. Medications, small items they could chew and swallow, plastic sacks cats could get caught in, glasses which could be knocked over and break, just to name a few.
For Your Pet Sitter:
- Ensure that all pet care and personal information is still up to date so your pet sitter has clear current instructions and doesn’t need to question or assume what needs to be done.
Whilst notes left in your home for your pet sitter is not a bad thing, it’s much better to keep your online profile up-to-date in the event a back-up sitter has to cover.
- Leave a note for your Pet Sitter if your pets already have gotten breakfast or dinner from you before leaving and if they received all their medications when applicable.
- Cleaning supplies are the essentials for a Pet Sitter; ensuring that solvents, dish soap and especially paper towels, a broom and dust pan are at home, makes your pet sitter’s life much easier.
Your Pet Sitter appreciates it VERY much when a front porch light is left on for her or him when visits start at night; it can be pretty spooky to walk toward a house all in the dark.
Need a Checklist For Your Refrigerator?
CLICK On The Image To Download And Print Our ‘Stay’cation Check List!
Tip: put the list in a document protector an
reuse it with erasable markers 🙂
Happy Traveling!
Jan 17, 2015 | EMMie Stuff
Almost sounds like having to tell my parents when I will be home, just curious why my pet sitters would want this information…
Coordination for seamless care, it’s all what it’s about.
The folks at boarding facilities, of course, recognize when a pet isn’t being picked up at the discussed pick up day and time and they keep taking care for the pooches, kitties and little critters until Mom or Dad is finally back.
In in-your-home care we have to work a little differently and though you request certain visits in particular time blocks, knowing the time you leave your home and return back to it helps scheduling mindful so your pet sitter doesn’t show up just an hour after you left and it won’t be too long between the last visit of your sitter and your return.
The expected return time give us the idea when we should get your notice of a safe return but often forgotten, we then try to get a hold of Mom and Dad and if impossible, we know that we must dispatch continued visits until we can get in contact with you.
Assuming a return but then experiencing a travel delay or worse, an accident can be devastating and we do everything to keep your pets happy, healthy and safe.
So not to be nosey, it’s all about the well-being of your fur kids 🙂
Nov 10, 2014 | Dog Care, EMMie Stuff, Pet Sitting
Let’s face it, most people are probably not taking the job of being a professional dog walker too serious and some might even kind of look down upon this profession.
The overall prospective is: “Oh, how fun and how easy of a job! No skills needed and making lots of easy money for a fun job.”
Though there is a reason why in this industry there is a rather high turn over on employees in professional dog walking and pet sitting companies and maybe even more so here in our Killeen and Harker Heights service area, indeed because of the Military.
Let’s look at both sides of the coin:
The Pros To Being A Professional Dog Walker
- Though dog walkers of course have their appointments they must meet but it certainly is nowhere near like a stuck up 9-5 schedule and it also is often much more pleasant to speak to the four-legged doggy clients then experiencing the newest drama in an office setting.
- Exercise in fresh air- no running at the gym needed after work
Yes, dog walkers have their exercise built-in their job~ killing two flies with one swat!
- Oh… there is nothing better then seeing the happy faces when arriving with the leash and the dogs are already waiting impatiently for their dog walker, YES they know their schedule very well!
- Happy and grateful dog Moms and Dads appreciating that their fur kids have gotten their exercise during work hours and are much more calm for Mom and Dad when coming home in the evening after a long work day.
When they are happy, it makes their dog walker happy too.
- Living in Military towns like Killeen and Harker Heights often doesn’t allow for having own dogs when renting an apartment or house and out of their love for dogs, people choose the profession of being a dog walker to do what they love most.
But Where There Are Pros, There Are Cons, Too
- The sun isn’t always shining when going on the job or it is shining a tad bit too much. Dog walkers are out there in almost every weather, no matter if rain, sunshine, icy cold or hot as long as it is in the goods of the dogs.
- Dog walkers cannot call in sick as easy as it might be working an office job. They are caring for living beings, fur kids who look forward to their walk and need to go outside for potty. A dog walker thinks twice or three times before disappointing their walking buddies.
- Oh what a dog walker threats….. clients moving away! Again, especially Killeen and Harker Heights mostly means Military related clients and the time is counted before the next duty station calls. Each dog takes a piece of a dog walker’s heart with him.
- Haha, and not to forget why dog walkers carry poo bags. Not to complain but definitely not the nicest or funnest part of a dog walkers job to pick up along the way, right?!
What are your thoughts? Is professional dog walking an easy job or totally overrated?
