Tis the season for Thanksgiving travels and holiday shopping. Fall is coming to a close. Winter is upon us. How will you make sure your pets are happy and taken care of while you're away for Thanksgiving or on long holiday shopping excursions? If you're at home entertaining guests for the Holidays, you are probably cooking and serving lots of food, and your pets start begging. Do you know which "human foods" are not healthy for them? As the days get darker and colder, how will you make sure that they will be healthy and happy?

Pet Sitters Plus has a few handy tips to consider for your animal companions while away for long periods of time, as well as while at home entertaining guests with lots of food:

• Know how to choose the right pet sitter for you while traveling or on long shopping excursions. Read the blog Choosing a Pet Sitter for handy tips and guidance.
• Human foods to avoid feeding your pets: Xylitol - If you're using xylitol as a sweetener, remember never to let your dog have a taste! Xylitol is poisonous for your dogs. Dark chocolate - Dogs are usually sensitive to chocolate. Click this link to read about the 12 Most Dangerous 'People Foods' for Cats and Dogs to avoid feeding your pets. Also, remember that most of our furry companions don't know when to stop begging. Don't over indulge them. Poinsettias - not edible for humans either! Don't let the dog eat the poinsettias!
• Keeping your pets safe and healthy: Last month's blog Pet Tips: Protecting Your Pets in the Winter are still valuable to ensure your pets' health and safety throughout the 3-4 months.
  

Technically, it might still be Fall, but Winter has arrived in Northern Nevada. It's always a quick changeover, so don't forget to be quick about winterizing your outdoor pet area. Pets might have fur, but they're not equipped to handle prolonged exposure to the cold and wet months. 

Pet Sitters Plus has a few handy tips for keeping your companion pets safe and warm over the winter:

• Keep Them Cozy And Warm - Winter clothes look cute on our dogs on a walk or out a, but they don't really help for long periods outdoors or around town. And cats? They usually don't really like that whole 'sweater' thing. Let your pets back into the house as soon as they're done with their business outside.
  
• Clear A Path - Snow, ice, branches and leaves can all block access to outdoor food and water dishes. Check them daily if you have an outdoor pet.
  
• Sleeping In The Doghouse - If your canine is not an indoor one, make sure they have appropriate housing outdoors. Enclosures should be dry, draft-free and small enough to conserve body heat. A small platform, a few inches off of the ground, can also make a cozy sleeping pallet.
  
• Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty... - If you have a cat that can't stay indoors, or care for stray or feral cats around your home, think about creating a small wind shelter for them near the feeding spot.
  
• Check Your Engine - Cars provide great shelter from the elements, especially the rain and snow. Warm engines can also be very enticing to an animal looking to take the chill off. Look underneath your car and bang on the hood a couple times to scare them off before starting your engine. 
  
• Watch The Chemicals - Antifreeze is notoriously sweet, tempting and toxic. Please make sure you keep your antifreeze stored properly and clean up any spills. (A 2-inch layer of cat litter for about 30 minutes is one very effective method.) Road salt or melting chemicals can also be harmful to their soft paws or mouths. Wipe their paws off with a soft dry towel when they come inside.
  

We don't always have the choice of taking our pets with us - to work, on vacation, or on an extended hospital stay. Lots of situations are not designed for companion pets to be with us. Picking a pet sitter can be tricky and somewhat anxious! You want to know that your faithful companion is as well cared for as when you are around.

And let's face it, even if you have friends or roommates you feel comfortable asking to take care of your pets, you don't always want to impose on them. That leaves choosing a pet sitter. There are a some questions you should ask when looking at all of your options:

• Is this sitter reputable?
  
• Can they accommodate the dates and times you need care or coverage?
  
• How much experience do they have with different animals, health conditions or varieties of temperments?
  
• Are they licensed and bonded? 
  

If you choose Pet Sitters Plus as your companion pet's caregiver, you know that we bring a depth of experience, training, licensing and safety with us. Your pet will be taken care of to your specifications, whether that is feeding and cleaning up after a cat, walking a dog, or spending some cuddle time with a needy animal. Don't be afraid to be too picky when choosing a pet sitter - this is a member of your family. Make sure it's the kind of care you want.

If you are interested in becoming a pet caregiver or starting your own business as one, you can contact Pet Sitters Plus to find out all you need to know - from forms, to licensing and even to networking and building your client base. Our consultations are one-hour phone consultations for $40. This is one hour that could change your life and have you working for yourself in a very short time!

Cars heat up a lot faster than we think. In the summertime heat, it is NEVER okay to leave your pet unattended in a car - windows cracked or not. Car temperatures can literally be like the inside of an oven, and that's no place you want to leave your pet.

We still have errands to do though. Here are some great alternatives to leaving your pet in a car: 
1) Drive-Thru Only - Convenient and accessible, many businesses offer a drive-thru. Instead of leaving your companion in the car, even for a second, take advantage of the opportunity to let your pet ride in comfort and style.

2) Pet Friendly Shopping - Many businesses are happy to accommodate our companions! When you can, go to businesses that have a pet friendly policy and take them shopping with you.

3) Bring a Friend - Having someone come along while you (or both of you) run errands will give your pet someone to hang out and play with while you're inside.

4) Outdoor Eating - Instead of going into a restaurant to eat, find those with outdoor seating. Shade and a little water dish make this a fun time for everyone!

5) Skip It -  Is your trip to the store really all that important? Can it wait until tomorrow or later on in the day? Let your pet stay at home where its cool and relaxing.

The hot weather is returning to the Carson Valley and that's a big concern for outdoor pets. As the summer turns up, the mountain air can get sweltering in the daytime heat. Even the shade, what little there is in the high desert, is no refuge for our furry companions.

There are a few things you can do to help out any outdoor pets you might have. For long haired breeds of cats and dogs, one solution is summertime grooming - get them a haircut! But this is only a temporary solution and it doesn't address the problem for their shorter haired cousins.

One ingenious way of keeping your pets cool as a cucumber in the summertime is to invest in a kiddie pool. Yes, the same plastic pools that you can buy at the store. FiIl it up with about 3-4 inches of water to give those pets some relief! Placing it in whatever shade you can muster helps a lot as well. Dogs, and even cats, that don't like the water will get in to cool off when it gets really hot. It also becomes an additional source of water for them if they are feeling parched.

Don't forget to change it every other day or so, to keep the water fresh and clean! They'll thank you for it.

As spring returns, your companion probably wants to get out more. There are a few things to be aware of as the weather warms up. These pet tips should help with your springtime pet care.

• Allergies - Check for watery eyes and sneezing as an early warning sign that your pet may have allergies.
  
• Parasites - After a long winter hibernation, flea, tick and heartworm larvae are back for more. Protect your pets!
  
• Windows - Make sure your screens are secure. Many pets can escape through or be injured while exiting damaged screens as we air out the house.
  
• Easter - Keep your Easter chocolates and Easter grass out of reach! They are a big no-no for both dogs and cats.
  
• Flowers - Budding flowers look great, but many of them do not agree with canine or feline tummies. 
  
• Chemicals - Secure your cleaning products as you refresh your house. Uncapped cleaning agents pose a big health risk to pets.
  
• Automobiles - As the weather warms up, don't forget to crack the window before you head inside the store again!