Weekly Flylady Thread 2nd April

LameWolf

Dizzy_Imp wrote: »

I'm starting a dog walking and home boarding business.

Hugely nervous and apprehensive but getting lots of info together about what's needed...Lamewolf - any pointers?

How wonderful; trust me, it's a very rewarding thing to do.

You are braver than I; there's no way I'd do it freelance; but, for info...

You'll need to register with your local council, and that will cost for a licence. I am licenced to have up to three dogs at any one time. An official will come and inspect your premises and go over the regulations with you - if memory serves, MK council charge £96 per annum currently.

Public liability insurance - when I was considering the possibility of freelance when the original company I was with closed the MK franchise, I found these people to be reasonably priced and helpful:
https://www.cliverton.co.uk

Obviously you'll need feeding bowls, towels, poo bags etc to hand - sometimes dogs arrive without these, even though they're meant to bring them.

Meet the dogs and owners before you agree to take them. As a freelance I guess you'll do this anyway. The first company I was with we never got to see the dog til he/she arrived for the holiday - the franchisee assessed them and allocated then to the host they thought would match best; but the one I am with now, we do what I call "meet'n'greet" visits where the owners bring the dog along for a visit first so we can get to know them, take them for a trial walk, and so forth, and in my opinion it's much better.

Insist on seeing vaccination certificates and paperwork to show the dogs have had up-to-date flea and worm treatment. Also ensure you get the dogs' vet details, plus an emergency contact who can authorise payment of vet fees should your guest fall ill.

Do a web search for other establishments in your area to get a feel for how much to charge; also you need to decide if you're going to charge per day or per night. I'll explain...
The first company I was with charged per night. So - Dog A comes in on Sunday, goes home the following Sunday, owner pays for seven nights. But I could then have had Dog B coming in on the Sunday Dog A went home; this happened several times, and it was a nightmare - one dog in the front door, one out via the back gate to avoid them meeting (specially if one of them didn't get on with other dogs).
The company I'm with now charges per day. So, Sunday to Sunday would be eight days, but both the Sundays belong to Dog A. He can arrive at 08:00 am on arrival date and go home at 20:00 on departure date if necessary. Dog B cannot arrive til the Monday after Dog A's departure. (I hope all that made sense).

Decide if you are offering a pick-up service. The first company, the franchisee ran a "taxi" to bring the dogs to me and collect them afterwards; the company I'm with now says the owners do their own transport. If you do it, you'll need a suitably equipped vehicle.

Make sure you are registered with a local vet; if your guest needs emergency treatment and their own vet is a long way away, this will be their lifeline, literally.

When you do your meet'n'greet visits, take notes! Likes/dislikes; walk times; feeding times and how much food to give; house boundaries (eg are they allowed on furniture); and medical needs; anything else you can think of to ask.

I have had over 70 dogs through my front door, and with the best will in the world, it is impossible to remember everything about each one, so having an info sheet is vital. I type them up and attach them to the side of the fridge with magnets while the dogs are here for ease of reference. I also have a medicines log for dogs on medication - for instance Buddy has a Gabapentin capsule twice daily, and half a Prednisolone tablet every second day, and having it logged I can be 100% certain when he's due his Pred.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head - sorry it's turned out to be a huge post - but hopefully it will help.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Dizzy that's so exciting, wish you were nearer, I would be your first customer. My parents look after our doggie when we go away but god knows what we will do if they decide they can't manage any more.

Awful nights sleep again. Up early to go the gym before work, maybe I can tire myself out. Paid stuff no. 1 done, cracking on with paid stuff no. 2 now. No-one else has done anything in the house - there's a surprise.

Right, flagging so best keep going. Lasagne for tea, our bed stripped and sheets in. Bathroom floor needs a wash.

Mumof2_2

Washed up, getting recycling ready to go out (having checked collection still going ahead tomorrow due to Easter) and running the DW. Not a lot really but better than nothing. Going to do my NLP tape then vacuuming time!

Yorkshire Lass well done for keeping going; hard isn't it once you're flagging x

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Boiler Man didn't turn up. apparently, *somebody* :whistle: was supposed to have read the letter past the first paragraph before filing it away with the water bills he is responsible for paying and contacted them to book a morning or afternoon slot. Or checked the voicemail on his phone from the night before where he ignored it ringing because it was 'obviously' a scam call where they were asking him to confirm.


I therefore went and investigated the boiler, found the fill nozzle was dripping, turned it off properly and it all fired up as though nothing had happened.


Washing up has been done and he is now cleaning the upstairs bathroom whilst I look at large Cat Trees online to order for delivery when he's away on tour, along with lots of very nice food that won't be ruined/cremated/left to fester for days on the counter.

Just been informed his Dad is dropping by en route to something in London tomorrow. Which will be nice. And I'm going on a day trip to the seaside whilst he has a band thing during the day next week. Which will also be nice because it's got a nice Old Town with vintage shops and the like to potter around.

My mood is lifting, however. He started twatting about with a sprung pen top whilst writing a list (having not bothered to get everything on the list I carefully wrote out for him yesterday and then lost it), only for it to unspring right on his nose.

Honey_Bear

Good luck with the new venture, Dizzy. (Excellent post, Lamewolf.)

Jojo, we looked into cat trees/scratching posts and there were all too short for a cat to be able to fully extend their spine while dealing with front claws. I bought a coil of sisal rope and a metre or so of 4 x 4 timber and wrapped the sisal around the wooden post, whipped both ends and stapled them to the post. I then cable tied the whole affair to one of the newel posts. Cost less than £10 and Devil Cat used to climb up it when he was younger, stand on the top and launch himself off it. It was always surrounded by little claw sheaths where he'd worked them off on the sisal, so we knew it was doing what it was there to do and it took up no floor space at all.

OH said to thank everyone for the lovely comments. Neither of us can concentrate on anything, and he's been quietly putting all of Devil Cat's stuff back where it used to be in his office because it looked so bare without his food bowl, box and spare litter tray for emergencies, which never got used because Devil Cat was so clean and fastidious he used his normal one right up to the last, literally. After the vet sedated him he went straight down to the litter tray, used it, and then fell asleep in it.

Normal service will be resumed eventually.

atypicalblonde

Going away tomorrow for a few days so will be back into the fold on Monday, late pm. Keep safe and well everyone x

ionafan

DGS1+2 here all week. We also had DGD1+2 all day today, and met up with DS2 and DGS3+4 for fun at the RAF Museum. All the children (big and little) behaved well, and DGD1 helped me make lasagne and cut up salad, while DGD2 decorated a cake DS1 and DDiL1 came for tea. It has been a good day

I have been following the thread on my K1ndl!!!8364; because DGS1+2 are sleeping in the study, so I can't get to the PC. I hadn't logged in on my K1ndl!!!8364; so couldn't comment until now!

Dizzy, good luck with your new enterprise. Would you like a large plastic dog bed for your guests? Rosie never uses it, and it takes up too much room in our small house, so I was going to take it to a CS. I could meet you halfway for coffee one day

2 boys ready for bed now, so I must close down the PC. (((Hugs))) spoons and sticks all round xx

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Good luck with the new venture, Dizzy. (Excellent post, Lamewolf.)

Jojo, we looked into cat trees/scratching posts and there were all too short for a cat to be able to fully extend their spine while dealing with front claws. I bought a coil of sisal rope and a metre or so of 4 x 4 timber and wrapped the sisal around the wooden post, whipped both ends and stapled them to the post. I then cable tied the whole affair to one of the newel posts. Cost less than £10 and Devil Cat used to climb up it when he was younger, stand on the top and launch himself off it. It was always surrounded by little claw sheaths where he'd worked them off on the sisal, so we knew it was doing what it was there to do and it took up no floor space at all.

OH said to thank everyone for the lovely comments. Neither of us can concentrate on anything, and he's been quietly putting all of Devil Cat's stuff back where it used to be in his office because it looked so bare without his food bowl, box and spare litter tray for emergencies, which never got used because Devil Cat was so clean and fastidious he used his normal one right up to the last, literally. After the vet sedated him he went straight down to the litter tray, used it, and then fell asleep in it.

Normal service will be resumed eventually.

Hmm, that's an idea - I'd have to build on a few perches as well, though, as Idiot Cat is more than capable of managing with the kitchen table leg as he has done since he was a baby and clocked the Criminal Genius/Best Cat Ever/Still Missed After Years Cat engaging in illicit shenanigans when my back was turned. He doesn't get to climb because Grumpy Fluffy Cat has earmarked all high places for her personal use and will batter him off like she's repelling enemy invaders (which she thinks she is) - all that's missing for her is the boiling oil and arrows.

He also gets to stretch out and scratch the shed when it's not raining - the rest of the time he's content with fighting over the sisal doormat and Grumpy Fluffy will happily shred the seagrass stair carpet or the expensive (for me) wool rug in the bedroom.


I'm thinking of it partly because it's good for them to have something new and exciting happen, partly because Himself has been annoying me, so spending money on the felines usually gets that across (usually in buying considerably more expensive food and some catnip mice whilst telling him we don't have enough money for more than one beer each) and partly because I like the idea of not having the pair of them constantly on at me for attention when he's off on tour in just over a fortnight. And partly because there are birds beginning to nest and I'd rather Idiot Cat has something else to occupy himself than obsessing over what's outside.


Spent a brief period in between rain chopping and tying in great long pieces of Rambling Rose this afternoon. Idiot Cat refused to come out and elected to sit on the kitchen table to watch me from the warm. Going to go out and burn off the old, dry choppings now it's dark, it's stopped raining (everything has been covered, so it's bone dry and sealed so no wildlife could have got in) and nobody is going to be putting washing on the line.

Narc0lepsy

- Went for a run. Have set myself a new goal - to complete 3 more Park runs between now and September, hopefully improving time.
- DW on, done and emptied (latter by Mr N).
- I load washing done and hung indoors as raining AGAIN.
- load of dry clothes put away.
- floordrobe in bedroom cleared.
- half a report typed.
- paperwork for newly booked assessment for 11th printed off.
- 1 student essay commented on.
- been to dance group.
- posted a birthday card
- eaten far too much chocolate.

Tomorrow I have to finish or at least tackle more reports, sort out clothes for weekend bike rally, have a meeting with someone trying to flog us something and see if anything else on my task list is desperate.

lynnejk

Evening folks

We have had snow most of today and tonight it's freezing :eek: Promise of some sunshine tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath.

Slowly getting used to this new machine - it's so quick to start up and seems okay so far fingers xd. There doesn't seem to be a 'delete' key, doesn't have a side number pad and can't find the spell checker yet - so excuse any mistakes :rotfl:

Have done dailies
Almost emptied the chest freezer at last
Dusted all through
Hoovered most of the floors
Totally sorted the spare room
Played with my chromebook

Hugs, sticks and spoons as needed
Hope you all have a super Thursday
Lx