156: Safety
Brought to you by Pet Sitters Associates
Summary
Safety should always be a top concern for us as pet care professionals. This safety is not just for the pets, but also for you. This was highlighted recently by the brutal attack on Ryan Fischer, Laga Gaga's dog walker, and the abduction of her two French Bulldogs. While this is an extreme case, it should spark a conversation about safety in the pet sitting and dog walking industry.
Topics on this episode:
Social media
Be aware of your surroundings
Have protocols and standardize how you operate
Arm yourself with knowledge
Ask a Pet Biz Coach
Main takeaway: We can all take small steps to being safer as we care for the pets in our community.
Links:
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dog, client, pet, walking, dog walkers, pet sitter, people, leash, house, sitter, door, safety, business, home, french bulldogs, owner, approaching, emergency contact, area, greet
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin, Natasha
Meghan 00:17
Hi, I'm Megan.
Collin 00:18
I'm Collin. And this is pet sitter
Meghan 00:20
confessional and open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Welcome to Episode 156. Today we're gonna talk about safety.
Collin 00:34
We want to thank our sponsor pet sitters associates and our patrons for making this show possible.
Meghan 00:39
So you probably heard about the horrific attack that happened on Lady Gaga as dog walker Ryan Fischer. It happened late last week. And thankfully, he's going to be okay. And the dogs have been recovered, and they're fine. But it was terrible,
Collin 00:55
right? Before you go any further, go over to Instagram and follow valley of the dogs and show him a lot of love and support and encouragement. As he continues on his recovery. He was shot in the army in the armed robbery of Lady Gaga as to French Bulldogs. They're currently investigating into motives. And there's a whole lot of unknowns. Right now there is a video of a surveillance footage that shows this attack. It's absolutely brutal. And I would fully recommend that you not watch it because it is it is it's a lot to take in.
Meghan 01:31
And when it comes to worst nightmares for pet sitters and dog walkers, this really is up there.
Collin 01:37
And it's one of those things that you would never really expect to happen.
Meghan 01:40
Well, and also what makes this scenario so scary is that it's believed that this was entirely because the thieves were after high value dogs French Bulldogs,
Collin 01:49
we're hearing a lot about pet theft across the globe. And it's because dog markets are heating up. Dogs like Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and other smaller breeds like Chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers. These types of dogs are easy to grab and run with and are honestly highly sought after because they're so valuable. This trifecta makes them really, really tempting. Many pet owners and dog owners specifically have seen the value of their purebred dogs actually increase through 2020, because they became more and more rare as everybody was going out and trying to get those pandemic puppies.
Meghan 02:22
So dogs are in short supply right now. And people are really paying a premium for exactly what they want. And there's a discussion going on about safety for pet sitters and dog walkers and really the pets in their care as well. But let's be honest, in a situation, like what happened with Ryan, there really is nothing that could have been done, there's nothing that could have stopped it, it was an attack that happened so quickly that he was struggling to keep control of the dogs and their leashes, and he just lost,
Collin 02:53
right. If someone is that, determined to get your dog, they're going to get it if they are going to be pulling a gun on you for that they're going to get the dog. So it what the rest of this discussion is really about is not what Ryan could have done better or anything along those lines, we just want to continue this conversation about what safety mechanisms we can have in place, and start a broader conversation about that in the community and what steps we can take to advance that to protect you and the dogs that you're caring for.
Meghan 03:24
It is a great time, though, to remind our clients and our pets to make sure that they are microchipped. And not just that they are microchip, but that they're actually registered and that the information is up to date. Because just because a pet is microchipped doesn't mean that they're actually registered, the pet owner has to register the number so that if the pet is found, it's attached to a name and a phone number. Otherwise, it's not
Collin 03:47
know we've had this topic of safety come up before and something that has changed because it's been increasing in popularity is the use of social media, and specifically location tagging. One of the reasons that we all do this in our businesses is because it gets us access to potential clients, it puts our content in front of their eyes, at the locations that they're using, and lets us get seen as part of the community.
Meghan 04:11
And that's a great tool that we can use. But we do need to be mindful of exactly what information we are giving away and more importantly, when so if you are sitting at a coffee shop with a client and you tag the coffee shop and you tag the pet owner, that is telling the world that that dog is not home right now and therefore the owner may not be home right now either. And if they are after that pet then they could go to that coffee shop and potentially harm that pet. Now obviously these are extreme examples, probably not going to happen. We don't want to get too bogged down in the weeds here and Debbie downers
Collin 04:45
or tinfoil hat about everyone stalking and anything like that. That's just something again to be mindful of. So consider recording interactions with the dog and then posting them later not in real time. This is often the case for housesitting. When clients have valuables around the house and maybe are nervous of someone knowing that they are at home. But the same can apply to dog walking as well. Again, it's really nice to see all of the dogs in our area and where they're walking and all the interactions and engagements that they're going on. Again, until we start thinking about the potential information that this is leaking to people who have less than positive desires or more nefarious needs. So we need to be absolutely mindful about the locations that we're walking and the pets and information that we're sharing online. And a big component of this is to encourage your clients to be careful as well. They're out sharing that information they're posting. So whenever you take on a new client, I mean, last week, we talked about the importance of having a really solid contract. And one of those aspects was having a photo release form, make sure that you have the permission of the client to post the photos, not just the photos, but when you can post. And if you can tag locations as well, because a lot of clients may be less charitable of giving that information out and may want you to not post information again, as you said Megan, so that other people cannot tell whether they are home or not.
Meghan 06:07
And this is also really sparked the eternal debate about whether to have branding on your car or not. Yeah, because a lot of people have been going ahead and removing the wraps and the logos, and especially for those who transport pets and do pickups and drop offs of their clients for daycares and walks. But if you really want to strike a balance, consider just getting a magnet that you can easily put on and take off or a dashboard sign that you can take down. If you already have a rap on your car, that's obviously going to be very difficult to take down if you choose to do so. And you may not because I know that costs a lot of money and is huge as far as advertising for your business,
Collin 06:43
right. But we have seen reports of thieves jumping into dog vans for walkers that we're transporting through a city when they step out to grab a coffee or to pick up a new client and somebody jumps in and steals the van full of dogs. So again, it's you can't always think of all of the types of situations and scenarios that are going to come up in life. But there are things that you can do to mitigate that
Meghan 07:03
some people choose to park around the block and then walk in or again remove the magnets when they get close to the client's house. Lots of pet sitters and dog walkers including us do late at night or early in the morning checks when it's dark. So it's important to wear clothing that has reflective gear on it, or even leashes that have lights on them as well. So where lights Use a flashlight if you need to, and ask your clients to leave their porch lights on as well.
Collin 07:30
This topic especially came back up importance over the summer of last year with the Black Lives Matter movement. And the need to have these ongoing conversations and having the client notify neighbors to expect a dog walker or a pet sitter because unfortunately, scary situations that black sitters and black walkers find themselves in that could be mitigated when there's just more open communication about who is expected at house and who is not one of the basic things that we can all do whenever we're doing check ins and go into people's homes as to make sure that we have the keys out and we're ready to get in the door immediately. And so whether you're using a lockbox, or needing keys or code, have that ready and be ready to use that, so you're not fumbling at the door or halfway in the door and dropping stuff. I'm actually currently doing droppings on dogs, it's seven that night. And there's a lot of checking behind me and having the key out and locking the door behind me as I'm walking up to the door. Simple things like checking behind you and over your shoulder every now and then while you're out walking, or while you're going from door to door are just easy and simple ways to make sure that we are always aware of our surroundings and who's around us and who is not.
Meghan 08:42
Yeah, because we have to recognize that we may not be the target, the dogs could be the target. Like the case of Lady Gaga, it was likely because they were French Bulldogs high valued and the thief wanted the actual dogs that could be also that the house is a target or even the owner could be it could be a bad situation. And that's
Collin 09:02
actually the reason we got this new client. The reason I'm going over now is because the owner had a falling out with her boyfriend, then he was actually supposed to be taking care of the dogs while she was at work. So I'm a little worried about having a jaded or angry boyfriend showing up at night sometime. Yeah, that's just being honest. That's something that I do think about while I'm over there.
Meghan 09:20
When you were walking dogs know your path. I used to like to wander around with the dogs until I met the time goal that we were going for but quickly started planning out the walks because I found myself in sometimes iffy situations before and realized that if I had just planned them out, I could avoid areas that I didn't want to be in and I could just stick to the places that I knew
Collin 09:41
if you're particularly new in areas or uneasy about walking in certain times or areas of the city. maybe think about bringing somebody with you, whether it's a friend that's in the area or another fellow dog walker, you can walk in groups and kind of tag team your way through the city.
Meghan 09:56
Part of this is also do other people know your schedule. And your route. So as a woman who could be walking late at night or early in the morning when it's dark, I want Collin to know where I am walking and when, right. So this may happen, you know what if you tripped and broke something, your foot or a hand or the dog got loose somehow or you got stuck in the snow or mud and you couldn't get to help you want to have your route planned out, and then let others know about it. You may also decide to turn on your location finder on your phone and then have that share with with a family or a friend so that they can see where you are if need be. And if you track your dog walk in an app, this is already done for you, it's just an extra step that you may want to take.
Collin 10:45
However, you may also decide that you want to mix up your route when possible, you may vary the path that you walk, the time to take it or even the time of day, if you're particularly wary of somebody following you or have a history of that in your area. And if you are interested about being able to provide your exact location to an emergency contact, they do make devices that are marketed towards back country hikers and more extreme sports that is actually like a rescue beacon, you program in to emergency contacts. And there's a big red button in the middle of it. And if you ever need help you press that it calls the contacts and then it actually called 911 for you. And if you have an iPhone or an Apple Watch, and I do believe that Samsung has this too, you can actually triple press the lock screen button or press and hold it and call 911 exactly directly from your phone with having without having to open up the phone app. And it's really easy to do. And so you can turn that on on your watch as well. So if your watch, you can actually have it turned on that if you fall, it will do a fall detection and can call for help if you don't get up after a certain period of time. So all of these little things that we can build in to our lives and just make them routine really do go a long way to making sure that our safety is first and foremost
Meghan 11:58
part of safety these days means potentially carrying mace or other protection. But it's important that you are trained to use it because it's kind of like a fire extinguisher. If you carry mace, but you don't know how to use it, it's not gonna do you any good. And then also, like I mentioned earlier, a leash or a flashlight. It's useful in the dark, and also for blinding and assailant. So always be aware of your surroundings. That's the most important part of any kind of safety is just being aware.
Collin 12:27
As dog walkers we always want to make sure that the leash and harness are appropriate for the dog. But if you find yourself walking and particularly high value dog, consider attaching the leash to your waist. This will actually make it harder for someone to snatch the dog quickly. Now if you're doing housesitting or drop ins, make sure you're locking that door behind you as soon as you enter the house and deadbolt it if you can. This also prevents dogs from escaping, we actually had a dog escape on us because it was able to open the door. But the owner didn't let us know that. So we came in, we didn't lock the door behind us, we were getting the dog ready to go out. As we were opening the back door, it went out the front. And we had to go and get some assistance to find that dog.
Meghan 13:08
And once we found it, we told the owner that the dog got out and she was like, Oh yeah, he knows how to open the front door. Like that would have been nice to know. Yes, that would have been very nice to know beforehand at the meet and greet. But yes, now we always lock the front door behind us. And
Collin 13:23
we carry the keys with us at all times while we're doing the visit, especially when taking pets out into the backyard. Because we have had this happen where the clients have doors that lock automatically when they're closed, they have those kind of handles where you can turn them from the inside. Even though they're locked or unlocked, it doesn't matter, you can still open it, but when it closes it behind you, it is locked. So to prevent yourself from being locked out of pets in their house, keep the keys in your pocket or some easy way to find you that's on you.
Meghan 13:51
If you have staff, you want to make sure that they are all on the same page as well regarding safety, so have the same protocol for everyone. predictability for your staff means that there's less likely for errors and unknowns.
Collin 14:05
So basically, you are training them of when you go into the house, you do x y, z. And so they're not having to think on the fly, they're not having to guess what to do next. So having that all lined out in your protocols in your staff training manual will will allow them to be all operating the same so that you know that everybody's doing the same thing and that safety is really top priority. And you can do this for yourself too. As you are lining out how you go about doing the sets how you go about entering a home how you go about putting the harness on the dog, how do you check if it fits, what would be a good or a bad fit? Getting those protocols for yourself as well allows you to be more in tune and more in focus with what's actually going around. is is you know you go into a house and you're having to guess where the leashes and guess where they put the food and guess where they did this or or having to go through all of these kind of steps. It prevents you from actually being in the moment and paying attention to your surroundings as best you can. And when it comes to fumbling around with leashes and harnesses, that's a really, that's a really another, that's another plus for standardizing the kind of equipment that you use, from client to client so that you're not having to guess is this one worn out? Does this one need to be replaced? Is this one damage? How does this one fit compared to that one,
Meghan 15:22
when you have your own equipment, and you use your own equipment day in and day out, you know exactly how it works. You don't have to guess. And you can just get the dog and go. Of course, as you probably already do, always keep your phone with you. In case of emergencies, we always have them on us, no matter what these days. But you will also need to take pictures of all your dog walking, if that's something that you do. But on that topic, phone use wild dog walking. So yes, take a picture or two. This is what we do when we're on the walk. But be very conscientious of where you are walking, especially if it's on a busy street or in the park where there could be other dogs, and exactly what you're taking pictures of. So yeah, we all want those adorable, cute photos that we can post on social media and the client is going to love. But you don't want to also risk safety. Safety is priority. Keeping the dog safe is the utmost goal. And taking pictures is a second,
Collin 16:18
right. And we know that you love our podcast, this podcast. But be we thank you for that. Yes, thank you for listening. Be careful listening to podcasts or music while you're out walking though, you can miss cues or sounds around you. Like footsteps or voices. There are some special headphones that pick up more ambient noise. But it's just general practice to stay focused on the dog that you're walking and the pictures that you need to take and be aware again of your surroundings.
Meghan 16:44
Well, I know some people just choose to have one air pot in at a time, it's important to plan out how you will encounter unleashed dogs while walking your own clients dogs as well. So think about if you will use a spray shield like direct stop. Or there's a new leash handle that has a reservoir of water that can be sprayed at a high pressure, I think it's up to 14 feet. And that's just enough to deter and distract an oncoming dog.
Collin 17:08
those situations, you're really just looking for a split second to break that dog's attention for you to act and move out of their way in generally, something like direct stop or this jet of water are enough to do that and dissuade them from pursuing or coming any closer.
Meghan 17:23
If you are approached by someone inquiring about the dogs who are walking, don't give away any specific details like where the client lives, what the breed of the dog is, or even how long the owner is away. And this seems like really common sense things. Yeah. But the attack on Ryan was just a good reminder that you never know why someone is approaching you.
Collin 17:43
Right? Well, I remember being taught this kind of thing when I was in grade school of If you answer the phone and your parents aren't home, or they aren't able to come to the phone, don't tell the other person on the end of the line, oh, my dad is at the store or mom's outside right now. So someone approaches you about the dog and inquires about it and how long you walk it and things like that. You can be as vague as you want to be professional, maybe they are a potential client approaching you. But again, not giving away that sensitive information about the client is should also be a top priority.
Meghan 18:16
Well, really, because you owe them nothing. So you could just hand them a business card and say, contact me here. And that's it. Like, you don't owe them an explanation about anything, right? And you need to be focusing on the clients that you are walking, not the person that is approaching you. But right not to be mean.
Collin 18:35
No, you're right, well, because you know, and even the idea of somebody approaching your dog is your dog, okay with that. And some dogs are not and making sure that you are communicating that early before they get too close. That step one is protecting you and the dog and keeping that bubble as safe as possible while you're out with them. And having strangers approach you randomly or reaching out to pet the dog. Those are all kinds of interactions that that's why we need to be as aware of our surroundings as possible is because those kind of interactions happen an awful lot. For whatever reason, when people see dogs and dog walkers, their brains switch off, and they think it's all these cute little puppies that they can just walk up to. And we as the dog walkers need to be communicating. Nope, it's not okay for you to come close. Again, still being professional with them because they may be a client asking about your services, but have those cards on the ready or have that website or have that phone number you can give out and then move on
Meghan 19:33
or just say see the back of my shirt.
Collin 19:35
Right? As I walk away. One of the other worst case scenarios that we have as dog walkers and pet sitters is the potential for a dog to get out of our care whether that's bolting out the front door as you're trying to enter or maybe you're out on the walk and they see a squirrel that you didn't notice and before you know it they've ripped the leash out of your hand
Meghan 19:55
or what have you live on a busy street and the dog likes to bolt out the door. Use double exit protection, like a screen door or having some kind of gate across your porch if you have one, right. And if you don't have control over this, like you don't in a client's home, you may request that the dogs be kept in a separate room or downstairs from the entry door.
Collin 20:16
One of the things that we will do if the if the client's dog has a tendency for bolting or has a history of that, we'll request that we have insurance through the garage door, we have the door key as the backup, but we'll go in through the garage door so that we know that there's one layer of protection and then before we open the door into the house, we've closed the garage door behind us. So even if they bolt out that door, they still just going to be stuck in the garage, because otherwise, you've got to be ready to throw yourself in that door and wedge yourself in there and prevent them from escaping. So if you do have a client that has a dog that is high propensity to bolt out of the door, start working with them on stay commands with their dog, this will save you and your client, a lot of headache. We've all had those dogs that immediately bolt out the door. So encourage the client to work with a trainer and then be ready to partner with them to reinforce that while you're there.
Meghan 21:10
Yeah, our street is pretty busy at times. But our main concern is really the neighborhood cats. So we used to watch a Great Dane that loved to chase the cats and the squirrels. So we would always be cautious when he would come out of our front door to look out for them, the cats and make sure that they were not around when he left our house, we talked about being aware of your surroundings, but also pet sitter safety means being armed with all of the knowledge about a particular pet, the one you are watching. So that includes when and how much medicine they take, what food when and how much they eat, their schedule, all those kinds of things. And it's best to be consistent as consistent as you can to their normal schedule. Part of pet sitter safety is not only being safe, while you are pet setting, but also before you pets it. So if you feel uncomfortable at the meet and greet for whatever reason, you can say no, it is your business, you do what you want, don't ever put yourself in an uncomfortable situation that you can prevent. And some reasons for saying no, we talked about this all the time. But it could be if the house is in a bad part of town, or it's just too dirty. If the dog appears aggressive toward you, or other dogs or the owner at all. Or if you just don't mesh well, with the owner, there's a lot of personalities out there, and your business might not be the best fit for that owners personality. If they want 47 updates a day, and you do too well, then they're not going to be a good fit for you.
Collin 22:37
Or you go over to the house and the back door is I don't know, let's say, tied to a screw by a shoestring. You may not feel comfortable entering that home really, really late at night. So when you're going over to these meet and greets, maybe decide to take somebody with you even if the person just sits in the car, or at the very least let someone else know where you're going, and how long you should expect to be at the meet and greet and when you'll be done.
Meghan 23:03
Yeah, as often as possible. Collin and I go together to meet and greets. But let's just be very frank with the attack on Ryan, we may all need to start considering taking self defense classes, and not necessarily enrolling to become a black belt. Although if that's something that you want to do, go do it. But just very simple practical steps that we can take to protect ourselves. If somebody wants to come up behind us and kind of charge us we know how to defend ourselves versus somebody who wants to take the dog, we know how to protect the dog and ourselves as well. We'd love to hear if you've taken such a course you can let us know,
Collin 23:41
if you're keeping dogs in your home, it's a really good idea to walk through a walkthrough of your home and start dog proofing it. You can also do this and should do this with your clients home as well when you're doing meet and greets and just have that conversation with them. So think about what kind of house plants you have. What are the things that are out that they can chew that are on the floor? Things like cords that they can get tangled in? How far away is the kettle from sources of heat or from the wall or from things that they can pull down? Or do the clients leave any medications or food out on the counters that the dog could get access to I see this an awful lot when I go into homes right next to the sink because all the owners medications that the dog really wanted to could get up and eat them while they're away. You know, if they have unread unrestricted access to the backyard, do they have a way to escape through the fence or maybe a door or gate that doesn't latch very well. Always do a walkthrough of the yard when you let the dog out so that you can catch those things before the dog gets there or while they're trying to escape through the fence. You can quickly pull them back.
Meghan 24:44
Well I would say do that check beforehand, right just a quick check before you let them outside. Scan the backyard. Turn on the lights if it's dark, the outside lights and then let the dog out. right absolutely as you always should remember to have emergency contact information on hand in case something happens, that's the owners information. That's the vet where the dog can be taken to. That's the number of the poison control in your area, Humane Society, anything that you might need for an emergency contact, keep it in your phone and on hand.
Collin 25:16
And on that note, as far as emergencies go, it's also really good time to talk about your insurance. Yes, business insurance. But do you have health insurance? And are you as covered as you think you are for both of those? In the event that you were hurt, you're attacked, whatever happens, medical bills really pile up fast. And being self employed, health insurance can be really expensive. However, getting just a really basic high deductible policy to cover those extreme circumstances can be the difference between being financially Okay, and being in debt for the rest of our careers. And one of the things that I you know, the example that I would ask when we would talk to insurance agents are, how much out of pocket if all of us, were driving in a car and got hit by a bus? How much out of pocket would we be expected to pay for that kind of event. And those policies are generally really cheap, and they go a long way to protecting you from those really, really expensive kind of scenarios.
Meghan 26:16
You should also make sure your business is fully covered with a reputable insurance company like pet sitters associates. As pet care professionals, your clients trust you to care for their furry family members, pet sitters associates is here to help. For over 20 years they have provided 1000s of members with quality pet care insurance. If you work in the pet care industry or want to make your passion for pets into a profession. You can take your career to the next level with flexible coverage options, client connections and complete freedom and running your business. Learn why pet sitters associates is the perfect fit for you and get a free quote today. At pets@llc.com. You can get a discount when joining by clicking membership petsitter confessional and use the discount code confessional at checkout to get $10 off today, check out the benefits of membership and insurance once again at pets@llc.com. This week on our pet business coach segment Natasha obeying and answers the question,
Natasha 27:06
What does brand mean? Oh, it means the face. What I like the first thing when I hear brand I hear who's the face? Right? Who's or what's the message? What's the mission statement? What do they stand for? What will they do? What Won't they do? Okay, the colors and the feel and the look that comes next. But first I want to know who are the people. And so when I do a lot of coaching, I look on websites and a lot of us introverted people, people really don't know that I'm actually really introverted. I'm like extroverted but also when it comes to my daily life is very, very introverted. And people don't want to put the bio up of the business owner. I'm like, someone DM me online, say, hey, Josh, I want to work with you. And I say great. I click on their website, I try to do some fact finding on their business. And I can't put a face to a name. I'm like, well, Honey, what's your name? I see, you know, precious paws or fluffy, scrappy daycare. And I'm like, well, Honey, what's your name? You know, who are you? I don't even know who I'm talking to on the other side. So when people talk about automation, and taking those personal touches out those personal touches as a face on our website, you know, to be able to connect and read your mission statement and your story and why you got started and the person who's running the staff and how you run it, because it's you you are your brain. no way around that
Meghan 28:34
Natasha has a great dog walking business of her own, but she also is a pet business coach. And if you want to get in on her pet business coaching, you can go to start scale sale calm and use the code PSC 20 for 15% off her coaching.
Collin 28:48
We know that sitter safety much like talking about contracts can be kind of dry and kind of get everybody down. But these conversations are really important to have as an industry and from dog walker to pet sitter and from everybody involved. Because the more that we can raise the bar on this, the more that we can all do these small little steps to being safer, not just for ourselves, but for everybody around us, the better the industry will be off as a whole. So we hope this wasn't too much of a Debbie Downer episode, but it got you thinking about ways that maybe you could be safer or that you could recommend somebody else to be safer. And we would love to hear how you run and how you put safety in your business and how you operate what kind of things you do to make sure that not just you but your staff are safe as well. Yeah,
Meghan 29:35
you can find us anywhere on the Internet at pet sitter confessional, our website pet sitter confessional.com or you can give us a call, leave a voicemail and we'll play it on the show. Our voicemail is 636-364-8260 we appreciate you taking your most valuable asset your time and listening to us today. We greatly appreciate it.
29:55
Thank you so much. Thank you
