277: Pet Sitting in South Africa with Alexiane Arcens
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Summary:
Pet sitting is a global community, with different flavors and markets across countries. Alexiane Arcens joins us to share what being a pet sitter is like in South Africa. She shares what challenges she and other sitters face in Johannesburg. Alexiane encourages others to price according to their skills and why client education is a big hurdle. She has endeavored to raise the bar in South Africa and has put together the very first pet sitters conference for Johannesburg.
Topics on this episode:
Client education
South African industry
Pricing and impact from COVID
Starting a conference
Main take away? Let your skills = your price!
About our guest:
"Lexi", as most people call her, is a big animal advocate - largely evidenced by her running her own boarding service, which she operates full time. When not otherwise occupied, Lexi can mostly be found outdoors with her five (5) dogs going on an adventure. Following one of her dogs having suffered a Cruciate Rupture, which had to be operated on, Lexi found herself leaning towards the field of Veterinary Physiotherapy - which she subsequently developed a huge passion for.
In 2022, she decided to found and host the Pet Sitters' Conference after realizing that there wasn't any place, establishment or organization within South Africa where one could learn how to pet sit properly, or where to get the support and knowledge one needs to be successful. With a team of "amazing and experienced sitters", Lexi hopes to bring awareness to the industry, so that all may all thrive.
Links:
Check out the conference: https://www.facebook.com/groups/973633799816936/
Give us a call! (636) 364-8260
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Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dog, clients, pet, people, animal, conference, boarding, business, owner, johannesburg, sitters, refer, industry, happening, policies, pet sitter, prices, good, home, offer
SPEAKERS
Collin, Alexiane
Collin Funkhouser 00:10
Hello, I'm Megan. I'm Collin. And this is Pet Sitter confessional and open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter brought to you by time to pet. Well, hello, everybody, and welcome back. Today, we are super excited to talk with Alexian arsons, a pet sitter in Johannesburg, all about what the petsitting community what the petsitting industry is like in South Africa, and a super exciting conference that she has organized to help raise the bar in the industry. Alexa, and thank you so much for coming on the show today. Could you please tell us a little bit more about yourself and your background?
Alexiane 00:45
Okay, so my name is Alexia and I am French actually. So not some African. Um, and I've been in service for quite almost all my life. So technically, I am South African a bit dark too. I'm the founder of pizza, this conference here in Johannesburg and also a filler pizza to chew. I'm a first time podcaster as well, I've never done this before. So I'm also looking forward to doing it in chatting to you all.
Collin Funkhouser 01:14
Now. Absolutely. So what is your journey into pet sitting? How did you get started?
Alexiane 01:21
So I started getting in 2018 2019. So I was usually doing it as a casual thing. So not sufficiently. But then I saw potential in making it grow into something better. And you know, getting more skills since I do want to work with animals. And three years later, I'm glad to say I'm doing well. And I have my own little company. I do work on my own. Because I haven't find the right people to work with me yet. But so far, so good.
Collin Funkhouser 01:58
It's definitely a sentiment that most of us have is where we have this dream we have these these thoughts of something we'd like to pursue, and then we ended up looking up going, Hey, I'm actually doing it right. That's that's kind of it's a really big deal. And I don't think enough of us really take the time to appreciate that kind of growth and all that hard work that we've done. When you talk about your pet sitting services. What kind of services do you offer?
Alexiane 02:21
Sir, I do live in it sitting. So going to the owners home. But I also offer boarding so totally special clients, let's say not for everyone. It doesn't suit everyone's needs. Yeah.
Collin Funkhouser 02:35
Yeah. Well, so how do you make that distinction of who is a good candidate for live in sitting versus a boarding?
Alexiane 02:43
Well, usually, most people request living in South Africa, because adults are more comfortable. But some people don't really feel comfortable having people in their houses while they're away for whatever reason. And it was actually requested of me because I didn't do boarding or, and so I have a big space, I have a big garden have a big home. So why not give it a try and see if it works. And so I've had my first client, I think, for boarding a year and a half ago. And then it went very, very well. But I didn't know much about boarding at the time, not as much as I did for living. So it was a lot of research in changing things around the house. accommodating to the pigs needs, how to see don't work cats, because I have dogs at home. So the dogs would have to be socialized at a certain level to get along with the others. But most of the times they are so it's not really an issue. And one thing that I found was essential for good boarding was the environment with a dog What's so weird would be sleeping and playing or you know, doing its doggy business. And since I wanted the animal to feel as comfortable as possible, only limited myself to animals a day, even if I had big of the space, since I wanted my attention to focus on them and their needs. And if they were scared of something and you had a client wants to start the skirt of the fountain. And the firm was was just in front of my house. So we had to bribe him with a bag of treats and shake it because he wasn't petrified of it but he just didn't like it this sounded made or that he loved the water. He just didn't like the font and so we couldn't hide the font and we just had to walk around the entire house to make him go through another entrance. So things like that I have to take into consideration to come up with a plan as quick as possible.
Collin Funkhouser 04:53
That's, I love hearing that because we definitely have to think on our feet all of the time because not just are each client each pet individual, but each situation is new. And you may have cared for a pet for years and years. But now you encounter a brand new situation that they've never experienced before. And we being the caregivers, now have to, on the spot, use our experience to think through okay, how do I make this a good experience for them? How do we overcome this, and we've got to be it's very, it's a very creative process as we go about trying to solve these problems that
Alexiane 05:26
come up. I mean, I personally might, my dogs do mess it up for me actually, when it comes to boarding because they, they're actually very friendly, they are very well trained, so they don't push boundaries with the other dogs. And we make them feel more comfortable. So if I have vaccine, elderly dog coming, I know they're not going to jump on him and exercise until his pen team and super tired, I have a puppy, they can handle the puppy very, very well. So it's also good for them. For the dogs, it's like, because dogs when they leave their home, they get super excited most of the time, so I'm going to do something new, I'm going to see something new. And then they come here to the State garden with 5000, evacuees. So the paradise you know, and they enjoy it the most the most, they enjoy the lights. And the URL is actually getting more boat boarding request and living with us because they they just drop them off. And then they eat because they know they're very safe. And they have someone to play with. Yeah, and the message is here and not at their home.
Collin Funkhouser 06:36
Well, that's an that's an interesting distinction as far as markets go, because I know, here in the United States, we get a lot of requests for living specifically where we they want us to be in their home more full time. And so we have to spend some time doing client education about the alternatives. So do you feel like how do you go about educating your clients about all their options in pet care.
Alexiane 07:02
So I personally always suggest to live in, even if I like boarding myself, because the dog feels more comfortable at home. And they have their daily routines established. So they have like a favorite sort they'll sleep in. And once you change that routine, it gets confusing and very messy for them. And that's also a behavioral point of view is why don't always say yes to boarding is because the animal might freak. So one second, they're fine, and you're playing with the dogs. And then they'll the routine is completely kaput. So they won't know how to do and they might get reactive and you know, maybe have a bit of anxiety. And I can see it because I have worked with it before. And it's just it just won't happen. So if living as a good option than yes. And reporting is also an option than yes. If not, I say no. And if we just if we just not compatible with the animal, then I always have differences with other stitches, I do communicate with them a lot. So I just refer them to someone else if they have another option, because those are my only two options.
Collin Funkhouser 08:16
Yeah, and knowing what's a good fit, and what's not a good fit is something that takes some time to think about and understand where our limits are right? Like I think it really does take a lot of introspection to go, Hey, what do I actually want this to be? How do I actually want this to operate? And knowing that I can say no, I have agency to do that in my business. When you say you refer out to other centers, what is the petsitting community like in Johannesburg?
Alexiane 08:45
So honestly, I will say it's not a very stable industry here, because they aren't any regulations. So it's kind of we, we everyone can be a paid sick, most professionals because they are a lot of professional incidents, we kind of stick together, let's say. So we refer to each other some cases, it's not for everyone, some people work alone, and they have their own team members. But it's a very undecided community, let's say there's a lot of people want to get in the industry. But it's just not they just don't fit for it. They don't have the knowledge and they don't want to work enough to learn about, you know why we charge the way we do. Some things that we do shouldn't do just a lot of things to to go through that they don't consider. So it's hard to see through careers, etc and who isn't. So I think that's why this is so divided because you don't really know who to trust. If you refer to someone having you know, is going to take great care of the animal, then it's your reputation. That's a problem because you're referring to Someone to someone who's not doing very well. So it's very tricky here so far.
Collin Funkhouser 10:06
While there may be other people in our areas, you know, we do have to vet them, right. That's our responsibility when it comes to understanding what their processes are, what their background is, what their training is, like. So are you are you reaching out to senators individually to kind of talk to them about that? So you know, who's a good fit and who's not?
Alexiane 10:27
Yes, so I do have a list of contacts people that I know and have spoken to. Also I know what they have achieved and what they do on a daily basis with the paid sitting in though they are very involved. So I I won't hesitate if my does that as my service area to quickly refer them to them without a thought. So so that's kind of how it goes. We do sometimes in shared sitting there has happened with me once or twice when the client is comfortable with it, of course, but or else we will we know each other everything is very good.
Collin Funkhouser 11:05
And you mentioned earlier about there being no rules or regulation around being a pet sitter. Is that is that just for like dog walking in live ends, or does that include boarding facilities as well?
Alexiane 11:17
It's actually paid sitting on its own. Okay, sitting is not classified as a actual job here. There aren't any rules for kids singing, no regulations of secrecy. Anyone can advert and offer the service of sitting without going through the government basically. So as we look professional sitters, we try and go by the ethical standards of fixity, which makes us more different than the ones offering just regular dog walking or living. So for me, personally, I stay updated with psi international with their regulations. So that has worked for me very well. I think most of the cities do as well. So they all have their policies, and they go by it, and we try and make sure I think from what I can see that we have all the same regulations, because then it gets a bit complicated when someone comes out. Another set that was with someone that just has is not regulated, does not have any policies. And they certainly shocked by why we say no to certain things and how we do it. And then that happened to me before. And when well, this is how it's supposed to be so
Collin Funkhouser 12:37
no, absolutely. When we forget that when clients are reaching out to us, they have had past experiences, and they're bringing in a lot of expectations when they come to talk with us. And they are not that it's baggage. But there's a lot of things that sometimes we have to help them overcome. And I definitely agree that the majority of time that is around boundaries, that is around pricing that is around policies where they may be used to being able to pay super cheap prices or be used to being you know, run over the the owner of the business and kind of do it the way they want to. And we have to, we have to we have to that's kind of a fight that we have to stick up for ourselves and recognize nope, these are my standards, and I'm not going to budge from them.
Alexiane 13:24
Yeah, I agree. I mean, most of the time, my challenge is mostly with ease, although it's a common issue for everyone. But it's, I will not change them. Um, one of the policies that I have, for example, is for an injured animal, or you know, that's very ill, with an obvious injury, I will refuse to take care of unless the issues being addressed for that are usually refreeze. Because the owner knows something is wrong. They won't do it for multiple reasons, that actually don't even matter. Because if I accept the set and something happens to the animal or he gets worse, I will be held liable. And the worst thing that can happen is really depth. And I don't want to have that happening, knowing the owners haven't done anything. unless something is done and there's an ongoing climate condition, then I will be you know, alerted and have the betas my emergency and at least I know I can do something without without the with the earnest blessing,
Collin Funkhouser 14:36
that partnerships are very integral to thriving pet care communities. So what are your relationships like with vets with groomers and pet stores?
Alexiane 14:47
So I have very good relationship with my wife, actually. So with a veterinary hospital than a veterinary clinic, not so far by me. Actually give them my contact detail they have my card They're enrollment information. So if the owner is going away, and they actually mentioned it to them, they'll give it mentioned them to me. Or what happens sometimes is thoughts that are in the back of the check with the hospital, who, for example, strays. Therefore Australia will obviously not charge the hospital anything. But one of the things that happens sometimes is that the owners have to go away, or they're away when there's an emergency. So they'll actually call me and they have a kennel ready for me to take with me at home. So it's a, the animal might be sick. But as they say, the animal doesn't have to move. soul needs to be as in a bedroom and quietly do and he stays at home with me. And that's how, what happens in this town, which is actually very great. As well, with rivers, you sit with groomers, the clients are easily come here at my home, it happens to assist the boarding. And obviously, them to grooming and they refer them back to me as well. It's also very cool. And so I have very good relationships. And I'm happy about that,
Collin Funkhouser 16:11
when you have those kinds of relationships, it really does take a lot of stress off of our shoulders as the pet sitters as the pet care team, because we know again, who we can trust, it takes time to build those relationships. But when we are able to do that, it also really helps the clients because a lot of times the clients don't know what they don't know. And if we can show up and say, hey, you know, this person need to go to this groomer, this vet, this pet store, here's the pet care specialist you need to talk to, you can really start helping them be better pet parents and help them become better educated.
Alexiane 16:46
So most of the time will happen is I actually have a sheet of a list of vapes and hospitals that I recommend, and they can actually go see them on my behalf. And what I'm trying to establish now is kind of director liaison, let's say, so, I have specific clients that go to specific events because of me now. So I get an even better relationship with the best. And they actually share that with the other people on their side of the b2b kind of business, which is actually very, very awesome, since it's so proficient that I'm looking into.
Collin Funkhouser 17:31
Yeah, yeah. Again, you don't know where those connections are going to lead. And building and bettering relationships is, is good for everybody, right? So there's no real downside to that. And people get better connected. And if you're interested in pursuing that field, too, you can start growing some of those connections as well. We've talked about, I am curious to know about how you go about finding your clients, and what, what what has been working for you and where your clients are typically coming from.
Alexiane 18:00
Sam, my clients used to come from the people that knew me, because I used to stick obviously go to my closest reference, which were my friends. And so I started searching for men. And then they would send me to their friends, and then their friends would refer me to their friends. And then it was an ongoing cycle. And then obviously, I've established very good relationship with my vets and pet supply stores. And if they have someone, I'll just send them to me. And those people will refer me to other people in cycle displays over and over again. So I have an basically endless limited database of clients, which is very good. So I know I'm not sure
Collin Funkhouser 18:49
word of mouth is absolutely, it's so powerful, because it's one thing for them to see a post that we make, you know, on social media or on a flyer or something that we hand out. It's something completely different when their friend comes to them and say, Oh, you've got to use Alexa. And you've got to use this person, because they're amazing. That's a lot more powerful. And it's work that we don't have to do, right. Like I can't go around and personally tell every single person about me, but my clients can do that to their friends and then their friends tell their friends and definitely have that cascading impact.
Alexiane 19:23
Exactly. I mean, I might receive a message from inquiry one day and I'll say, Okay, I'm free, and then we can have a meet and greet. Maybe two hours later, I have three messages. Hi, I got your number from Laura. And she said you used to fix it. And I'm like, okay, that's that's nice. But then I've gotten accepted because I'm already busy. But then it's it's kind of one person and then you get three people extra. So it's kind of it kind of balances that way, which is great.
Collin Funkhouser 19:54
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19:59
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Collin Funkhouser 20:15
If you were looking for new pet sitting software in the new year, give timed pet a try, listeners of our show can save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confessions. I want to circle back to something we mentioned a little bit earlier about pricing. And I know pricing is a conversation that we have an awful lot about how much to charge what's appropriate, what's out of line. So for you, how do you go about setting prices? And what would you say the typical price of a pet sitter is in South Africa,
Alexiane 20:47
the average fee here for school day for 24 hours is 250, which is $17, it might seem like not a lot to have seen some prices in the States. But for here, it's actually quite a lot, because obviously the currency is not as strong. But it can go as high as $28. So 400 rents, which is basically kind of the maximum here. And that's mostly for the more professional. And really, the ridiculous amount will sometimes go as low as $5 with all day. And that's not the professional ones. And that's how we kind of notice them. And yeah, because we, at least for me, when I started, I based my fee on the average salary here for like a common worker. And then as my education grow, and my skills become better, I started charging more because I had education in first aid I knew helped you. I knew how to work with behavior. And obviously I do a little bit of physio, so I can practice on that. So my fees reflect what I do and what I'm capable of. So I don't need to go over that.
Collin Funkhouser 22:04
Do you get? Do you feel like you get pushback from clients about your prices? When they see those other people who are who are charging, you know, 250 ran? Or, or how do you communicate what that pricing actually is and why it is the way it is.
Alexiane 22:17
So I have a detailed sheet of my what will be included in assets, and my skills, equal my price. So most of the time, the earners don't have a problem for it. So sometimes you have to charge more because of a special situation, they really don't mind, the only problem that I have faced is from owners that have been with PVS sitters that charge lower than so they obviously were a bit confused while I was charging what I charged, and it's explained to them exploit security, you know, you're gonna know your animals sake with me, if something goes wrong, I can, you know, do I will do what I want I can do for the price that I'm given. And they are to do just fine with that.
Collin Funkhouser 23:07
That's a good reminder that we are able to point to our backgrounds, our experiences, our services, and kind of let them stand on their own and go look for this price. This is what you're getting, you're getting me and all of this expertise. And then you know, the client is going to be smart enough to make that decision and see if that's going to be a good fit for them. And as you said earlier about never bringing down your prices, because that only leads to trouble and headache down the line.
Alexiane 23:34
Yes, I don't negotiate, I will never go low. And what I do because I also have to make a living, I'm also going somewhere and spending money on my fuel. And it's not something that I I am willing to go lower because you're trying to have a smallest budget. I mean, it's one example that I say that you will I don't think you will go for a victory consultation that costs you 50 grand. So you're going to be what kind of it is that. So don't expect the same with me, you you get what you pay for literally,
Collin Funkhouser 24:09
you really do and that takes that takes education and it takes people becoming more aware of the industry. So I am wanting to know how new is petsitting to South Africa. Do you feel like MIT you are finding people who have never heard of petsitting before? Or are people pretty familiar with what it looks like?
Alexiane 24:28
People are pretty familiar. Yeah. It's just the unfamiliar with the professional side of things. So they think most people who don't think it's sitting as an actual profession, which is they don't work they don't consider it worth it to pay quite some amount to watch over the animals. Because you know it's easy to make everything a job here. You will literally you will find probably stacking water bottles to have a job out of it. So look out for them watching their pets as you know I can give you a dog And then it's not that we try and educate our clients most of the time, but just getting a nobody that has, you know, the love of animals, which is what kind of gets them a pixeling assignment here isn't the best solution. It's never the best solution to find someone that just loves dogs. You need to find someone that will understand them and learn how to take care of them. And you'll know how to do when the worst is happening.
Collin Funkhouser 25:30
You started pet sitting back in 2018. In the middle of that of your time as a as a pet sitter, we've gone through a global pandemic. And so I am curious how that impacted you your business and the pet care industry really, in Johannesburg.
Alexiane 25:47
So when we got on lockdown, actually, it was obviously no one could do anything. But I think it would be wearing locked on for two months or it was so quiet to have no one I was actually stuck with a two dogs snorting I think it was three dogs for boarding, the earners were overseas, and they got stuck at the airport. So they were stuck with me for the whole of lockdown. So it was it was very interesting. But we had a great time the dog stayed with me for two whole months. But it was it was okay. But then after we got out of lockdown, and we did actually go and do things, I was hit with this. Because obviously you only could go to work, and then come back at some points. So I, I opened kind of like a doggy daycare, because I was getting so overwhelmed with queries when I was like, from my clients that are already used. So they would come and drop off the dogs in the morning. And then come pick them up in the afternoon. And I was surrounded by probably six to seven dogs, all good. nothing bad ever happened because they were dogs actually came here before and didn't expect new clients at the time because I didn't have the time to evaluate them and evaluate that improve the animals. So unfortunately, a lot were turned away. But so it was very, very hectic. For me.
Collin Funkhouser 27:22
It definitely was a time of confusion and a lot of anxiety as well. I can't imagine being stuck with that stuck because they're their pets, you love them but having these dogs for two whole months, while their owners are were wondering when they'd be able to get back in and what there's a lot of unknowns through that process. So what kind of lessons are you taking forward and trying to apply to your business now that you've learned from them,
Alexiane 27:47
I used to have a limit, or because I always ask for a deposit of half of the sitting assignment before the job even starts. I only used to do that at a certain limit. Because if it's a few days, then it's I don't need a deposit. But for longer sets. And that lasts for more than two weeks, I always ask for a deposit. Because in the case where the two dogs stay with me for about two months, the owner is obviously not allowed to go outside. So they couldn't send anything for me for for me to buy the dog's food and take care of because one of them was on this crucial suit for I think he had something with these kidneys, you have to get a prescription diet, which is not cheap. So it was it was very big dogs, so they had to eat a lot. So I think we went to 10 keto bags, like every two weeks, my bill at the end of those two months was Wow. It was
Collin Funkhouser 28:51
wow, I can't even imagine and you're right, having those kinds of policies of going, okay, how can I how do I make sure that my business is protected? How do I make sure that I am protected through these things that that happen, right. And we do have to work through these problems, these scenarios, and we'll never be able to think of all of them. But we can prepare a little bit and really get ahead of the game. And especially for next time and that policy that you have now always requiring a deposit no matter how short or long of a visit that again, that's something that will always protect you now.
Alexiane 29:27
Yes, so I find it very useful. Sometimes because the since I do offer an alternative service like rooming or like being an adopter groomer, or bringing the addict the dog for physiotherapy consultation, what happens is most of the time the owner is not sure if they want the dog to go. So since I do have a pool here, for example, for physio, if they aren't sure the dog will like water and they don't know if they want the doctor for consult. I kind of work with him around water and see if he's kind of used to it. And if he feels comfortable doing that and getting him in the car, I booked the appointment, and then the deposit kind of pays for that consultation. But since I have it for lower fees, since I do have good contacts with the rehabilitation center, and it doesn't really cost me much, but it's still a good add on service for the animal.
Collin Funkhouser 30:28
Yeah, well, yeah. And you mentioned physiotherapy a couple times now. So tell us about what that is and how you implement it in your business. You mentioned a little bit about the pool, but what does that really look like doing working with that in your business?
Alexiane 30:43
So veterinary Physiotherapy is basically an adjunct to veterinary medicine. So the overall aim to vet physio is to maintain mobility and function and enhance performance of the animal. And it plays a huge role in healing peg relief. And we have a mutation after any kind of injury. So as it is, we're not qualified. If you're not involved physiotherapist to offer services of rehabilitation, where there is one thing that we can do with a, which is massage, any good stretching, if you're not planning obviously, continuing the profession, you don't need to need more than that. This is kind of the basic. And when you learn how to do that, I think it improves your sets. When you learn more about physio, you can start to see changes in the animal is that you've been working with, and takes also a good eye and knowledge to see this. So my I might see a dog that's has a little bit of weird movements on the hip. And I've seen him before, and he didn't used to do that. And instead of referring to that, for you always used to always need to go through that first. But Visio is the way that I usually recommend now such a valuable skill to have when working with dance to it just helps to everything after playing the whole day, you give them a good stretch, stretch and a massage. And then you're happy and you know, you've done your part in making their body, their body and muscles in a good state.
Collin Funkhouser 32:22
Is that something that you're offering only to existing clients? Or is that a standalone service where people can go or your go to people's homes to perform
Alexiane 32:30
for living, I usually go there because it's something that's in my my fee structure. Since I'm not a physiotherapist myself, I am on the job shadowing learnings. I've been doing a lot of centers and learn from them. So then I reconnect with the permission of the learners and the physiotherapist. And depending on what the dog has, if I can give them something to relieve their pain, if there's a somewhere in the muscles where I can kind of work with them, I'll do it. It's not I'm not going to touch the area, because I'm not qualified to do so. But it's not a service that I offer. It's kind of something that I do all the time. Now. I touch a dog, then I'm like, Oh, I can feel something on the leg. What is that an ascot kind of coordinating? On every dog that I see on the road, it's like, oh, is your dog's leg time, you know, I can kind of see he has a bit of a bulge on his cruciate here, he's very checked out. I never seen anything the same way now.
Collin Funkhouser 33:36
Ya know, absolutely is when you start to do that, like you said, it's not a standalone service, because you're not certified in it yet. And you haven't gone through that process. But the massage the stretching, those are things we can learn. And we can do and just make it part of our service of basically, when you book me with your permission, and with you advanced warning, and we'll talk through what this process will look like. But this is something that I can do for you and try and meet their needs. And I'm sure with you know, like you said with injured dogs or even mostly healthy dogs, there's still massive benefits to that. And that what does that do that that means that the clients start looking at us as more of an authority and people that they can someone that they can trust with other things with their pets.
Alexiane 34:20
Yes. So one of the things that I really liked about it is I don't I say this, if the owner has a pool for example. hydrotherapy is amazing, every single dog and because it's such a low impact exercise, because I when the dog run on the street to one side of the wall, or the road or from go on a walk, it kind of impacts all of those joints. It's pretty painful actually. Is I mean we have our limit Saran and may have our limits to run and be amazing Is adoption for 10 minutes in the pool is the equivalent of walking for an hour. So that's what I will always recommend, you know, doing kind of like a good pool outing, or like a massage or something that's low impact, because it's all about the quality of life of your pets, you want them to be feel good and to be good, especially for puppies. And for older dogs. It's really beneficial.
Collin Funkhouser 35:29
Well, like you said, if the client has a pool there, when you're talking with them, you can go, Oh, hey, you have this pool. Have you ever thought about this thing and walking through that process and definitely have a as part of the cooldown from the long walk, adding that in, it's really becomes an added bonus, and you're setting that dog up for a much longer, healthier life. And that's something that obviously every owner is is going to want.
Alexiane 35:53
I also, since I do have a good reference for the rehabilitation St. Practice, they actually have this course that's called hydrotherapy for the home owners. So if they want to go in the pool with their dogs, they just look at the course you know, and listen, and what key points to do what not to do you know the temperature of the water, how you should introduce redox to it. And then they kind of do it on their own at home, which is also great, because they didn't know they could do it. Because no one everyone is swimming through dogs, you don't really think about how you should be doing it, just kind of put them in the pool and then swim if they want to swim and if they like to swim. And so having the course more details, since you don't always have to go to professional to swim with your dog. It's, they enjoy it, you know, and it's kind of a good human to dog activity.
Collin Funkhouser 36:47
Again, it's not just and that's a really good point. It's not just about the health benefits that they get from it, although that is super important. You're also helping with that client pet bond, and deepening their relationship through that process, too.
Alexiane 37:00
Yeah, and one of the one farm practice we recently introduced to Dr. Hahn is therapy. So he's a Labrador, so they usually like water, because I wasn't a huge fan, but he didn't really hate it. And so we went I did hydrotherapy with him and kind of swim around because I was throwing balls in the water. And he seems kind of chasing it. And now the dog will not stop going into the bore. The second time he gets out of the house in the morning, he goes and jumps into the pool. Now they had to install this fence. He was retiring himself, which is
Collin Funkhouser 37:42
too much of a good thing.
Alexiane 37:46
He says in there for like 20 minutes. And then when you try and get him out, it's impossible to go in the water or physically grabbing. And he's a very good dog. And he's has an amazing recall. And he just just doesn't come. You can't get involved.
Collin Funkhouser 38:02
Oh, that's adorable Alexia and you. You've also very recently decided that you were going to do something for the pet care industry in South Africa. And you have organized a conference. Tell us about the conference and kind of the origins of it and why it was important for you to do this.
Alexiane 38:20
So I decided to start the conference will be adding to me and December 2021, at the very peak season of Christmas. And because I was seeing so many adverts of circle fixes, charting, charging these Murphy's Murphy's had no skills or knowledge about animals. And following that following this average, I saw this person sharing this four story where she got robbed. And you know, it's not, it's not common, we hear about this all the time. But when I was thinking I need to do is we need to do something that night and I was talking with another pizza. They're like what can we do? Can we in a way we can help our pizzas because we can't stop people from petsitting it's impossible, since they are no rules or regulation, but we can help them we can help educate them in in basic Animal Care and our incident standards. So we decided why not just host a Learning Conference. And then we literally cover every not every topic, but we must the most important things that you need to know. So it will be happening the 14th of may and with this team of amazing sitters. We have selected a few topics to discuss like marketing and communication, safety to the practice standards. And we'll also be doing a hands on workshop as I like to call it when actual behaviorist will be coming and chatting about you know how we can detect and see you know if a dog is not happy or not so aggressive issues. A physiotherapist will also be coming demonstrating matches. So it's going to be a very awesome day we have other people that have signed up. So that's very, very
Collin Funkhouser 40:13
good. The hands on workshops, I think are going to be invaluable. Because you can take online trainings with behavior, you can read about behavior, but to actually work through that in person in front of you. And even at the most basic level, it's really, it's really impactful. And it's something that really is really changes the nature of how you interact with pets. As soon as you start knowing what to look for,
Alexiane 40:38
it was actually an undecided thing to do. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it, because I wasn't sure if they were capable enough to do it. I know some of them are, but I don't want them copying and specially for physiotherapy to try and copy something that they're seeing and not managed to reproduce it really well. So I wanted to make it clear that this is not a once in a time thing you need to continue learning about, you can't just come to the conference and be like, Okay, so now I know everything about pixeling. And I'm gonna go do my thing. No, it's not about that. It's just the first step in learning. So we cover we're covering your bases, and you need to do your part and then keep going. I mean, we also are planning on the side. And it was kind of as a case of first aid course, because they aren't a lot. Face to face in South Africa University, do them online. So we are working with beds and a bunch of people to have an ongoing course happening over time. So they can have the knowledge is that is most of them don't have don't know how that this is teed,
Collin Funkhouser 41:54
which is an extremely, absolutely crucial skill to have. And you mentioned something about the learning process of many times we see something and may go, oh, I can do that. Exactly how as that professional, who's done it for years and years, and we get a little overconfident. And it's important to remember that we have to learn and steps and fits and starts. And really, when we're learning new things. I know for me, sometimes it's hard for me to humble myself and go, I know nothing about this. So I need to start from the very beginning and work from there. And that is a process and anything that we learn anything that we take on any new thing that we try and do to really put on the learner mindset and go how I need to get the most out of this. And I need to start walking on this journey. And this information is going to be super unhelpful. But I know there's gonna be a lot of follow up after this, I think you're doing a great job of it's good to hear you're kind of making these caveats of hey, just because you're gonna see this one time does not mean you're going to be an expert. And there's a lot more things that that you're going to need to know.
Alexiane 42:53
Exactly, which is why I kind of also emphasize on having role models in that industry here in Johannesburg come the only problem, obviously, is since there are no regulations, obviously, you you've established your company, and you're very well known, and you have very good skills. But problem is that I saw facing with this conferences that some people didn't want to come because they already had the skill, didn't even understand what the conference the role was the constant and what the goal was. The goal wasn't necessarily just to educate people that didn't know about petsitting. But it was also something that would be that will bring us together in a way we can share our knowledge. And because it's never happened here before. It's as needed. There's never been I think it's this conference in Johannesburg. I know that in Cape Town the has been opposite of of South Africa. But here they'll be there hasn't been a thing. And I think it was really important to do in progress, people will always sell to you some way. And we have to prove that our teachers are well. And and that it's that it's a it's going to benefit them as well,
Collin Funkhouser 44:08
again, recognizing that the conference has come with, with many benefits. It's not just about learning the head knowledge, like you said, it's also about building that community, building those relationships. And, you know, I look at people who I know have been going to conferences here in the United States for several years at this point. And I kind of I asked them, one of them. I said, you know, why do you keep going right? None of this information is new to you that you're seeing right now. And they said, you know, look at everyone around here I come to be here with these people I come to get connected with them and learn from them as well. So there are just so many benefits that you get from attending these kinds of conferences.
Alexiane 44:46
Exactly. I mean, it's it conferences are essential to learning and being updated on what's happening in the industry. Some such as don't find it necessary because no they never told me. They don't need to learn, but it's not But but it's also like you said about sharing your knowledge and helping others if you can. Also, it gives us an opportunity to be with people that are like minded. And that's very important, I think here, especially in Johannesburg, where the industry is so fragile, and we don't really stick together and not coming because you also think you don't need it also shows that how, how fragile the industry is, which you know, if you don't want to come and meet fellow Pitzer, because I don't think most of us have met. I mean, I have met most, maybe most, if not all, but I don't think we have actually really talked to each other about that kind of stuff, except for Mr. Burns and petsitting assignment. So as we don't really know each other, we just know, oh, since the competition, and I can refer to if you want, but we, maybe she knows something that I don't Maybe she knows something about voiding, that will help me. And I'll have the chance to ask her about that. Because she she's a good established business. And I think the constants will be helping a lot to
Collin Funkhouser 46:09
use that phrase, it's a fragile industry. And part of that starts with it sounds like those personal relationships in that building of that community. And like you said, knowing somebody beyond just whether they can take care of your dog or not, but knowing them personally and knowing them professionally, and learning from one another is a really good sign of where that that's headed. Absolutely. So for you. Just you know, if you if you can pull out your magic eight ball or whatever, where do you hope the pet sitting industry will be in your community in the next five to 10 years?
Alexiane 46:45
I really hope it will be a place where sitters come and ask for advice, mercy, and for guidance. For example, I have been receiving a lot of message since starting the page about your Can you help me make a great advert? Because I don't know where to start. And I don't know what to put on it. And I haven't had any assignment so far. And we worked on risk scales, and her policies, and basically everything that she would need to start her business. And she got, I think one client to two days after posting her ad in her page, which is only a one client, but it always starts with one, which is amazing. We always try and refer also to other petsitting companies, not not everyone is meant to create a business. But we it's I want us to be a place where statistical come come to you for guidance. This is basically it and knowledge to
Collin Funkhouser 47:45
Yeah, exactly. I love hearing when people get their very first client because you're right, it's Oh, it's just one, but it's one right. And it's it's super exciting when you're just starting out to get that first person who's trusting you. And to help somebody along that journey. And along that profession and go this is what's possible these are this is how you can make this thing and make this your livelihood. It's very gratifying thing to help people with and to show them what the actual possibilities are.
Alexiane 48:16
It makes me very happy to be honest. But the problem with people side trying to start their own company is they always producer and they can't get advice anywhere about it except maybe online. But if you want a good company, you need to have references. Because if you can't take care of insert, you don't want to leave the client hanging. And one issue that has come up and it's been told by someone that recently started is that she contacted this leading company, and they refuse to help her because she she was not established. So she she didn't know anything about she wasn't she didn't have any first aid. She knew a little bit about behavior, but not a lot. But she really wanted to take it sitting seriously as a part time job. But no one wanted to help her because she was considered you know, to fly by someone that just does to sit for money, which he actually wasn't. So it was a little bit sad that she was interested. But then she, she she contacted us on the me on privately and then we worked on her policies and like I said assignments and whatever. And she's doing good. She's getting a little more clients now, which is great.
Collin Funkhouser 49:33
That's super exciting. And I know that that conference is really going to help a lot more people It sounds like it is a major step in bringing the community together and setting the industry on a really good path. Alexian I really want to thank you for joining us today and for taking time out of your busy schedule to share with our listeners about an area of the industry in South Africa that many of us aren't aware of and are super excited with everything that you're working on, and working towards there. If people are interested in getting connected and learning more about you and the conference and all that good stuff, how can they get connected?
Alexiane 50:14
So they can contact me directly on the pizza, this conference page? My number is my private members listed on me. Or they can just inbox me on Facebook, and I will gladly answer them.
Collin Funkhouser 50:27
Perfect. And I will, I'll have links to those in our show notes so people can find the conference and find everything that you've got working on, and go from there. Again, this has been a real pleasure and real honor Alexia and I can't thank you enough for sharing everything that you're doing. And I'm really excited for it.
Alexiane 50:44
Thank you very much for having me here to
Collin 50:47
what's the health of the pet care industry, in your local community. When Alexian use that word, fragile, it really struck me as describing very well how many pets that in communities are setup. They're very disconnected. They don't know one another. They don't have meetups they don't know who to recommend to. They feel very isolated. The future of a healthy pet care industry very much depends on an interconnected, non fragile, instead a robust connection of pet sitters across the country across the globe, supporting and sharing resources and information. I can't wait to hear how Alexei Ian's conference goes into here all of the resources and connections made by pet sitters in her local community. We want to thank our sponsor today, time to pet and thank you so much for listening and being a part of this community, this podcast community and our online community, sharing resources helping one another and lifting everybody up. It's a wonderful thing to see and we are so thankful that you are a part of it. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and we'll be back again soon.
