Many of you will be working from home for the next week or so and that means new co-workers- your pets and maybe your kids. We have a few ideas to help you stay sane while you’re staying safe at home.
Routines are sacred.
It might be really tempting to sleep in and take it a little easy given the stress of what’s going on and the novelty of working from home for some of you. But keeping a routine will keep both you and your pets sane! If you regularly schedule dog walks with our walkers, keep us coming to take your pups out. Make sure you maintain your dog’s walking and feeding schedule, and schedule your own work times around that in order to avoid feeling annoyed or like you’re missing out on either work or your pets. Your pets know what time they get seen, fed, and exercised. Schedule your breaks to include quality time with them and they won’t feel left out- and you won’t feel like you’re missing out, either.
Keep your pets entertained!
Prepare some Kongs with peanut butter and freeze them, buy some bully sticks or your dog’s favorite treat to give them something to do while you’re busy. They will naturally want to be with you- having their owner in the house is fun and exciting, after all! You can also take this moment to catify your house- that is, optimize it to make your kitties more comfortable. That includes making sure your kitties have vertical terrain, scratching posts, and more. You can try hiding treats around the house for them to hunt. You can also put on TV for kitties (YouTube has lots of great channels full of birds being birds, like Cat TV’s Bird Extravaganza: 7 Hours of TV for Cats with Beautiful Bird Sounds). One of our clients has created “Squirrel-O-Vision,” where she sets up bird feeders and peanuts for squirrels and birds right outside her kitty’s favorite sunbathing spot and her kitty is super entertained.
Create a pet-free space.
Sometimes, the only way to get peace of mind is to stay out of sight and out of mind. If you can, create a space for yourself where you can be free from distractions. If you have a home office, don’t let your pets inside while you work. If you don’t have one, perhaps you can designate whichever table you work from your space and keep your pets away for the time being. You can use a baby gate if you have one on hand, or you can keep your dog crated if they are crate-trained. Wherever you keep your pets, make sure you give them something to be entertained with- those PB-filled Kongs, or a treat puzzle work wonders.
Work on projects with your pet: training and more.
It’s time to finally teach your dog (and maybe even kitty) new tricks. There are many excellent online resources for this on YouTube or your favorite positive reinforcement trainer. You can also support a local business by scheduling virtual training sessions. Applause Your Paws is now offering online dog training. Check them out their services, which include:
- Training techniques for obedience and manners like sit, down, stay, come, drop it, leave it, place (go to your bed), leash walking
- Cooperative Care like nail trims, administering medication, and other husbandry behaviors your dog needs to succeed at the groomer or vet.
- Pre- and post- adoption counseling
- Common behavior problems like potty training, barking, digging, chewing, pulling on leash, jumping on people and destructive behavior, running out the front door.
- Competition Obedience
- Trick dog training
Train your cat. Really.
Cat parents, you can teach kitties new tricks! It requires lots of treats, baby steps, and patience. We’ve linked a couple of good articles and videos to get started on it. For example, this is a great little article by National Geographic, or check out this brief introduction to cat training from the late, wonderful Dr. Sophia Yin’s website. Jackson Galaxy, aka the Cat Daddy, also shares a lot of great information online for free that you can use to help you train your kitties the right way, with zero aggression.
DIY dog clothing and toys!
Do you need something to do with your hands? Your pup could always use a cool dressy shirt collar to look his best. Check out this DIY Dog Dress Collar– you probably have all of the materials at home. You can also make handmade doggy shirts from your favorite old T-shirts. Check out a quick little video tutorial here, and be sure to let us see your finished product!
Make sure you have your pet’s food and meds.
There are many local pet food and supply stores that are open and delivering as of this writing.
Animal Crackers
Small Family Business
Organic, All Natural Dog & Cat Food Plus Grooming! 🐾
305.374.8004
Healthy Food, Healthy Pet
www.animalcrackersdelivers.com
Good Boy Pet Care & Nutrition
Dry, Fresh & Raw Pet Foods • Grooming • Daycare
5989 SW 8 Street
Miami, FL 33144
786.360.5873
www.goodboypetcare.com
Pet Wants Miami 🐾
Fresh • Local • Delivered
All-Natural Nutrition You Can Trust
Made fresh monthly + free local delivery
(305) 340-2625
Wynwood Dog Food Co.
Curbside pick-up and shipping still available
Made Fresh by Humans in Miami
Shipping Nationwide
South Miami Hours: Noon to 5PM, closed on Sundays
(305) 505-5712
Your Pets Best
An incomparable dog and cat food supply store.
Pet Supermarket is still open for business. They posted this update on Wednesday, March 25, 2020
- Store hours are reduced to 10 am. – 6 pm. to allow staff time to sanitize and restock our shelves
- Grooming salons will be closed for the next 2 weeks
- Self-Serve Dog Washes and Dog Training has also been suspended
- Only 2 customers in our stores at a time for safe social distancing
- Our Pet Experts will retrieve your products for you, so have your list ready
- Wait at our sanitized checkout areas to complete your transaction (pets welcome!)
- Debit or credit is preferred at checkout whenever possible
A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.
