Stories From The Sidewalks - Dog Walking

Welcome back to Stories from The Sidewalks: Dog Walking! Last week you learned about my experience giving medication to my client's dogs. But what's a blog about dog walking without telling you my favorite places to walk! All my clients live in Joliet or New Lenox so I have quite the choices to pick where to walk at. However, I usually walk their dogs in their respective neighborhood but I do venture out to walk them at trails or parks if the owner gives me permission. Coming in at Number One is one of Joliet's finest.... PILCHER PARK . Pilcher Park is located at 2501 Highland Park Drive. The park offers extensive trails and the Nature Center. The Nature Center is a log cabin building where you can visit animals, enjoy exhibits, and learn all about Pilcher Park. I love walking through Pilcher Park because it is calm and relaxing. There are so many walking trails that you see something new every day. My favorite spot to visit is the waterfall. Listening to the water r...

Welcome back to my blog! I hope you enjoyed my last post about Barkbox ! Today, I am going to tell you my stories about giving some of my client's dogs their medication. Dogs get sick too just like us humans. Some of my client's dogs need everyday medications for anal glands or diabetes whereas some of my client's dogs just take seasonal medication such as allergies. The most nerve racking medication I have ever given to one of my clients dogs was insulin. My client, Laura, has a 13-year-old Weimaraner-PitBull Mix named Barkley, who has diabetes. Barkley When Laura first reached out to me and explained the situation I was scared. I had never given a dog a shot before in my life. (The only reason why I decided to help Laura was because I personally knew her. She used to be my old basketball coach so I felt comfortable knowing that I knew the client beforehand.) Besides just Barkley's insulin shot, Laura explained all specific details that go into Barkley's ...

Image Courtesy of BarkBox I swear it was just Wednesday yesterday... But welcome back to my blog! Today I am going to tell you about Barkbox . If you are not a dog owner or keep up with the latest pet industry trends, you might have never heard of Barkbox . Barkbox is a monthly subscription service for dog owners to provide their pets with products, services, and experiences. I never heard of Barkbox either until I was dog sitting and a packaged arrived at the door for the dog! So how does Barkbox work? It's simple. Dog owners go to  www.barkbox.com , they choose their dog’s size, subscription length, and wait for Bark Box to arrive in the mail! The monthly subscription prices  are: 1 month Bark Box Plan for $29 per month 6 month Bark Box Plan for $25 per month 12 month Bark Box Plan for $21 per month. The dog sizes  are: BarkBox aka “Small & Cute”: 0-10 pounds Medium BarkBox aka “Just Right”: 20-50 pounds Big BarkBox aka “Big & Bold”: 5...

It's Wednesday again! Welcome back to my blog. Last week I gave my advice about keeping a travel bag with you or specific items in your car so you are always prepared to walk no matter what. Today, I am going to tell you the importance of poop bags! DO NOT FORGET THE POOP BAGS! Image courtesy of ZooPlus Yeah, those things! Keep those bad boys in your pockets, pants, coat, car, shoes..... because OMG! if you forget them, you might end up in an uncomfortable situation! And I cannot stress that enough. I've had two very unpleasant encounters with people. The first situation I ever encountered with someone was a walk with Charlie. When I arrived at Charlie's home, he darted out the door so I did not have the chance to grab a poop bag. While we were on the walk, of course he decided to poop in someone's yard. Next thing I know, an older women comes outside and starts yelling at me. I tried to explain the situation and that I would come back to clean...

Welcome back to my blog! UPDATE Last week I discussed how dogs cannot get COVID-19, well that has changed. There is still not enough evidence but according to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), a German Shepherd and a mixed breed from the same household on an Hong Kong Island has tested positive for COVID-19. The owner of the dogs was sick with COVID-19. However, the dogs are not showing any symptoms of the virus. The dogs are in quarantine and are being watched by the AFCD. But The Hong Kong animal-welfare authority stated “Under no circumstances should owners abandon their pets.” In addition, the The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) both agree there is no evidence at this point to conclude that pets can become sick with COVID-19. Anyways, back to business! Today I will be telling you how I prepare for all kinds of weather scenarios while dog walking. The best piece of advice I can give you is pac...

Welcome back to my blog! It's been a very interesting last two weeks to say the least for the entire world. If you have not heard, there is a global outbreak of the coronavirus also known as COVID-19. President Donald Trump has declared the United States of America under a state of emergency. The virus is a disease that spreads mainly from person-to-person. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. In other words, many are describing COVID-19 as a strong strain of the flu. The government is recommending that people stay home unless they HAVE to go out. The news media has the country panicking. Grocery stores are empty of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, milk, non-perishable items and much more. Jobs are closing. Restaurants are drive-thru only. Schools and universities are closed or online only. Unfortunately for me, my waitressing job has closed and my university has gone online. So what will I do for...