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The Critter Courier

A place for pet owners to laugh, love and learn!

"Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. 
It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them."
-John Grogan, Marley and Me-
This is Atlas. One day, sitting at his desk, filling out all the paperwork for the four burglars and two shoplifters he'd tracked down, rubbing his sore legs and bruised snout, he realized, I'm getting too old for this crap. And so he retired from the force to the country and became a part of the Shepherd family, giving them their own full house. There were times when his new sister Buggy caught him drinking from the toilet. Oh, Atlas! Or when he ate all of Bentley's peanut butter though it was clearly marked. Hijinks and misunderstandings, but the house filled with happiness. His new sister Pooh taught him the joy of just running, making a pooh! sound as you go. Buggy taught him to just give in to belly rubs. He discovered the charms of being lazy on the couch with Bentley. And he went skulking through the darkened kitchen with his new clowder, looking for hidden food stores and finding the right moment to swoop in and steal a treat. And fetch! Oh, fetch. The thrill of the hunt, the capture, the return... No hollering or bloodshed, and especially no paperwork - you get to fetch and fetch until you collapse in the grass with a smile that just won't fade. Atlas is standing tall of the wings of his dreams, finding that retirement suits this big boy.
(Zach Pippin)

News from the Critter Sitters Office - April 2020

Covid-19 Response and Updates:

Where to begin!

We have been bridged together by our mutual love for your pet(s), or as many say, your fur-babies. In many situations we would never have crossed paths but your pet brought us into each others lives.  While your pet is the benefactor of our services, it is you who is vetting us and providing trust in our abilities to care for your 4-legged (sometimes 3-legged) family members. You chose to share your pets lives with us, and we are so grateful. As 15-year owners of a service company, we have always said our clients are the most loyal, most generous and most supportive, and its because the bond between our shared love for your pet(s) in many ways creates a special relationship.   

Animals touch the most intimate parts of our hearts: our need to nurture and protect, our need for companionship and love. It seems that animals have a unique ability to bring this out in us, to show us the best part of ourselves. Our pets inspire us to reveal these deep human needs and it proves that we have a deep capacity to love and care for others under even the most difficult circumstances. 

By way of your pets, you have become our "CS family." Many of you are reaching out to us in the most humbling, compassionate and empathetic ways. Ways we never expected or imagined. We are so thankful a bad situation is not worse due to the support and generosity shown by so many of you.  From monetary support to emotional support, we are graciously overwhelmed by your love.  You are the meaning of community. So many of you have checked in on our well being, concerned for our company and employees, providing status updates on your pets health and happiness, and sharing photos to bring a smile to our faces. Many of you know the connection we share with your pet is tight and that we are missing our weekly visits as much as they are. You have kept us updated on your pets activities, and their daily events and life. We even get pics of them sitting in the window awaiting our normal arrival. Some of you have voluntarily continued to pay your weekly services even without us providing the walks due to the restrictions. Some of you have tipped your favorite sitters. Some of you have supported other local businesses with gift cards allowing our sitters to have a "tab" at local coffee shops and restaurants, thus supporting not only our employees but other local businesses as well. Some of you have donated to our "first responder and medical staff" fund from our website. This has brought us to tears, and in many ways has changed us in ways we didn't expect. 

We are still plugging along within the guidelines of this pandemic.  We are following all restrictions, guidelines, and recommendations. We are servicing anyone who is an essential worker, elderly or disabled client. We have had an 80% loss in business and immediately had the rug pulled out from underneath us upon the March 16 announcement by Andy Beshear. Since we are in the travel industry with our "vacationer" clients, 95% of those trips have been fully cancelled for the months of March and April, and most likely May! We have laid off three employees, but we are working diligently to keep the remaining employees working as much as we can, with a focus on remaining safe and within the guidelines set forth by the state. We will be bringing all three of these employees back on our team when the restrictions are lifted. The layoffs were primarily due to 80% of our "weekly clients" being sent home to work in home office, their college students being sent home, or loss of work themselves. Many of our "weekly clients" are teachers, professors, and the medical community. Most of our medical community and all of our teaching staff are "staying safe at home." 

We want to put you at ease and confirm we are NOT CLOSING Critter Sitters.  We have been asked this question ALOT in the past couple of weeks. We have a strong company due to your continued support by our clients. We have a strong team who will always put animals first. We love what we do and we intend to be here for at least 15 more years! If you need us, as always, we are here for you. We will remain safe, and we will be back!  We know when this is all over, many of you will need us just as much, if not more, than you have needed us before. We are determined to rise above this crisis and continue to service you as we always have. Thank you for your support, your kindness and your general love for our team and our company.  We are truly humbled by your support and generosity.  
EXTRA EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The Critter Chronicler:
A blog for your cat, dog, and maybe even a pollywog. 

If you are interested in following Zach's blog to see things from fun daily visit reports (where your pets take on the role of characters and human characteristics), to fictitious pet perception or approach to life, or even things that drive a pet sitter crazy, come follow our blog @ the Critter Chronicler. www.critterchronicler.com.

 

April Pet Spotlight!

Birch & Dexter P.

We absolutely love our Dexter and Birch visits! Dexter has been with us since he was a tiny pup and quite possibly was the worst puppy we have ever met. No worries, his humans are aware.  He gave us all a run for our money, that's for sure!  In all of his badness as a puppy, he made up for it with his kisses and cuddles. This boy cuddles like a human and looks at you with eyes that will will melt your soul like ice cream on a summer day.  And his sissy Birch is his little sidekick. She is the silent, sweet, well behaved lady. She is regal and well behaved and gives slight looks of judgement at Dexter when he barks at other dogs out on our walks. She can jump like a cricket but we call that "giving hugs." The two of these together are like Thelma and Louise, Ricky and Lucy, or Tom and Jerry!  They have become a big part of our CS family and we all love when we see they are on our schedule for walks.  The greeting at the door as Birch peers out the glass and when Dexter comes over and gives a big full body rub across your legs, well, its what we live for here at Critter Sitters!

April Pet Spotlight!

Buddy, Jackson, Gordon, Sadie & Belle P.

To help me with The Case of the Missing Collar, I enlisted four of the most famous detectives in the area: Gordon, with his deer stalker on sideways as is the fashion, was looking hot and hot on the trail. Buddy grabbed his trusty magnifying glass from his belt (it’s the size of a small car, I swear) and put his nose to the ground. The mother-son team of Belle and Jackson were fresh off the infamous sasquatch case of Jessimine county (you probably didn’t hear about it, very hush-hush). They were ready to keep their reputation of 100% cases closed. With a true morning hound cry, they set off leaving me with the victim. Sadie wrung her hands, worrying over the missing heirloom and wondering where she could have possibly lost it. I assured her we’d find it – we had perfect weather after all – and the best noses in five counties. Of course, it took less than two minutes to locate the lost collar, tucked behind a bush close to the house. Sadie bonked her head with her paw. That was where she’d chased that rabbit! Success brought us inside for treats and drinks to celebrate, congratulations all around! Tune in next time for The Case of the Mysterious Hole!
*Adapted from https://critterchronicler.com/ by Zach P. 

In Memoriam

Recently, we had to say goodbye to our special friends, X-Ray F., Rhudy J., Haylee L. and Zoe B. 
Please join us in remembering these sweet babies who have gone over the Rainbow Bridge! It's never easy saying goodbye! 


"Everyone is taught that angels have wings, but the lucky ones find they have 4 paws"  - Jury Nel

Did you Know...?????

Dog Delivers Groceries To Isolated Neighbor With Health Problems

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, people everywhere are coming together to help each other in small ways, and one Colorado-based dog is no exception. As KKTV states, the dog is helping to deliver groceries to his quarantined neighbor.

The golden retriever, 7-year-old Sunny, is owned by Karen Eveleth. The pair live in Manitou Springs, Colorado, beside neighbor Renee Hellman. They have all been neighbors for more than 10 years. However, due to the outbreak, Renee had to go into quarantined cocooning for her health.

Wanting to be a good neighbor, Karen came up with an idea to help her get her groceries, but she needed Sunny’s help to pull it off.

As Karen explained, “She got the list. She gave it to Sunny. Sunny brought it to me. I went to the store, got her groceries, and he delivered them all to her.”

In an effort to keep up with the social distancing protocol, it has been Sunny who has been going back and forth between the two homes to bring Renee items. And it has been going on for a while since the coronavirus broke out weeks ago.

Renee said, “What a wonderful thing, just a sweet thing. So, he started doing the schlepping, back and forth. It’s been fun. It’s been a real treat.”

Renee herself has some underlying medical conditions, and as a result, has to rely on oxygen to breathe. Given this seriousness, she most certainly needs to be careful. Getting food delivered by Sunny definitely helps to break up the monotony of isolation.

She stated, “Little things like Sunny coming over to visit is nice, and it makes you feel good. It’s a way of communicating.”

But that’s not all, he also picks up her mail. Karen chose to share the story of Sunny in order to make people smile.
“Anybody can do something small that can be so helpful,” Karen said.

Link for the video: 
https://youtu.be/HLYe-G4ykRA 

Source:
https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-delivers-groceries-to-isolated-neighbor-with-health-problems/?fbclid=IwAR2U-IfHBiBwimcuK2cz8NwOzYqBQgIfHgPoPaleZdIzaOwtErnH3ATgZYo

Pet Holidays for April 2020  
 
•    Heartworm Awareness Month
•    National Adopt a Greyhound Month
•    National Pet First Aid Awareness Month
•    Prevent Lyme Disease in Dogs Month
•    Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month

•    April 1–7: International Pooper Scooper Week
•    April 1–7: National Raw Feeding Week
•    April 6: National Siamese Cat Day
•    April 6-10: National Dog Bite Prevention Week
•    April 8: National Dog Fighting Awareness Day
•    April 10: National Hug Your Dog Day
•    April 11: National Pet Day
•    April 11: Dog Therapy Appreciation Day
•    April 17-23: National Pet ID Week
•    April 18: Pet Owners Independence Day
•    April 21: Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day
•    April 23: National Lost Dog Awareness Day
•    April 25: International Guide Dog Day
•    April 26: National Kids and Pets Day
•    April 26: Hairball Awareness Day
•    April 27: World Veterinary Day
•    April 28: National Pet Parents Day
•    April 30: National Tabby Day
•    April 30: Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
•    April 30: National Therapy Animal Day
 
Funny Bone!
 

In Search for the May Newsletter Photo!

Do you want to see your pet's photo when opening up our next newsletter? Send your favorite recent photo of your pet to suka@crittersittersoflexington.com by April, 28th. We'll choose our favorite one to be featured as our opener next month!

Get Social With Us!


Make sure to follow Critter Sitters on Facebook and Instagram! We regularly feature photos of your pets, host contests and giveaways and post informative pet related content and stories!

Have feedback, ideas or suggestions for the Critter Courier? We want to hear from you! Click here to send your message. 
Copyright © 2020 Critter Sitters of Lexington, Inc., All rights reserved.


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