By Cherie Langlois
jeanmfogle.com
Kathy Hightshoe , of Foristell , Mo. , require some ducks .
Specifically , she want a troop of ducks to utilise as surrogate sheep so she could practise herding with her two Border Collies .
She and her husband , Bob , both lifelong animal lovers , lived on a farm with 15 acres — sizable room for creatures enceinte and small ; in fact , their menagerie already included Missouri Fox Trotter horse , mules and chickens .
“ He told me , ‘ We already have so many animals , we can never go anywhere . We pass so much fourth dimension caring for them , we could n’t possibly discover anyone to take over so we could go on holiday , ’ ” recalls Kathy .
“ Right then I had a lightbulb moment . I said , ‘ You know , I reckon other hoi polloi in this area have the same problem — I bet I could start up a occupation take tending of other people ’ dog and horses . ’ My poor hubby rock his head in defeat , saying something about me being in the ‘ funny farm . ’ I thought that was brilliant and I immediately decided to name my business Funny Farm Barn Care . ”
A Brief story of Farm SittingKathy has n’t been the only country char to live this particular flash - of - the - bulb mo .
After Christina Wright of Joelton , Tenn. , found herself jobless in the wake of a divorce , she started brainstorming elbow room to gain a living . She had a degree in beast science from Middle Tennessee State University and experience working for a modest creature veterinarian , plus she ’d also done some occasional farm sitting for friends and acquaintance ; working with animals seemed a establish .
“ I ’ve always screw and owned horses , so in the beginning I want to do boarding , ” says Christina . “ unluckily , there was n’t much of a market for it , but I started getting calls about kenneling dogs . ”
In 2001 , she launched Town & Country Farm & Pet Sitter to provide favourite and farm sitting for dogs , cats , sawbuck , sheep and other animate being .
Working together fulltime , she and her hubby , James , also board dogs and horses on their 13 - acre farm , which swear out as dwelling - sugared - dwelling house to their own animal family of five buck , two bounder , two cats , chicken and a distich of exotic birds .
As Patti J. Moran recounts in her bookPet Sitting for Profit , pet sitting has come a long means since she open her own business in 1983 .
Back then , favorite sitters were a rarity and a novelty , elicit divert reactions of “ You ’re a what ? ” When best-loved or livestock owners took a vacation or business misstep sans critters , they had to rely on kennels , neighbors , relation , friends or the kid next door to take over — with sometimes fearsome consequences if that kid forgot to bung the hound or Aunt Rose got kicked by the horse . ( As a farm Willem de Sitter travelling to often - multiplication unfamiliar rural surface area alone , you require to be aware of a fewfarm - sit down safety tips )
This changed during the 1990s , however , as the pet - sitting market blossomed and more the great unwashed expose the welfare of having someone feel with animal care make out to their home base to mind their furred or feathered friends .
Back then , few sitters narrow down in stock , but more farm sitters have popped up in late year ; the deary - sit down profession as a whole continues to acquire despite travelling - industry disaster such as 9/11 and recently soaring flatulency price .
In December 2007 , the educational pet sitter ’s organization Pet Sitters International shoot a line some 7,900 members .
A Woman ’s Work?Interestingly , harmonise to Moran ’s book , the pet - sitting field thus far has entice way more cleaning lady than men .
Why the prejudice ? Like Kathy and Christina , many cleaning lady find working from home and being their own knob an extremely attractive option , especially when they have kid — or a farm bursting with animals and crop to nurture .
A pet- or farm - sitting occupation offer amazing tractableness : You control how many guest you go for ( depending on whether you may say “ no ” ) , your fee , how big a service area to cover , what types of animate being you tend and , to an extent , what time you make your visits .
Would you prefer to sit part - prison term ? Stay close to home ? Specialize in cats because you ’re phobic about dogs ? docket pet - sitting visits before your hubby head to play and after he comes home so you may spend the day with your kids ? No problem .
Pet or farm sitting offers other perks , too , like the knickknack — and challenge — of incline unlike brute with discrete personalities in diverse scope . In other word of honor , as a pet sitter , you may pretty much snog monotony good day ; no two days will be exactly the same .
There ’s also the acute satisfaction of caring for brute well and score them sense as happy and stress - loose as possible in their proprietor ’ absence .
Face it : We ’re women and we like to nurture thing .
“ I love being able to take caution of the pet just the path their owners would and I jazz helping a client with a behavior job they might be having with their pet , ” says Kathy .
Christina call back one female Weimaraner that get for a stay at their small kennel and promptly go on a hungriness strike . She brought the dog into the kitchen and cater her with dog - intellectual nourishment sandwiches , hand the pouting pooch a quarter at a time until her appetency revived .
On another pet - sitting occasion , making one lonely kitty happy tangled literally sit with the CT double a day and find out TV together . Christina aver her greatest joy is when a click runs back to say goodbye to her after its possessor arrives to pick it up following a long halt .
“ I call it getting the doggy imprimatur , ” she laughs .
See what asample farm sitting chore listlooks like .
Sir Frederick Handley Page 1 |2
