Nancy Joubert writes…

Each time we went out of town, Michelle’s service has been terrific, she is extremely reliable, trustworthy and flexible.

Andy Monahan writes…

The Pet Nanny is friendly, professional, reliable and well organized. The bottom line is that I trust her completely.

Kara Sanford writes…

The Pet Nanny gives us such peace of mind by taking care of our beloved dog and watching the house while we are away. We are forever grateful!

Nadeen writes…

We have boarded our dog at several local kennels and each time she has come home traumatized, with Michelle she is at ease and just happy to see us return!

If you would like to see the full testimonials, please see click to go to the testimonial page

All good things must come to an end. But sometimes the end to one thing can open up new opportunities.

I am speaking of the retiring Pet Nanny Hummer 3.  It’s time to say good bye to the trusty, cool Hummer 3. The Hummer has served a worthy role in transportation and marketing for the Pet Nanny.  But the stylish Hummer is just retiring from the Pet Nanny fleet only to serve someone else.

Now Introducing the new and improved Pet Nanny mobile. Welcome to the GMC Yukon Denali.

The color is familiar. So is the cool silver Petnanny signs on the sides and back.  The cool stylish  Pet Nanny  Denali is ready to take the Tega  Cay Petnanny to all of her important clients who are waiting for food, walks and companionship.

Look for a professional sitter and not someone that considers pet sitting a hobby or a quick fun temporary way to earn money. Does the pet sitter have any type of pet care training or medical training. Is the sitter bonded or insured? Does the sitter have references you can contact? These are just a small sample of things to consider when hiring a pet sitter. For more information PetsitUSA.com has a good article on The Professional Pet sitter.

Here are some suggestions when you do hire a pet sitter:

• If you have a dog or cat you may want to make sure your pet is wearing a collar with an identity tag;
• Leave sufficient food and other supplies to cover the time you are away plus a few days extra in case you are delayed getting home.
• Leave emergency contact numbers for you and your pet’s vet.
• Advise the sitter of all known medical conditions, any peculiar habits your pet has, and anything else you can think of that will help your pet get along with the pet sitter.

You may want to consider scheduling a shorter pet sitting booking like a day or evening with your pet sitter and pet before you head out of town for a week or two.

So who loves pets outside of our world of Tega Cay, SC? I did a quick search of celebrity pets and found tons of celebrity pet websites, articles, pictures, details, scoop, gossip, etc.

It is interesting to see famous people and what pets they pick to love. Jessica Alba was seen at a Los Angles fund raiser for animals with her two pugs Sid and Nancy. I haven’t figured out which one is Sid versus Nancy. (source www.whosdatedwho.com)

More famous people and their pet name(s) and type:

• Jennifer Aniston - Enzo
• John Wayne - Duke, Airedale
• Ivana Trump - Choppy, Toy Poodle and Dodo, Yorkshire Terrier
• Shirley Temple - Ching-Ching II, Pekingese and Corky, ScottiJimmy Buffet - Cheeseburger, Golden Retriever
• Dick Clark- dalmatian
• Bill Clinton - Cocker Spaniel; Buddy a Labrador Retriever
• George Bush Sr. - Millie and Sadie, English Springer Spaniels
• Liza Minelli - Cairn Terrie
• Stephen King - Marlowe a Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• Lucille Ball - Junior, a Mixed Breed
• Will Smith - Indo and Zhaki, both Rottweilers
• Jim Carey - George a Great Dane
• Paul McCartney - Martha, a Sheepdog
• John F. Kennedy - Clipper, a German Sheperd; Wolf, a Mutt
• Shirley McClaine - Ceasar, a Boxer
• George Washington - Captain, Cloe, Forester, Lady Rover, Mopsey, Searcher, Sweetlips, Taster, Tipler, Vulcan all Hounds

source: www.thepoop.com

Who is your favorite celebrity and pet?

Michelle has installed signs on her Hummer 3. They have created signs to place in strategic traffic locations in of our area. I have been feverishly updating Michelle’s web site.

By the way you are seeing this post on her new improved website and blog system. Michelle now has a reservation form built into her blog to help you and Michelle manage the many pet sitting reservation requests.

So last night we had dinner together and discussed other ways to promote Carmen’s and Michelle’s businesses. Scott jokingly talked about putting the Petnanny on the huge water tower behind their house which towers over the Tega Cay area. So when I woke up this moring, here is what I saw looking at their backyard.

Do you think the city will notice?

Please enjoy your Memorial holiday weekend and don’t forget to use the new reservations form when you you need a pet or house sitter.

Scott Miller

The Tega Cay Parks and Recreation website has been updated with new information for the “Central Bark” dog park. The dog park was relocated to New Gray Rock Road.

The dog park is approx. 6,000 sq. ft. and has both open space and trees. There are benches as well as
doggie stations.

New rules have been adopted to keep the park and users safe. Here are some of the new rules:

• Hours: 7:00 AM- Sunset daily
• No Animals other than dogs may be brought into the fenced area.
• Current rabies tags must be worn on dog’s collar at all times.
• Current dog license tag must be worn on dog’s collar at all times.
• All dogs must be leashed until safely inside of fenced area and then returned to
  their leash before exiting the fenced area. Owners must have one leash per dog.
• Dog owners must remain in the fenced area while their dogs are using the
  park. Owners must be in view of their dog(s) with voice control at all times.
• Dog owners must be 18 years or older to enter the fenced area. Children
  accompanying dog owners must be strictly supervised and at least 12 years old
  to enter the fenced area. Spectators should remain outside of the fenced area.
• Aggressive dogs and female dogs in heat are not allowed. Owners must
  immediately leash and remove their dog(s) at the first sign of aggressive, hostile,
  or combative behavior.
• Owners must dispose of waste in appropriate on-site containers. Failure to do
  so may result is dog park privileges being revoked.
• While small, bite-sized training treats are permitted, food in bowls, long lasting
  chews or glass containers are prohibited.
• Smoking and eating are not permitted inside of the “dog park”. Cigarette butts
  and wrappers are tempting and unhealthy for dogs.
• Sick or injured dog(s) are not allowed. Owners of dog(s) with a known illness/
  injury or displaying sick or injured behavior are required to remove their dog(s)
  from the park immediately.
• No more than two (2) dogs are permitted per person on any single visit.
• Puppies less than four (4) months old are not permitted inside the park.

You will have to purchase a “Pooch Pass” to use the dog park. The pass is $25 a year which includes your Tega cay dog license. Each additional dog is $10. To apply for the pass go to the Tega Cay Administration building. For more information here is a link to the Parks and Rec website

Marketing a small local business takes a lot of work. There are many bumps in the road when trying to market your business that limits what you can do.

Michelle Shirley started a pet sitting business last year called the Petnanny. She has tried many things to get her name out. Real estate type signs certainly do the trick but where do you put the signs? Tega Cay like many cities now days have sign restrictions that limit where you can put signs and when unless your a politician running for office.

Michelle and her husband Scott initial bought a pile of real estate signs. They religiously put out signs every weekend and took them down before Monday. They placed signs in and around the Baxter, Fort Mill, and Tega Cay area. Slowly they began seeing their sign inventory dwindle. The signs were being taken by various people. Their guess was city staff or just angered citizens who don’t like signs.

Finally Michelle was able to make a reciprocal ad arrangement with the Sunoco K Won Mart at the corner of Highway 160 and Gold Hill Road. The picture above is the sign that now sits daily at the convenience store with a fair amount of traffic passing by daily. Michelle and Scott say thanks to the K Won Mart for helping out.

Michelle’s pet sitting business called the Petnanny has been doing very well. Michelle says the best marketing investment so far has been the signs on Michelle’s Hummer 3 but the real estate signs are definitely an important part of her marketing success. Michelle is an experienced pet sitter and of course a pet lover. For more information visit her website at http://www.tegacaypetnanny.com/.

This post is by Scott Miller orginally posted at homesfortmill.com

THE PET NANNY SERVICE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

Please contact me for a quote. Or, schedule your next day of service and experience the Pet Nanny difference!