Artist Lorenzo Ross, Psychic Janet Wright, Their Pet Cats, Dogs and Friends.
Category: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures
For more information about our home dog boarding you can check out our website www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com
The photos and stories within these posts are all shown publicly with the express permission of the dog owners. On the boarding contract, we ask them if it’s OK to blog about their dog, while protecting the owner’s identity and privacy. Owners have the choice of receiving daily updates, or updates every other day, or weekly. They can get updates by text or email or even iPhone Facetime video chat. In many cases these blog entries served as the daily update for the owner, as well as being a blog post for our blog readers. Enjoy!
On the right blog post - your small comment makes a huge positive splash!
Recently I have realized how huge blogging can be in promoting one’s business. Google loves blog posts. Furthermore, Google really loves blogs that have user comments. Since google is not human and cannot tell if a blog post is great or not, it judges by keywords you post with your blog and if they are repeated within the article’s content, and also if there are reader comments.
To use myself as an example, I am a psychic reader and healer, specializing in personal growth readings. The phrase “personal growth psychic readings” is a phrase someone may use in a google search, someone who may end up loving what I do! 2,920,000 results come up when you search this phrase on google. Today I am on the first page of results for this search, the sixth result that is not an ad. 6 out of 2,920,000. Why? Thanks to a blog post I wrote on this topic less than a week ago that has one user comment. Here is the actual post about creating lasting personal change. If you view it, notice that I listed among the keywords for the post “personal growth psychic readings.” I suspect that if I did not have that one user comment google would not have taken the post as seriously. Who knows how high it may rise in google results if I get two or three comments!
If you would like to support one of the businesses my husband and I have, please comment directly on any blog post that relates to the business you would like to support. Even one simple comment can make a massively positive splash in today’s world of google and other search engines, so it doesn’t have to be the most profound observation you have ever made. For your reference, the blog post subject categories are easy to find on the right hand side of this page. So happy positive splashing, either for your own services or one of ours.
Champ is a wonderful seven year old cocker spaniel that we have been boarding for just over a week now. In a previous home he has got along well with one cat, even sleeping with him. Our home has three cats. Zen and YoYo may run from dogs and Zen will even growl at a dog if she is threatened or chased, so we found Champ needed some help and training so that he could adjust and live peacefully with our cats. He never had an obvious desire to kill our cats, but he did think it was OK to chase them at top speed, which started some trouble with our cat Zen who was not amused at all. Also he would stare at the cats nonstop while panting, and this was pretty unnerving for the cats. Initially we thought the staring was love at first sight, but we quickly realized it was a dominance & vigilance play to keep staring at them for minutes on end.
The Goal: the cat (Bambi) walks calmly & Champ relaxes
To begin his gentle training, we needed to keep him on a loose harness and leash and gave him treats of boiled chicken when he displayed calm behavior and gave us his attention near one of our cats. Bambi was the easiest cat for us to work with, since she is able to walk slowly and calmly near him as long as he does not charge her. In the beginning he would have chased even Bambi. The first photo is from this morning proving just how far he has come with his dog-cat diplomacy training in just one week. Bambi is doing her classic calm walk by him, and he remains relaxed and lying down. They have been doing fine for days now, which is why he is off of any restraint near her.
Champ & Bambi: peacefully ignoring each other. Progress!
In the second photo we see them totally ignoring each other, which is a sign of their growing trust and acceptance of each other. We still are working with and supervising Champ when he sees YoYo on the ground or Zen on the ground. We have another few days with Champ for this visit, so we’ll see how far we can get with his dog-cat diplomacy training. He’s such a good boy and thanks to the treats he does learn. Also he loves massages around his ears and on his whole body, so that’s another method of persuading him. 🙂
I finally put categories for each blog post, so to read old posts about our dog boarding, see the Categories section on the right and look for Dogs. For more info on our home dog boarding, see our website at www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com.
Happy Leah after her morning walk & a roll in the grass
Many of you know that Lorenzo and I have a home business www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com where we board cat-friendly dogs, only one at a time or two if from the same home. Well this dog Leah in the photos is a much loved repeat “guest dog” of ours. We have boarded Leah for her mom three times now. Leah’s big-hearted mom needs home boarding for her this summer, and we cannot do it. The time period needed is early June 2011- early or mid August 2011 and this would be a paid boarding in someone’s home. We are already booked for part of the time she needs. Also since Leah is not cat-friendly and we have cats, it’s simpler if we do not board Leah for long periods. Even though we cannot board Leah for this time, it doesn’t mean we can’t help find the right person! Please help us spread the word. Please forward this blog post link to your animal lover friends, or post/share this on Facebook.
Wouldn't your summer be better with Leah?
Leah is a great dog and she is easy to love. She is a ten years old terrier mix that still walks with enthusiasm, follows you around contentedly in the home, and of course naps with enthusiasm. We first featured her in this blog entry from 3/18/2011. Her mom is a very nice person with a career where she helps others. Leah was adopted as a senior rescue dog by her compassionate mom. Her mom has certainly rekindled Leah’s love for all adults and for life, but Leah is not good with cats nor children nor many dogs probably because her original owners did not take the time to fully socialize her. When her mom and Leah first came for their free meet and greet with us, we did have a senior mellow passive beagle around her and they politely lounged in their separate beds and ignored each other. It’s more likely that she will get along with a dog if he/she is very mellow and/or passive, and close to Leah’s 30 lbs size or smaller.
Leah having a zen moment receiving a simple massage
As you can see in this photo of Leah receiving a massage from me, Leah adjusts very easily to a new home so she would be a blessing to the right person and home who has the time and love for her this summer. Leah’s mother is willing to pay boarding fees and is looking for a real home where a responsible loving adult is home quite a bit, with absences generally not longer than 4-6 hours at one time. Generally Leah is in a kennel during the work day and her mom comes home at lunch to give her a walk/yard time. When Leah boards with us we are always home, and she follows us around and naps peacefully in various locations. She also favors belly rubs, is great in car rides, loves her walks, and loves rolling around in the grass in our yard. Leah’s mother is willing to drive far if necessary to drop her off with the right person for her home boarding. The person who boards her needn’t be a professional, but needs to be loving and responsible, with a child free, cat free, and probably dog free home. If you do have an older child who visits occasionally, Leah would be happy in her crate as long as she can see you.
Leah making herself at home with her pillow
Please help us spread the word to all the animal lovers you know. Leah is a lovable senior rescue dog and her mom is very kind and we want to help them. If you want more information about Leah please feel free to contact me! As I said we have boarded her three times so we can answer many of your questions. Check out our dog boarding website for our contact information www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com We will answer any initial questions and then will refer interested people to Leah’s mom.
Who knows when inspiration will jump into your lap? 🙂
Well after a long hiatus Teddy is back! Here is Teddy today jumping into my lap. Today he had a nice car ride with us, a few walks in today’s sunshine, and he is about to dine on the raw food that his parents left with us for him to eat. He also had a good time stirring up the next door neighbor’s three chihuahuas by sniffing them through our fence and having a barking party with them. 🙂
Teddy is pretty cat friendly since we were able to give him socialization to cats by boarding him earlier in his puppy life. Unfortunately one of our cats YoYo runs away scared from him, and he still finds it very fun to chase him. The other two have a moderate truce with him, and have taught him to be respectful of them.
Dog-Cat Diplomacy Summit
Here I am with Teddy today letting him nose kiss the cats in a safe non-chasing environment. The cat in the right foreground is YoYo who still runs from him when they are both on the ground. There has been progress though. At the end of YoYo’s run to higher ground his tail is no longer fluffed. He doesn’t really think Teddy is about to murder him anymore. In his (fear-distorted) mind Teddy is no longer a huge monster, just a mean doggie. It’s progress!
Well we have two bits of happy dog-related news. One is that Mitzi/Sandy, the beagle we were comp-boarding that was featured in two blog entries found her own forever home and was adopted this past Wednesday! She now has a beagle sister and her human family includes two of the most considerate girls and a mom and dad. Yay for Mitzi/Sandy!
Leah relaxing in our home while her mommy travels
Now meet Leah! Leah is a wonderful senior dog we are boarding for her mom while she is out of town. Leah is 10 years young and today is our first full day boarding her in our home. Boy was I surprised this morning when I let her set the pace of our walk and it was a real power walk! Here she is snoozing and watching me as I get ready to do a phone reading. We are still watching her with our cats, but so far so good. 🙂 For more info on our in-home dog boarding check out www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com
Well our foster beagle’s fame is growing and now she is up on petfinder.com, THE location to find an adoptable rescue pet.
Sandy (Mitzi) is a peaceful beagle who needs her forever home
Here she is in her photo shoot with professional pet photographer Sheri Berliner. Please help us spread the word about this mellow dog. She could fit right into a multiple dog household, as she is submissive and likes other dogs, cats, adults, strangers, children, and babies.
She deserves a stable, forever home. We are comp-boarding/fostering her for Sheri’s rescue Petraits Pet Photography, so we know first hand how soft those cute ears are. Go check out her petfinder listing here. Please forward it to the animal lovers you know.
Mitzi (Sandy) the beagle is looking for her forever home.
What’s brown and white and full of love? Mitzi! We have been complimentary-boarding Mitzi (also called Sandy) now since Sunday. She is a foster dog with a local animal rescue, in need of a forever-home. She is only three years old, cat-friendly, dog-friendly, and kid-friendly. She has a very mellow demeanor with people, super gentle with children, and loves belly rubs. She definitely is fun and playful with other playful dogs, in that respectful, play-bow kind of way.
She was given up by her family on Sunday, and like any loyal dog she still misses them, but is getting through her grief like a champ. This photo is not the best, but she seems to be camera shy when I try to snap a photo w/my iPhone. Anyway, she’s a real sweetheart and we will post more photos and stories about her soon. If you know anyone who might be interested in adopting her, please forward this blog entry to them. They can call me, Janet Wright, at 773-728-7884, or email us at JL@BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com for more information on her.
Teddy was the first dog that we boarded in our home that was not our own. We know his human mom and dad, and they chose us because we’d be home day and night, and would certainly give the love and attentive care he needed while one or both of them traveled.
Teddy at home with toys, August 2010
When they got him as a puppy, they rescued him from a neglect situation. He was no longer malnourished, and eating and doing well, but they didn’t want to take any risks with his care. He was our house guest off and on during September and October of 2010. At that time we weren’t blogging or we would have surely taken a million photos and bragged about him back then.
Teddy in his home November 2010
Here is a belated tribute to our puppy nephew Teddy. He never met a toy he didn’t like, he has got a really big heart and is a good napper too.
Teddy Jan 2011 in his home
These photos were taken by his human mommy Mandy who is also a professional photographer of animals & people, including weddings and artistic photos. For more info on her work see www.MandyLovesPhotography.com
Teddy opened our hearts to having guest dogs in our home. It’s worth the work, to know that a sensitive and wonderful spirit like Teddy is safe and happy while his parents travel. Thanks Teddy!
Barney's Home Dog Boarding- a Bed & Breakfast for Your Dog
OK so the website and yelp page will be done within a few days, but I just can’t wait any longer. Starting Monday, Valentine’s Day, we are all ready to begin Barney’s Home Dog Boarding! Lorenzo and I will board one or two cat-friendly mellow dogs from the same home only. We are fully insured and ready to talk to any dog owners you know, who need a calm safe home to board their dog(s) when they travel. Our rates are $40/night for one dog, and $55/night for two dogs from the same home. We offer $10 off the first night for new clients. We both work from home and we have a yard, so we offer so much companionship both night and day, and a literal home away from home. Please help us spread the word to dog lovers everywhere.
If you are interested in getting email updates on this, let me know and I will keep you posted. Otherwise check back here for periodic news. This image is a tiny preview from our website. For more info call me at 773-728-7884 or email us at JL@BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com
