Brady and Ferguson

View fullsize

These two cuties are Brady and Ferguson. They turned 9 in June which makes me shake my head in disbelief because I've known them since they were 3 months old. Their dad contacted me back in September 2009 and they've been a client ever since. I see them every day while their dad is at work.

Brady on the left in the photo above likes to walk. Fergie on the right loves to be outside (as long as the ground isn't wet) but he doesn't love to walk. He prefers to sit and look around with his nose in the air. His dad and I think that might be because he's had some foot issues.

Every day when I walk into their house, they come running to greet me. Brady usually gets to me first and he jumps up to say hi. Ferguson runs over too, waits for me to pet him and then they go flying to the back door and wait for me to open it. I sometimes think they must sit and look out the back windows watching the squirrels and the birds because they go zooming out and sometimes bark as if to say, "This is my yard, get out!" They're pretty funny and very predictable. 

They live close to me too so I get to see them frequently when their dad is out walking them. One of the best feelings in the world is when they see me and they get all excited. Even though I've most likely just seen them a few hours earlier in the day while their dad was at work, they're still running towards me pulling their dad along to come over and say hi. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have the best job in the world. 

If you think your dog would enjoy a midday break while you're at work, get in touch. We will take them for a walk, let them roam your backyard or whatever they'd like to do. #bestjobever

See Spot Run

Why did I start See Spot Run in 2009? I've always loved dogs. As a kid of course I wanted to be a veterinarian but as an adult I realized that my heart was too soft and I was too thin skinned to become one. After college I ended up in corporate America and it wasn't until 20 years later I started See Spot Run. 

I'd lost my recruiting job in November 2008 when the economy tanked. After much soul searching, I realized my heart wasn't in recruiting. I knew I wanted to do something with dogs but I had no idea what. 

I worked part time at a doggie daycare. I learned pretty quickly that wasn't where I saw myself staying long term. After a few months and talks with the hubby, I went downtown and got a business license for See Spot Run. 

My idea at the time was to offer dog running, hence the name See Spot Run, as well as traditional dog walking and pet sitting. My very first client was a golden retriever named Mojo and I ran with him. However as I aged, as the summer heat and humidity set in and I got busier, the running aspect of the business became harder.

I eventually stopped offering it. See Spot Run is full service dog walking and pet sitting. 

Do you know how great it is to be a lot of dogs' best friend? It's pretty awesome. They are always happy to see me. They always greet me with their tales wagging. That's a pretty great feeling and I'm so fortunate that I've been able to do this for over 9 years.

One thing that has surprised me is how much I enjoy doing overnight pet sitting. I'll blog about that at another time.

Hot Temperatures

View fullsize

We live in Charlotte NC and that means we have several months of hot temperatures during the summer. When I photograph dogs during these month, I can pretty much guarantee that most of the photos will look like this. The dog will be panting. The tongue will be hanging out of his mouth. 

According to petmd.com, once a dog's body temperature rises, he can't sweat through his skin like we do to cool off. Dogs do sweat through their paw pads, but it's by panting that dogs circulate the necessary air through their bodies to cool down. In really hot temperatures some short nosed dogs like pugs and bulldogs have a very difficult time trying to cool off.

Here are a few pointers to help your dog stay healthy and safe during the hot summer months:

1. Plan to exercise your dog earlier in the day when it isn't so hot
2. Be aware that the pads of their feet can burn on hot pavement. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for 5 seconds. If it is hot to you, it's too hot for their paws.
3. Recognize that dogs can get heat stroke. I know a woman who was running with her lab and he died on the run of heat stroke. She had no idea it could happen. Please educate yourself and others. Seeing people running with their dog this time of year drives me crazy. If the dog is lagging behind on the run with a human, that's probably a sign.
4. Never leave your car in a vehicle. 

As a dog walker and pet sitter, the summer months are busy with clients on vacation. I will opt for shorter walks during the midday hot temperatures and then play indoors. While I am walking, I try to stay in the shade and in the grass. I tend to do longer walks earlier in the morning.

I am overly cautious with my dogs and with my client's dogs in hot temperatures. Safety first!

Charlotte dog walking company with a new logo

View fullsize

I started See Spot Run dog walking and pet sitting in Charlotte in 2009. At the time, I used a logo that I got off of another site. Anyone else could use the logo. I saw it on a few car magnets being used by other dog walking companies in Charlotte so to avoid any confusion, I changed it.

However I never really loved the one I changed to. When I started BARKography in 2016, I hired someone to create my new logo for me and I've always loved it. 

I received an email from my See Spot Run website hosting company that said this:

In July, Google Chrome is making it official: If your site doesn’t have a security certificate, visitors will see this warning. SSL is not only the right thing to do for them, it’s also great for boosting search rankings and getting more traffic to your site.

Not to get too technical, but my See Spot Run website has always been a Wordpress site. My photography website BARKography has always been on Squarespace. I'm not tech savvy and I've found the Squarespace site to be much more user friendly. So at the suggestion of my website developer, I'm changing my See Spot Run site over to Squarespace. 

AND THIS IS IT!

It's much prettier. It's easier for me to make changes to it and add pretty pictures. 

What do you think? 

AND what do you think about the new logo? The dog reminds me of Moose and Molly. It's hound-ish. Maybe I should give him or her a name? Maybe run a contest to name him/her?

View fullsize

See Spot Run is still the same Charlotte dog walking company it has always been. We just have a new look. I'd love to know what you think!