By Alyssa Andrews, For The Associated Press
ERIE — Wembley, the basset hound, scrambles out of the foliage in his yard and proudly presents a tennis ball to Gay Boutwell. Chester, Wembley’s brother, lazes happily nearby as the pet sitter tosses the ball again.
It’s a simple game of toss-and-fetch.
But the personal attention and play time Boutwell provides for a busy pet owner on this spring evening is a burgeoning business, muscling its way into the marketplace, despite a bad economy.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor has identified in-home pet care as one of the fastest-growing home-based businesses in the country.
Boutwell, who calls her business Paws ‘n Affection, is one of a growing number of pet sitters — in addition to traditional boarding kennels — who offer pets more personal attention, and pet owners, such as Marsha Burleigh, peace of mind while they are at work or on vacation.
“I am more comfortable knowing that Chester and Wembley are here at the house, safe and happy,” Burleigh said. “I don’t want to take them out of the environment they are used to, not to mention they eat better while they are at home.”
Boutwell started her business because she has been an animal lover her entire life. She now takes care of several pets.
“I have noticed a definite increase in sitters in the past few years,” especially private pet sitters, said Dr. Christine Nestor, an Erie veterinarian at Animal Ark and Animal Kingdom pet hospitals.
“Despite the economy … people still want to do right by their pets. People are still going the extra mile to keep their pets healthy and safe.”
Molly Dougan, co-owner of Pet Nannies, LLC, experienced an increase in business over the past couple of months.
“About a month ago, we got seven new clients in the span of a week,” Dougan said.
Boutwell has watched the Burleigh family’s pets for years, originally taking care of Bags, their first basset hound, that died in 2004. Chester and Wembley have grown up around Boutwell, Burleigh said.
“As we’ve added dogs, she just continued down the line, taking care of them,” she said.
Lorraine Keeler, 63, of West Springfield, had similar comfort concerns when looking into care for her Great Dane-Labrador retriever mix, Major. Keeler hired a sitter so Major could stay in familiar surroundings.
“My primary concern, when I am away, is my dog’s safety and that he is happy while I am gone,” she said.
According to Nestor, pet owners worry about their animals, just as they would a family member. “In some cases, the pet is even like a child,” she said.
Much like a baby sitter or other caregiver, pet sitters offer services tailored to an everyday routine. The sitter will feed the pet, refresh the animal’s water, then engage the pet in play.
“The dogs just love it when Gay comes over because she brushes them,” Burleigh said. “Wembley really loves play time because she just throws him the ball continuously.”
Pet-sitting visits last about 30 minutes and the average cost for that, in the Erie region, is about $15. Additional services can be arranged, such as walking and transportation to appointments, for an added fee.
“She’ll come over and care for them whenever I ask her to, as many times a day as I choose,” Burleigh said.
The types of animals sitters cater to is as varied as the services they offer.
“While we prefer those pets with fur or feathers, we have no problem taking on other animals,” Dougan said.
The objective of in-home pet care is to tailor the services to a pet’s needs, based on the owner’s request. To do that, many sitters arrange a consultation first, to learn about the animal’s routine and to allow the owner to ask questions. To Patty Schofield, owner and operator of Pet Pal In-Home Services, this meeting is crucial.
“I learn how to emulate the owner’s care for the pet,” Schofield said. “The animal also picks up on its owner’s approval of the sitter, which eliminates a lot of its fear when I enter the house alone.”
While this is one of the few times the pet owner and sitter actually meet, there is no lack of communication between them. Many sitters leave notes for the owner about the experiences their pet had while the owner was away.
“It’s exciting for the pet owner because they know their animal had an experience while they were gone,” Schofield said. That’s important, she said, “because that is what they are paying for.”
Keeler said that hiring a pet sitter offers the added benefit of security to her home while she is away.
“When people see someone coming and going from your home, there is less of a chance that someone will break in,” Keeler said.
Hiring a pet sitter can also be beneficial to a pet’s physical and mental health. When pets remain in familiar surroundings, they can feel less stressed and more comfortable. Nestor said that a pet’s remaining at home also eliminates the health risks that kenneling can create.
“Anytime a pet is in a situation involving a group of animals, you are going to have a higher level of concern for the pet’s health,” Nestor said. “In the home setting, you don’t have to worry because there are not any risk factors.”
This is not to say that boarding your pet is unsafe. Nestor said that the majority of kennels require that pets be vaccinated before their stay. Some kennels require core vaccinations for all animals who board, including the rabies vaccine and the five-way distemper vaccine. An optional vaccine, bordetella, is beneficial for dogs that are boarded often.
Lisa Masters, 52, of Fairview Township, boards all five of her dogs when she’s on vacation. Boarding is an option for pet owners who are not comfortable with caregivers entering the home.
Proud Land, a kennel in Fairview owned by Joan Wienczkowski, offers boarding as well as on-site grooming and training, all of which can take place while the pet owner is away. The facility also features indoor/outdoor rooms, heated floors, air conditioning and the staff offers play periods, pool time and cookie hour.
Precautions are taken to eliminate the possibility of disease among Proud Land’s boarders. Wienczkowski, 70, said the facilities are disinfected every day and deep-cleaned once a week. The employees also spot clean throughout the day inside a pet’s room.
“The animals’ health comes first here,” Wienczkowski said.
Masters likes the peace of mind she gets from knowing her dogs are well-cared-for and in a familiar place at the kennel, even though they are away from home.
“I like boarding my dogs because I know that, while I am gone, they are played with and walked,” Masters said. “When I pick them up, they are always happy and very well-behaved.”
At the end of her visit with Wembley and Chester, Gay Boutwell pulls treats from a bag. The dogs wait patiently.
Crouching down, Boutwell offers up treats and takes a moment to rub each dog’s head as a way to say good night.