Numerous men and women display elephant figurines and other art in their dwellings, offices and environments. As legend has it, some think that the simple picture of an elephant projects certain feelings and traits to its surroundings. As it is the biggest land animal on Earth, the elephant symbolizes four really significant traits.

Strength and Power: You don’t have to be the brightest bulb on the tree to acknowledge this one. Because it is the heaviest land beasts on the planet, elephants are strong and tough. When a very giant job must be performed and electric equipment is not usable, the elephant takes in the first phonecall.

Perseverance: In order to achieve great things in life, men and women must besiege themselves with representations of tenacity. Possibly its pigheadedness or trust, but the elephant is unbelievably determined compared to umpteen other animals. To be able to survive in these temperatures and make these missions thousands of kilometers annually, is surely an effort, to say the least. That is one rationality as to why it is so auspicious to store elephant figurines next to a water sourcesuch as a copper fountain.

Patience / Wisdom: If you’re looking for a mighty animal that also utilizes graduated levels of intellect, look no further than this beast. They are incredibly developed in relation to the family unit, community, and relationships.

Dignity: The elephant’s large stature, mixed with millennia of evolution, have extinguished any signs of bashfulness from its psyche. The more massive and more assuming an elephant is, the more it fulfills its fate as the magnificent hulk. There is no bashfullness or disgrace in the elephant. And that is why civilizations, the world over, respect the elephant as 1 of the most proud and dignified animals around.

Throughout time, and in numerous different civilizations, the elephant has methodically depicted Strength, Perseverance, Wisdom, and Dignity. Everyone can harness these powers, at least in residual quantities, by maintaining artistry or photos of elephants in your environment.

Snake Estate - Online Snake Database

Snakes - General Information

Snakes are amazing reptiles and are commonly kept as pets. You’ll notice that most snakes are friendly; however, at times you’ll come across a snake that wants to nip at a piece of your body. Most snakes kept as pets aren’t poisonous and are extremely docile. In order to assure that you’re snake isn’t poisonous check the online snake databases and be sure that the selected pet is for you. Depending on the snake species the temper changes, friendly snakes can be seen in sub-species of boa constrictors, pythons, kingsnake, cornsnakes, milksnakes, gopher snakes, ribbon snakes, & garter snakes. Snakes

Snakes In My Dreams

Snake Resources On the Internet

DMOZ offers a list of internet snake sites that are humanly selected in order to provide the user with an amazing online experience. You’ll notice that the selection of sites featured on DMOZ are extremely relevant to any species of snake. Be sure to check their listings and expand your knowledge on snakes. Snakes
My Snake Blog is one of many personal snake blogs on the internet. You’ll be able to view photos, videos, information & feedings of many snake hobbyist. Create your own blog today and bring your snake stories to the world! Snake Blog

Part I: What Really Happens at the Kennel?

To better understand the benefits of hiring a professional pet sitter, let’s look at the reality of keeping your dog in a kennel while you are away. Please keep in mind that these generalizations are based on the experiences of the author and may not represent every boarding facility.

The first thing you want to consider is the care your dog will receive. In a kennel, your dog may be exposed to sick pets and parasites due to the close proximity of the boarders.

Your dog may be staying in a stacked cage with several other barking, whining, and crying dogs. This can be a stressful event for your dog, especially since he is not in his familiar surroundings in the first place.

If you have a larger dog, he will probably be in a run. The run probably has a concrete floor for easy clean up from messes. Will your dog sleep on a warm blanket or a hard floor?

When the lights go out, will he be sad because he is not in his home and does not have his family? Will his stress result in diarrhea, vomiting, or a bloody stool? Will he lose weight from refusing to eat? Believe it or not, these are common stress symptoms of boarded dogs.

You should also know that Kennel Attendants are paid at about the same rate as fast food workers. The low rate of pay contributes to high turnover and a younger workforce. Some of your kennel staff may be inexperienced and learning on your dog.

Finally, consider one more thing that happens at the kennel. Routine! Of course, it is not your dog’s routine where he gets personal attention, touch and affection, playtime, walks, and potty relief when he asks. It is the routine of the business that is followed.

Your dog will probably be let out to potty while the kennel staff freshens up his cage/run. Then, he will immediately return to his cage for his food and water where he may stay until the process is repeated in the evening.

The attention your dog gets in a boarding facility depends on several uncontrollable factors such as the number of dogs currently boarded, the experience of the staff, and the protocol established for caring for the animals. Would you rather ensure your dog receives personal attention while you are away?

Part II: How a Professional Pet Sitter Can Help

A Professional Pet Sitter provides personalized care for your dog in his own environment where he feels safe. Dogs are territorial pack animals. He understands his boundaries and position in the pack at home.

He may feel insecure, unsafe, and uncertain of his position when he is not at home. Uncertainty results in physical and emotional stress for your dog.

A Pet Sitter will ensure your dog’s normal routine is maintained. He will be able to go potty whenever he needs to go. He will be fed his normal diet plus any special treats as instructed.

Your dog will have a human contact which is extremely important for these social animals. He will continue his normal playtime routines as well as scheduled walks.

“Playing ball” is very important for some active dogs. One couldn?t expect that type of attention or commitment from a boarding facility; however, your Pet Sitter could easily toss a disc or throw a ball around the yard.

Another key benefit to your dog is a Pet Sitter can administer medications for your sick, elderly, or injured dog while you are away. They can also tend to your dog in the event of an emergency and ensure he receives the attention of your veterinarian.

While a Pet Sitter may provide light grooming assistance such as daily brushing of long-haired dogs, they may also provide pet taxi service. This means that your dog will be able to maintain grooming and veterinarian appointments in your absence.

That is definitely something to consider if you are deployed in the military or will otherwise be detained for any length of time. If you do set up taxi service, take the time to set up appropriate authorizations with your service providers. This will ensure that once your dog reaches his destination, he will receive service.

Another benefit for your dog is that he will not be exposed to sick animals. He will not come home with fleas or kennel cough. He will have his own personal babysitter in the comfort of his own home.

In addition to personalized pampering, you might be surprised that Pet Sitters provide additional services to give you peace of mind while you are away. Pet Sitters may provide services such as turning on lights in the house in the evening, bringing in the mail and newspapers as well as watering houseplants. In other words, they can actually double as house-sitters.

If you add up the potential pitfalls of boarding your dog in a kennel and the benefits of contracting the services of a Professional Pet Sitter, you will quickly realize why the demand for Pet Sitters is growing and why a Pet Sitter may be the best choice for you.

Part III: How to Find a Pet Sitter

So, how do you find a Pet Sitter? Look in local newspapers, veterinary clinic bulletin boards, and internet listings. You are sure to find someone in your area. You should interview the prospective sitter to ensure they have appropriate credentials and insurance.

The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters was founded in 1989 to provide Pet Sitters a code of ethics, education and support. Pet Sitters International was founded with similar goals in 1994. Membership in a professional organization generally means your prospective sitter is qualified, organized, and dedicated to providing the best possible care for your dog.

About the Author: Julie Butts is a Kennel Manager and author of http://www.all-about-small-breed-dogs.com, an online guide for selecting, owning, and raising a small breed dog. Her website is dedicated to small breed dog lovers and includes information on breeds, training, behavior, grooming, supplies, books, gifts, and more.

Read more about Dog Day Care and Boarding or Pet Sitters.

It was a warm, tropical night with soft sea breezes, the sounds of a million night frogs, and the heavy scent of hibiscus hanging on that breeze. My wife and I had just arrived in the twin-island republic of Trinidad & Tobago in the West Indies. We were the guests of the local government, staying at a famous resort hotel, located in 25 acres of landscaped gardens. We had just finished dinner and decided to take a romantic stroll in the moonlight to absorb the sensory reality that is the tropics.

As we crossed a manicured lawn walkway, in the headlights of an approaching taxi we could see a large ‘mound’ that, as we got closer and could see better, seemed to be unexplainably moving.
The mound was moving!

Then–now that we could see clearly–we understood. This ‘mound’ was animal excrement; and it was totally covered by moving Trinidadian cock roaches! We went back into the hotel but on our way back to the lobby and pool area, we spotted at least four other piles of such waste. Now it was quite difficult to keep our dinner down.

The local dogs run on the property depositing their business at all hours. Naturally this immediately attracted all manner of insects, particularly the tropical variety of cockroach. These guys fly in like B-52’s. Locals say you have to watch they don’t carry off your cat.

This true story came to mind when friends in the lodging business asked me to research a new burgeoning market segment: guests traveling with their pets. The pet industry is booming like never before. Lodging operators have realized that millions of pet owners want to travel with their pet. There are more than a dozen pet-friendly directories on the web, comprised of lodging establishments that welcome guests with pets. When trip planning, simply click on these web-based pet-friendly directories and determine which hotels on your route, or at your intended destination, accept pets with the guest in the room.

But let me pause for the cause, for just a moment of reality. Getting as basic as I can here–to make my point–one thing we know for sure is that dogs and cats, like we humans, have to eat and they have to–well you get the picture. The question raises itself. How does a hotel owner manage this potential mountain of pet poop? The answer rises to the appropriate occasion: someone had to invent a very special plastic totally biodegradable doggie bag. One that conveniently assists the pet owner in picking up after his pet and allowing him to dispose of this unwanted waste in such a manner that the plastic bag and its contents totally degrade into nothing but CO2, water and humic matter, when it is put in the landfill or the composting containers. These people originally began marketing plastic biodegradable trash bags and bags for carrying home the groceries from the supermarket.

Let’s face it: if a hotel is going to appeal to and welcome guests traveling with their pets, that hotel is going to have to manage the poop problem. Whether inside the room as in the case with the kitty box, or outside the room on the hotel grounds, in the expensive shrubs and flower beds, or on the manicured lawns, “poop management” can be a big problem…or opportunity for the hotel owner.

Many hotels provide those guests with one or three of these branded doggie bags upon check-in. Some have also added some explanatory information about their environmentally-friendly poop management program in the guest room.
Now when you travel with your pet, you’ll see that the real smart hotels are concerned about the environment and are carefully handling such waste. This sends another positive message to youincluding those without petsthat this hotel, inn or resort is really professional and caring for the safety and comfort of all its guests.

© Copyright, Roy W. MacNaughton, 2006

For more information about these unique, environmentally-friendly doggie bags, readers are invited to contact the Chief Pet Officer, at http://www.ecosafeplastics.com
Roy MacNaughton is a writer and niche marketing specialist, with more than 25 years of hands-on international marketing experience. He can be contacted using his full name, (in lower case) at gmail.com