5 Charlotte companies that let you work long hours and be guilt-free about your pet
When my husband, Tony, and I moved to Charlotte in 2001 we lived in a second story apartment off of Park Road, we worked long hours and our downstairs neighbors’ previous address had most certainly been the seventh layer of hell; they banged on the ceiling with a broom every time we ran the vacuum cleaner and they once complained that we were making too much noise — cooking breakfast.
Naturally, we decided that what we really needed at that time was a puppy. Enter Bella. Bella was smart, loving and loyal. She was also completely and totally nuts. She ran around like a hummingbird who had found a feeder full of Red Bull.
I took her on long runs before work in the morning, but the guilt over leaving her for long stretches at a time was awful. I would often spend my lunch break speeding down I-77 so that I could let my precious furry love nugget out for a break.
Thankfully in the past 15 years Charlotte has evolved into a haven for animal-lovers. The Queen City abounds with places and people who will care for your pets when ridiculous things like work get in your way. Here are some Charlotte companies that can help you make that cash and be a guilt-free pet owner:
Walking the Dog
The Waggle Company: Waggle Company clients receive an alert when their sitter arrives, a visit summary report with an arrival/departure time stamp, photos of the pet, a GPS-tracked map and the walker’s comments at the end of every visit. They also offer same-day service and there is no additional cost for extra pets.
Queen City Petsitting: Queen City Petsitting offers traditional dog walking services and they also provide an array of in-home care so that your dog can stay in a comfortable environment when you are away. Queen City Petsitting is available in Charlotte and the surrounding areas of: Matthews, Huntersville, Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.
Doggie Daycare
The Barker Lounge: In addition to boarding, The Barker Lounge offers “doggie daycare”. This service allows owners to drop their dogs off for a day of supervised wrestling, fetching, swimming, running and napping.
Best Friends Pet Care: If you take your best friend to Best Friends Day Camp they will play under the watchful eye of certified Doggy Day Camp counselors. They also offer a webcam so that owners can check in on their pups.
Keen Dog: For those times when you forget to schedule a walk or can’t make it to doggie daycare, solid training can make for a more relaxed dog and owner. Katrina Kensington, co-owner of the dog training service, Keen Dog, offers some tips to ensure that your dog’s time away from you is filled with tranquility:
Use the crate: Many people view crating as a negative, but the crate is actually a great tool. Dogs are den creatures and they prefer to be in a small space with a covering versus full range of a home.
Shut the front door: Yep, just leave. Don’t make a big deal about leaving — or coming home.
Don’t encourage barking: Don’t encourage your dog to bark, jump or engage in other acts of tomfoolery when they see you. If they are engaging in this type of behavior wait until they calm down to approach them.
So, don’t despair Queen City pet lovers, there are plenty of local companies that can help you care for your pets. We love taking our dog to Best Friends when we are out of town and have spent more time than I care to admit watching the webcam. And, I liked the Waggle Company so much that I begged them to hire me.
Photo: Waggle Company
This story was originally published February 19, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "5 Charlotte companies that let you work long hours and be guilt-free about your pet."