Since I’ve finally published Nitro: A Dog’s Tale, I have found myself spending WAY too much time on Amazon lately. In so doing, I have learned at least one interesting fact: Amazon ads permits indie authors to “tag” top selling dog books so scrubs like me are able to piggyback on established titles like Old… Continue reading

Good news! I finally published my book about the pet sitting years. It’s available as an eBook or paperback. You can preview Chapter 1 directly from the eBook link even if you don’t have the Kindle app. What’s it about? It’s about starting over. It’s about new friends, dog park shenanigans, and pet sitting adventures.… Continue reading

An idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. “Idiom” is really just a fancy word for a “figure of speech” or “something that grandma liked to say.” These types of phrases faithfully express the rich and fascinating layers of the English… Continue reading

A great number of silly things happen when you decide to sit down and write a book. One of them is that you forget to blog and two months go by. Another thing is that you notice some dog breeds are capitalized and others are not. Dog breeds are often named for the country, region,… Continue reading

Not everyone knows this, but living with a pet sitter tends to be somewhat unusual. It may be amusing, enthusiastic, or even a little bizarre at times. If your significant other is a pet sitter, there are a few things you should know. Do you have a parent, best friend, or neighbor that likes to… Continue reading

Is it just me or does everyone receive those “Cloud storage is almost full” notifications twice a year? My Verizon is full of puppy photos. Was it Mick Jagger or Wilbur Wright that said, “Hey you get off of my Cloud!”? The feature photo for today shows Duncan on one of his first walks to… Continue reading

Hachikō (Nov 10, 1923 – Mar 8, 1935)Hachiko was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno’s death. Hachikō was born on a farm near the city of Ōdate. In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor at the… Continue reading

A picture is worth a thousand words. The featured photo is a rare shot of Duncan in repose. Twelve hours of maniacal outrageousness wears this little lunatic out every time. I wouldn’t say the following photos are the “best” of Eric’s Pet Sitting, but they are certainly among the top 3,000. Rueben the Weimaraner. He… Continue reading

Everyone remembers newspapers, right? The Raleigh News and Observer article below was published some time ago, when many former employees had to reinvent themselves during the recession which began in 2008. The article was relevant five years after the recession, and serves as a useful resource even now. The pandemic has altered working conditions for… Continue reading

Four awe-inspiring stories of dogs so loyal, they waited years or traveled a great number of miles to be with their owners again. Full disclosure: most of today’s content was provided by various sources edited by yours truly. Featured photos are internet grabs, and not from the archives of Eric’s Pet Sitting. Thank you and… Continue reading

Creating a website for your small business is rewarding, fun, and easy to do. Think of it as a business plan, but with puppy pictures. For pet sitters, most of your business derives from word of mouth, and a website enables potential clients to consider you when they search online. A professional looking website adds… Continue reading

It has now officially been six months since I began posting blogs to the interwebs. Wow! Time flies, but where in the heck is that $20,000 /month everyone keeps talking about?? Maybe in another six months. In any case, retiring and writing has been every bit as exciting as I’d hoped. I still have a… Continue reading

My previous post on service dogs covered the basics but since this is such a fascinating and counterintuitive topic, I’ve provided a sequel. The FAQs I chose to share here include some of the more interesting exceptions and considerations for those who need to know more about service dogs. A link to the full list… Continue reading

Over time, dog park parishioners are going to witness some exceptionally weird behavior. I’m not talking about failing to police your poo, or shirking responsibility for a humpy or dominant dog. Those mundane matters have been covered already. Today, I’m talking about the surreal and bizarro world of: Dog Park Don’ts! The PenguinDon’t be an… Continue reading