Author Archives: mags - Page 4

spring changes…

Posted by on March 12, 2016 Comments Off on spring changes…

IMG_1882well it seems like spring has sprung here in new orleans, or maybe we didn’t really ever have winter? regardless, the plants and animals all believe it is spring now, for sure, and this dog walker is enjoying the milder temperatures (though maybe not so much all the rain).

a few changes are happening here at wags by mags. after many months of deliberation, i’ve decided to scale back my daytime work week walking hours to free up some time for me to delve back into my creative pursuits. instead of working 9am – 5pm monday through friday, i’m going to be doing 9am – 2pm. this only affects two of my daily clients and i’ve worked with both of them to make this transition happen. i am grateful for their support on this.

i’d like to offer that i do have an opening in the 10:30 or 11am time frame, for someone located uptown, preferably between the napoleon/st. charles and university/audubon area. so get in touch if you are seeking daily 20-30 minute walks in this area.

i am still taking on dog and cat sitting gigs from time to time, though perhaps more picky than ever about overnight stays. cat sits that require only one visit a day in my service area can almost always be accommodated, though, FYI.

lastly, i would just like to plug my crowdfunding get-back-to-my-art site, which is on patreon.com. a lot of my clients are my personal friends as well and already know all about this, but for those of you who don’t, i’d appreciate you clicking the link and taking a look at what i’m up to. this is the other life i left behind when i started wags by mags, and it’s been a long hard journey back to it, but i’m excited to feel more whole again by jumping back in.

i love and appreciate all of you who have been my clients from the very beginning through now and i look forward to continuing to serve the pet care needs of my amazing town.

happy new year + carnival!

Posted by on January 7, 2016 Comments Off on happy new year + carnival!

i’m a little late in posting this, but happy new year everyone! and, since 12th night was last night, happy carnival too! 33 days til mardi gras!

so just a quick update here: wags by mags! is now operating at pretty much full capacity in terms of daily dog walking clients. i’m keeping a pretty solid 9am – 5pm schedule with between 8-10 walks a day servicing the cbd, uptown and midcity, and occasionally squeezing in 1-2 more of my occasional clients. so it’s safe to say i’m not taking on any new dog walking clients at the moment; there’s simply no time in my schedule.

in terms of pet sitting, coming off of the hectic holiday season, i’m not gonna do a lot of dog sitting for a while. i just need a little break from overnights, probably through the carnival season. i will continue to accept once-a-day cat sits in this timeframe in my service area, however.

i will make my annual disclaimer that i love mardi gras and want to enjoy all the festivities, so i will not be taking on ANY mardi gras weekend sits of any kind or evening walks (2/3 – 2/9). i am NOT working at all endymion saturday (2/6), bacchus sunday (2/7), or fat tuesday (2/9). i will have limited service for my daily clients on lundi gras (2/8) and ash wednesday (2/9), with everything returning to normal after that.

thanks everyone and i hope y’all have a safe and enjoyable carnival season!

back from vacation!

Posted by on August 15, 2015 Comments Off on back from vacation!

just a quick notice to say that i am back from vacation and resuming my regular schedule on monday august 17th. so glad to have had the break but i sure do miss all my critters!

i am already booked for an overnight dog sit during labor day weekend, so only available for cat sits at this point during that time. fyi.

and going forward, i am going to be a lot more picky about scheduling overnights. i just really need to have time to myself on weekends and want desperately to get back to my art life, so won’t be doing as many overnights as i have been in the past. so if i say no to your request, please don’t take it personally. it’s about self-care. i will try to refer you out to other pet sitters i know and trust. thanks for your understanding!

summer! and, vacation notice…

Posted by on June 9, 2015 Comments Off on summer! and, vacation notice…

hurricane season has officially begun and though we are not yet technically in summer – the solstice is on june 21st – summer weather has certainly arrived already! and now begins the long, sweaty, humid haul til october when the weather takes a turn for the better.

so, a few things:

hurricane season policy: if you are booking a sit with me between now and the end of hurricane season (november 30th), please be aware of my hurricane season policy that i cannot take responsibility for your animals should there be an evacuation called while you are away. please have a plan in place with friends, relatives or your vet. i will do what i can to assist in getting your animals to your evacuation caretaker, but i cannot be responsible for evacuating your pets.

for all dog-walking clients: please be advised that as the temperatures get hotter and the humidity increases, i will adjust the walk times for your pups based on their ability to tolerate the heat and your neighborhood environment (i.e., shaded areas, grass as opposed to hot pavement, etc.). if walks are shortened, though, i will spend the remaining time in your shaded yard or indoors playing with them. they will still get exercise and attention after they have had a chance to relieve themselves, but in a way that is safe and healthy for them. some dogs are more sensitive to the heat than others, so this may not affect all clients, but just know i am always going to do what i think is best for your dog to keep them safe and happy.

schedule: i am pretty solidly booked up on sits through the end of june (with the exception of father’s day weekend, where i still have a few openings), but i do still have availability for fourth of july weekend if you are in need. get to me quick, though, as i’m sure it will fill up.

and lastly, vacation: i will be taking my annual summer vacation for three weeks from saturday july 25th through sunday august 16th. i will resume work on monday august 17th. wags by mags will be closed for business during this time. if you were hoping to book with me in this timeframe, feel free to get in touch and i can give you some referrals to other sitters/walkers who can fill in for me while i’m gone. i appreciate my regulars’ flexibility with my need to take a break!

thanks everyone, and happy summer!

cash.me/$wagsbymags

Posted by on March 26, 2015 Comments Off on cash.me/$wagsbymags

just a quick announcement to say that wags by mags is now accepting squarecash.

i’ve been searching for a simple electronic way to replace the tedious process of clients paying me by check every week/gig, and i found it! now clients can pay quickly and easily via their smartphone, tablet or even computer by sending payment to: https://cash.me/$wagsbymags. and for me, as a business, the service fees are considerably less than paypal or even using a card reader like square. (only 1.5%)

i don’t get anything for signing anyone up – that’s not the motivation here. the motivation for me is that clients can relax about remembering to leave me checks and have a faster, simpler secure way to pay me. and i have a less annoying way to remind them to pay me and can save all those trips to the bank! also the deposits are virtually immediate. no more waiting til payments clear. so high tech!

feels like a win-win situation. so cash.me/$wagsbymags!

mardi gras hours…

Posted by on February 5, 2015 Comments Off on mardi gras hours…

first off, big thanks to my new clients for filling all my midday openings so quickly! it’s nice to feel so loved and wanted! my daily walking schedule is now pretty full again, but if you are not an existing client and are looking for dog walks, i have several other dog walkers i regularly refer out to when i am too busy so don’t hesitate to get in touch. i can put you in good hands.

second, and the real reason for this post, is that with carnival season in full swing and the first big weekend of parades approaching, i have a few scheduling notes. my regular daily clients will all be serviced, but i will not be taking on extra walks in the evenings on any parade nights, nor any extra weekend work this weekend or next. this dog walker LOVES carnival and parades so i will not be working during any of them. and that includes fat tuesday itself – i will be taking the entire day and night off to partake in the festivities.

i will be working lundi gras, as needed by my regular clients, til 5pm. and i will resume service on ash wednesday in the late morning.

i hope everyone has a safe and fun carnival!

opening…

Posted by on January 13, 2015 Comments Off on opening…

just a quick note to put it out there that i do have an opening – in the midday to early afternoon timeframe – for an additional daily walking client in the uptown or midcity areas. so if you or anyone you know is looking for monday – friday daily walks for their dog(s), let me know!

happy new year and carnival!

Posted by on January 10, 2015 Comments Off on happy new year and carnival!

just wanting to wish everyone a happy new year! and for my new orleans folks, happy carnival!

wags by mags! is moving into its 5th year of existence and i’m so grateful for all my clients – animal and human – and to all my friends and supporters. when i first launched this business, i wasn’t sure what i was getting myself into and had no idea it would still be sustaining me all these years later. but here i am, hundreds of dogs and cats later, still going strong!

so here’s to a wag-filled 2015! make the most of every moment and make every day count. and thank you for the honor of taking care of your animal family members.

back from vacation!

Posted by on August 16, 2014 Comments Off on back from vacation!

big thanks to all my clients for working with me to arrange my 3 weeks off for a much needed vacation to the woods of michigan! it was lovely and relaxing and rejuvenating and i really needed it.

i am home and ready to get back to work bright and early monday august 18th. get in touch if you haven’t already heard from me if you want to get on my daily dog walking schedule for the fall or if you want to book for cat or dog sitting from now through the new year.

thanks everyone!

interesting pet sitting statistics…

Posted by on June 9, 2014 Comments Off on interesting pet sitting statistics…

one of the professional organizations i belong to – pet sitters international – does an annual survey of its members they call the “state of the industry” survey. i’ve never shared this information here before but i always find it pretty interesting and it’s helpful to me in gauging how i’m doing compared to the national average. here’s some of the most interesting bits, fyi:

Who are PSI pet sitters?

According to PSI’s 2014 survey, 98.3 percent of its pet-sitting businesses are independently owned—and the majority of businesses are owned by women: 82 percent, with an additional ten percent owned by a female/male team. Ninety-five percent indicated they carry pet-sitter liability insurance and 83 percent carry both liability insurance and bonding.

Additionally, these pet sitters have completed at least some college (90.2 percent), with 34 percent having obtained bachelor’s degrees and 14.8 percent obtaining graduate level degrees.

What pets are they caring for?

The 2014 survey found that PSI pet sitters offer services for a variety of pet species from Chihuahuas to chinchillas. While dogs and cats are the species pet-sitting services most commonly offer services for—96.5 percent and 94.7 percent respectively—more than half of the pet sitters responding to the survey also offer services for birds, fish and cage pets. Eighty-eight percent also indicated they provide pet-sitting services for special-needs pets.

Who is using professional pet sitters?

PSI’s survey found that the pet-sitting client demographic has changed little since the 2011 survey. On average, the typical pet-sitting client is a married couple between the ages of 36-50 (44 percent). Survey respondents indicated there are more married couples without children in the home (44 percent) than couples with children (32 percent) who use their services.

How’s business?

  • The average annual revenue for 2013 was $49,380.
  • The average number of clients was 107.
  • The average number of pet-sitting assignments was 2,201.

And the big question…fees charged? According to the 2014 survey, here is the average duration and fee for the following services:

  • Basic pet care: 32 minutes, $18.67
  • Dog walking: 31 minutes, $18.23
  • Overnight sits: 15 hours, $63.18

i’d like to point out that the national average cost for a half hour basic dog walking visit is approximately $18 and falls right in line with my sliding scale of $15-$20/half hour visit. and my overnight fee of $40-$50/night is a downright bargain! i will assure you though that i have a long way to go to attain that average annual revenue number – i sure wish i was making that much a year with this business!