True Transparency in Pet Sitting

Feb 18, 2024: Edition 187

Transparency is one of my core values. Many claim to be transparent. Some truly embody it.

I created Central Oregon Pet Services to invest in our community. To support fellow entrepreneurs by freely sharing job offerings. To connect pet parents with pet care providers. This is an act of love. This group is not; & never has been; an act of self promotion.

Why am I sharing this with you? People are misled, manipulated & outright lied to on a regular basis. This is disheartening, to say the least. Our industry tends to many important aspects of people's lives: care of their beloved family members (aka pets), care of their homes (typically their greatest tangible assets), their privacy, their identity, (each of which are priceless), et cetera.

On the flip side, there are incredible people who are honest & graceful with their words, intentions & actions. I'm working on making this distinction easier. This is why I share interview tips. This is also why I offer to attend your initial meetings. If the other party is transparent, they will welcome my presence at your meeting. I'm not there to interview or third degree them, as they're not the enemy, and the interview is up to the pet parent. I'm there as a support to the pet parent, & as a facilitator to help with the potential new relationship. Yes, I am also there to help detect any red flags. Before becoming a pet sitter, I didn't know that reputable sitters may be booked 6-18 months in advance. I also didn't know which red flags to be aware of when interviewing a pet care provider. I do now. This I can help with. You would seek professional advice in any other industry.

Central Oregon Pet Services is a platform to connect pet parents with providers, to join animal lovers for play dates or friendship, & a community to assist each other.

I've clearly stated that any jobs shared in this group are not open to me & my company, as I've removed myself from the equation. The only time I step in is when someone is challenged to find trustworthy care. Even then, I invest my time, energy & effort into finding providers. I don't offer my services, even when my calendar shows an opening. Should a pet parent wish to contact me for services, my contact info is easily accessible. Members should feel free to contact other providers. Also, our clients know that they're welcome to work with other providers. We recommend establishing relationships with 2-3 pet care professionals. This is a smart move.

Do I only share jobs which I decline or am booked for? No. The jobs don't come from me, but directly from the pet parents. Are small businesses welcome to market their offerings. Yes. Since day one this has been not only welcomed but encouraged. Is every community member welcome to join this group? No. Kindness & respect are requirements.

Are my friends members of the group? Yes. Including my closest friend; my dear husband; 10 of the 897 members are my friends. Do they recommend me for these jobs? Never. They know that my intentions are motivated by love and that I'm not here to take. I absolutely benefit, however, as my heart has an opportunity to help others. Are my clients in this group? Some are. I haven't counted, but I recognize the names upon entry. Some of the clients have become friends, which our family is unbelievably grateful for. So they may be included in the 10 members which I discussed.

In the name of transparency, I must share with you that there are some groups of people who are being dishonest. These groups have a much larger reach than my small group, as they have tens of thousands of local members. Some of the members recommend their friends. This structure is similar to a marketing group where they agree to recommend each other, regardless of whether or not that person or company is recommendable. This is misleading to the potential client, as it appears that these are all clients with great reviews, when in actuality the recommending party may not have ever used the service.

I only know this as multiple clients have shared this information with me. This is after they used another service, were disappointed, then came to our company. The frustrated pet parents rightly felt misled & manipulated, as a dozen or more people spoke highly of a company in a single thread. This enabled them to feel a false sense of trust & security. In these threads, my company & others may have been mentioned once or not at all. This is because the only people who recommend us are either actual clients, or sitters & trainers who have referred their clients to us & received positive feedback. Fellow pet pros are well aware of these deceptive practices.

Many of us value our word. We will not recommend someone who we haven't worked with. When I do refer, I share the extent of my experience & relationship with the person. "I haven't worked with them, but my clients have & reported great things." "This person I know personally & trust in my home with my pets." "I've heard nothing but great things, but don't know them personally." There are others who I cannot personally recommend, but who I encourage pet parents to get to know. "This person sounds amazing. I recommend finding out more about them. I don't know them, but will join you on the consultation if you'd like."

I have removed myself from the above mentioned groups. This isn't the only reason why I left. The groups declined my posts of safety & resources. I shared info for warming shelters, fire safety, etc. These were declined for going against community standards. These posts were under my name, and not affiliated with my business in any way.

I don't believe that all members of these groups are manipulative, but there are definitely some who are. This may be a common practice, but I feel that it's an injustice. Prior to having reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc, people sought recommendations from their personal contacts. These are people who had already earned their trust. We live in a different world today.

I will share that the only negative review we've ever had is fake. One person; who has never been our client; listed 3 fake reviews on Google & Yelp. Somehow we have two business profiles. I've asked Google to combine them. These are shown in the comments. We don't have many reviews. This makes sense, however, as we are small in size & ability to provide service. We provide service to one overnight client at a time. Keith & Monica are certified dog trainers who provide dog walking services. Should another company have many staff members, they are able to provide service simultaneously to more clients. I would anticipate that they would have more reviews if they have exponentially more clients. These are things to keep in mind when reading reviews.

I'm sharing a screenshot of my personal fb profile. I have 135 friends listed. Not hundreds or thousands. I don't have a social networking army rallying for my success. Should you look into the "likes" of our business profile, you'll find that many of our followers are other pet pros from various states or countries.

I have worked on adding the screenshots of the actual reviews or recommendations on our site. They're now less pleasing to the eye, but more transparent. The task isn't complete, but a work in progress. This way, you know that our reviews aren't falsified. Some don't have pet photos, as the pet parent asked to not share these details. Others may still be in progress.

Although we have three team members, Keith performs the majority of the daytime field work. Monica assists with dog walking services. I provide minimal daytime field work, as I'm the insurance card. Our business model is set up to "expect the unexpected". Keith is fully booked for daytime services whereas I'm not at all. This is for several reasons. Should he become ill, injured, or experience an emergency, I can gracefully step in and provide skilled care for the clients' pets. Should a client have an emergency, I'm available for them, without removing Keith from his obligations. Should our family have an emergency, this will not impact Keith's ability to care for our clients' pets. When flights are inevitably canceled or delayed, I'm available. If clients need last minute care, I'm available. Should the needed care be for a dog training client, or a pup who is too strong for me, I can care for other pups on Keith's schedule, relieving him to be available for the one who I can't care for. With the exception of our newest clients, Keith & I both have relationships established with the pets. So the transition isn't difficult for them. This is also why we both attend initial consultations the majority of the time. If we're unable to both attend, the second person will meet the new client soon afterward. This is our backup plan of action. Although I'm not a dog trainer, I've lived with one for nearly two decades. We're both insured & background checked, pet CPR & first aid trained & certified, fear free certified, have excellent driving records, etc. I discussed questioning your prospective pet care providers about their backup plans in previous posts. I understand that not everyone has the ability to be a full time backup as I am. Yet, there should be some sort of plan which has been well thought out in advance.

How do I help with the business? I do provide overnight services, as well as tend to all of the accounting, marketing, taxes, scheduling, customer service, etc. I changed my name from Nakala to Nalina for myself. You're welcome to address me with either.

The music videos are all created by Keith. This is not something we charge for, but a way in which he gives back to our community through love.

More transparency: our services & rates are clearly shared on Facebook, Google, our contract and website. Our experience, qualifications & certifications are available on our website & contract. Our policies & procedures are fully disclosed in the contract, which is sent to every potential client prior to our first meeting. Within the contract, in bold writing in the initial paragraph, is verbiage related to discussing any provision which you feel uncomfortable with. We may be able to alter said provision in order to create an agreement which is amenable to both parties. Should a pet parent choose to, they're able to walk away without ever investing time meeting, etc. This is a show of respect for your time, energy & effort. Should you feel that we aren't the right business for you; for whatever reason; we will point you in the direction of other providers. If we have recommendations for you, we'll happily share them.

Keith spent much of his life working with animals: as a vet assistant, general manager of two grooming salons, groomer of cats & dogs, working with animals who worked in movies, at kennels & rescues, etc. He also worked as the general manager for our local College Hunks franchise. My experience was in banking, customer service, & serving as a medic in the army while attending school. We moved to Bend in 2005 & now have three incredible children & three amazing pups.

Enjoy your day!-Nalina