After Stay: Thank you/goodie bags?

I love the idea of little gift bags.

I was thinking of going to my local pet stores, groomers, vets. Then asking them if I can give them some of my business cards in exchange I would take theirs or flyers or whatever and putting all of those in the gift bags.

I have purchased a treat or toy that the visiting pup seemed to really enjoy while staying with us to take home. I was thinking of making up T-shirts, tote bags, etc with our business name/logo to give to the pup parents as well. I do like the lint roller or poop bags too!

I have posted this elsewhere on the forum, so forgive me if you have already seen it. Here is what I do - thanks to the community member who gave me most of the ideas:

Travel sized lint roller (2/$1 at Dollar Tree)

Small hand sanitizer (3/$1 at Dollar Tree)

Roll of poop bags (I have seen 3/$1 at Dollar Tree but I bought a case at Amazon.com)

Framed photo of pet's stay at my home (tons of frames picked up for .50 each at Goodwill)

Business card with my discount code to share with a friend

I put everything in a tiny white goodie box (12 for $1 at Dollar Tree in the wedding section) and add a few home made dog cookies and a laminated card with the recipe for the dog treats (so they know exactly what is in them) but you could easily skip this item.

I do a little baggy too! I like to burn a CD with all the extra photos/videos I didn't send them via rover. For stays over 3 days I love to make clay foot prints (if the dog lets me touch it's toes). long stays give the prints time to dry. I also include treat samples for our local dog bakery (Jackboy's dog Bakery) and a sample of Honest Kitchen dog food. And if the dog keeps going to one toy from the toy pile over and over again... I like to let them take it home with them.

The owners get the biggest kick out of it and they all tend to book again soon!

As a client, I would be absolutely thrilled with something simple and personal, especially cute would be a picture of you and/or your dog(s) (if applicable) with my dog in a little magnetic frame with a note to my dog and me "suggesting" we look at the picture next time you will sitting to remind my dog how much fun they had! You can even print stickers for the frame with your contact information to make it that much easier to hire you again! Print the pic on the computer, use Oriental Trading to order magnetic frames, buy some clear labels to add info/cute images to frame, the whole gift would cost less than $2 but worth every penny in repeat customers and referrals!! If you want more of a bag, put in a tennis ball or frisbee and write the dogs name on it (sharpie, cute writing), anything personalized (by you, cheap!) would make me feel like you care a little extra about my dog!

My first pups left this afternoon, and yesterday I ran up to Ross and bought two bags of $3 all natural treats. Then I copied a black and white clip art bone from google, pasted it into word, and inserted a text box on top that said "Thanks Fur Being A Grrrreat House Guest! We'll Miss You [Insert Dog's Name]". I taped one to each dog's bag of treats. :) Simple and cheap way to show your appreciation to the clients for selecting you of all the sitters in your area to watch their fur babies.

I'm very new to doing gift bags, but I had one amazing response and one that didn't mention it. (I put them in the customer's tote bag as a surprise for later.) I listed many of the items I include at https://www.rover.com/community/quest... I may add fetch/tennis balls (2/$1) for dogs that play fetch. I'm also thinking of doing a spa themed gift bag to mix it up for repeat customers, where I buy a big container of either wet or dry shampoo (or both) and separate them into little hotel-sized bottles. Put one or two in a mini organza bag (6/$1) with a small washcloth (baby washcloths are 4/$1 at the dollar store) and maybe a small towel or some lavender potpourri (I've heard dogs find lavender calming). I also may do larger single gifts instead of multiple smaller gifts - the best photo in a nice frame (or a magnetic frame for the fridge), a doggie-themed quality tote bag, or a small photo album with all the best pictures from their stay (longer stays only). I'm also thinking about doing a doggie journal for some of my repeat customers - each day with an entry from the dog's perspective. I think this would go over really well, especially if I added pictures throughout; it just takes a little extra time, motivation, and commitment. I may also do winter themes when the time comes and get little sweaters, booties or dog pad balm, doggie Christmas tree ornaments, etc. Hope these help! If anyone has dog treat recipes that are corn/gluten/soy free that don't require freezing, please post!

I personally use the Walgreens app and have a nice picture printed for my client when they pick up their dog the first time. Everyone loves it and it costs about 2.50 to do and as the Walgreens I use is a few blocks away it is also a good walk for the dogs and I. I also always make sure my clients see the dog totes that rover offers as they are quite well made.

I have started doing this for my clients. I am mainly a travelling sitter. So, most of the time, pet parents are not home while I care for their pets. They like coming home to a thank you card and doggy treats. I bought some very simple, generic cards that simply say "thank you" on the front, and are blank inside for a hand-written message. Then, I bought a package of stickers (paw prints) to adorn the cards. Voila! Grab some cellophane bags, and wrap up some treats! These are some great ideas, everyone!

I very much plan on doing this. Seems like a great idea!