I have a new roommate who has a cat - she has expressed that she loves dogs and is happy for me to keep dog sitting in our apartment (I've also seen her with dogs, and she gets along with them great) AND she has a cat who was raised in a home with 6 big dogs, but hasn't lived with any lately. She's confident that her cat is dog friendly (and quite honestly, acts like a dog sometimes) but I want to be overly cautious when it comes to accepting new clients, so that there's no way this cat comes into harm's way. Is the only way to be sure to only accept dogs who currently live with cats? I could do a meet and greet in the apartment (I usually do them in the park), and try to introduce them but who knows if the cat will even come out to say hi.

Tips and tricks from those of you in similar situations?

Thanks all -

I ended up going with Walt's suggestion of the online Udemy Pet First Aid & CPR. I really liked the instructor, the lessons were clear and well structured, the quizzes were well placed and productive, and I definitely learned a lot in addition to refreshing what I already knew. I also really like that the course contents are now available to me to review whenever I choose. I feel confident that I will be capable of identifying and reacting to an emergency - and appropriately applying my experience in pet first aid.

HOWEVER - this course still only offers a 'certificate of completion,' which I believe is technically different than being 'certified.' I haven't yet been able to identify a course that is a true certification comparable to the CPR/First Aid certification that I have for humans (adults and children). Additionally, if I didn't have the hands on CPR training that I have for adults and children, I don't think I would feel confident performing CPR on a dog without attending an in-person hands on training course.

Long story short - I've learned a lot from the course I took and would definitely recommend it, but I will continue to explore certification options and pursue different opportunities when I decide to refresh my training. You can never stop learning!

What courses did you take to complete your training and become certified? I’ve been googling and noticed more online courses than in-person options (just in my cursory search) - are the online courses effective or do you recommend finding an in-person course for a better experience? Are the multiple certification routes all “legit” or are there organizations I should steer away from? To be clear - I’m not looking for the quickest or easiest option, I feel that I have a lot to learn in this area and want the most comprehensive option. Keeping my pet guests safe is my ultimate priority. Of course, if one or more of you have tried both an in-person course AND an online option and it turns out that the online courses are just as thorough and informative (or more), then great! By all means share your experiences.

Sub-question - is there a pre-fab pet first aid kit you swear by or did you compile your own?

Thanks all!

Forgot to mention - I put her in her crate to take the trash out (less than 10 minutes) and when I got back upstairs she was barking and crying and pawing the crate door.

Thanks - yes, I’ve alerted the owners of the indoor accidents. I’m going to reach out to them as well about my concerns with her staying in the crate, but will give it 24 hours to see if she calms down before trying to find another sitter.

Her owner responded and said this isn’t a typical issue this has, so hopefully it’s not incontinence. If the dog is doing this because she’s adjusting to a new place, hopefully she’ll have calmed down by tomorrow.

Hello,

A dog was dropped off this morning and I have her for the next 6 days - she’s a senior dog and has cancer in one of her legs. Her owner warned me about her mood and how she might be super active or might not be feeling well and sleep all day. She is marked as housetrained on her profile, although I understand older dogs have trouble with that sometimes. I do have experience with senior dogs but haven’t had one with incontinence problems before.

When we got up to my 4th floor apartment, this dog pooped twice on the floor within the first 30 minutes. I was supposed to leave her alone for the afternoon while I went to work (her owner approved this and said she’d be fine) and I decided to take the day off to keep an eye on her. I took her for a 45 minute walk (she peed outside) and when we got back she peed inside. Since I live on the 4th floor, it is very difficult to get dogs in and out quickly, which is why I don’t take non-housetrained dogs.

I put her in her crate to see how she would deal with that when I leave her alone tomorrow..she slept for 30 minutes, then stood up and peed on her own bed, giving no indication prior that she needed to pee. So we decided to go for another walk - this time 1hr. She peed a couple times and pooped once outside. She started to drag and move slowly so we headed home cause I don’t want to wear out her leg. No accidents for the last 30 minutes, but she’ll get up and pace the apartment which makes me nervous.

I’m concerned that she won’t be fine if I leave her alone tomorrow (and I can’t miss work tomorrow), and the owner hasn’t responded to my text messages asking for suggestions. I’m thinking she probably needs a sitter who will be home the whole time, which I make very clear I am not. Thoughts?