There are many things that I find very important to know about an animal ahead of time. Some of these things include: if the animal has any trauma or specific triggers, any food or environmental allergies, how the animal handles being around other animals and people of any variety, if they have any medical diagnoses that affect how they are cared for in any way (anxiety, diabetes, immune compromised, bowel obstructions/ complications, heat sensitivity ect.), Preferred or effective forms of communication and play, if they are grieving the loss of a human or animal companion (this has a huge affect on behavior), how much attention they like to receive and the ways they most commonly communicate their needs (not wanting any more attention/pets or wanting attention/pets, hungry or thirsty, wants to go outside to go potty vs. wanting to go outside to bark, excitement, anger/stress, ect.) As well as anything and everything the owner/s deems necessary for me to know prior to providing pet care.

If you’re worried about your pet getting bored or not having enough stimulation throughout the day here are some tricks I use to help get some of that extra energy out, visits to the dog park (only if the owner previously expressed it’s okay), a walk by the river and throwing the stick out for them to catch, controlled roughhousing (with larger dogs or for those naughty, feisty kitties), laser pointer chasing works great for both cats and dogs, long play sessions that demand high amounts of energy (long distance fetch for dogs and keep away for cats are just two examples of this kind of activity). I’ll also be sure to use any toys they already have to good use. especially if they have a favorite toy, this will help aid in attentiveness and excitement toward the activity.