Pets and pet lovers all across the country, REJOICE! Why? Because yesterday marked the start of National Pet Week® 2014!!
This specially designated week was created in 1981 by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and its Auxiliary and is celebrated each year during the first full week of May. It serves to honor the many important roles pets play in our lives and to promote responsible pet ownership. For more than 30 years National Pet Week® has continued to bring together pet owners, pet lovers, and pet care professionals in a long-running tradition uplifting and appreciating the animals in our lives. This year we celebrate National Pet Week® May 4th-10th, and Duck & Turtle couldn’t be more excited! 😀
We’re excited because, for one, it gives us an excuse to celebrate and spoil our own furry brood! Maybe we’ll take them to a new wilderness trail for some extended running about. Or maybe we’ll add carrots and chicken to their dinner a couple times this week. Or perhaps we’ll buy them new toys and a new bed. If they’re really well-behaved, then they might just get all of the above! (Ssshh…Don’t tell them though) 😉
In addition to celebrating our own “babies,” National Pet Week® is also a time for us to appreciate and recognize the pets and pet owners for whom we sit. The bonds we build with the pets in our care and the rapport we establish with their owners enrich our lives in ways we never imagined when starting this business! These wonderful relationships we’ve begun to foster with both pet and owner have come as such a welcome and added bonus to our pet-sitting and business-operating duties. They truly make the work we do feel like anything but work, and we honor and thank them because they are the reason we get to do what we truly love to do!
There’s absolutely no denying that pets play many important roles in the daily lives of us humans. For the visually- and hearing-impaired, they serve a very vital role as eyes and ears. For people going through hospitalization, incarceration, or rehabilitation, they serve to bring hope, joy, and optimism. For those who live alone, they serve as a loyal companion and often a means of security. For children, pets often become their very first lifelong friends. For the homeless, they provide solace, protection, and the healing power of the human/animal bond. They are public servants doing invaluable work with police departments and other agencies. They are educators teaching future generations about how to respect and care for nature’s creatures. They are entertainers amusing and impressing throngs of people the world over! They are our motivators (read: alarm clocks), our cheerleaders, our confidants, our therapists, our cuddle buddies, our trusted friends, and for most of us pet lovers, they are our children — just as much a part of our families as our human family members!
The list of how pets add to the quality of humans’ lives could go on and on, but you get my point. So, as always, shower your pets with love and attention, show them the appreciation they deserve, and take good care of their needs.
…And in celebration of National Pet Week®, do something extra special for them! 🙂
Here are just a few ideas:
• Take them on an outing to a place they can run about safely off-leash
• Look up a special treat or recipe for pets and make it for them
• Schedule a play date or throw a pet party with a friend’s/relative’s pets
• Build some extra time into your schedule to play with them a little longer
• Give them a long massage
• Treat them to a pet spa day
• Revamp their living space with new bedding, new supplies, and new accessories
• Promise to take at least one of them to the launch event for ABQ LIFT — a year-round, non-profit project to save the lives of at-risk animals while growing the local Albuquerque economy. It takes place Saturday, May 24th from 9am to 4pm at the Albuquerque Convention Center (indoors!). Over 100 product vendors, pet adoption agencies, and educational organizations will be featured. It’s FREE, it’s FUN, and pets can come! —> (please see UPDATE HERE)
• Book Duck & Turtle pet sitters for the next time you’re away from home so that your pets can remain calm and comfy in their own environment. 🙂 For them, there is no place like home. Give us a call at (505) 410-7954 or email us at info@duckandturtle.com to obtain more info or to schedule a meet-n-greet!
Thanks for reading, everyone. Happy National Pet Week!!
~ Duck & Turtle 🙂
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Duck & Turtle Pet and Home Care 