What are their Qualifications? Make sure your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker is certified to care for your pet.  Pet Sitting/Dog Walking is generally an unregulated industry but there are nationally recognized standards and professional organizations that set criteria and certify qualified professionals.  Check with the Pet Care Services Association for their 3 levels of certification; 1) Certified Pet Care Technician (CPCT); 2) Certified Advanced Pet Care Technician (CAPCT); Certified Kennel Operator (CKO).   Make sure your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker is certified with a nationally recognized organization or trained by somebody who is.  Ask to see their certificate and make sure it is current. You are paying for a trained professional and that’s what you should be getting.
Who trains their staff?   In addition to the company’s qualifications you should ask them how they train their staff and if they have an internal certification process.  It is important to know who within the company is responsible for staff training and maintaining standards.
What is their Work Ethic and Professional reputation in your community? Does your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker look, dress, and act professional?   If you can, observe your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker on the job with other clients. Watch how they handle the pets in their care.  Are they on their cell phone or “texting” while they are supposed to be watching their clients at the Dog Park or are they fully attentive and interacting with the pets in their charge?
What are the company’s mission, values and ethics? Check the company’s website and marketing literature.  What is their vision and do they explicitly state their ethics?  If they do what they say will tell you a lot about how they view their profession and it is something you can compare their performance against.  If they do not explicitly state their values and ethics why not?
What is their philosophy on animal handling and care and what kind and type of equipment to they provide and use? Know what type of equipment your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker use and what they provide.  Do they use choke chains?  How many dogs are they willing to walk at once?  Many Pet Sitters/Dog Walkers will not use certain types of collars and leashes for safety reasons and they limit the number of dogs they will walk at one time.  This assures the safety and well-being of the animals they are responsible for.
Can they provide references? Ask the Pet Sitter/Dog Walker for references from past and current clients. Customers are usually happy to share their opinion. They will be happy to tell you their experience.
Do you and your pets have chemistry with the Pet Sitter/Dog Walker? You want to feel good about your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker and be able to trust them to look after your pets so personal chemistry is important.  Chemistry is also important between your pets and the Pet Sitter/Dog Walker.  Pet Sitting/Dog Walking is a personal relationship so you must hire someone you can have confidence in.  Make sure you are happy with the person who will actually be caring for your pets. They should be patient during the initial consultation and answer all of your questions.
Can you check their background and do they do background checks on all of their employees? Some Pet Sitters/Dog Walkers may seem great when you meet them and say all of the right things but you are entrusting them with your pets and sometimes access to your home.  You should confirm that the Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Company does background checks on their workers and you should look into the background of the company.  You can use the internet or get more detailed information by using a background check service.  Reputable Pet Sitting/Dog Walking companies will be happy to have you check their background.
What is their knowledge base? Does your Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Company understand animal behavior, first aid, nutrition and emergency procedures?  Ask some tough questions that will reveal their knowledge or lack of knowledge.  And how do they handle questions they don’t know?  Do they try to “snow” you are do they simply admit that they don’t’ know?
And finally, do they have Liability Insurance and Bonding? Hopefully, if you gone through the previous 9 steps this last step will never matter.  However, accidents do happen and you should make sure that your Pet Sitter/Dog Walker carries the appropriate Liability Insurance and that they are fully bonded.

Remember if you make an effort to learn about your pet sitting/dog walking professional you will be rewarded with a reliable and trustworthy Pet Sitter for your beloved pet family members.  For more information  visit www.DogSmithFranchise.com

More and more people are becoming environmental conscious. With various types of human activity, Mother Nature has been greatly affected. Hence, people are experiencing the wrath of nature every now and then. As a result, there have been plenty of advocates, who aim to lessen degradation. And since they cannot zap things to be good again, people are finding other means to show that they care. And what could be a better way to show it than to literally start in their homes. 

You must be wondering what is with these properties that they are becoming popular these days. Well, eco-friendly homes are packed with features that can do the following things: 

1. Reduce cost of utilities

2. Reduce emission of green house gases.

3. Provide Quality Indoor Air

4. Lessen accumulation of non-recyclable trash

5. Give natural beauty to your homes.

Eco-friendly Features 

Eco-friendly homes have more or less similar features. First is the size. Most of them have manageable size. This means its neither too big or too small for the household size. People may say smaller homes may be energy efficient because it has lesser square footage (which means you have lesser duration to cool or heat the place  or even clean it). However, do you really think you can be comfortable in your own home if people living in it are sardines in a can? Therefore, the size should be enough for the number of members living in. 

Second, eco-friendly homes are usually located in green communities. Trees and plants usually surround it. Shopping malls and other public places are even within a walking distance that way you have no reason to use your cars to get there. 

This is one way of promoting healthy living and lessens burning of fuels that could lead to emission of greenhouse gases. 

Third, they should also have energy-efficient appliances. You will know one when they have energy star rating or if it is clearly identified as one. The use of this appliances can greatly lessen your cost of using electricity. Aside from that, these kinds of homes can also be powered with solar panels. This can really drop the cost of energy consumption to almost none. 

Fourth, the material used for eco-friendly homes are mostly sustainable. This means they come from renewable sources. If you notice it is usually made of wood and other products that comes from plants, trees and animals. You can even find less synthetic materials. And when constructed, the designs are strategic to ensure efficiency in everything is achieved. 

Last but not the least, eco-friendly homes have beautiful landscaping. Shrubs, flowers and trees are planted with purpose. Mostly, it is there to create shade, to lessen the burden of the HVAC systems. Aside from that, they are there to reduce stress and to beautify the place. So that when you look at side the window, you can have a view that can ease your tension. 

Are you still wondering why people want them? Eco-friendly properties have the most features that you want for your homes. Therefore, do not miss this out. Look for one and you can really experience a different quality of living (and sure is a good one).