If you have a camera on your phone, you probably have hundreds of photos of your companion animals from silly moments to formal portraits.
Here's our Poppy posing in her pearls.
Have you ever thought of documenting a day in the life of your furry family members. This exercise could be more than a happy photo album. It could be a guide for someone else who might one day care for your animals.
Safety Net
Every being that is dependent on someone for their daily care should have a safety net plan in place. My husband and I carry Pet Alert cards with a photo of our Westie Poppy and instructions on the people to call if we are unable to care for her.
The friends whose names and numbers are on the card have keys to our home and know a lot about Poppy. But it recently dawned on me that we could give them even more insight into her habits.
Poppy loves being under things. She's often found sleeping under Ed's desk while he works.
I’m going to do this by recording what happens in a typical day in her life and putting that information into an online document in Dropbox or Google Drive that I can share with them. By providing a link to a document instead of a piece of paper, I can update it as things change and they would have the latest information just by going to that link.
Poppy's caregivers should know where her food is stored – (the freezer) and how much to give her each day.
Learning from a Foster Dog
Years ago Ed & I accepted the surrender of a very sick, but very loved, Westie named Shannon. Her family had been overwhelmed by unexpected caregiving responsibilities. They were very careful about choosing a Westie Rescue Group to take her, and did everything possible to make her transition to our home an easy one.
They provided full medical records and her favorite toys, but more helpful was the information they included about her. Every member of the family wrote down all the little things they could think of to tell me about her: what she ate, how she liked to play, what made her happy, and what scared her.
The rescue team was able to cure Shannon’s disease and find her a loving, permanent home. In turn, this experience taught me how important information can be to someone who takes over the care of a dog.
Need To Know
Start with a basic fact sheet with contact information for your veterinarian, a list of medications, any seasonal or ongoing problems (like itchy allergies), and feeding instructions. Then, with the help of photos or short videos, you can run down your routine for a typical day.
In time, most dogs and cats will adapt to whatever household routine they are given. However, you can make it so much easier for both your caregiver and your animal if they have some idea of normal.
On a routine walk are their dogs, people, or objects that your dog should avoid? Are there favorite spots where he really enjoys walking or special friends she would love to see? Does your cat have a special scratch spot that will make his eyes squint with pleasure? Or is she reactive when you touch her paws or ears?
I would never ask her caregivers to follow an exact routine. They were chosen because I trust them. By providing complete information, they’ll know that, for example, my Poppy needs a late night snack or she may have an upset tummy from too much acid in the morning. That could save a clean up and a trip to the vet.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino – adapted for BostonZest from one of our City Paws newspaper columns.
Photos: ©2011-2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Itchy dog is from iStockphoto.