In Hemel Hempstead we said goodbye to a little tortoiseshell cat called Titch.  In Potten End we recently mourned the loss of Penny, also a tortoiseshell aged 20, whom we had just finished a couple of weeks

Remembering old friends

previously.  Jazz, also 20 and another little cat from Eaton Bray, Daisy, a wonderful little Grey rescue cat from Berkhamsted, Phoebe from St Albans and more recently Mr Snuffles a wonderful old Lab from Cambridgeshire.  We really will miss them all dearly.

On a more pleasant note, Luika our two year old German Shepherd Dog has become a massive hit on facebook!  If you would like to follow his antics he can be found under Luika Cole, but more about him in blogs to come.

The volcanic eruptions continue to cause problems for our pet sitters, but we have managed to juggle sitters diaries in order to keep clients continuity and hope that the disruption to our time tables are not too long lasting.

Harriet (our little kitten from Cats Protection), is growing into a  beautiful cat and was nutered last week.  Always a worrying time, but she has recovered well and thankfully won’t be adding further strain to rescue centres, by producing her own kittens.

We have continued to expand our pet sitting service and despite the recession have had our busiest year yet.  In fact we are still recruiting for live in pet sitters/couples in the London, Wiltshire and Devon areas, so if you are interested,  please do get in touch.

We have been extremely active on Twitter and you can follow us here or join our new Facebook page,  where you can join in some extremely interesting debates and meet like minded people.

New members to our pet sitting team are Adrienne Hasler from Woodford Green in Essex.  I hope that Adrienne will very much enjoy her time with us and is due to start in the New Year.

There is also much excitement as Saturday approaches, since it is the day we collect our new puppy. We have yet to make our choice, but from the beautiful photograph the breeder sent me, you can see how difficult that will be!

It has been thirteen years since we welcomed a puppy into our home, and although memory’s of Zak are still fresh in our mind, we are hoping that he would have approved. There is a crate to order, new toys to be brought and new bedding for his puppy bed.

Melody and Edna (our two cats), are totally oblivious of our impending new family member, but we are hoping that eventually, with a gentle introduction, all will become firm friends.

After much deliberation, we have decided on the name. I had hoped for him to be called Luika, but Doug (my husband), was not keen, so we have settled on the name Lutha. It is a name of peace to which I hope he will aspire and updates will follow throughout the coming weeks.

Melody is turning out to be a cheeky little girl who is into everything. Both have settled extremely well, and have us catering to their every whim! Edna is what I would call a typical little cat and talks for England. It sounds a little alien in tone and Melody gives her the oddest of looks, but it has formed an endearing part of her character.

I am amazed to find how domesticated Melody seems. Each morning she will watch me washing up (no dish washer for us), and seems mesmerised by the water and clonking of dishes. So much so that tries desperately to help by swishing her paw through the water and circling the sink! It is a shame that she is not so interested in the hoovering! She is certainly unafraid of the hoover and seems to relish the opportunity of finding another tag partner!

Last night after three grueling hours in the office she leapt from window sill and started playing chop sticks on the computer keyboard. Needless to say my last few documents were lost, but her cheeky grin was apology enough, but I have made a note to keep her away from our office now at all times!

How anyone could have willingly relinquished their care is a complete enigma.  My suspicion is therefore, that they had no choice and were confiscated by the R.S.P.C.A.  What surprised me though, is how well adjusted they both are.

Our phone has continued to ring off the hook and bookings for this year have been flooding in.  It seems that even during a recession, people are keen to continue with good quality care for their pets and continued home security during their holidays.

Our Dorset, Lincolnshire, Somerset,  London, and West Sussex branch have been particularly busy and we are heartened to see other areas of the country doing equally as well.  Details of our new pet sitters will follow shortly.

Heavy snow fall was particularly unwelcome recently and some of our sitters struggled to reach their destinations.  However, a pet sitters life is never dull and it took determination and dedication to battle through.  I am hoping that we have now seen the last of adverse weather conditions and we are all looking forward to Springs arrival and the promise of some much needed sunshine.

Last year brought expansion into East Sussex, Kent, Somerset and Europe, but we are particularly recruiting further pet sitters in the Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, London, Northants, Kent, Surrey and Devon area.  Why not visit our recruitment page for further information.

Pet sitting work is ideally suited to people who have no other work commitments. It is essential that anyone interested in working with animals, have the relevant experience and are adept at caring for pets with special needs, such as puppies, kittens, elderly pets, and those on medication. Experience with livestock such as goats, horses, donkeys, etc are a bonus, but not essential since the majority of our work is with domestic pets.

2007 was hugely successful for Nina’s Nannies for Pets and I would like to take this opportunity, of sending our sincere apologies to those people whom we were unable to help. We are however, hoping not to disappoint too many people this year, but we must maintain our high standards and commitment of care, hence our comprehensive vetting process.

Our usual Christmas party was cancelled last year due to our work commitments, and the death of our beloved dog. Zak, was a huge part of our life, and Christmas festivities was far from our mind during the December period. However, we are planning a gathering of sorts in February. It is an opportunity to catch up with old friends, and to introduce the new members of our pet sitting family. A time to reflect on lost friends, and raise our glasses to new ones. Our members relish our annual meet up and invariably the odd story is told, and funny one recalled.

So come on all you potential Pet Nannies, from the Guildford, Virginia Water, Egham, Staines, Northants, London and Devon area. There are friends to be made, on two legs and four, new places to visit, and stunning walks to find. Who knows, if your application is successful, you too could also be attending our next Christmas party, so pick the phone and lets have a chat.