Pet Owners: Top 5 Ways To Keep Your Dog Walker/Pet Sitter Safe in Winter

By:  Laurie Brzostowski 

As the Owner of Snaggle Foot Dog Walks and Pet Care - Round Lake, it has been a pretty awful winter here in regards to walking dogs and pet sitting.

Here in Northern Illinois, have had some pretty awful winter weather. We have had thunderstorms while snowing at the same time, melting than freezing over, minus 20 to minus 30 degree windchills, and lots and lots of slippery yards, sidewalks, etc.

During all of this awful weather, your dog walker and/or pet sitter is out there every day caring for your pets and making sure they are safe.

However, as pet owners , it is really important that you keep your homes safe not only for your pets but your dog walkers/pet sitters also.

You may not even realize how dangerous your home has become to us dog walkers/pet sitters, so this blog post is to give you some ways on how to make your home less dangerous to us so we can continue to provide you with great service.

Here are the top 5 ways to keep your dog walker/pet sitter safe during severe winter weather:

1. Try and shovel your driveway where there is lots and lots of snow. If we cannot get into your driveway each day, we may be forced to park on the street. Parking on the street may be prohibited during snow times which could result in us getting a ticket. Also, if you don't shovel your driveway, we may actually get stuck and not be able to get out.  
2. Put down pet friendly ice melt on your driveway and the sidewalks and steps leading up to any and all doors we may be entering.  This includes steps and patios in back yards.  I cannot tell you how many times I have come "this close" to falling and hurting myself.  If your dog walker does fall and hurt themselves, you could possibly be without a dog walker for quite some time while he/she is recovering from any injuries. 
3. Remove any and all icicles hanging from your house.  Some of these icicles are very large and heavy and can cause severe injuries if they happen to fall on top of your dog or your dog walker/pet sitter.   
4. Make sure that your furnace is working correctly.  If you do go out of town, and your furnace is acting up while you are gone, this could cause serious problems.  Please make sure you leave your pet sitter contact information for heating services.  It is amazing how fast your house can get dangerously cold if the furnace is not working correctly and carbon monoxide is a very serious issue. 
5. Let your dog walker know if you are going to be home during severe weather.  Keeping everyone off dangerous roads during severe weather benefits everyone involved.

If each and every pet owner follows these 5 tips you can be rest assured that your dog walker/pet sitter is safe coming into and out of your home every day.  Safety is not only for your pets but for your pet's caretakers also. 

Here is hoping Spring comes soon!!