Hi, everyone!  It’s Samson, your reliable dog reporter! Well, maybe not reliable in the sense of the word that you can count on me.  Or that you can trust my reporting….wait, wait just a minute. This isn’t going as planned. Let’s start over.

Hi, everyone!  It’s Samson, your most loveable journalist. There, that’s better!  I WAS going to start off with “Happy Halloween” but it’s too late for that.  So…I realized it’s just in time to get you thinking about buying presents for the ones you love – both two and four footed – for the holidays!  You may get them goodies, of course, but for the animals on your list, please be sure they are animal approved.  For instance, some peanut butter now contains xylitol, which cannot be processed by dogs’ or cats’ liver, and is toxic to animals. Chocolate, in any amount, can be deadly as well, or at the very least, make your holiday and theirs memorable, and not in a good way.  Cooked bones (as opposed to heavy duty raw) are a no.  Why? Because they may splinter and can cause a painful rip inside, leading to a painful death!

Offer a TINY bit of your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas Ham to your pet. They cannot handle the rich and very different meal from their usual. Instead, offer them attention, and perhaps some broth that you have pre-frozen as a treat, in a quiet place.

First, of course, comes OH MY GOODNESS Turkey Day!  I love turkey day.  All that food, and the pumpkin pie.  Regardless of what my mom may claim, I LOVE pumpkin.  I love turkey and gravy, and I love being hand – fed.  Mom is always careful to follow the above guidelines when she shares. And truth be told, I really prefer the whipped cream on top of the pie!

Then comes making cookies, which is my total favorite, because when Mom drags out the big mixer and the spices, butter, flour and all those goodies, I know she’s going to stay home all day!  I can have cookies if I want, and my auntie comes over to help, so I have two adults to spoil me.  It’s just the best!

Oh, and for dinner, we get pizza!  It’s a ‘tradition’ Mom says. Pizza is a tradition, and I get a generous helping of that tradition! What’s not to love?

But, as usual, I digress. What I wanted to talk about was shopping local.  Specifically, shop local when it concerns your beloved pets.  While Pet Sitters International is worldwide, they offer local training and talent to the people you want to entrust your most valuable possession to.  Your cats and dogs ARE your most valuable possessions, right? 

They offer the security of knowing you’re getting a professional, trained, insured, and vetted sitter.  The sitter you have chosen not only loves animals but know how to detect subtle changes that could indicate a serious problem down the road.  When they are walking your dog, they can detect simple signs that may mean anxiety or heightened arousal which could end in a dog fight, and take corrective action before it escalates. 

Neighbors and friends mean well, and surely they love your animals, but they don’t have the training to observe and react like a professional or you, the owner, would. 

Pet Sitters International has been in business since 1994 with members in the US and Canada, and 15 other countries!  Their educational and business services is the largest of its kind in the world, and you have access to one of them, my mom, Jill Nuciolo!

So shop local, and hire my mom, a professional pet sitter with the backing of PSI, and relax, knowing you pet or pets are treated with a knowledgeable, loving, and caring individual. 

She won’t give them treats you haven’t preapproved, either, regardless of what they may tell her!

I have to go now. With the two new kitties we have here, Randall and Levi, putting up the Christmas tree, and the village, is going to take some planning. I need to offer my opinion on the job.

Have a safe & wonderful Thanksgiving!

Luv u bunches!!

Samson & (of course) Randall, Levi, Sweetie & Mom