Lorna's Pet Sitting LLC

05/28/2024

05/25/2024

More pictures of Maggie.

05/24/2024

Having a wonderful time with Sase and Duke

05/24/2024

My new friend Maggie.

05/23/2024

Took Truly to Country Critters to be groomed. We were sitting in dollar store parking lot when this photo was taken.

05/15/2024

Made more friends today! Meet Nora and Oni (Doberman) !!

05/14/2024

More pictures of Violet

05/13/2024

I always have fun with Violet! We seen some of the northern lights.

05/12/2024

Sase and Duke. If you look close at Sase, you can see her smiling

05/11/2024

Macy and Allie. My BFF’s. I’ve had these girls since they were fur babies!

05/11/2024

These girls, ugh, scared the dickens out of me today. They are grounded. We went for our walk when we got back and were walking in the yard they decided to go visit the neighbors. I didn’t think they were going to stop !! GROUNDED!!

05/11/2024

Elsa, I sure did miss you! Elsa likes to play tag with me. It’s so comical. If you look close you can see Elsa smiling.

05/10/2024

Something new !

05/09/2024

Daisy won the cover photo for a month!

05/04/2024

Do y’all remember little Evie? Here she is now!!

05/03/2024

Tino and I had a lot of fun. We went for walks, had sleepovers

05/02/2024

Had a nice long visit with Loki and Gypsy!

04/11/2024

Had a lot of fun with Violet, the most athletic fur baby I know.

04/10/2024

Had a sleepover with Libby, Kona, and Puddy. Kona always kept me on my toes. 😂

04/08/2024

Honcho and Chief. Chief didn’t want his picture taken.

04/04/2024

Wednesday morning fun

04/04/2024

Ugh! I hate this weather!!

03/19/2024

‼️IMPORTANT READ‼️

For any new and future puppy owners!

Realistic Expectations:

You go to their homes. The pups are all social. They are quiet in the pen. They show you videos of them being totally relaxed. All looks amazing and you bring your puppy home.

Then reality hits. The puppy may cry in the crate for the first few nights making you tired and agitated. The happy social puppy is refusing to greet the half dozen overly excited friends you invited over to see your new puppy. The puppy refuses to walk on a leash. Many are wondering "how did my perfect puppy turn into a nightmare?"

So let’s discuss realistic expectations of when a puppy goes home. First of all, the puppy has been in that home since birth or several weeks. They had their mother and often littermates. They had their routine, were taught expectations and were completely in their comfort zone.

Now suddenly they are taken to a totally new environment. Picture yourself being dropped into an unknown country, often in a different part of the world. You know only a few words of their language. Different trees, animals, smells, temperature and people. Now in the middle of this we are switching up your routine, decide to have a party with people you dont know, and ask you to do jobs you have no idea about. Overwhelming to say the least.

This is what every puppy goes through when going to their new home. Stress manifests in different forms. From not eating, reluctancy to play and greet people. Being apprehensive at the vet’s office or as strangers reach for them. Diarrhea, vomiting and depression can occur.

So what can you as a new owner do to help your little one acclimate?

- most puppies take 3-4 weeks to acclimate to their new home. Repeat after me THREE to FOUR WEEKS! Not a 1-2 days. I can’t stress this enough about how much time is needed for a dog or puppy to feel comfortable in their new home!
- limit guests during the first week. We understand you are excited to show off your new baby but they need time to adjust. Plan on waiting 1-2 weeks before inviting people over
- ask guest to sit on the ground and let the puppy approach them. No squealing and grabbing the puppy
- set up a good routine
- restrict the puppy to a small area of the house. This not only reduces them being overwhelmed but also allows you to watch them
- don’t expect a 9-13 week old puppy to walk on a leash. Instead work at home with a leash where they are comfortable. Let them drag the leash, use treats to encourage them to walk with you
- if your puppy is refusing to walk give them time. My first trips to town with puppies a walk around a small block took 1 1/2 hours. We only move when they initiate the movement as they need time to take in the different environment
- understand your puppy needs time to see you as family. Expecting an immediate bond is unrealistic
- train your puppy. This not only helps you to bond but the puppy to look to you for direction and input
- lastly be patient. Don’t declare “omg there’s something wrong with this dog”. Nothing occurs overnight. Outings should be planned at puppy speed. So while you might imagine a fun walk around the lake in reality your puppy might only be able to handle walking a short distance that day.

Most outings for me take a long time, as I am often just standing still as the puppy cautiously explores the new environment. Patience is key!

Remember if the puppy was wonderful at the fosters or breeders house but now is struggling, you as the owner, need to help the puppy adjust which takes time, patience and training. Have realistic expectations and give the puppy positive experiences. Each puppy is an individual, don’t compare your current puppy to past pets and judge their behavior based on how another dog handled things. Lastly, try to see thing’s from a puppy’s perspective and adjust situations accordingly.

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03/17/2024

Please read this !! We get a lot of calls about this very thing ! We don’t set traps unless we have a plan and a vet willing to take it in .. they can NOT stay in a trap for days and not in this cold weather . We are willing to help trap and have done a lot of colonies around town but we do it the right way .

03/17/2024

More pictures of Bakh and Ginger

03/17/2024

Bakh and Ginger: We have the best pet sitter. She plays ball with us.