Riley's Romperz

02/15/2025

Please be safe during this cold spell.

02/11/2025

Calling all pet sitters!

CALL FOR PET SITTERS::

Are you an awesome pet sitter in Nebraska or Iowa?

We want to work with YOU!

Join our free pet sitter networking program and receive access to:
- Educational Opportunities
- Access to tons of free professional development
- A community of like-minded pet care professionals
- The opportunity to help your community by providing elite pet care services

We have so many amazing pet sitters within our program whose schedules have filled through our Client Connection Service where clients are able to request a sitter entirely free of charge!

Interested in joining or learning more? Message us or visit the website!

https://www.midwestpetsitteraffiliates.com/pet-sitter-network

Let's grow together. 🐾
We can't wait to see you around!

02/03/2025

Important information

The H5N1 avian influenza, commonly known as H5N1 or bird flu, typically infects poultry and wild birds but has also recently infected dairy cattle and domestic cats.

The current public health risk is low, but this is an evolving situation as the virus continues to mutate, and protecting our cats may help mitigate public health concerns.

Swipe through to read our latest tips on how to keep you and your cat safe. 🐾

01/22/2025

01/19/2025

Winter pet safety

01/17/2025

Important to note.

Resource Guarding: A complex behavior with many layers. 🦴🧸🐕

Resource guarding goes beyond just food, toys, and kennels. Dogs may also guard favorite people, spaces, furniture, and even access to the house.

When adopting or fostering a dog with a neglectful past, it's natural to want to overload them with love, attention and free access to everything in between. However, this can create a dependency that will morph into guarding humans, among other things. Not to mention, it can be mistaken for protectiveness and sometimes also presents as separation anxiety.

🔹Some signs of human guarding include:

- Growling/snapping/biting at other dogs or humans near you

- Pushing between you and another dog

- Demand for constant attention and proximity (Wanting to be held or carried included)

There are so many more signs that can be broken down, but these are just a few.

🔹To prevent resource guarding, start with a calm and structured approach. Follow the 3's philosophy as soon as possible:

1. Provide a quiet day for decompression and self-regulation when you first bring them home. This is how we help teach self-regulation.

2. Use attention as motivation to reward desired skills. Ignore them when they are being pushy or persistent. Verbally praise when they are able to find something to do on their own and settle.

3. Ensure intermittent separate time away from you. Yes that means kennel time even if you are home. Meals and even 30 mins after. This also could be while you are eating, self-care, down time before bed. Keep this routine and reinforce the calm kennel behavior.

4. Teach them to 'go away' or 'go play'. Throw a treat away from you and immediately use the verbal redirect and you walk the opposite direction, then ignore.

5.Don't let them hover and limit the need to be your shadow. If you are sitting, get up walk away (with a verbal redirect)

6. Praise the calm around other dogs if that's where the issue lies. If it's with humans, someone else in the house needs to offer the reinforcers and care when possible.

7. Limit how much you are carrying small dogs and puppies. Let them walk and learn to navigate your home on their own two feet.

By setting clear boundaries and a calm environment, you can help prevent resource guarding and set them up for success. It's 10 times harder to break a unwanted behavior than it is to start strong.

Am I saying that they need to be kenneled 24/7 and no love or attention at all? Absolutely not, but at the beginning (and when this behavior manifests) you need to nip it in the bud now. Then as there is progress, maybe fade back. Also remember things take time. Days, weeks, months, sometimes longer. Stay the route.

There are many other methods to safely and ethically work through this type of behavior. Consistency and management from you as a whole is the biggest component. A dog is going to revert right back to those same tendencies if you give in and let them have their way. If you aren't sure and are struggling, reach out for assistance.

It won't hurt them working through this process, it just sometimes hurts our hearts. But again, the end goal is to set them up for success! 💖

01/13/2025

At the 2022 Oscars, actress Jamie Lee Curtis appeared with a dog named Mac N Cheese, wanting to encourage adoption of abandoned dogs rather than buying breed dogs.
Mac was a dog rescued from the streets, waiting for a new family. At the end of the ceremony, actor John Travolta approached Curtis and said he wanted to adopt the puppy.
Since they were already longtime friends, Curtis agreed to the moment and snapped a photo of Travolta holding Mac. A year later, in 2023 Travolta shared some photos showing how happy he and Mac were together.
Credits: cena marcante
Follow Animal Stories

01/13/2025

This is so true! I have two of them.

😅 🐾

01/10/2025

New year, new prices! My prices have increased. I will update the price list shortly. Going out of town? Busy at work & can’t let your dog out? I still have open availability this month with exception of the 26th. Let’s set up a meet and greet to see if I can help you out.
❤️

01/10/2025

01/10/2025

01/10/2025

It’s a pretty scary and sad time here in Los Angeles. First and foremost, my whole heart is with those who have lost their homes and workplaces. There’s so much more to say, and I will as the days go on, but for this moment, an important word to fellow Angelenos with animal family members:

* Be ready to evacuate! You don’t want to wait till the last moment to decide what to do. Have carriers ready, along with meds and some other supplies in a “go bag.” I have a playlist on YouTube about what to do in an emergency. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAJvHNBwbBNvAHGOflN-7qNUSr3cPPohg

*Block the unders! Any potential small hiding places for your cats must be blocked off. You need to know exactly where they are and how to get them if the time comes to leave.

* Do not hesitate. If you receive the order to evacuate, just GO. At the end of the day, belongings and homes are precious but nothing is more so than the wellbeing of you, and your human and non-human family members. Nothing.

*An up-to-the-minute list of evacuation points for LA City is available here:
https://lacounty.gov/emergency/

*Also, I have found the App called Watch Duty very helpful.

Like I said, more to come later today, just some initial thoughts. Thanks to all who have reached out, my family is safe and out of harms way for now. Again, for those who aren’t, my light and love to you.

01/04/2025

Your cat's purr is so mult-faceted.

01/04/2025

Many on our team prefer the warmer weather, so here are some reminders to help keep our beloved pets safe during the cold temps this weekend and all winter long.
Show us your pup in their favorite sweater!!
Stay warm everyone - get those cuddles in too!

01/03/2025

01/01/2025

🙋‍♀️ 🐾

01/01/2025

Party poopers!
🥳 ❤️

01/01/2025

My New Year’s crew…
❤️