Business helps pet owners’ best friends
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
By Eric Schwartzberg
Staff Writer
Liberty Twp. residents Sue Schliesman and Anita Singer owned and enjoyed animals for many years before starting All Creatures Pet Sitters in January. The business, which provides in-home care to pets while their owners are away, couldn’t have opened at a better time for Charlene Schuster and her Labradors, Gracee and Lily.
A January fall required seven pins and a plate in her left leg and rendered Schuster unable to walk her 90-pound canine companions. After the dogs spent six weeks in a kennel, someone suggested Schuster call All Creatures.
Schliesman and Singer not only have ensured Schuster’s dogs are exercised twice a week, they’ve cared for her yard, brushed her dogs and — when she was at her worst — delivered bottled water and took out the trash. On Friday, Singer will take Lily to the veterinarian for dental surgery.
“They’ve been a real godsend to me,” Schuster said. “They’re just wonderful and they do their business with such integrity.” Shortly before a customer leaves on a trip, an All Creatures staff member arranges a home visit to meet the pets they will care for, obtain detailed information about caring for them and pick up a key to the home. During the visit, a customer can decide how often a sitter should visit each day and what services are to be performed. Fees are based on the number of visits per day and any additional services performed.
While a customer is away, an All Creatures staff member will feed and exercise a pet, give it any necessary medication and seek medical treatment in case of illness. Litter box care is available for cats. For pet owners who work long hours, the business offers pet walking services and reduced rates for multiple daily visits.
One woman recently called and asked if All Creatures could take care of a diabetic cat who needs insulin shots twice a day, Singer said, noting such services are available at no extra charge and are part of a half-hour visit. “We try and cover all the bases so it’s complete pet care,” she said. Depending on how many pets a customer owns, using All Creatures can be more cost effective that a kennel or boarding facility, Schliesman said. In addition, All Creatures staffer will water plants, bring in the mail and make the house look “lived in.”
Schliesman said she believed the most rewarding part of the business would be taking care of people’s pets, but that hasn’t been the case. “The people who own the pets are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and I didn’t expect that,” she said. And the business lives up to its moniker — caring for a wide array of creatures, including hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, chinchillas, reptiles and salt water and freshwater aquariums.
“We do all that, too,” Singer said, laughing. “It’s not just dogs and cats.”
For more information, contact (513) 737-3872.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or eschwartzberg@coxohio.com.