Let’s Celebrate!

Nana’s blog has been on a bit of a hiatus as of late due to an uptick in business (never a bad thing).. But, no more radio silence we promise! Especially since we are back with some big news- it is our 10th birthday!

Nana’s was started way back in 2007 with the simple concept that Nana ( Linda Edwards) needed a little bit of extra joy in her life after losing her husband and her exact thought was “animals make me happy and bring me joy and I want to surround myself with the unconditional love given by our four-legged companions.” And, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love walking into the house being greeted with tail wags and kisses? So Nana’s Pet Sitting was born.

Now ten years later, what started out as a simple way to add more joy into the life of

Nana and help the pet parents feel comfortable heading on vacation while leaving Fluffy behind, has blossomed into the premier pet sitting company in the Charlotte area.

For Nana’s tenth birthday we wanted to do something BIG. Something to show the Charlotte community how much we appreciate being a part of the pet scene and give back some of the joy the dogs and cats give us every day.

So, we are raising money for one of the most dedicated pet rescue groups around: Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love (GDFRL). Not only does GDFRL work their tail off hosting adoption events and a few pet shows throughout the year, they dedicate their lives to finding these gentle giants a forever home.

Unlike some pet rescues, each Dane is set up with a vetted foster family to train, rehabilitate and love these dogs. Great Danes often get overlooked due to heath issues and their size, but they need the same love and devotion smaller breeds get. Which is where we (and you) come in.

We are raising funds so they can keep these dogs in foster homes with the adequate space and training they need and you can join in on the fun too!

For our 10th birthday we are asking for $10 donations (but will of course take any size donation you wish to make) to help raise $10,000 during our Birthday month of July.

And, for a little extra birthday fun, all those who donate $10 or more are entered for a chance to win a gift basket courtesy of Nana’s Pet Store filled with 10 of our top items!

Ready to donate? Head to our gofundme page! Want a sneak peak at the gift basket? Keep scrolling…

Just a few of the Great Danes Nana’s 10 for 10 fundraiser will help.

Basket Includes:

1. One 30 minute Pet Visit
2. Admission into a PetTech Pet First Aid & CPR Class, taught by Linda Edwards
3. Six foot Mountain Dog Leash, made from recycled climbing rope
4. Peek-a-Prize cat toy
5. Kong kitty/dog laser
6. Durasqueak dog toy
7. Portable water /food dish
8. Dog Pyramid puzzle treat dispenser
9. Breakaway cat collar
10. Kozy Krinkle dog toy

Did we forget to mention that 10% of all purchases made at Nana’s Pet Store during the entire month of July will be donated? Now more than ever is the time to stock up on your pets favorite things.

Thank you all in advance for helping support this amazing rescue!

 

 

 

 

Volunteering

Over the weekend a group of my pet sitters and I went to Animal Care & Control to volunteer for a few hours. For several years now I have wanted to get a group of sitters together for volunteering but time always seemed to slip by quickly and the year ends before I have a chance to catch my breath. This year, however, we managed to take moment and I am so glad we did.

My team and I were deciding on where to volunteer, there are so many choices, among them The Charlotte Humane Society and Animal Care & Control and ultimately my sitters chose Animal Care & Control and I was thrilled. Animal Control often gets a bad wrap but after spending the day with their team, I can confidently say, they are one of the biggest pet advocates in the city.

Their intake levels have been down, which is excellent, and they have invested a lot of time into pet enrichment, education, vaccines and spay/neuter services for the community. I could not be prouder of the work they are doing for the animals in our county. We learned quite a bit about their animal intake process and discovered that they care for more than just cats and dogs. They take in bunnies, birds, horses and they even once cared for a monkey, who they found a home for in a sanctuary in California.

Our morning of volunteering consisted of cleaning food bowls and kitty crates, filling Kongs and treat containers and, of course, playing with and loving on cats and dogs!

As our time was nearing an end, I knew the reality of our fun morning would be coming. We were about to pack up and ship out, leaving behind these adorable, loving pets. Pets who need a home. Pets who need a caring family and someone who will adore them the way they adore us. Someone to count on, to have fun with, to bond with.

Talking with one of the volunteer dog walkers, she said the hardest part of volunteering was leaving, “I would sit in my car and cry in the parking lot for ten minutes after I left. I just felt so bad, how could you not?” Eventually she was able to turn her sad frustration into a positive experience. She has made it her mission to bring as much joy to the dogs she walks during the time she has with them. And what more could you ask for in a volunteer?

It took a lot of self restraint not to leave with two kitties and a little chihuahua myself and one of my sitters nearly walked away with another husky. What made leaving easier for us was seeing the lobby full of people there to adopt. A few people even brought their current pets along in hopes of finding a four-legged child brother or sister. It was fantastic to see. 

Adopting a dog can be scary at first, you never know where they have been or how they have been treated. But there is nothing more rewarding than being able to give a second life to these pets. I cannot vouch for every city’s Animal Control program, but the one we spent the day with has a dog trainer who works with the dogs that come in. The trainer assesses their personalities and works on basic training and socialization so these pups are ready for their new homes.

The sitters and I left Animal Care & Control Saturday morning with a new mission- sign up to become regular, long-term volunteers.  We want to continue to help give back to the community in the best way we know how, by loving on and caring for pets in whatever capacity we can.

I really encourage anyone looking to volunteer to look into your local Animal Control program, I think you might be surprised at how much they do in your community. I also strongly encourage anyone looking to add a pet into your home to consider adoption.
The majority of pets in shelters and rescues are lost and abandoned pets that are never reclaimed.

These pets touched my heart and encouraged me and my staff to get started on a monthly volunteer basis and help with education about shelter pets. I hope you will let these pets touch your heart too!