Helpful Hints

Jump for joy with our New Client Special Offer!

We have been providing exceptional dog walking, pet and overnight house sitting services to our N Westchester community since late 1999! As we approach our 15th year, we remain your responsible, expert, nurturing loving and an affordable pet care option!

Dancing Paws is pleased to welcome all those that are new to our service with a 20% discount off our base rate.

This is based on ten visits over a two month period and does not include nominal surcharges for after hours, weekend, holiday, multiple pets or excessive distance.
Offer expires 5-31-14

My Story

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I may be the first non-professional, professional dog walker in the history of New York, or at least Brooklyn.

As a kid I dreamed of having a canine pal .What could be better than a frisky, happy tailed, floppy eared, eager and joyful buddy to care for, love with all of my heart and join in the wonder of romp and play. Not much has changed (just a few decades and some grey in the hair!) Unfortunately, my mom didn’t share the same sentiment so I had to experience the privilege of canine companionship vicariously. And I did!

I remember counting the days until the end of grade school; that meant that I would get to care for a bunch of our neighbor’s dogs over the summer. There was Cookie, a sweet Beagle-Lab mix, Alex a fierce-looking Boxer with a heart of gold, Blazer the stunning Dalmatian who let me eat out of his bowl ( hey, I was 11) and Pep, the cuddly jet black Mini Poodle whose motor never stopped running.

I was known as the artsy, hippy kid walking around East Flatbush with a pack of friends, not many of them of the two-legged variety. That was fine by me; the best conversations still to this day are the ones that I have with my dogs. The non-verbal power of a look, a pet, a scratch and a smile, you know exactly what I mean since you are also a pet lover.

In 2000, Debbie (my partner and ultimate feline spirit) and I began Dancing Paws; we kept it small, made it about the love and comfort offered to our fuzzy friends and were fortunate to enjoy immediate success and an impeccable reputation. It was a wonderful part-time business and we still have a few of our original clients to this very day.

In 2007 I left a corporate career in publishing. Yes, VP of Sales & Marketing had its perks but nothing compares with the feeling that I enjoy when meeting new friends and having the honor to share in the lives of their pets. It was the best thing that ever happened for me and I am grateful to be the chief bottle washer, owner, operator, CEO, COO, CFO, and UFO of Dancing Paws Pet Care Services of Northern Westchester.

Our business model is very simple, we offer genuine love, attention, reliability and expertise at competitive prices without a whole lot of “menu items “ and “add-ons”, after all, who wants to be nickel and dimmed?

We are all aware of the challenges during this economic and post hurricane landscape, you’ll find that we are flexible and reasonable so don’t think twice about sharing any financial concerns that you may have. We’ll do the best that we can to help you care for your animal kids in the most efficient way.

The real bottom line is having the right person in your home, it’s not just your cat or dog, it’s your family, your property, your peace of mind.

We’ve seen it all during the past thirteen plus years, the joy of a 9 week old puppy first coming home, the chaos of a faulty alarm system, the unexpected horror of a burst water pipe, the suddenness of a sick animal and the sadness of the final goodbye.

Wouldn’t you agree that it’s nice to have a mature, calm, collected and experienced professional around at a time such as those?

Give a call, drop a line, initial pet consults are always complimentary. You may reach us directly through this site or if you prefer call or text us at 914-417-7048.

It is said that” The purity of a person’s heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals”, we promise to treat your pets as we do our own, with love, patience and kindness.

Rates & Additional Information

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HOURS:

MONDAY through FRIDAY 9am-7pm

SATURDAY 9am- 2pm

*** EXTENDED HOURS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST***

RATES:

30- MINUTE VISIT $20-

OVERNIGHT STAYS $75- (7PM-7AM)

EACH ADDITIONAL PET, WEEKEND DAY, AFTER OR BEFORE HOURS PLEASE ADD $5-

MAJOR HOLIDAYS PLEASE ADD $15-

OVER 8 MILES FROM KATONAH PLEASE ADD $5-

CANCELLATION POLICY

Should you need to cancel or change a pet sitting appointment please notify me via E-MAIL or phone call at least 24 hours in advance. Certainly there are always unforeseen last minute things that come up and I try to be as flexible as possible and avoid having to charge a fee.

Keep in mind that overnight commitments have a huge impact on our overall calendar and personal life and ARE subject to fees in the event of cancellations.

A 25% deposit is due upfront to secure extended stays. That of course will be deducted from your total service fee.

If you need to cancel I require a 30 day notice. A refund of your deposit or credit towards a future service will be offered.

If you cancel inside of 14 days I will retain 50% of the deposit.

If you cancel with less than a 14 day notice I will retain the entire deposit.

Happily, I have yet to encounter this issue but please note that it is a policy and as always, thank you so much for your loyalty.

New Puppies

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A WORD ABOUT NEW PUPPIES

Often I am called upon to provide puppy support. Those of us that have raised a dog from infancy on know how difficult a task that is. Underneath the delightful scent of “puppy breath” and the richness of a puppy coat, lies a life that needs to feel safe, thrives on direction and requires constant guidelines and boundaries.

Just like babies and they most certainly are, consistency, scheduling, forward thinking and patience are your best friends. Establish a daily feed and walk schedule and do not detour from it. Most of us are out of the house by 8am. It’s unfair to ask a young pup to go much more than 3 hours between bathroom breaks and you’ll want to master the art of housebreaking ASAP. Dancing Paws can help you set up a schedule that will assure your puppy gets that opportunity as well as much-needed play and socialization time.

Many pet owners employ a crate or quadrant off a small area for a pup during the day. Allowing run of the house early on can be disastrous. Do consult with your vet as far as proper diet is concerned. It’s a good idea not to permit a puppy unlimited access to food and water during the day (it makes the house training that much more difficult).

Young puppies and even veteran dogs often display separation anxiety. You can help them in a variety of ways. Leaving articles of your clothing comforts them, classical music soothes them and de-sensitizing them to your comings and goings is extremely important.

Dangers of Cold Temperatures for Your Dog in Winter

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“The winter months are not only dangerous for people, but for pets too. There are many hidden dangers when it comes to your dog’s health in winter. Read on to keep your dog healthy during the cold temperatures.

1). Do not leave dogs outside longer than 10 minutes when freezing outside. Dogs are very susceptible to frostbite during cold temperatures in winter, particularly their ears, paws and tail. Reduce time outside to ten minutes or less, especially if your dog has short or coarse hair because they get especially cold. Be especially cautious when there is snow on the ground. Your dog may resist to a sweater or dog coat, but it will help protect him from freezing temperatures and harsh winds. Many dogs do not like going outside to eliminate when it is so cold, so protective gear is necessary.

2). Consider boots when salt is present. Not only will boots protect against hypothermia, but they will prevent your dog from getting salt stuck under his paws. Dogs can have stomach problems if they lick the salt off their paws. Snowy weather is therefore very dangerous to dogs in addition to cold temperatures.

3). Dogs get easily dehydrated in winter. Be sure to have plenty of fresh water for your dogs, particularly after exercise, play and coming in from cold temperatures.

4). Be very careful about wet hair. If your dog romps in the snow, be very careful that you dry him off when he comes back inside. Use an absorbent towel and even blow-dry him. Blow-drying tends to dry out the coat, but it is important to do to prevent hypothermia or pneumonia for your dog. You may want to turn on a space heater to help speed the process along.

5). Be careful about antifreeze on driveways. Antifreeze is often needed for cars in winter, so be careful your dog does not lick it up from the driveway. Antifreeze tastes delightful to dogs but it is extremely poisonous and can be fatal. If you find your dog has ingested some antifreeze, do not delay. Take them to the vet immediately.”

This information was gathered on-line and I am simply re-posting as a worthy reminder.