Spring 2009 - National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

Collecting Presents 4 Pets
By: Debra Farrington
“I’ve never really liked pets,” the woman said
to me. It was an unusual way for a phone call
to a pet sitter to start, but then the conversation
changed. “But my granddaughter got this
little dog recently, and I’ve fallen in love with
him. When I was at the vet’s office with him
today I saw your signs about Presents 4 Pets
(P4P). Do you mind if I take up a collection at
my office in honor of my granddaughter’s
dog?” Mind? I was thrilled. Candance
Labane-Godfrey, immediate past president of
NAPPS and owner of Precious Pets in
Sacramento, CA, had a similar call from a
client, except that her client wanted to send
the flyer out to a thousand people, just in her
department at the local university alone.
Needless to say, Candance and her crew
were busy picking up donations this fall!
If you didn’t participate in Presents 4 Pets in
the fall of 2008 you missed a good time. At
least 53 NAPPS pet sitters collected blankets,
beds, leashes, collars, grooming tools, toys,
and lots of other items for homeless pets,
and I suspect most of them have good stories
to tell. Some of them collected a few hundred
dollars worth of supplies, while others collected
thousands of dollars worth, but all of
them—big and small—made a difference in
the lives of animals in their communities who
needed help. Here are just a few of the stories.
Mandy Oram of Paws and Kisses Pet Sitting
Service LLC, in Shelton, CT, a first-year pet sitter,
wanted to get involved with P4P. “I also
wanted to involve others, not just my clients,”
she said. “So I partnered with a local independently-owned
pet store, which acted as a public
collection point for the P4P collection drive. We
also co-hosted the first annual Howl-oween
Charity Event and Dog Show in the pet store’s
large parking lot and a dozen vendors set up
booths advertising and selling their pet-related
supplies. We invited local rescue groups to set
up booths as well. We were able to get several
local celebrity radio talk show hosts and other
community leaders as judges for the dog show.
We also enlisted the support of a pet food company
(Wellness) and they donated over $400
worth of treats for us to use as prizes for the
dog show winners. The event was a great success,
with more than 300 people (with 100
dogs) in attendance. At the end of the day
(which marked the end of our local P4P collection
drive), we had collected more than $6,000
PRESENTS
worth of pet supplies for donation to local shelters
and rescue groups!”
Kristen Burton, owner of Your Best Friend Pet
Sitting in Northeaster, PA, also ran a P4P effort
for the first time. “I am a sole proprietor in a
rural area” Kristen says, “so when I heard
about Presents 4 Pets, I thought that it was
designed for the ‘big dogs,’ and not the little
companies like mine. But I was very impressed
with the tools that NAPPS provided to all companies,
of all sizes and budgets, for implementing
Presents 4 Pets. With all that support, I
decided to use the tools and get donations for
two local organizations.
“With a single press release, I got lots of publicity
for Presents 4 Pets, as well as my business!
Calls started coming in—it seemed like
lots of folks were hanging on to unused beds,
leashes, and more, and were happy to contribute
to such a worthy cause. A local community
association set out a box for donations,
and I was called to pick up items on a weekly
basis. I usually drove away with tears in my
eyes at the generosity of people I didn’t even
know!
4
P E T S
“Our local animal shelter had a fire in October
that wiped out many of their supplies. No people
or animals were harmed, thankfully, but
they were in need and I was able to provide
them with more than $500 worth of donated
goods. The looks on the volunteer’s faces as I
carried in bag after bag of donations was worth
more to me than gold. I’ll never forget it!”
Kristen found the experience so rewarding she
is now chairing the P4P Committee.
By the time you read this article the 2009 P4P
effort will probably be underway. The program
is an important way that we can all give back
to the communities that support us, and it’s not
a bad way to get some good (and free) publicity
as well. If you’re curious about the program, go
to the members section of the NAPPS Web site
and look at all the materials available to help
you with P4P. Your own program can be as
simple or as complex as you’d like to make it.
Don’t miss out on another year of P4P. It’s lots
of fun. It’ll make you feel great. And a whole lot
of animals will be helped in the process. ■
The NAPPS Network • 18