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Most Unusual Client Requests - September 09"I boarded a very sweet and vocal cockatiel, 'Gus,' while his owners were in Europe. The clients said that they would call me on their son's birthday in order for Gus to whistle the Happy Birthday song to their son. When the phone rang, I lifted the phone receiver and sure enough, Gus whistled the tune perfectly.
"It took two of us to coax 'Iggy' up three flights of stairs in the 90 degree heat. (The home did not have air conditioning.) This sticky journey to the tub took more than 45 minutes! When Iggy finally reached the bathroom, he climbed on top of the stool in front of the tub (placed there for his comfort by his doting owner) and stared at the water. (During the 45 minute trek up the stairs, I had to re-run the water several times to make the water the perfect temperature for the high-maintenance herp!) After staring at the water for several minutes, Iggy simply jumped off the stool and ran all the way back down the stairs!
"It took him 45 minutes to get up the stairs, but less than 45 SECONDS to get back down the stairs! I called the clients about this and they said it would be okay if Iggy didn't bathe since they were returning home the very next day. I guess Iggy was shy about getting in the tub in front of strangers!" Gaithersburg, MD
"I love reading Most Unusual Client Requests in The Scoop e-Newsletter. They are so funny and I really get a kick out of hearing what my peers have been asked to do.
"To my surprise, the liverwurst/ricotta cheese breakfast was a big hit and didn’t make Rebel sick. There's never a dull moment in New Jersey!"  "We have a client who has recently moved out of our area - but we continue to provide service for her because she is such a good customer.
"During Christmas 2007, the client asked if we could check on her chickens and move them into the barn because the temperature was expected to drop below freezing. She also asked us to cover her gardens, which are on large plots. (She grows organic vegetables and sells them to restaurants.) This was not an easy task in the cold wind and sleet!
"In March, she asked that we let out her Basset hound, George, while we fed her two goats, Daisy and Petunia. (The three are pictured above.) The goats were very sweet and fun to care for." -Kathy Potter, Allgen Companion Care, Sugarland, TX
"The lobsters were about the size of a quarter and were in a tall tank with compartments that made it look like a fish condo complex! A journal had to be kept on each lobster (who was named by the child.) I had to keep track of the shell molting, poop droppings (I'm not kidding) and how many food pellets they ate each day. The school girl was adorable and very serious about her project. The lobsters' names were 'Red,' 'Snoopy,' 'Gus' and 'Mr. Claws.'" -Cheryl Wilson, T.L.K. Professional Pet Care Services, Watertown, MA
-Donna Harmon, Paws for Pleasure, Charlotte, NC
"The owner of five American Staffordshire terriers had a planned vacation that she was unable to cancel - even though one of her dogs was due to have pups. The client asked me to take the pregnant dog's rectal temperature twice a day and to call her if the temperature was above a certain number. (This meant that birth was imminent.)
-Christine O'Hagan, TLC Pet Sitting, Mentone, CA
Do you have a Most Unusual Client Request that you would like to share? Drop us a line - it may appear in a future Scoop e-Newsletter! |
"Another client asked me to run a bath for his iguana while he was on vacation. The gentleman explained that the reptile needed to stand in water in order to 'poop.' Unfortunately, the bathtub that acted as the iguana's toilet was three floors away from his habitat!
"I also have an 'unusual request' that I would like to share. A new client of mine has two dogs and three cats. The client gave me specific instructions on how to feed her black Labrador retriever, Rebel. (Rebel used to belong to her aunt and the aunt would feed Rebel just about anything he wanted: sausage, peppers, onions, lasagna and meatballs!)
"The client wanted to make it clear to me that she did NOT consider this to be a healthy diet for a dog and to only feed Rebel 10 to 20 pieces of liverwurst mixed with one to two tablespoons of ricotta cheese for breakfast. She also reminded me to be careful that Simba, one of her three cats, was NOT to get ANY of the cheese. (Simba loves to jump up on the counter each morning while she prepared Rebel's breakfast to try and get a taste.) She said that ricotta cheese would be sure to give the cat terrible diarrhea. But all I could imagine was having to clean up messy diarrhea that Rebel would eventually have from his fatty breakfast...never mind the cat!
"I had a client with a child in grade school who was doing a science project involving baby lobsters. The clients were taking a trip during school vacation and needed someone to care for their cat and to keep the science project going.
"I received a call from a new client whose wife was out of town. He asked me to take care of their 10-month-old female Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu mix during the day. The husband left me a note asking me to vacuum the doorways to the porch and garage and also to clean up the daughter's play room. I responded that I 'hoped the note was to another Donna, as I was the pet sitter, and did not know where the vacuum or the play room was located'".
"I was able to take the dog's temperature once - after pinning her against the wall and straddling her! That was an uncomfortable experience (for both of us!) and I was unable to take her temperature again and I was more than happy not to. Thankfully she gave birth after her owner returned.