Building a pet community and resources for the holidays

November 4, 9:39 PMCenter City Pets ExaminerKristen Toland

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Photo of wintery Dash via the philly dog

Having a pet is such a great way to find social opportunities. These social opportunities and relationships are the greatest resource for finding the best opportunities for your pets. Especially at this time of year as the holidays approach, knowing the options in your area is essential. People are traveling for the holidays, with or without their pets, having guests into the house and adjusting to unpredictable hours trying to fit all of the holiday activity into a semi-regular  work and pet schedule.

Friends with pets can help in many ways. The best option, if you cannot bring your four-leggers to an event or a stay away from home, is people you know and trust with your pet who could maybe watch, walk or board your animal in a familiar house.  If not, friends with more experience can recommend their favorite and trusted pet walker, sitter or local pet hotel. They can help know what to expect with a new pet and guests, what to look for and what to avoid in various holiday experiences. Information on how  to separate animals (when it's necessary), the most comfortable way to add strangers to the family and maybe even taking unfamiliar animals into your home or your pet to a family home.  Additionally, veterinarians' hours are shorter, chance for emergency higher. So, it's always good to have a network with knowledge of simple safeguards (gates, emergency numbers), dangers to watch out for (poinsettias!chocolate!) or remedies or to provide support, lodging or transportation in case of an emergency. Fellow pet owners have a wealth of experience and sympathy during times of needs, since sooner or later, everyone has been there.

Finding a pet network on foot

Finding invaluable pet resources from nearby fellow pet owners is easier than ever. Dog parks, pet sitters and local stores and vets are all easy places to find people who may at one time or another have had an issue like yours and can provide important advice or information. If you are looking for an essential service, personal firsthand information from someone with whom you have built a relationship is the most comforting and trustworthy of all resources. For local sitters/walkers, it is best to know someone you know who trusts an individual with their animal's life and has done so repeatedly before. Many local sitters or walkers are publicized mainly by word of mouth and local fliers, so look at your parks and pet stores, ask people in your specific neighborhood. Leaving a pet with daycare or a kennel can be very nerve wracking and you also want experienced personal advice, preferably from friends or reliable acquaintances. Veterinarian care can really vary from each individual's experience, the malady, the remedy and the outcome, so a wide variety of resources can result in a choice much more trustworthy and reassuring.

Local online resources

When you cannot get advice from your friends or veterinarian, the easiest place to make connections and get a wealth of information on a vast array of topics is online. Every dog park, most veterinarians and walkers/sitters has a website.  Local pet stores' sites often feature pet information or great links. Facebook also has many local groups for parks and vets, where pictures and profiles can help you connect with someone you recognize and are trying to find from a park or store, too. (Or just in general like the Pet Friendly Philly group)

Many websites can help you find and review services in Center City. The Philly Dog is a wealth of information about using different products, local daycares and pet sitters. One up-to-date recent post even disbursed information on the newsworthy potential indoor dog park being considered in Center City. There are lists and discussions of local veterinarians with contact and emergency information. Suggestions, tips and comments from readers are also included. One new source for pet care that is also interesting is on Care.com. Here you get a map with a list of numbers on the map of Philadelphia. Each one corresponds with a personal pet care advertisement. The individual describes his/her location, experience, for what type of pet services are being offered and gives further contact information. References are usually provided upon request. Phillypetsitters is a great site which breaks larger local sitters and walkers down by neighborhood and specialty, including birds, small animals and exotics, special needs, first-aid and senior care.

Making online resources local

Catster and Dogster let you connect with local pet owners, service providers, pet friendly hotels, restaurants, parks and more, for your home neighborhood or maybe a holiday destination so there is no need for last minute emergency searches. There are also user reviews that tend to be candid and helpful. Petfinder has also begun local provider listings as well, but so far is not as extensive with either a broader search or reviewers as of yet.

Dodadog is a very cool way to find local pet owners while experiencing an international community and sharing in the knowledge and information. Members can post local events or just their recent walk and share it with others after locating your neighborhood on maps of the U.S. and/or U.K. The maps are specific and go straight to the user's address, regardless of country, municipality or county. The users can experience as local, national or international site as they choose. Excellent and extensive pet friendly travel and accommodations across the country accompanied by supplies,suggestions and a great community can be found at  Go Pet Friendly.

Recently, Twitter has been a great main tool for finding and researching pet services, communities, veterinarians, rescues, health issues, senior issues, personal experience stories and connections. Since one follows the individual without initially having to provide personal information, the user can get a better feel of the organization's focus without experiencing the hard sell. Some will be strictly self-promotion, others will show they are not just looking for quick cash, but to help rescue animals and provide safe and current information to everyone. Everyone in the pet community is so connected on Twitter and by following people across the country, that one can coincidentally be put in touch with more Center City pet owners(as I have) and communities by a national Twitter friend. It can be quite amazing how pet people will respond to when you show a concern for your pets or pets in general. Also, its very informative with November being National Pet Cancer Awareness Month and this week being National Animal Shelter Appreciation week. Posts abound regarding the plights of different shelters and the heroes that work in them.  It can be overwhelming getting so much information at once, but the brevity of tweets makes it manageable.

Whichever site or service you prefer or is most accessible, there is an unending amount of information for pet owners to make the best decisions regarding their pet all year round.  Especially during the holiday season when time and resources are scarce and additional travel, events and guests, make the possibility of emergency more prevalent, information online can be priceless. There is no excuse not to be informed and prepared. When something arises, there is no need to panic, just reach for one of the resources you have amassed or the friends you have made and get to work making the best choices for the mental, physical and emotional well being of both you and your pets during this crazy season.

For more information please see:

Dog Talk Radio (now featuring Cat Chat)

November Marks Fifth Annul National Pet Cancer Awareness Month

PhillyWired's Pet Friendly Philadelphia

Dog Friendly's Philadelphia Guide

Tails, Inc. for a wealth of national information, often personalized to location.

Center City Dog Park blogs: FSRP Dog Owners' Association, Orianna Hill Park, Seger Park Dog Owners' Association

Other great sites to meet up with dogs downtown (ON LEASH):Fairmount Park, Washington Square Park, Independence National Park

Local pet supply stores: Bonejour Pet Supply, The Chic Petique, Rittenhouse Pet Supply, Fairmount Pet Shoppe & Doggie Style

Pets Step up for National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week