Today in the Northeast, we awoke to our first significant snow fall of the season. So...this is a perfect opportunity to address cold weather issues and how they relate to your pets...AND your DWPS (dog walker/pet sitter)!
The first aspect of this I'd like to talk about is snow removal. Snow removal is NOT the responsiblity of your dog walker or pet sitter! If you live in an area of the country that garners snow and ice accumulations in the winter, you need to make sure that you get this problem taken care of for the safety of both your pets and the person(s) coming to your home to help you care for them. No DWPS should have to do the physical labor themselves, and they should NEVER be reponsible for finding someone else to do it or FOR paying to have it done.
Most municipalities in my area have a "24 hour" ordinance. What this means is that the homeowner has 24 hours from the time the snowfall has ended to get PUBLIC access ways cleared. So, if you live on a block that has sidewalks, you are legally obligated to make sure that the sidewalks are free of snow and ice for pedestrians. If you have not done so within a day or two of a storm, you run the risk of being fined by the town. The fines can run a couple of hundred dollars.
Maybe you live in a neighborhood without sidewalks going past the front of your house. Public sidwalks or no public sidewalks, you should still review what access routes your DWPS needs to use not just to get INTO your home, but also to get the dogs out to road and walked, if applicable. It's entirely possible that this has never ocurred to you before; perhaps you drive up your icy driveway directly into your attached garage and go straight into your home. If you're the kind of person who leaves ALL the dog walking up to your hired professional (and shame on you if you do! - that's for another posting), then you may truly have no inkling of how treacherous your driveway and walkways are. But I can tell you a few users who do: your DWPS, your DOG(S), any delivery persons and your mailman. If you have a mailbox that necesitates the mail carrier coming onto your property by foot for delivery, you'd better have those walks and drives cleared of all ice and snow - because if you DON'T, THEY don't have to deliver the mail!
After a couple of bad, exceptionally icy winters here in NY, I've had to institute the same policy for myself. If it poses a risk of fall or injury to me to try to get to your home, I won't even attempt it. I'll show up, assess the situation, and if I deem it too dangerous I will NOT try to navigate the ice to get to your door, your dogs will NOT get walked that day, and YOU WILL BE CHARGED FULL PRICE FOR THE VISIT. And who suffers for your negligence? That's right...your poor dogs!
I don't want to do this to the pooches, and neither does any other self-respecting dog walker, but what you have to keep in mind is that DWPS's rely on being physically mobile and capable of moving in order to do their jobs. If they take a bad fall on ice and break an arm, or a leg, or hip, or throw their back out or otherwise seriously injure themselves, they could be out of work for weeks, maybe even MONTHS. Do you want to be responsible for this? My guess is, "no", because presumably you LIKE your DWPS (at least I really HOPE you do!) and on a personal level would hate to see this happen. But let's explore the bigger picture, just to drive home the seriousness of this issue.
Most DWPS have minimal, if any, health insurance at all. Few can afford to carry disability insurance and it's not likely, if they are self employed, that they are eligible for Workmans' Compensation benefits. They don't get paid time off for sick leave. Having an accident the likes of which could happen as result of a bad fall on the ice could devastate them financially just in the wages lost from not being able to work for a few days, weeks or months. Start talking medical bills, and they are really up a creek without a paddle. They would likely have to file a claim against your homeowners' insurance policy - so in essence, they'd have to sue you. Nobody wants to go down that route, especially you! Keep in mind also, that if your DWPS is out of commission due to an accident, YOU are left in the lurch for help with pet care!
I've also seen many DOGS have problems on icy pathways, and have even seen a few get injured slipping, so that's another thing to keep in mind.
In summation, it's in everyone's best interest that you as the client make sure that winter weather walking conditions are as safe as possible for your dogs and your DWPS. The following list of tips may help you get organized:
*Even if you hire a company to do snow removal, have your OWN shovel on hand in case they don't show up in a timely manner (or perhaps not at all);
*If the snow removal company you've hired hasn't shown up before you leave for work, get out there and forge *some* sort of accessible pathway for your DWPS to use in the interim;
*Don't let clearing snow wait more than a few hours after snow has stopped - as soon as everyone starts walking on it it gets packed down and turns to thick ice that will melt and re-freeze, become very difficult to remove and be increasingly treacherous. It's a lot easier to SHOVEL SNOW than it is to CHOP ICE! Get up an hour early for work and get out there and DO IT YOURSELF!
*Stock up early in season on large quantities of PET SAFE ICE MELT - and don't be afraid to use it.
*If you are going to be traveling out of town during the winter months and there will be a pet sitter staying at your home or coming in and out, make sure you leave THEM a shovel, pet-safe ice melt, and pre-arrange before you go to have a company come if there happens to be a snow event while you are gone. Work out a payment arrangement with that company before you go (give them a credit card number or arrange for billing) - do NOT leave payment up to the pet sitter! Be sure to leave the pet sitter the name and contact info for the company.
Hoping this helps everyone have a safe and happy winter!
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