About Amy's Happy Critters Pet Sitting
In 2003, I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer!). Doctors acted swiftly to remove the diseased kidney. The surgery was quick and effective, but the recovery was long. During which time, I was unable to work or care for my friends’ dogs while they traveled as I normally did. My friends hired a pet sitter instead. I had no idea that pet sitting was a business. As my recovery progressed, I felt reluctant to return to my job finishing fine furniture, and decided instead to go into business for myself as a full time pet sitter.
The hard work has paid off. Amy's Happy Critters, Inc. is among the longest established; most respected pet sitting services in the greater Indianapolis area. I have worked various jobs over the years and none was ever as enjoyable or as fulfilling as pet sitting.
Most visits are done personally by me. I employ screened and qualified helpers as needed. On occasion, I will refer clients to other pet sitters in the area. If I will not be performing the visit myself, I will get your approval ahead of time. There will be no surprises! Rain, snow and ice don't stop me. I have a 4-wheel drive and know how to use it. Your pets will be attended to.
About My Pets
I currently share my home with one dog, two cats and a bird. Artie is my dog. He's a Papillon. Domino and Monkey are both black cats. Nicky is my grey cockatiel. If you're interested, I'll tell you the story of each of them as well as my dearly departed Border Collie, Molly.
Monkey - The Little Kitty that Could
After starting my pet business, I became involved with numerous animal shelters and rescue groups in the Indianapolis area. This volunteer work can be difficult, and heart-breaking but also very rewarding. My efforts with feral cats quickly earned me the title, The Cat Lady, among my family and friends. This is a title I wear with pride. What rescuer hasn't adopted at least one foster? Monkey is my stray who became a house cat.weaned and were adopted—except for Monkey. Vets told me twice that she wouldn't make it. However, she pulled through. Her respiratory infection was so severe it earned her the nickname Darth Kitty. While her audible breathing and gratuitous amounts of snot were enough to deter any potential adopters, she was a very friendly kitty. I would have taken her myself but my boyfriend was allergic to cats.
So she had a home living with the ferals in my neighborhood. She was well known and well loved by all the neighborhood children. She longed to be a house cat though. Monkey earned her name because she would claw her way up the screen door to peek inside the window in the kitchen door and beg to be brought in. She hung there watching with envy, the indoor life.
She was my outdoor cat for about three years until she got hit by a car. Her injuries were very severe. She had a fractured pelvis and the vet bills came to about $2500. I had just bought a new VW Jetta, The Black Critter Mobile. I was retiring my other VW Jetta, The Red Critter Mobile, to be used only as a back up car. Well, I had to sell The Red Critter Mobile to cover Monkey's vet bills. But it was worth it. She made a full recovery and has been a happy and appreciative indoor cat since then. Her condition is managed but uncurable. She still breathes like Darth Vader and sneezes up giant snot balls on occasion, but she doesn't waste any time "cleaning them up".
Artie - My Papillon, My Co-Pilot
I have cared for just about every breed of dog in existence. The Papillon fluttered his way into my heart. They are adorable little dogs with a big personalities. What more could you want? I was already at maximum dog capacity though. It wasn't until several years after first meeting the Papillon breed that I was finally ready to begin looking for MY Papillon.bouncing ball of joy.
Artie had his own brush with death a few years back. Although both my neighbors and I had underground fences, someone, either the two German Shepherds from next door or my little Artie crossed into the others' yard. No one witnessed the encounter, but Artie nearly died. As if almost being eaten alive wasn't bad enough, the vet who attended to his wounds bungled it. I paid the $700 bill, picked him up to go home and could tell he wouldn't survive the night. Instead of going home, I took him straight to an emergency vet who was aghast at what he saw. Several of Artie's puncture wounds had not been sewn up, some had fur sewn into the wound. The vet shaved Artie from shoulder to tail and started over. Artie spent the next four days recovering at my local vet's office and the next 10 months recovering at home. He made a full recovery though and is just as bouncy as ever.
These days Artie is my co-pilot. Weather permitting, he goes to work with me and waits in The White Critter Mobile while I visit your pets. He loves his new job and gets plenty of treats and potty breaks in between visits.
Domino - Princess Kitty
Domino is a silky black cat, with a raspy meow. She and her siblings were dumped as kittens at a local pet store. The pet store was unloading them for $35. Miss Domino climbed the cage and yowled the loudest. I couldn't resist and took her home. Domino had a habit of yowling at night and waking me up with "the claw". This got her ejected from the bedroom. She would just yowl from there and rattle the door with her paw all night. This got her confined to the basement at bedtime. Several months later, she ended those nasty bad habits and was once again allowed into the bedroom at night. See, cats are just as trainable as humans! It's unfortunate that I had Domino spayed before realizing thatshe's hypoallergenic. Truly, people allergic to cats are not bothered by her.
Nicky - Singer of Songs
Nikki is a grey cockatiel who was taken from a animal hoarding situation by Indianapolis Animal Care and Control where he was rescued by IndyCLAW. I was keeping an eye on their birds and he's the one that stood out. We liked each other immediately. He sat on my shoulder and groomed my hair, he only bit me gently. He seems to be happy living with us and especially loves to look into his mirror. He likes to whistle at himself an say his name while looking at the handsome guy in the mirror. He has a mind of his own and if he doesn't want to go in or come out of his cage, it's best to let him have his way. I thought cats were finicky creatures until I got a cockatiel.
