The 2024 Texas Pet Sitters Conference was held last weekend in Lewisville, Texas. It was the first pet industry conference I have ever attended. At first, I was apprehensive about leaving my business and team but I am very happy that I made the time and financial investment. In this blog, I’ll share the highlights from the 2024 Texas Pet Sitters Conference and what stood out for me as a first-time attendee.
Highlights from the 2024 Texas Pet Sitters Conference: Meeting IRL
I have been an active member of the pet sitting industry since 2003. In addition, I have been a member of Pet Sitters International for many years. Throughout the years, I have also become quite active on social media and in pet-specific Facebook groups. For this reason, I know many pet sitters virtually.
Connecting with fellow pet sitters IRL (in real life) was my favorite part of attending the Texas Pet Sitters Conference. After so many years of knowing people solely based on their name and profile photos, I was able to chat with them in person. We were able to exchange ideas and share best practices, which made the experience very rewarding.
Highlights from the 2024 Texas Pet Sitters Conference: Learning
The Texas Pet Sitters Association has been putting on the Texas Pet Sitters Conference for 9 years. After so many conferences, they know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t. This year, we were told that the Board of Directors chose speakers and topics that would be new to the industry. They wanted to give attendees new information, more to think about, and additional perspectives.
From the presentations we heard, I really enjoyed the dog training sessions. We had Fanna Easter of Positive Pooch sharing tips to handle reactive dogs during pet sitting and dog walking visits. She is a renowned dog trainer that specializes in separation anxiety and compusive disorders. Having worked with some very challenging cases, she was a wealth of knowledge for those of us that work with dogs in such a unique way. I addition, I really enjoyed the presentation by Dr. Amanda Florsheim who discussed canine body language, common behavior concerns, and how to keep ourselves safe in the presence of a potentially dangerous dog.
As one of Katy, West Houston, Fulshear, Cypress, and Richmond’s top dog walkers and dog sitters, learning dog behavior and freshening up on my dog handing skills helps me be a better service provider and manager. Additionally, one of the speakers, Austin Weber of The Aquarium Keepers, presented on the topic of aquarium care & warning signs for pet sitters, which I thought was fantastic. While we don’t do much aquarium care, I now feel more caring for an aquarium with the additional information and education I acquired.
Highlights from the 2024 Texas Pet Sitters Conference: Time Away
While taking time away from my pet sitting business for a work-related event can be challenging, it gave me the opportunity to work from a new environment. It also allowed me to explore another part of Texas and socialize with others of like-mind. There is something about taking a mental break from routine distractions that helps me be increasingly focused and productive.
I also had the pleasure to bring Todd, my significant other, along for the conference so that we would both learn from industry experts and acquire new kills. He and I both left the conference inspired to do more for Animal Admiration and the team. Thanks to the conference, we are actively considering ways to better tell our story and reach pet parents that can benefit from our pet and home care services.
We hope you enjoyed learning about the highlights from the 2024 Texas Pet Sitters Conference and what stood out for me as a first-time attendee.
To learn about the many ways in which Animal Admiration Pet Sitting strives to be the top care provider in our area, contact us at info@animaladmiration.com or (281) 391-1015. Our team of dedicated pet care providers offers quality care pet sitting and dog walking in Katy, Fulshear, Richmond, Energy Corridor, Memorial, West Houston, and Cypress.
