Field Notes for Pet Pros

Welcome back to another Tail Wag Briefing. This ‘timely’ July series we’re covering something we as pet sitters and dog walker talk about all the time…the weather…but have you ever considered if that conversation is more than just idle observation? When OSHA is providing weather related guidance documents, that is your signal as the safety leader for your business to acknowledge the weather itself...

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), Section 5(a)(1) — commonly called the General Duty Clause — requires every employer to provide a wor kplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Heat is such a hazard. OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) for Heat-Related Hazards (CPL 03-00-024, April 10, 2026) directs compliance off...

One Year on Substack: Apparently I Built a Thing A year ago, in the very first Field Note, I wrote this: “I’m semi-retired, not out there lugging gear or answering midnight calls anymore—but every lesson, scar, and whisper from a terrified cat is still with me. This is a record. A reminder of what it costs to do this work well. I have no dog in the fight. No need to renew memberships. No script to...

What is in your required PPE kit for yourself or your team? I have 5 go to haves in this episode, you might actually have more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

Compliance is the base line....if your 'best practices' fail to meet already established regulatory guidelines you may have normalized the hazard. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

Good Monday morning, team 🐾 As we head into another busy week of wagging tails, muddy paws, medication schedules, door alarms, summer heat, and surprise zoomies… remember this: Safety is not something we “add on” to pet care. It is pet care. Every leash clipped correctly. Every gate double-checked. Every moment you pause before entering a home. Every time you trust your instincts when something f...

We had our first real heat wave here in Ohio this past week. If you have never spent time near one of the Great Lakes once summer humidity settles in, you may not fully understand what 83°F with a “Real Feel” temperature of 95°F actually means. This is not dry desert heat. This is air you can wear. Thick humidity. Heat that settles into pavement, car seats, steering wheels, sidewalks, and your lun...

Welcome Back Tail Waggers. Can you believe we are at month 6 of the Tail Wag briefings. I am Beth Pasek the voice of Field Notes for Pet Pros and this week we are talking about PPE for yourself..for your team…for …life as a professional pet sitter. If you find this conversation helpful and are sharing it with your team, remember it can be used as part of your due diligence training in your safety...

There are certain news stories that make safety people stop scrolling. Not because someone died, but because they almost did. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

There’s a conversation that quietly runs underneath the pet care industry that almost nobody wants to say out loud. A lot of the business advice being amplified right now comes from outlier markets. None of them are bad businesses, dishonest, or even unsuccessful businesses. They are outliers. And if you are a solo pet sitter sitting in suburban Ohio, rural Pennsylvania, parts of the Midwest, or c...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

You arrive at the property. Before you touch the door, you already have information. 60 Seconds to Safety is a short-form safety podcast for pet-care professionals built around the field decisions that happen before incidents escalate. Each episode walks through practical safety protocols, hazard recognition, animal behavior awareness, and stop-work decision-making using real-world pet-care scenar...

Beth talks about what a busy pet sitting morning is like and how the brain moves into routine and auto-pilot mode is actually the most dangerous place for your team's mind to be at. If holiday business is when your team seems for totally collapse into chaos...this is an episode you don't want to miss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...

What happens in the first 30 seconds of a visit often determines what happens in the next 30 minutes. A calm, structured entry reduces risk for both sitter and animal. The goal is not speed. The goal is predictability. Field Notes for Pet Professionals, LLC · Pet Sitter Safety Training System · Module 5: Home Entry & Exit Protocols This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...

Good morning and thank you for listening and downloading the Tail Wag briefing. In the first 30 days the Tail Wag briefing has been downloaded over 700 times. And I am grateful for that and hope you are finding them helpful. This month we are looking at our Entry and Exit protocols. If you would like to follow along or add this session to your training protocals you can download the training pak a...

A few months ago, during Winter Storm Fern, I wrote in Field Note #30 while conditions were still unfolding. No analysis. No conclusions. Just a reminder to notice the signals—those small moments where we think I should have… I wish I had… next time I will… This is that “next time.” Beth Pasek is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or...

The employer creates the training, writes the procedures, provides the equipment, and builds the culture. All of that matters. But none of it works in the field without the worker running it — alone, in real time, under conditions the employer never designed. That is not a passive role. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

Many pet sitters treat insurance as their safety strategy. It’s not. It’s the backup plan after something has already gone wrong. A quick Google search turns up a screen full of experts talking about their top five claims and the importance of workers’ compensation and general liability coverage. Those discussions often drift from cost to the vague idea of somehow “working safety” into your operat...

You don’t have to be in a targeted industry to be cited. The real question is: What would you show if someone asked for your heat plan today? A few people already pulled the template. Because when that question gets asked…you don’t want to be figuring it out in real time. Beth Pasek is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscr...

This week we take a short view on big responsiblities that go into a good safety culture. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

Six homes, six hazard profiles...that change every single day. Can you or team actually navigate these situations? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

A backup person answers:👉 “Who else can go?” A backup system answers:👉 “What happens when going is not safe?” Looking at the reliability promises we make through the lens of safety systems. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we unpack what to look forward to for the month April. Why Responsibilities matter and how to apply them across the spectrum from the business owner all the way to what the client is accountable for. Training Document Module 3 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bethpasek1.substack.com/subscribe

Over four years ago, I sat down with Collin Funkhouser on the Pet Sitter Confessional podcast (Episode 132) and tried to explain how we onboard cats into the Finicky system. At the time, Collin called it “holistic.” Collin Speaking 20:10 mark: But what you do with this environmental program is you back way up, and start from the top and do a whole assessment of this cats world and just do a holist...