Slight Detour: Dog Gone Fun, Etc.

----Felicia Hirst Photo

Hello, I'm Felicia!

I'm a passionate & caring person who loves to care for animals big & small!

---Photo, courtesy of Felicia Hirst

After seeing the greeting above a few weeks ago on the 7B Pet Sitting post, I scrolled through the information and admired the amazing photos.

"This lady knows how to take pictures," I thought, and even left a compliment.

Since then, I've had the opportunity to learn more about Felicia, including a nice comment from my friend and fellow educator former Priest River Lamanna principal Shelley Nacarrato Brooks.

"I've known her and her family forever. In high school she was a great young woman," Shelley stated. "Caring, kind, hard-working, responsible and funny.

"She’s the youngest girl in a family of four girls and two boys," she adds. "I have kept track of her since she graduated and can speak to her dedication and love of our 4 legged friends."

What fascinated me most about Felicia's pet sitting service was the doggie field trips.

I was amazed by the numbers of beautiful dogs and the fun they seem to be having when Felicia takes them to open roaming areas around the county, and even to some areas around Coeur d'Alene.

----Felicia Hirst Photos----

I asked Felicia how this wonderful opportunity for dogs all got started.

The following thoughts from her reflect a well-thought-out system which guarantees both safety and fun for dogs on a field trip.

When someone’s interested in a Field Trip I send them a list of questions to make sure they’ll work well in a Field Trip. I have my 15 solid pack dogs, who have done Field Trips for the last 4 years. They listen, know the rules, and behave.

I add new dogs in one at a time. Field Trip dogs always start on leash, no matter if the owner says they are great off leash.

Next they graduate to a buddy dog.

This is where they are tethered to a solid pack dog, and then they are shown the ropes by that dog. Once they graduate that step, the dog is put on a 50-foot leash.

I am constantly calling them, making sure their recall works, making sure they are going to stick around and behave. Once I have 1,000 percent trust in them, they are free to run around as they please.

Some dogs take one field trip and are free off leash. Some take a couple of trips before they realize that this is their pack, and I have a couple dogs (mostly in training/young) that will remain on leash until they figure out the rules.

I will not take mean dogs; however, dogs that correct each other (especially the young ones), are great, because they teach each other how to be a dog.

Yesterday four dogs started on leash, and only two of the four knew each other. Within an hour, all dogs were off leash and playing together

Felicia's 7B Pet Sitting field trips were inspired by her experience working at the Panhandle Animal Shelter, now known at the Better Together Animal Alliance.

I worked at the Animal Shelter in Sandpoint and would run Doggy Play Groups. When I left the shelter, I created Doggy Field Trips because I loved it so much!

Getting dogs together to play and party together brought a lot of joy! I’ve been doing Doggy Field Trips for 3 years now. I try and do them once a week, but at least twice a month.

Cost for the three-hour field trips is $40.

$40 cash per dog, per Field Trip

Field Trips are 3 hours+ long

I’m available for pick up/drop off/meet up.

When someone is interested in a field trip, I send them a list of questions to make sure their dog will work well in a field trip.

I recommend that people message me on my 7B Pet Sitter page on Facebook, that way we can discuss the details, and I can get to know about their dog(s).

This week's field trip. Felicia's friend Amber helped her out.

This seems to me to be a wonderful outlet for dogs who may not have big fields for their much-needed doggie recreation.

Bet they sleep well at night when they come home! 😊

While discussing the animal world, I thought it would be fun to post the photo I took Friday of the staff at Family Pet Urgent Care in Ponderay on HWY 95 just north of Co-Op Country Store.

Dr. Michelle Ward, between the trees, has assembled a fun and experienced group of veterinary-oriented staff.

They're open from 12-noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

This facility fulfills the need for after-hours emergencies and for emergencies in general during working hours.

Before Family Pet Urgent Care opened a few weeks ago, I personally and several people I've known had to rely on emergency services in Coeur d'Alene or the Spokane area.

So, spread the word to your friends who own pets.

These professionals are ready to serve those immediate vet-care needs here in the Sandpoint area.

For more information, visit their site at

https://www.familypeturgentcare.com/