Field Notes for Pet Pros

Beth Pasek Elite FFCP, CFVP
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly

Field Notes delivers short safety briefings and field insights for professional pet sitters and pet-care business owners. These episodes translate real-world visits, risk decisions, and operational challenges into practical safety leadership for the pet-sitting profession. This publication is primarily educational. From time to time, Beth also works privately with pet-care businesses navigating complex safety, operational, or leadership challenges. fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com

  1. 3d ago

    What is the Role and Does My Business Need It?

    You know who to call about an animal’s health, your insurance coverage, or a legal question. But who helps you evaluate the risks to the person doing the work? An occupational safety consultant may be a professional you’ve never considered bringing into your business—or never realized was available to you. This week’s Tail Wag Briefing explores what that role contributes, how it connects with your existing advisers, and when a different kind of expertise could help. Whether you work solo or lead a team, the starting question is the same: Do you need legal counsel, a workplace risk assessment, or both? A companion handout includes a guide to these professional roles and a worksheet to help identify what your business needs, located in the Perks tab for paid subscribers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    What is the Role and Does My Business Need It?

  2. Oct 26

    “We Salted the Step. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”

    As a pet sitter of 16 years, I’ve grown alongside you. I’ve seen, felt, and lived those “oh no” moments. My mission today is to help you recognize hazards, put safeguards in place, and check that they’re working—before the next “oh no” becomes an injury. We spend a lot of time talking about what to do when something goes wrong. Today, we’re looking at what happens after that first response. Because “we handled it this morning” doesn’t tell us whether the next person can work safely tonight. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    “We Salted the Step. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”

  3. Oct 19

    When You're the Entire Organization

    Three key takeaways for the episode description * Know the difference: Routine flexibility accommodates ordinary variation. Management of Change addresses changes that may affect hazards, responsibilities, resources, or existing controls. * Build safeguards into solo practice: AI can provide structured questions and a second perspective, but verification, authority, and professional accountability remain with the practitioner. * Beware of thorny surprises! 🌳 A tiny honey locust can deliver a very large safety lesson. When gloves aren’t enough, remember the Hierarchy of Controls—and sometimes introduce the hazard to the trash can. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    When You're the Entire Organization

  4. Oct 12

    The Cost of Change

    This week we're tackling MOC, Management of Change and Safety Culture. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    The Cost of Change

  5. Oct 5

    The Danger of Heroic Pet Sitting

    Core Themes & Key Takeaways * The Myth of “Heroic” Care vs. System Reliability: * Professional pet sitters often internalize client expectations into absolute mandates—turning “be reliable” into “always available” and “the creatures must be cared for” into “I personally must be the one to care for them”. * Reliance on heroic effort (e.g., working through illness, extreme weather, or injury) masks underlying structural failures in a business. True reliability comes from functional continuity systems—such as backup keepers, shared instructions, and peer networks—rather than individual martyrdom. * The “Wolf” of Internalized Guilt & Misperceived Risk: * The “Big Bad Wolf” represents the internal voice that disguises itself as dedication, professional duty, and responsibility. * Sitters frequently experience intense guilt or fear of client retaliation during emergencies (such as being in an emergency room), even when proper backup care is arranged and no creatures are left untended. * Sitters often invent harsh expectations on behalf of clients, rehearsing disappointment and feeling resentment toward clients for demands the clients never actually expressed. * Fitness for Duty: * A crucial safety concept from other industries is evaluating whether a worker is physically and mentally fit to perform their duties without introducing new hazards. * Dedication and love for animals cannot override physical limitations, clear a fogged mind, or steady a dizzy hand. Continuing to work when unfit increases the risk of accidents and serious errors. * Redefining Success: * Arranging backup care during an emergency is not a personal or logistical failure; it is proof that a safety system worked as intended. * Professionals must inspect their own “basket” of expectations to separate genuine client needs from self-imposed pressure. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    The Danger of Heroic Pet Sitting

  6. Sep 28

    Tail Wag Briefing: Winter Hazards, OSHA Guidance, and the “Super El Niño

    What OSHA requires—and recommends—for winter work, plus ways pet-care businesses can prepare workers and dogs for cold, ice, and a strong El Niño. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    Tail Wag Briefing: Winter Hazards, OSHA Guidance, and the “Super El Niño

  7. Sep 21

    Tail Wag Brief: When Good Pet Sitters Get Tired

    This weekend reminded me of something we often talk about in safety but don’t always recognize in ourselves. I was tired. Not catastrophically tired. Not falling-asleep-at-the-wheel tired. Nothing dramatic happened. And I noticed it because I sat down to work on something that normally comes easily to me—and what I produced simply wasn’t very good. I looked at it later and thought: What was I doing? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    Tail Wag Brief: When Good Pet Sitters Get Tired

  8. Sep 14

    Tail Wag Briefing; Reporting Is Not Confession

    Estimated runtime: 9–10 minutes Last week, we ended with a question. What is the psychological barrier that makes us equate reporting a rattling baby gait or a minor spill with admitting failure? Why does telling someone that a baby gate shifted, a key nearly broke in a lock, a dog slipped its collar, or we almost gave the wrong medication feel less like sharing useful information—and more like admitting we failed? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com/subscribe

    Tail Wag Briefing; Reporting Is Not Confession
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About

Field Notes delivers short safety briefings and field insights for professional pet sitters and pet-care business owners. These episodes translate real-world visits, risk decisions, and operational challenges into practical safety leadership for the pet-sitting profession. This publication is primarily educational. From time to time, Beth also works privately with pet-care businesses navigating complex safety, operational, or leadership challenges. fieldnotes4petpros.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Beth Pasek Elite FFCP, CFVP
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Beth Pasek
  • Show Website
    Field Notes for Pet Pros