SBAT's Frequently Asked Questions!

Do you offer your services beyond Santa Barbara?

Absolutely, but depending on exactly where you live distance fees may apply. Most of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and IV all fall under our standard pricing, but past Montecito or up the 154 will likely result in some minor distance fees. Furthermore, certain services may not be available depending on exactly where you live. If you are wondering weather or not your address falls under our standard service umbrella, just reach out and we'll be happy to let you know!

What kind of pets do you take care of? Are there any dog breeds you won't work with?

In short, all types! SB Animal Things is happy to care for birds, cats, dogs, rodents, reptiles, fish, livestock, and horses; you name it.! And no, we do not discriminate based on age, size, sex, or breed when it comes to the dogs we take care of. 

Do you ever take peoples animals into your own home for pet sitting?

Unfortunately at this point in time, SB Animal Things is not capable of doing any type of boarding, whether overnight or otherwise. This is mainly due to the extensive licensing required to offer that type of service, but rest assured we are working on being able to offer it in the future! We can offer recommendations for boarding facilities here in town if that is what you need.

Do you only take on clients whose dogs have behavioral issues?

Nope! While behaviorally challenged dogs are a specialty of Athena's (see the "About" section) we are more than happy to work with dogs that are perfect citizens. No matter how your dog behaves we are happy to care for them.

Do you offer dog training?

No, we do not. SB Animal Things takes education and certification very seriously when it comes to dog training; experience is just NOT ENOUGH. And given that currently, nobody on our staff has the proper education, certifications, and licensing to train dogs, we will not do it. However, if a dog trainer is what you are looking for we have plenty of recommendations! We try and stay close to the various trainers here in town so as to give referrals with confidence. What we CAN do is continue to upkeep whatever training is actively being worked on. If your dog is currently doing training for any reason, just let us know when reaching out and we will be sure to make time to meet with you and/or your trainer to go over their exact training routine in order to keep up with it while you are away or while we walk them. 

Do you run/walk the dogs off leash?

Very rarely. Very few places in town are off-leash OK, and most of the places people think are off-leash friendly, are not. The truth is that there is a rising problem of people illegally allowing their dogs to run around Santa Barbara and Goleta without a leash. SBAT owner, Athena, takes city ordinances and leash laws very seriously and works closely with our local park rangers as well as animal control to help find solutions to this growing problem. So unless we take your dog to one of the very few off-leash OK places in town, all of your pup's adventures with us will be on leash only. If you specifically want your pup to have some off-leash freedom while with us, just let us know when you reach out and we will give you the options for where we can take them to make that happen. 

Do you work with un-altered animals?

Yes! We are happy to work with unspayed or unneutered pets, though it may change what we can offer. For example, we won't take an unspayed dog in heat to a park or beach, but we are still happy to watch them or do neighborhood walks with them. Similarly, if an unneutered dog won't stop trying to hump everything, we may have to limit them to solo neighborhood walks as well. 

Can you work with pets that have special needs?

Of course! We are proud to have worked with a variety of clients whose needs vary from allergies and dietary restrictions to hourly meds and demanding physical care. We can also work with your dog's appointment schedule if they have vet or rehab appointments that they need to be taken to while you are away.

Could I create a custome service outside of what you have listed?

Absolutely! We often have clients who reach out wanting to set up something specific to their pet that doesn't quite fit in any of our listed services. While we can't guarantee always being able to accommodate every request, we will be happy to work with you to create a routine that will suit you and your pet(s) best!

Will you be able to let my gardners/cleaners/pool guys in while watching my pet?

It depends on what you've booked. If you only book drop-in visits or overnight care for your pet while you are away we can't guarantee that we'll be at your house exactly when your helpers arrive. But, if you give their typical schedule, including typical arrival and departure times, when you book your pet sitting we will always do our best to make sure we are at the house when they would be. And of course, if you book full 24-hour care it would be basically guaranteed!

Will you do overnight services for cats?

We are happy to do any of our pet-sitting options for ANY type of animal! Want to book 24-hour care for your rabbits, go for it. We often do overnight care for non-dog pets and we always do them gladly. One of our most regular 14-hour bookings is for a lovely senior cat named Purr!

You say that your dog runs are in a Canicross style, what does that mean?

Canicross is one of several Dog Powered Sports that exist to fulfill a dog's natural desire to pull. Sometimes called dry-mushing or land-mushing, it was originally developed as a way to exercise sled dogs during the off-season when there wasn't enough snow for a sled. Other Dog Powered Sports include Bikejoring and Skijoring, where a dog would pull a bicyclist or pull someone on ski's. It is an activity that is rising in popularity all over the world for active dog owners and is quite competitive with races being held all over, though most people don't choose to compete and just do it for fun. What it means for us running your dog, is that we'll attach your dog to a specially designed belt that your runner would wear and encourage your dog to run out in front of us. There a tons of benefits to this style of running like that it is more enriching mentally, that it promotes muscle growth and increases dogs' stamina, and also that is a much more tiring way of running! We would be happy to send videos, and articles, or go over what it looks like in person for anyone who may be confused. 

Can I book a non-canicross style of run for my dog?

Yes, but it may require prior training on your part. The reason that Canicross running is so easy and fun, is because it allows your dog to do what they naturally want to, which is pulling. Attaching your dog to a specially designed belt that your runner wears, means that your dog can put their whole weight into the leash and steam ahead as fast as they'd like. This tires them out more, is more mentally stimulating, promotes muscle growth, and makes your dog even more excited about running. We understand that some people can be concerned that this will encourage their dogs to pull on the leash during regular walks, so we are happy to do runs where the dog would run beside us instead of in front of us. However, if your dog does not naturally default to this position in running, we are not equipped to train it. So just be aware, that you may need to take some time to train that sort of run behavior before booking a run with us. But rest assured that if the training has been done, or your dog naturally defaults to that style of running (which is fairly common) then we are more than happy to do it!