Laura Green and her Airedale Terrier, Jaz

Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk Gives Pets A New Leash On Life

Pet owners now have an alternate choice for pet care while they are away from home. Laura Green, owner, has opened Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk, a company that offers every­thing from daily dog walking to visiting pets in their homes while owners are traveling on business or vacation. The unique services provided by the company allows pet owners to leave their loyal companions in the comfort and ­familiarity of home, and serves the Riverview, Brandon, Bloomingdale, FishHawk and ­Valrico communities. 

“Allowing pets to stay at home maintains their regular feeding and exercise schedule and deters the possibility of illness and undue stress. I will visit a home on a daily basis to feed, water and care for an owner’s pet(s). My top priority is to enhance the quality of life for pets by providing them with ­loving care while their owners are on ­vacation or at work.

Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk ­offers pet owners more than just pet care services – we provide unparalleled availability, reliability, and professionalism, all at completely competitive rates. And thanks to daily phone or email updates, my clients get peace of mind on the state of their carpet as well,” says Green.

Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk takes the health and well-being of pets very seriously, and the company’s services extend far beyond the provision of food and water. Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk offers daily dog walking services to pet owners with demanding work schedules.  Exercise routines are carefully tailored to the dog’s age, ability, health condition, preferences and temperament. “Whether it’s every day or every other day, a well-­exercised dog is a happy dog! A lot of the problems that most dogs face today are from lack of exercise. Overweight, excessive barking, not being good with ­strangers, and even biting can often be traced back to lack of ­exercise. And the cost is surprisingly afford­able, especially when compared to the hundreds, even thousands of ­dollars pet ­owners will spend in an ­attempt to correct the ­behavior problems that develop,” says Green. 

Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk also pro­vides important “­gatekeeping” ­serv­ices, such as taking in the mail and alter­nating blinds/lighting, which helps the home retain an active, lived-in look. This is an invaluable service for travelers, vacationers, homebound individuals and other pet owners with scheduling ­problems.

Giv-a-Dog-a-Walk is bonded and insured, and is a proud member of PSI (Pet Sitters International).

For more information, call Laura Green at (813) 447-1090 or by email at givadogawalk@live.com.

Plan for the Future
Money, death, estate planning are important subjects to know about. A team of experts have been invited to answer all of your questions! Come at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 13 to the Payant Financial Plaza, 1653 Sun City Center Plaza, Sun City Center.

Call (813) 633-7333 to reserve your seat. Refreshments will be served.

Featured experts will be: ­Thomas A. Payant, CEO, Payant Financial Services, Inc. Plan to make your future easier. Mike Langjahr, Owner, Sun City Center Funeral Home. One hundred twenty-four decisions that must be made when someone dies. Take home a checklist of topics:VA Benefits -- Burial vs. Cremation, etc.

Joe Pippen, Attorney, Owner, Law Offices of Joseph F. Pippen. Make sure your assets are titled properly.

This is sponsored by Payant ­Financial, Sun City Funeral Home, and the Law Offices of Joseph F. Pippen, Jr. & Associates.

Talking About the Financial Errors Seniors Make
When you are retired, the thought of running out of money is a major cause for concern, but even more terrifying than that may be the fear of making an irreversible financial mistake.
We all readily agree that everything is getting more and more ­expensive -- healthcare, milk, eggs, groceries and, of course, gas. It just makes sense to warrant an educated assessment of your finan­cial situation in terms of where you are, where you’d like to be, and what you might likely have to do to get there. But probably for most of us, we will carry on along our retirement highway at thirty miles an hour instead of our usual seventy miles per hour because we have to now navigate through so many obstacles.

Do you really have a plan?

Yes. I have my investments in ­order. I don’t think I need any help.

To many folks, a financial plan is simply an investment strategy. Although sound investments are a very important component, finan­cial planning involves so much more. Factors such as short-term and long-term goals, current lifestyle and budget, insurance needs, estate planning, and tax planning among other important factors need to be considered. It should be looked at collectively, while at the same time you need to address a few difficult and sometimes emotionally challenging questions -- How would the death of one spouse ­affect the household income? Would the retirement savings withstand an expensive illness? Would the survivor be comfortably prepared to take over and manage finances? Advance planning can go a long way toward alleviating later financial stress.

Not everything in retirement is peaches and cream. What is going to happen when a life-changing event occurs, such as ­incapacity due to illness, death or even ­divorce? “Some might feel that it’s morbid to create a financial plan around the possibility of losing a spouse,” says Gary Cotter, CFP® and President of Cotter Financial, “but divorce, death and incapacity due to illness does happen, and the best strategy is to have a plan in place before you ever need it. ­Understanding your finances, tightening up the loose ends and having a plan to ensure you’ll be left with adequate resources is crucial.” One thing is for sure, retirees cannot afford to make huge financial errors.

Mr. Cotter will talk about ­seven common financial errors that ­seniors make and how to avoid them in free workshop at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 11 at the Golf Club at Cypress Creek, 1011 ­Cypress Village Blvd. Reserve your seat today by calling 634-2000. Light refreshments will be provided. All attendees will ­receive a copy of “The Informed Retiree 2008.”

© Copyright 2008 by The Observer News Publications and M&M Printing Company, Inc.

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