A Minimum Investment, Maximum Profit Home Business!

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Some dogs and cats "go off" food for the first day or two in a new environment . . . but they'll generally start to eat again once they settle in. Other animals—usually those that have been accustomed to gourmet diets of table scraps—turn up their noses at dog or cat ration. After a couple of days, though, that animal food begins to look pretty good, and even the most pampered pets eventually give in and eat it.

You might wonder if keeping animals in your own home wouldn't leave you the unpleasant task of cleaning up a lot of messes. Well, I guess the seriousness of that problem will depend more on your attitude than anything else. We've hosted dogs ranging in size from miniature poodles to a Great Dane without any major difficulty. Sure, there have been accidents on the living room carpet . . . we occasionally have to cope with dog or cat hair on the furniture . and we practically had to follow that Great Dane around with a towel because he was slobbering so much in the summer heat. But those are the exceptions rather than the rule in our business, and we choose to view them not as problems, but as inconveniences. Basically, we provide a healthful environment—complete with good food and lots of attention—for our visitors . . . and that seems to prevent most troublesome behavior.

In general, we prefer to have an animal around the house where it's contented, entertained, and out of mischief. After all, if a visiting dog or cat were left unattended in the back yard, it might decide to dig under —or jump over—the fence and head for home . . . which would definitely not be good for business! Of course, if you must leave an animal alone (do so for short periods of time only), you might put it outside on a running lead (which consists of a wire stretched horizontally between two trees or posts and a free-flowing wire or chain hanging from it to the dog's collar) or in a pen. Being put in a good cage (such as the one shown in the accompanying photos) won't constitute a cruel imposition on any pet. This sort of portable doghouse-when properly designed—allows maximum ventilation and room for the animal to stand or lie down comfortably . . . and will be easy to clean. A crate is also the safest means of transporting a pet in any type of motor vehicle.

If we're ever boarding two animals that don't get along, we generally separate them from each other by using a simple rotation system. While one pet is in the house for an hour or two, we keep the other one outside on a running lead . . . and the positions are periodically exchanged.

Retailing pet supplies. We were surprised (and pleased) to discover that we needed only a state tax number to be able to purchase pet care products wholesale from a local distributor . . . so we quickly completed the required paper work. The tax number enables us to buy and sell small standard items—collars, leashes, shampoos, vitamins, etc.—from our garage work area. We can also special-order any other necessaries from the distributor and receive the delivery in 48 hours or less. And since retailing isn't our only occupation, we're able to sell the products for less than pet stores charge, while still making a decent profit.

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