Fluent Horse & Dog Spoken Here—

Newtown Gets A ‘Pet Concierge’ Service

Travelers in Europe who have questions about the area are able to pick up a telephone and call the hotel’s concierge. The concierge, a staff member who speaks fluent English, can answer most questions and handle arrangements for tours, dinner reservations, and other requests.

Now local pet owners can use the same approach to help solve problems, get recommendations for pet professionals or research topics of interest with a new “pet concierge” service offered by Lisa Peterson, in conjunction with her pet sitting business, Peterson Pet Sitting, LLC.

“In my business people are always asking me questions. What do I know about hip dysplasia or how do I keep the dog from jumping all over the guests,” Ms Peterson said. “And many times it is the same request over and over. I figured I would bring together as much knowledge as I could such as resources, articles, books, other professionals and my personal experience to try and solve their problems or answer their questions.

“In addition,” she quipped, “I speak fluent ‘dog’ and ‘horse.’”

Involved for several years with a successful area pet sitting business, Ms Peterson recently decided to launch her own business, and simultaneously to expand the services. She draws on extensive experience with both horses and dogs, which she breeds and shows.

As a child she first started riding in Newtown in the early 1970s with Fairfield County Hounds. Over the next 30 years, she showed hunters, taught hunt seat riding at Teikyo Post University and Norfield Farm, and worked as a professional trainer and groom. She has published dozens of horse-related articles and ran her own equine marketing business.

 A writer and former newspaper reporter, the 40-year-old Dodgingtown resident grew up in Trumbull and graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a double major in journalism and political science. She worked at The New Haven Register, The Newtown Bee, and The Norwalk Hour newspapers, and at Forecast International Inc in Newtown – where she met her husband, Ray Peterson – before leaving to do freelance writing and to work with animals and their owners.

 “My background as a journalist really trained me well to dig deep and find the best sources,” she said. “My love of animals and joy of helping others makes this service a natural fit. I love to do research and read a zillion horse and dog magazines every month.

“I love to network and have lots of contacts with local merchants and professionals so it’s easy for me to pull a solution out of hat quicker than someone starting from scratch. I know where to look and who to talk to,” she continued.

She said that first-time dog owners, especially those with children who are getting puppies, often have many questions. They need guidance and while there is a wealth of information out there, many times novice pet owners don’t know where to begin. It is the same with training, she said. People sometimes need a recommendation for a good trainer for their dog or horse and don’t know whom to call.

Lisa Peterson stresses that primary information regarding the health and medical condition of a horse or dog should always come from a vet, but she can find articles, Web sites and other resources to supplement the vet’s recommendations.  For the owners of a dog with bad hip joints, for instance, she can research different supplements that might help, or put the owners in touch with a specialist, or discuss diet and exercise for an overweight dog. 

Ms Peterson plans to publish a newsletter to keep people informed and educated.

 “Sometimes it’s the basics that slip through the cracks. Not everyone needs to know about some exotic disease, but maybe horse people would like to know the consensus among local vets this summer about West Nile or with the recent change in vaccines to cover new strains of the Lepto virus affecting dogs in our area,” Ms Peterson said. “My focus will be local. What do Newtown dog and horse owners need to know?”

Beginning in the May 11 issue of The Newtown Bee, Ms Peterson will write a bi-monthly column called “Horses & Hounds.” She will alternate columns between topics for horses and dogs. It will tackle current affairs, ask new questions, revisit old problems and be jam-packed with lots of interviews and stories from local people as well as the occasional opinion piece.

Ms Peterson has been actively involved in the dog fancy for more than 15 years. She continues to breed and exhibit her Elvemel Norwegian Elkhounds in conformation and obedience. As public education coordinator for Newtown Kennel Club she writes “The Sport of Pure-bred Dogs” for The Bee. In addition, she received the nomination from Norwegian Elkhound Association of America to serve as its American Kennel Club delegate.

To contact Lisa Peterson at Peterson Pet Sitting, LLC call 270-1732 or e-mail her at petersonpets@usa.net to find out more about pet sitting and the pet concierge service.