I am the ultimate pet lover. I grew up with large dogs and have had both dogs and cats just about all my life.  I am finally down to just one rescue cat and get my dog “fix” from other people’s dogs now that our Springer Spaniel is no longer with us.  As a realtor though I try to educate my sellers that have dogs or cats or any pets for that matter on what to do with their pet during a showing and how their pet can impact their possible sale.  Here are a couple of my stories:

Last year I had a townhome listed and their 3 year old dog was extremely “active”. Dog lover that I am I arrived in “wash and wear” and left with spit,slime and snags.  But I got the listing!  If the owner was going to be home she would put the dog on a leash and leave.  Hope she is home a lot I thought!  However the one day that she worked I would need to go over and corral the dog into her cage for any showings.  Easy enough they said just give her a biscuit. Of course the next showing was on that work day.  I arrived early to the dog barking and jumping all over the entry door (it is left loose inside the townhome during the day) and I had to get in there without the dog getting out.  Bottom line is this dog was too smart for a treat and knew what I was going to do!  I literally had to corner and tackle the dog to drag her 70 pounds into the cage. She howled and barked the whole time the clients were viewing the house and they left quickly. I needed a treat!

Another time I had buyer clients and arrived a a single family home to show it to my relocating buyers.  On the stoop was a plastic covered bowl with a note on it.  It was addressed to Realtors and said I should go in with treat in hand and get the dog into the garage before letting my clients in for the showing.  My clients said they loved dogs and no problem.  They would help.  Open the door, golden retriever bounds at me, figures out how to open the storm door and goes outside! It took me and my clients to push pull all we could to get this dog who planted her feet and mind that she wasn’t going anywhere back into the house.  Treat be damned!  I needed another treat for that one.

Then there’s always the little ones that yap and hump your ankles.  Note to self:  Stop wearing black pants that are not wash and wear — they get full of dog and cat hair. One client had three cats.  One we never saw during the almost year long listing, one always stayed asleep n the back of the couch ( we checked for breathing every now and then), and then there was Jake.  Jake seemed nice enough.  He had this little stuffed bunny he kept dragging to his food bowl thinking it would eat. He was social too following us around.  Little did we know that Jake was a closet attack cat.  I still have the scars.

Of course the stories could go on and on.  People leave for the weekend and leave the cat(s) alone.  The pet odors can be horrendous.One house we went into not only had cat “mistakes” all over the carpeting, there in the middle of the family room was a dead mouse present for us to see at our showing! We were out the door.

When I sold my last house a few years ago I had 2 cats at the time. I remember driving around with the 2 cats in the car with their food and littler box IN THE CAR for every showing.  No one ever knew I had a cat.  Of course if you can’t do that there are alternatives!

For cats: Clean the litter box several times a day.  Change the litter often. Use a disposable deodorizer  near the cat littler.  I like the Glade Glass Accents. Do NOT put the litter box in an inappropriate place like the living room, kitchen or bedroom.  Keep it private and preferably out of site:  The basement workshop, a bathroom other than the one most people use, the laundry room etc. For a showing put the food away or at least the dish with the half eaten wet stuff.  Seriously consider having a pet sitter come by once a day if you work to make sure everything is in order with your pet.

For dogs: Please do not leave them loose in the house for any reason.  If they are crate trained leave them in the crate. If they are used to roaming  loose, please try to schedule showings around your availability or a neighbor’s availability to remove the dog. Dog odors are the worst. Have your carpeting steam cleaned before listing your house and vacuum frequently. Take the dog outside more often or consider a pet sitter that can come by to help as well.

It is very important to keep in mind that some buyers are ALLERGIC and AFRAID of dogs and or cats.  Some Realtors are afraid as well. No to mention how traumatized your pets are to have strangers ringing doorbells and wandering through their home! So keep Fido and Fluffy safe from humans during showing hours and plan accordingly.

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