She’s the whole kitten kaboodle

It’s a dog’s life for Chestnut Hill pet sitter

By JOHN ROSENBAUM

During this time of year many of your neighbors have left Philadelphia and gone on vacation. Some of them do their best to bring along their extended family of pets, but many cannot, or for some reason choose not to. So what do these families do, and where do these animals go, when they unwillingly part ways with their loved ones? To shed some light in this matter, I delved into the world of pet care.

Looking after pets has become a lucrative business, and there has emerged a lively market of professionals doing this for a living. There are also others doing it for several other reasons, such as an exceptional passion for animals and/or spare time during the summer months.   

This summer, Cindy Miller, a 6^th grade teacher with 25 years experience in the classroom, took on a job she has not had since she was a child – motivated by a self-proclaimed enthusiasm – as she posted a classified ad in the Chestnut Hill Local.

It read: “Dependable animal lover will feed your pets or walk your dog – very reasonable rates.” And although Cindy was unsure what to expect, the response she says “has been overwhelming.”

Since the age of 10, taking care of animals has been a major part of her life, but up until now she has done it purely out of love and respect for the animals. And although her primary motivation has not changed, there is now a minor although still noteworthy economic aspect to her revived childhood job.

Cindy’s first caretaking responsibilities were for a rabbit named Cathy. What started as once-a-day visits soon turned into three-times-a-day. She couldn’t help herself. Passionate and full of energy, she soon had a slew of animals in her neighborhood clamoring for her services. She took care of Agatha and Tiger (cats), Beethoven and Gus-Gus (Dachshunds), Cassandra and Fudrin (ducks) and Cassy (a Dalmatian).

“I walked, played, fed and was around the animals all the time,” Cindy recalls.    

Today, as she resumes the job she loved as a child, Cindy says not much has changed.

“I walk the dogs in parks, make sure the cats get some human interaction, nourish them, change the litter boxes and do my utmost to keep the animals happy.”

After growing up near Cincinnati, Cindy went to college at Ohio Wesleyan University where she earned her undergraduate degree, subsequently moving on to Ohio State University and a master’s degree in English Literature. From there Cindy and her husband moved around, eventually coming to Philadelphia from Columbus, Ohio 12 years ago. Although they eventually divorced, Cindy decided to stay in Chestnut Hill.

Having been a high school English teacher for almost 25 years, Cindy is presently teaching at the Robert Saligman Middle School in Melrose Park.

“I love being a teacher; it has been a lifelong love affair” says Cindy, reminiscing and telling me several stories about her experiences as a teacher. Cindy sees great similarities in nurturing animals and children.

“They are both very vulnerable and completely at the mercy of their caretakers’ goodwill” Cindy said. And she should be able to draw these parallels having worked with children for the better part of her life, as well as doing volunteer work for more than 10 years with the American Humane Society (AHS) in Montgomery County. Much like the ASPCA (the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) AHS helps and cares for animals that for various reasons find their way into shelters. Cindy also acknowledges Channel 10’s “adopt a pet” show as an excellent way to get shelter-animals into families. And there is no denying that all these organizations do important work.

Of the more than 30 million puppies and kittens born in the US each year, only one in 10 finds a permanent home, according to the AHS. The rest die of cruelty, disease, poisoning, starvation, accidents, or they end up in shelters. Eventually, only about 35 percent of them are adopted, and thus some six to eight million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized annually. Cindy is detailed and emotional when she shares her experiences.          

“I really loved working at these places; relocating and helping these neglected pets find new hope, which was highly rewarding although heartbreaking … and after 10 years I decided I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Today, animals are still very much a part of Cindy’s life – but the days of having a dozen animals around the house are over. Cindy feels she does not have enough time and has limited her menagerie to two adopted cats: Katie (whose family moved to Australia) and Thomasina. In addition, Cindy tells me that during this past spring she lost her 19-year-old cat Zippity to the unavoidable culprit of age.

“The kids at school really helped me get over Zippity; they would draw cards, and be as sweet as only kids can be.”

Cindy is an endearing story teller, the kind you wished you had back in your school days, which might have had you enthused instead of snoozed. She tells me about Katie, who has not been with her for all that long, and how she used to be called Kato. However, the infamous O.J Simpson trial and the star witness of that case, Kato Kaelin, prompted her previous owner change her name to Katie.

Ironically, what Cindy loves to do has also given her allergies. A few years back she was diagnosed with having a cat and dog allergy. And although she from time to time experiences some discomfort, “Claritin makes it manageable.”

When families go away, Cindy believes that pets really feel their owners’ absence. “They are saddened, some more than others, as the animals do not know what’s going on around them, and more importantly, they are unable to control their situation. That’s why it is more important than you might think that pets are put in the hands of someone who looks after the best interest of the animal, and doesn’t do it as any other random job.”

Cindy’s voice drops an octave as she kindheartedly says, “Animals bring out the best in good people and the worst in the not so good. . . We should treat animals with the same respect and dignity we ourselves demand. . . Just as no two people are the same, no animal is identical to the other and therefore should be treated as such.”

And she gives me a great example of animals grieving to prove her point. “When Zippity died, Katie mourned for weeks, not eating and trying to find him all over the house, eventually realizing he wasn’t coming back.”

Although Cindy is not insured (bonded), as many professional companies are, she is confident she does not need it. “I am extremely careful and conscientious when walking pets in public, and really try to be as considerate and cautious as possible.”

She insists she has never had a single incident when walking pets, and there are good reasons for it. “I don’t walk overly aggressive dogs, nor do I let the animals walk without a leash, it is not negotiable.”

So is Cindy Miller the best there is in this business? Well according to her, companies such as “Furry Buddies, Inc.” do just as good of a job.

As our two hour interview comes to an end, I conclude that Cindy Miller is a skilled story teller, a fervent animal lover and most likely a dedicated and inspiring teacher. However, before I leave, she tells me that she does have one regret of her own.

“I never had any children.”

And she is well aware of the possibility that her love for animals and children has in some way been intensified by not having any children of her own. She is very frank when she says, “Teaching children and caring for animals have become substitutes for what I never had myself … and wonderful ones at that.”

 As I leave the house of Cindy Miller, I cannot be sure I speak for all pets, but I am certain that there are plenty of four-legged mammals who sincerely hope she continues long into the future. For more information, call 215-242 4922.