Yesterday I noticed a bus for a doggie day care going by. It looked like a small school bus except that it was purple. At least one of the several doggie day care places around here will pick up dogs and then deliver them at the end of the day. I realized that I never saw a doggie day care place in Venice, Florida.
Now, Venice is dog paradise as far as I can tell. The sidewalks are abuzz with people walking their dogs each morning and evening. Many of the dogs seem never to even have to touch their feet to the ground since they are carried or carted in strollers or bicycle baskets. Dogs have their own beach. They have a downtown parade and an official day in the park. There are dog grooming places and even higher end salons for the pampered canine. No day care facilities, I'm guessing because the population is so heavily skewed to the retired who don't need day care or a bus to transport their pets.
What I did notice in Venice in the dog "business" vein, though was a taxi service for dogs--to get them to vet and grooming appointments. (How about a limo service to get the purebreds to dog shows?) Also some enterprising individual started a pooper scooper business proudly advertised on his/her car. They will come and clean up your yard on a regular or a one basis. Now that is a business that would not fly in rural Vermont, but I could definitely see it filling a real need in a place like Venice.
There is a bakery in the next small town that produces special dog treats. I didn't happen to notice anything like that in Venice, but I'll bet that would take off on the main street--a little cafe type place that served coffee or wine to humans and bowls of fresh water and a crunchy, fresh-baked treat for the dogs.
I just think it is really kind of cool when someone sees a need and makes a going business out of filling that need.
I am not looking to start any kind of business, but I did fill a need today. I spent four hours at our town library today sorting through books that were donated for the fund raiser book sale, but too late. Some of the books can go into the library's holdings and a bunch I put on the sale shelf. Will it surprise anyone to know that I reordered that shelf, putting the books in alphabetical order, separating fiction/non-fiction, etc.?
Next time, I will color code with a sticky dot all the sale books so we can get rid of things that just don't sell after a certain amount of time. Some of the books are just ready to be thrown out, but most will be passed on to another library book sale.
I wonder, with the popularity of electronic readers and the ready availability of books to use with them, how much longer used book sales will be much of a draw and a viable fund raiser for libraries. I do hope there will always be a role for our little community library though.
Now, Venice is dog paradise as far as I can tell. The sidewalks are abuzz with people walking their dogs each morning and evening. Many of the dogs seem never to even have to touch their feet to the ground since they are carried or carted in strollers or bicycle baskets. Dogs have their own beach. They have a downtown parade and an official day in the park. There are dog grooming places and even higher end salons for the pampered canine. No day care facilities, I'm guessing because the population is so heavily skewed to the retired who don't need day care or a bus to transport their pets.
What I did notice in Venice in the dog "business" vein, though was a taxi service for dogs--to get them to vet and grooming appointments. (How about a limo service to get the purebreds to dog shows?) Also some enterprising individual started a pooper scooper business proudly advertised on his/her car. They will come and clean up your yard on a regular or a one basis. Now that is a business that would not fly in rural Vermont, but I could definitely see it filling a real need in a place like Venice.
There is a bakery in the next small town that produces special dog treats. I didn't happen to notice anything like that in Venice, but I'll bet that would take off on the main street--a little cafe type place that served coffee or wine to humans and bowls of fresh water and a crunchy, fresh-baked treat for the dogs.
I just think it is really kind of cool when someone sees a need and makes a going business out of filling that need.
I am not looking to start any kind of business, but I did fill a need today. I spent four hours at our town library today sorting through books that were donated for the fund raiser book sale, but too late. Some of the books can go into the library's holdings and a bunch I put on the sale shelf. Will it surprise anyone to know that I reordered that shelf, putting the books in alphabetical order, separating fiction/non-fiction, etc.?
Next time, I will color code with a sticky dot all the sale books so we can get rid of things that just don't sell after a certain amount of time. Some of the books are just ready to be thrown out, but most will be passed on to another library book sale.
I wonder, with the popularity of electronic readers and the ready availability of books to use with them, how much longer used book sales will be much of a draw and a viable fund raiser for libraries. I do hope there will always be a role for our little community library though.
Here in SoCal some of the drive through restaurants give out doggie treats when they give you your order if they see that you have a dog in the car with you. The treat is always in its own little baggie, so the owner can decide if and when the dog gets it. Doing this brings lots of people to that drive-in!
ReplyDeleteI hope there will always be at least some people who like to hold a book in their hands, to feel the flat surfaces and the edges of the pages, to smell the age of it.
ReplyDeleteThat pooper scooper guy is a genius!
The businesses are genius. People will pay who need those services.
ReplyDeleteI hope I am gone before all the books are. It really scares me to think that we aren't teaching handwriting, and we are seeing a decline in print books. What will become of our grandchildren in such a world?
You are right in the thick of it, even though you've just arrived back home. Good for you - hit the ground running, Olga!
ReplyDeleteIf there is such a thing as reincarnation, my choice would be to come back as a dog to retired folks. Must be the life!!!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder what the rest of the world thinks about the way we treat our pets.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet a lot of folks would gladly pay a pooper-scooper to come once a week.
If you have room it's nice to have your own library. As apartment dwellers that's the last thing I want, lots of books to move. I try to keep paper books to a minimum by reading books on my Kindle.
What a great business!
ReplyDeleteHere in Atlanta we also have all sorts of businesses catering to dog lovers. My theory in midtown Atlanta is that people have dogs so they can walk the streets without looking like homeless people. No surprise at all that you have ordered the books in three different ways. I have the sweetest mother who comes into my classroom every month or so to try to put my classroom library in order. She just about has a heart attack each time.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to be a dog walker. Cute companions and great exercise. Almost always living in the country has made that remain on my dream shelf.
ReplyDeleteI do love my Kindle but kind of miss the trips to the library. I saw my librarian the other day while shopping. She thought I had passed away. Goodness.
I love the business idea, but I couldn't help thinking about people who are struggling to make ends meet. I wish there were a way to smooth out the financial issues.
ReplyDeleteI love my Kindle also, but unless I'm traveling I only download a book if the wait at the library is too long, or www.paperbackswap.com doesn't have it. I have a stack of real books by my nightstand and it's a comfort.