Blackout dates for 2010

August 16, 17, 18
August 20, 21, 22, 23

Piccoli-Animali is now on Facebook ~ please visit my new page, become a Fan, and share your advice and experiences with other exotic pet owners!  Feel free to post photos of your pets as well! (For Facebook Click here)

February 2010

Sadly, our beloved chinchilla, Cheerio, passed away suddenly on January 31st.  We will miss her horribly but know that God is caring for her as we did. I know many of my clients loved visiting with her when they came to the house and will miss seeing her.

The boarding room renovation is now complete and ready for spring break 2010.  Please see the photos below of the bright & spacious new room your pets will be staying in. If you already have plans for spring break which involve your pet coming to stay, please be sure to contact me as soon as possible, as the room fills up quick this time of year!

January 2010

Happy New Year to all my clients & their families!

2010 is off to a bittersweet start here in our home.  We lost two of our beloved pets. Hooper, our Syrian hamster, passed away right before Christmas, and Annette, my first rabbit and Chase's mate, passed away the second week of January.  So it was a sad holiday season for us in dealing with our losses.  Now we are in the process of trying to get Chase accepted by Prinnie and Looie, the Californian twins who came to live with us a little over a year ago.  This is going to be a long road, but hopefully they will accept him and he will not feel as alone as he does now.

After Hooper's passing, Steph's room was feeling empty and sad so we visited the SPCA in Conshohocken and brought Jimi  home. He is a young, white-crested guinea pig who was turned in because his owners' children developed allergies to him.   He was turned in with his brother, who was adopted without Jimi, so bringing him home to love made the pain of losing Hooper a little easier on everyone.  He was nice enough to pose for me, so his handsome little face is now appearing here on the website.

I finally sold my dining room furniture (yay!) that was taking up such a huge portion of the boarding room, so I am starting on that project right away.  Beginning with the Spring Break, I will have a brand new functional room for your pets to stay in.  I am really looking forward to maximizing that space after a year and a half of working around covered furniture, and being able to accommodate more clients at a time while still allowing everyone their "elbow room" (assuming they actually have elbows).

So here's to a new year of happy, healthy pets and their humans!  Thank you all so much for continuing to place your trust in me with your beloved family members, and for your referrals as well.  My little business has enjoyed some growth in the past year, and I have many of you to thank for that.

News From Diane

Summer is off to a roaring start here, and it is great to see my furry friends coming back as well as some newcomers!

There will not be any blackout dates this summer, and I will be here to care for your pets as needed.

Please note that I have had to re-evaluate my deposit terms to ensure that my costs are covered.  As of June 2009, 50% deposits are required a minimum of one (1) week in advance as stated under my Care Fees section.  If you are booking within the same week of drop-off, full payment is required on drop-off day.  Please visit that section to read full information, as adherence to these terms are crucial to the financial support of my business and will enable me to continue caring for your pets.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone, and please know that if your pet is spending the holiday with me, my boarding room will be closed off to all outside fanfare to keep your pets as anxiety-free as possible.

January 6, 2009

Happy New Year!!

Meet the new additions to my family!!

The photo on this page is of our newest family additions, Princess and Luigi, who were two of my first clients.  They are beautiful (large!) Californian breeds, and came to me in November for fostering.  After a short time, they were well-implanted in our family, and have chosen their forever-home in my son's room.  They are brother and sister, and just turned a year old in December.

Blackout dates for Summer 2009

Most likely I will not have blackout dates this summer, but this is not definite as yet.  If you are already planning a trip, please either check this page to see if I have posted any dates, or contact me via email at diane@piccoli-animali.com and let me know your plans ahead of time so that I can pencil it in on my calendar.

Piccoli-Animali is 6 months old and growing like a weed!

I have been so blessed since opening my business in June, 2008 with wonderful clients and their pets.  In the second half of this winter, I will be renovating the room where my boarders stay to make it 100% pet-proof and pet-friendly.  As my existing customers know, this used to be my dining room, and it still holds the remnants, but once the renovating is finished it will officially be "Piccoli-Animali" headquarters.

Once the dining room furniture is sold, I will first put durable flooring down, as well as install a door to separate it from the main living room (and my pets that live in that room).  This will allow for easier cleanups as well as give those pets who enjoy time out of their cage a safe place to roam without getting lost in the rest of the house.

The curtains, which are major dust & allergen collectors, will come down and be replaced with durable shades that will block out the always-chaotic activity at the backyard feeders that some of the smaller clients do not like very much.  This will also darken the room in the summer and allow the A/C to effectively monitor the temperature.

I will install industrial shelving against one wall to hold everyone's supplies [and keep things from getting mixed up], as well as provide a designated area for smaller caged pets like my guinea pigs and hamsters.

And last but certainly not least, the walls will be decorated with framed photos of my clients!

Our plan is to have all the work done before the summer vacation rush, so hopefully I will be able to say "bring 'em on!" to anyone who calls needing accomodations.

Goodbye for now...

Thank you to all my clients - you all mean so much to me and I care for your pets as I do my own.  I truly am so glad I started this business; it is very fulfilling to know that you and your families can enjoy yourselves away from home with confidence that your pets are loved and valued here.

Enjoy the rest of your winter & spring, and I will see you in the summer (or before!)

All the best,
Diane