Vet Wisdom® Café

ClayPaws on the NoJoeSchmo Blog

Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I've pretty much left my one-on-one pet loss counseling days behind me.  And I often miss it!  For me, there was no more rewarding work than being able to spend hours, or even days and weeks, with pet parents as they said good-bye to their beloved animals.

So, it was fun for me this weekend to revisit those days a bit during an interview with Megan Hess who writes the NoJoeSchmo blog.  Megan is a recent Syracuse University grad with a degree in journalism.  She's interested in how people like me have built careers that aren't exactly in the business mainstream.  On her blog, Megan has collected interviews with all kinds of innovative and creative people.  It's really inspiring to read about how other folks like me were able to take an idea  or opportunity and create a livelihood for themselves. Megan defines a NoJoeSchmo as people who "aren't necessarily featured on Fortune 500 lists, and you probably wouldn't recognize them on TV. But their stories and career paths are just as worthwhile." (photo from the NoJoeSchmo website.)

If you've been thinking about changing jobs or, if you're interested in learning a bit about the ClayPaws® prints history, check out my interview and others like it at http://nojoeschmo.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/clay-paw-prints

Thanks, Megan!

--Laurel

Before or after?

We had a discussion on our Facebook page a couple weeks ago, and I thought I'd bring it to you, our blog readers, and get input.

It seems that there was a caller to the World by the Tail office who was upset at receiving a ClayPaws® print from her vet's office. During the euthanasia of her pet, they tried to make the print while the animal was still living. The pet struggled a little in the process, and the owner didn't like seeing this and so she asked them to stop, and not make the print. When she received the print anyway, she realized that they had made the print after the animal had died, and she didn't like this.

We asked our Facebook group whether they thought making a print after an animal has died is wrong, or offensive in some way. In the scenario above, pretty much everyone understood why the woman was upset at receiving the paw print, since she had explicitly asked them to stop and didn't want the print made if the animal had already died.

However, most people thought it was OK to take a print of an animal even after it had died. Several said they thought it was actually better to take the print after the animal has died since most animals don't like to have their feet messed with. One person said that her veterinarian makes the print after she has administered sedation, but before the euthanasia is final. Another, someone who works in a veterinary office, said that they always do the prints after the animal has passed away.

What is your take on this? Have you experienced having a paw print made in a way that you didn't like? What would you do differently and how would you request that your vet's office do a print for you? We're interested in your input! (Come join us on Facebook too! We're growing our community and discussions there as well!)

--Tammy

Related articles you might find helpful:

ClayPaws® Prints are Cherished Links to Pets

Ways to Memorialize a Pet

ClayPaws® Kits Create Jobs for Disabled Workers

Last week we had our annual pizza party for the people at Foothills Gateway.  These folks assemble the ClayPaws® kits we sell to veterinary clinics.  We literally could not do business without them!

Foothills Gateway is an agency here in Fort Collins that provides contract jobs for people with disabilities.  The supervisors there help workers who are blind, confined to wheelchairs, mentally disabled, or living with the debilitating effects of progressive diseases like MS earn a living.  We're proud that World by the Tail, Inc., our company, is one of their largest and most consistent job providers.  We have been working with them now for almost 10 years and feel great that our little product helps people live independent and productive lives.

Each year, we order dozens of pizzas and sodas and join the workers and the supervising staff.  I wish you could be there with us when we walk into the room.  These folks cheer and clap and welcome us with open arms.  They can't wait to tell us about the jobs they do to assemble ClayPaws® kits.  And, they thank us over and over and over...it's so gratifying and uplifting.

So, thank you, loyal ClayPaws® kits customers!  You not only make a difference for the pet parents who receive a paw print keepsake, you make a difference to the wonderful workers at Foothills Gateway!

--Laurel

P.S.  I wish I could share some photos of the party with you, but we are asked to respect the confidentiality of the Foothills team. 

One Day Sale!!

We know that you've probably spent some of your holiday weekend standing in line at the mall for specials. Well, you don't have to stand in line to receive our ONE DAY SPECIAL!!

For today, Monday, November 29, 2010, only, you can get a very special deal on ClayPaws® Holiday Gift Kits! These kits will make the perfect gift for a pet lover on your list. Or buy one for your own family to make a special holiday ornament of your beloved pet's paw print!

For today only, use our special coupon code (11HGK10) to receive $5.00 off each holiday gift kit you order. Visit the holiday gift kit page and place your order for the kits you need. Then when you check out, enter the COUPON CODE:  11HGK10 into the appropriate place (a box marked "coupon code" will appear as an optional field).

The normal price for these kits is $19.95 each, so for today only, you can buy as many as you need for the holidays for only $14.95 each!

Don't snooze through this sale! The coupon expires at midnight tonight! Again, the coupon code you need is 11HGK10. Shop now for your holiday gift kits!

--Tammy

Sneak Peek

So, we know you're all out shopping at the mall today! But, we wanted to let you know - we will have a fun special offer for you on Monday. When you're all shopped out, you can still fill out your lists online!

We have a great gift for pet lovers and on Monday, we'll be offering a SUPER deal! It's a one-day sale, so you'll have to be sure to check back and find out what the deal is!

Give yourself a break from running around to the stores, and shop online with us on Monday!

--Tammy

Related products you might like:

ClayPaws® Holiday Gift Kits

Don't snooze and lose!

It's that time of year again!!

It is our once annual  Stock Up and Save Sale on ClayPaws® kits! This is the beset deal we offer all year, and we want to make sure you know so you don't miss out!

Head on over to the website now and take a look at the deals! If you use ClayPaws® kits in your animal care business, now is the time to stock up! If you've been thinking about starting to use them, this is the best deal you'll get!

You can choose your type of clay, White, Terra Cotta, or Soft. If you order 40 kits, we'll include 6 FREE kits! Or go big, and order 80 kits, we'll give you 12 FREE kits!

Don't miss out - the sale doesn't last forever! Order here.

--Tammy

ClayPaws® 101 Videos

Have you ever tried to make a ClayPaws® print of your pet's paw and met with some frustrations? Well, we have a new video series that will help!

Our ClayPaws® 101 Video series includes every step you need to make a wonderful print of your beloved pet's paw. Start out with Video 1: How to Prepare Your ClayPaws® Patty. Did you know that you NEED to knead the clay? The kneading process actually distributes the oils through the clay, making it easier to work with!

(If you're in a reader, you can view this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVhrgpIvoiU)

After learning how to prepare your patty for use, you can follow up with other videos about each step of the process.

Video 2: How to Make Your ClayPaws® Print

Video 3: How to Decorate your ClayPaws® Print

Video 4: How to Bake Your ClayPaws® Print

Video 5: How to Finish Your ClayPaws® Print

Let us know what you think of our video series! Are there other topics you'd like to see us cover in the future?

--Tammy

39 shopping days left...

The holidays are almost upon us! I thought I'd share with you a few items that World by the Tail has for this holiday season that pet lovers will be delighted with!

ClayPaws® Holiday Gift Kits. Each kit contains everything you need to make a perfect ornament of a beloved pet's paw. The clay patty is available in original white, terra cotta, or extra-soft clay (more suitable for use with puppies and kittens). Each kit includes candy cane and star charms that can be added to jazz up the print for use as a holiday decoration! Use the included ribbons to decorate and create the ornament hanger! Also included are gift wrap options for the perfect presentation. $19.95 each kit.

If you don't think an ornament is appropriate, an I Love My Dog or I Love My Cat kit is another great kit idea! It is not specific for the holidays, but makes a lovely paw print kit as well. Included in each kit are ribbons (I love my cat or I love my dog), charms (bones for dogs, fish for cats and a heart in each kit), clay patties (in original white, terra cotta, or extra-soft clay), a stylus for engraving the print, and a heart shaped cutter to make your print into a heart shape. These kits are a great way to preserve happy memories of beloved pets!

There are many other great options for the holidays at our website. There is plenty of shopping time before the big day. (Order before December 10 to be safe!)

Also - watch for a special ONE DAY sale coming on Monday, November 30! I'll announce details here soon!

--Tammy

Duplicating a Memory

How in the world, if your beloved pet has already passed away, can you make a duplicate of a ClayPaws® print?! Well, it truly is possible! And recommended!

Check out our new "Copy Kit". Included is everything you need to make duplicate prints of existing   ClayPaws® prints! We use this technique here in the office to make molds with which we create our demo prints! (We don't have a doggie here who lets us make ClayPaws® prints for you, our customers, all day!)

We know that one-of-a-kind memories like your paw print impressions are so precious! This copy kit allows you to make duplicate prints for family members, even for putting a print outside in the elements! You won't have to worry about the one and only getting broken or destroyed!

The process is fairly simple. Use the included MoldMaker™ product to make a reverse print or mold of your print. Bake this mold and then use it to press into the ClayPaws patties. This will press the impression of your pet's paw into the clay, just like the original! From there, your imagination can run wild!

Use Plastic Wrap for Clean Prints

I received an email over the long weekend from Joyce. She uses our ClayPaws® kits at High Meadows Pet Crematory in West Virginia.

She had been reading our website (www.veterinarywisdom.com) and my blog. She has a tip that I want to pass along to any of you who are making ClayPaws® prints.

She said that they have worried about the dirt and fur that make it into prints when pressing the animals prints into the clay. She has discovered that once you've flattened the clay out into your nice patty if you cover it with plastic wrap it eliminates the problem! The plastic wrap is thin enough that you get a great print, but it keeps the clay clean from dirt! She mentioned that she has experimented with which wrap to use, and the cheaper/thinner wrap is better! (Go for the cheap stuff in this case!) It doesn't wrinkle and make impressions on the clay.

Do you have any tips you'd like to share about making prints in your clinic? Every little tip can help other clinics make the best prints possible! Know that your clients appreciate your attention to detail in making these amazing memories of their pets!

Thanks for your tip Joyce!!

ClayPaws tip from Patricia

Patricia, our resident ClayPaws® print expert (and customer service manager) asked me to pass along this information.

We have been getting so many calls lately about using spray glazes/paints on your finished prints. I know I have written about this before, but it bears repeating.

We do not recommend using an aerosol paint or finish/glaze on your prints. Most of these sprays are incompatible with the clay. In many cases, you will find that the paint or glaze will not dry and will remain tacky/sticky.

We HAVE heard from a couple of clinics about a spray that they have been using that DOES work... we are going to do some experiments here in our ClayPaws® studio to make sure that this is the case. If we find that there is a spray that works with the clay, we will pass along that information to you.

If you feel like you want to spray paint your print, we suggest that you only do so if you have more than one print in case it doesn't work out well! (If you work in a clinic - try it on a sample print before doing it with a client's one and only print!)

As always, call us if you have questions about finishing your ClayPaws® prints! We welcome the questions, and if we don't know the answer, we'll research and find out what we can! Let us know if you have any tips as well. Do you have a technique that works for your clinics' prints? Let us know and we'll share them here!

Dog Days of Summer

It is full-on summer here in Colorado at World by the Tail headquarters. We are hitting the high 90s in temperatures every day. For us, that means two things.

First - we worry about pets in the heat. Fort Collins, and Colorado, is a very dog-friendly place! People love to take their pets along with them, but right now, that is NOT safe. Because of the high temperatures outside, inside cars the temperatures skyrocket. This is dangerous, and can be fatal very quickly for pets. We would love to remind you out there of this danger. Losing a pet because of summer heat would be awful! We don't want you to have to deal with that loss! Keep your pets home, in a cool environment until the temperatures come back down to safe levels! If your pet is outside all the time, make sure they have access to water and a shady place.

Also - if you do see a pet in a hot car, don't hesitate to call the authorities. You might save a pet's life!

The other piece of summer that is difficult for us at World by the Tail, is also to do with the high temperatures. ClayPaws® kits are susceptible to heat! If they sit in heat for too long, the clay will be affected! So - two points on this one... Be sure that you are storing your ClayPaws® kits for your clinic in a cool, dry place. Also, know that our shipping time could take a little bit longer than normal. We do our best to ship them to you so that they don't have to sit on trucks, to avoid them sitting in the heat. We will delay your shipping over weekends and ship them on Mondays if that is the best way! This will help avoid problems with your kits! Call us on Friday or Monday to get your kits shipped out early in the week!

Baking, baking, and more baking questions

Wow! We have had so many calls this week from pet parents who've received ClayPaws® prints from their vet clinics, but didn't have the baking instructions included!

I thought I'd mention this here on my blog (even though I'm fairly certain I've talked about it before!)

If you work in a clinic and make ClayPaws® prints for your clients, it is important to let them know that their print HAS been baked, or if it NEEDS to be baked! It can be confusing for them because the sticker on the bag says "remove from bag before baking". (We have since corrected this but these stickers are still out there! Now there are check boxes for Baked or Unbaked!) We had to put this warning, however, because we have had people bake the print IN the bag, which you can imagine, wasn't pretty!

When I worked in a clinic, I simply wrote on the label "Baked" when I mailed a print to a client. Taking a couple seconds to do that (Or to check a box) helps with any confusion! Also, if you are mailing prints home, please be sure that they are safe and packed very well so they don't break on the way. We've had a couple calls lately of prints that arrived cracked! Yikes!

The baking instructions come with each print also. If you send the print home unbaked with your client, please be sure to include the instructions! Let us know if you have suggestions how we can improve our packaging to make it easier for you!

ClayPaws advice

I had a lot of phone calls today with ClayPaws® questions - so I thought I would pass along some of the advice I gave out to you as well!

The first call I had was from a clinic who is trying out ClayPaws® kits for the first time. They are baking them in-house in a toaster oven and have had some trouble with their first tries burning! Using a toaster oven is OK, as long as you are sure of the temperature. From what this caller was telling me, it sure sounded like their oven wasn't set quite right. It was set to 275 degrees, but was baking quite a bit higher than that! This is an easy solution - buy an inexpensive oven thermometer and figure out the correct setting for 275 degrees!

She also was baking their prints on a metal pan. This can cause some discoloration to the prints. We highly recommend glass for baking. It helps to distribute the heat more evenly and your prints will bake better! We use toaster ovens here in the office, and we use a piece of tile to bake on! Easy solution!

The other call I got was from a distraught client. She had just picked up her cremains from her local crematory. The number she found was ours with the paw print, but the question she had was actually for the crematory. If you are a pet parent who has received a paw print - we don't actually make the prints here! We don't actually have anything to do with the cremation process either! Your wonderful vets and crematories use our product to make paw prints for you! If you have a question about the actual paw print, we can help! Otherwise, contact your vet or crematory!

Take Credit!

I talked to a pet parent earlier this week who had just received her beloved pet's ashes back from the veterinary hospital. She was calling not only to say thank you for our ClayPaws® product, but also because she didn't know who the ClayPaws® print was from!

She wondered if we could see if either her vet's office or the local crematory used our product. In this case, both of them did, so I wasn't able to help her narrow down who had made this print. She was just baffled why whoever it was didn't take credit for making the print! She said that it was such a lovely gesture, they should want their clients to know it was from them!

I encouraged her to call her veterinarian's office and let them know just this!

My suggestion to you if you are making prints for your clients - Take Credit! It is a wonderful gesture that 99% of your clients will truly love! Be sure you let them know it is from your clinic with a little note attached, a sympathy card, etc. If you are the client and don't know who the print is from, give us a call! (1-888-271-8444) We'll try to help solve the mystery. But also, call your veterinary office - they may take the credit - where credit is due!