For Emily Cruse, pictured above with her partner and their pups and below with a furry friend,
pet-sitting is a labor of love.
For Emily Cruse, pet sitting is as much a labor of love as it is work
JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
Emily Cruse first fell in love with animals down on the farm. She was raised in the city but would often visit family who lived in the country, and those visits cemented a lifelong love affair with animals.
“I had relatives who had farms that I would visit often,” Cruse said. “My grandmother always had a litter of kittens under the porch. Everyone always had a dog. My grandmother would show me how to milk the cows, but I could never get it.
My uncles always had a pig, and sometimes they had turkeys too.”
When she was growing up, Cruse said, she wanted to be a teacher, a psychologist, a veterinarian, a pilot or zoo worker.
Now in a way, she has managed to roll all of the jobs — other than pilot — into one as a full-service caretaker for pets.
Cruse is the founder of the company Exclusive HouseSitting, 1991, which is predominantly a pet-sitting business.
Her company offers housesitting, including visits to one’s home or office, caring for pets, bringing in the mail, watering plants, feeding fish, alternating which lights are left on and even being there for deliveries. She offers doggie day care — including pick-up and drop-off — in her home during the day and for overnights. She even offers airport shuttle service to DFW and Love Field as well as to doctor and vet appointments — or nearly any other destination for that matter.
Of course, Cruse won’t take care of just any dog; she only accepts those she feels like she can serve.
“I want to meet the dog on their terms, in their space, where I can study the family and the owner. I’ll study the dog’s behavior,” she said. “I don’t take care of problem dogs, and I don’t take care of aggressive dogs. I have to make sure they’ll work in my home.”
She generally works alone, but her partner, Victoria Adamson, who is a dental hygienist, and her sister, Marilyn Cruse, pitch in when she needs them.
The story of how Emily Cruse began her business is a bit of a wild ride.
She had just returned from her 20th high school reunion only to be laid off from work. “I was in IT at the time with a downtown law firm,” she recalled. “Every company in town was cutting back in their IT departments that fall, and no jobs were available.”
To make money, she began doing odd jobs like cleaning homes, apartments, and businesses; her friends, fellow church members and her community networking helped her find those jobs. She also found herself driving for a lot of people.
“Everyone was getting Lasik eye surgery at that time, and they could not drive afterward,” Cruse explained, adding that she would housesit while people were away, which included cleaning and pet-sitting for them as well.
When she did begin working full-time again, Cruse still continued housesitting.
“I really enjoyed caring for the animals,” she said. “At that time, I would stay overnight at customer homes and care for their pets and pretty much do anything that was within reason during my time at the residence. I no longer stay overnight.”
In 2008, Cruse became ill and had to stop working. “It took several months before I was at a place where I was getting bored and needed to do something,” she said, and that’s when she began building her pet sitting business and using the business degree she had earned.
Cruse and her partner have two shih tzus — B-B Tzu who is six years old, and CeCe Bandit, who is four years old.
“B-B’s parents were Bruce Willis and Bridget Bardot. So, I named her ‘B-B.’ Cece’s parents were Sandra Bullock and Donald Trump. As much as I’m not a Republican or a Trump fan, it is a funny story.”
As for her canine clients, Cruse said, “They are a hoot and holler to care for. Just like people, you have a myriad of personalities and behaviors. It’s fun helping people understand their dogs.”
And their humans? Well, she said, “I have met some amazing people through the years who are friends to this day.”
One of Cruse’s favorite clients was a Portuguese water dog named Emma who stayed with Cruse more than with her owner, who had to travel a lot.
“The joy of caring for her — she was just delicious, nose to toes,” Cruse said. “She taught B-B how to be a dog. There was just a bond between them. You could tell they were talking to each other.”
For Cruse, it’s all about the dogs. “Most people think about their needs,” Cruse said. “But have you ever thought about what your dog needs? Dogs are no different than people except they have fur and two more legs.
“They talk. And if you listen closely enough, you can hear them.”
And Emily Cruse listens. █
