If you have a business and that business has customers — how do you know what those customers are looking for? And how do your customers perceive your business and your customer service?

Those are simple questions, but may have answers that are hard to find. The people at “BestMark,” however, offer some great services to help you understand who your customers are, what they’re seeking, how they perceive your company, and how they feel you are doing regarding customer service.

Among the services offered by BestMark, their mystery shopping program is their most-used and is an extremely effective way for your company to get feedback on how customers perceive your company. You may THINK your customer service options and customer service reps are doing the job you want. With the use of well-crafted surveys and the mystery shopping service BestMark offers, you can KNOW how well your customer service is working.

Take a look around their website. They offer some valuable services if you’re in business.

Technorati Tags: BestMark, mystery shoppers, mystery shopping, customer service, useful website, for pets and pet lovers

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Being very curious by nature, I’ve been look at information about the various invisible dog fences/pet fences on the market. I don’t presently have a dog, only a cat, and we have no issues with the cat harassing neighbors or their children, so we don’t worry about a fence to keep her in. Actually, at her age, she generally stays on her porch or stays inside perched on the back of a chair by the window.

Anyway, here’s what I’m wondering about: Are these pet fences effective? Do they take a lot of work to maintain? Do they involve a lot of training to make them work for most dogs? And what happens when one fails — do they injure the pets or simply stop working?

I would love to hear comments and reactions from any of you out there who use or have used such fences. I know some work by administering an unpleasant but “harmless” electric shock, and that some others work by spraying a noxious but harmless spray at the pet.

Anybody out there care to comment and tell of your experience(s) with invisible pet fences? Tell us, please.

Technorati Tags: pet fences, electric shock to pets, dog fences, dog control, for pets and pet lovers

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If you’re one of the many of us out there who try to make a few bucks with online gift sales, you’ll definitely want to check out this “Useful Website.” It’s called “Cheap Wholesale Jewelry,” and specializes in wholesale fashion jewelry. The website is set up to sell to businesses, not individuals, and they don’t sell individual pieces of jewelry, only in bulk quantities. (However, even in “bulk quantities,” the prices would be very affordable if you simply wanted a few items for yourself and to give to family and friends.)

I also want you to see one of their web pages I found which highlights animal-themed and pet-themed jewelry that is absolutely lovely. Take a peek at their cat lover’s pin.

Take a look around the website and see what might be on sale. You’ll appreciate their fine merchandise at bargain prices.

Technorati Tags: Cheap Wholesale Jewelry, bulk jewelry purchases, animal themed jewelry, pet themed jewelry, useful website, for pets and pet lovers

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I’m all in favor of the idea that most cats and dogs we have as pets ought to be spayed or neutered. I am very uncomfortable with buying pets from pet stores for a world of reasons, and prefer to find pets at good animal shelters — most of which require spaying and neutering.

The City of Los Angeles, with the support of longtime pet/animal advocate Bob Barker, has passed one of the nation’s toughest laws requiring most dogs and cats to be sterilized. It makes exceptions for show pets and a few others.

One critic of that new L.A. law suggests it is way too strict and has already led to extreme suggestions for tracking the pets of those who don’t comply with the law.

I hope you’ll click the links and read the stories. I would like to hear about your thoughts on the issue. How do you feel about forced sterilization of pet dogs and cats? How would you structure such a law if you support the idea? What realistic alternatives do you see to such laws if you don’t favor them? Tell us, please.

Technorati Tags: pet laws, pet sterilization laws, pet sterilization programs, for pets and pet lovers

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Will black friday 2008 mean good shopping for you and your pets? Or will it be the annual Friday-after-Thanksgiving-shopping-madness it becomes for most people most years?

Yes, I realize it’s only the end of February and that there are nine months left before that fabled annual shopping day comes around again. But I ran onto an interesting website that might help you prepare and get all you can out of the annual day — without standing in line and going through mayhem and madness: “BlackFriday.info.” It offers some online links to shopping deals and coupons to ease the Black Friday pain. I looked around the website and found five or “name brand” merchants with coupons and deals for pet products, including PETCO and PetFoodDirect.com.

Of course, there’s nothing to stop you from taking advantage of the coupons and special deals at the website right now. You don’t have to wait until that fabled final Friday in November to take advantage of their buys for pets and pet lovers. Many of the deals and coupons I saw listed on the site — and they have a wealth of merchants’ deals there, beyond those for pets — had no start or expiration date on the coupon codes.

So whether you want to get a great jump on Black Friday deals or just find some online bargains today, this is a useful website you should take a look at.

Technorati Tags: Black Friday shopping deals, online pet shopping, useful website, for pets and pet lovers

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I’m amazed I hadn’t thought about this idea before, but I just discovered a growing movement among pet lovers to form websites and networks that pass along “Amber Alert” type emails and phone calls when a pet comes up missing.

I don’t know whether there is such a service where you live, but I do think it’s a good idea. So far, I’ve only heard of two such groups. The two I’ve heard about both charge fees, either a membership fee or a per-use fee when someone discovers their pet is missing.

I really doubt there’s enough interest in such missing pet alert services for this to catch on as a movement or nationwide network of any sort, but I certainly see the value in it. I would encourage anyone with the time and a plan to establish such a service in their community.

I’m hesitant to give any links to the websites I’ve heard about, because I don’t really know anything about them. But I would invite anyone reading this post who’s had experience with such a pet-finder service to comment and tell us about your experiences.

Technorati Tags: Amber Alert for pets, pet finders, missing pet services, for pets and pet lovers

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — credit is a fact of life we all must deal with. And credit cards are just about as essential for most of us as is “cash money.” (If you don’t believe me, try to rent a car without a credit or debit card. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure some places will take debit cards for car rentals?)

Here’s a useful website if you want some serious information about a good low interest credit card. The website and company is “Creditnet,” and they characterize their role to be “an online marketplace where consumers connect with a wide array of credit card products and services.”

In fact, they have a wealth of information about credit, and they have links to credit cards for people with poor or bad credit, as well as links for those who qualify for a low interest credit card. Their “Library” page (you can find it conveniently listed in the navigational links at the top of the website) has some useful information you can appreciate even if you’re not in the market for a credit card right now. Oh, and they also have a discussion forum where you can participate, ask specific questions, and see what others have said about various credit issues.

Go to their website and check it out. There’s a lot of good information there, as well as links to some useful credit cards you might be interested in using.

Technorati Tags: creditnet, low interest credit cards, credit information, useful website, for pets and pet lovers

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I cracked up the other day when I was reading a humorous fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett (I highly recommend his stuff, by the way) and ran onto a reference to cats. In the context, Death appears in typical black robe and Grim Reaper costume, having come to take one of the characters, a wizard named Ipslore. The dying character and Death engage in a brief argument about life and what makes life worth living. Ipslore challenges death regarding the meaning(s) of life and the future. Death misunderstands his question and Ipslore repeats it. Then this delightful exchange takes place:

“I meant,” said Ipslore, bitterly, “what is there in this world that makes living worth while?”

Death thought about it.

“Cats,” he said evenly, “Cats are nice.”

So Death is actually a cat lover, eh?? Good to know that for those of us who “own” cats.

I say “own” in quote marks, and I thought about this whole post originally, because of a comment one of our readers left on a post of a couple of days ago regarding pets and pet ownership, pets’ and animals’ rights, etc. That comment regarding cats and cat companionship pointed out that the relationship with pets — and I think cats in particular — is more family membership than “ownership.”

If you have cats, you know exactly what the reader and I mean. Even my adult children accept and understand when they visit our home that my wife, Shirley, and I are “Mommy” and “Daddy” to our silly old cat, Tigra, much more than simple owners.

Cats are so cool because they always behave as though they’re the ones in control. They choose to allow us to feed them and care for their every need. (Did I get that right, Your Highness Tigra?) And they never outwardly fawn over us like dogs do.

Technorati Tags: cats, cat lovers, cats as pets, cats as family members, for pets and pet lovers

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In the market for a fine timepiece? How about a Seiko Watch for example?

Here’s a “Useful Website” if you are indeed looking for a fine quality timepiece, “BlueDial.com.” They carry a huge selection of watches by Seiko, Citizen, Bulova, Casio, Hamilton, and many other quality watches.

Looking around the BlueDial.com site, I saw a beautiful Seiko men’s black Kinetic Coutura Perpetual Calendar model I would love to have. The word “kinetic” in the name of the watch refers to the way it’s powered — by the normal motions your arm makes throughout the day. According to information on the website: “When the watch senses 24 hours of inactivity it puts itself into suspended animation (sleep mode) to conserve energy. The date continues to advance correctly while the watch is asleep. Wake it up with a few shakes of your wrist and it automatically resets itself to the correct time even if it’s been asleep for up to four years.”

Who wouldn’t want a watch like that??

So if you’re in need of a quality watch, or if you need a special gift, go to BlueDial.com and look at the many timepieces and great discount prices there. It’s an excellent place to pass the time. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist the pun.)

Technorati Tags: BlueDial.com, Seiko Watch, quality watches, useful website, for pets and pet lovers

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I’ve never been homeless. I’ve never gone through foreclosure. For the most part, I’ve always had a home or apartment to live in, though some family dysfunction when I was a kid did impact me and a special pet.

I can only imagine how hard it would be to become homeless, and I have no clue how my wife and I would deal with finding shelter if we could find no place which would allow us to have our faithful old cat, Tigra, with us.

I posted a couple of weeks ago about the problems of abandoned pets left behind in housing foreclosures. But homelessness is a little different problem. I just read a story about the plight of the homeless trying to stay with their pets. A major part of the problem is that most people tend to be homeless for short periods of time. If the homelessness is temporary, the people involved have no desire to give away or other wise get rid of a beloved pet. Yet many homeless shelters have no ability to allow pets.

The most common solution to the dilemma seems to be homeless people choosing to live “on the street” and keep their pets.

What’s happening in your town or city regarding the homeless and their pets? Do you know of homeless shelters which allow people to have pets with them? Do you perhaps know someone with the problem? Have you ever gone through such a situation yourself? Tell us about it, please.

Technorati Tags: homelessness and pets, pets in homeless shelters, for pets and pet lovers

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