With the dog days of summer in full swing, busy family schedules include work, camps and, for most of us, a vacation getaway or two.

For pet owners, this means making extra plans to ensure that Fido or Fluffy are taken care of. While booking space at a traditional kennel is a viable option, many families opt for a solution right in their own homes.

For the past 11 years, Marilyn Allen has operated Allen’s Home and Pet Services in Waterdown. Borne of her love of animals of all shapes and sizes and based on 17 years of experience in a veterinarian clinic, the business launched at a time when double-income families realized they needed an extra set of hands to walk, feed, and check on their pets throughout the day. If the owners’ absence is extended – in the event of a holiday or even a hospital stay - Allen’s, which is bonded and insured, checks on the house, collects mail, waters plants and is on call in the event an alarm goes off.

“Luckily that doesn’t happen a lot,” noted Marilyn. Still, at times, meeting her clients’ needs makes for some very long days – some evenings she’s not off the clock until 11 p.m. or later.

A member of Petsitters International, Marilyn is proud of the reputation she has built over the years. She has seen many of her original charges mature into old age, and new generations of pets join the households.

“My puppies and kittens have grown into senior cats and dogs and a lot of them now require medication,” she said. “Over the years, you become a part of the family, too. You’re there for emergencies, weddings, deaths and so on.”

Marilyn, whose son, Tim, grew up with the pet care business and is poised to take over the reins, stresses that working with pets and their owners has been extremely rewarding. In particular, one family touched their lives.

Sydney, one of their longtime four-legged clients, kept vigil when his human “mom” battled cancer. But a couple of evenings a week, he would duck out for a visit with Allen.

“Sydney would escape  (he lived a few blocks over) and would bang on my door,” she recalled.

The border collie would stay for a while, then Marilyn would return him to his home or his human “dad” would come to pick him up. When his “dad” fell ill, Sydney stayed with Allen until it was time, once again, to keep vigil. But he stillmade moonlight visits. Sydney passed away earlier this year.

“I still think I hear him late at night,” noted Marilyn. “We all miss him so much.”

Marilyn is thrilled that Tim has decided to expand his role in the family business. Her trademark VW beetle has been replaced with a red truck, complete with the paw-print logo that many local families have come to trust. Along with his fiancee, Adair, he has experience with a wide range of pets, including birds, lizards, fish, rabbits, turtles and hedgehogs. In addition, the couple has expanded the house-sitting option to include staying at the client’s home in their absence.

“This has worked out well and they enjoy it,” said Marilyn. “The animal never has to leave home.”

Tim is enrolled in business classes at Mohawk College, and has already taken over much of the care for Allen’s canine clientele. Marilyn, who will be devoting much of her time to assisting her own parents as they grow older, remains dedicated to the felines that have long been in her care.

“I will stay on and take care of the cat visits,” she explained. “I have so many cats of my own and they are all so special.”

With Tim and Adair set to take over Allen’s, she’s comfortable her clients will be in good hands.

“I told both of my sons to find something to do in their lives that they truly love,” she said. “I did, and I’m sure Tim has found it, too.”