Finding a pet sitter is easier said than done. Doggy daycare, dog boarding, pet sitting, and many other services make for compelling choices rather than finding a sitter for your favorite pet down the street.
To find a pet sitter and leave your precious pooch under their supervision could be nerve-wracking especially if you’re traveling for a longer time. The same would be the case for any other domesticated pet, so let us first learn the difference between each service.
We will be exploring & explaining exactly how to find the right sitter for your pet further down the article, so keep reading.
Also Read: How to Raise a Puppy
The Difference
The first step is to zero in the right kind of service to opt for. Briefly explained below are the different services, so write down the number of days you’ll be out for and choose the service accordingly.
Doggy Daycare: This is where you leave your dog or other pets if you work/travel long hours and need an expert to care for your pet during the day. Your pet will be returned to you at the end of the day to be taken care of at home/hotel during the night.
Popular travel destinations have pet daycare facilities close by, where you can hand over the pet early in the morning, travel all day, and pick up your pooch by dusk. The service works precisely like daycare for children, so if this is what you’re looking for, go for it.
Dog Boarding: This is where you place your dog/pet overnight. Also called a dog kennel, dog hotel, or dog resort, this is the most popular service owners opt for as the boarding facilities care for your dog around the clock, as long as you need.
Make sure to look for a modern free-roaming boarding facility where your dog is free for the most part and isn’t caged, rather than a traditional kennel where the pet is usually locked up and fed. Deprivation in exercise, human interaction, pack lifestyle, and other barking dogs in the kennel could disturb your pet in more ways than one, so exercise caution.
Pet Sitting: On the other hand, pet sitting works like babysitting, where you pay and invite an expert to come home and take care of your dog. Usually chosen by people who own multiple pets, special needs pets, and prefer their beloved pets to remain at a familiar comfort of their home. Petter Sitters International avers; “Caring for pets in the client’s home is what separates pet sitters from boarders or doggy daycare.”
The dog sitter rate varies based on the service you opt for, and professional dog sitters have a wide variety of offerings for you. Read along to learn more.
Professional Pet Sitter Offerings
The following services offered by professional pet sitters are what sets them apart from allowing your neighbor, relative, or teenager to sit with your pet. Of course, the same services apply to a cat sitter as well.
- Professional pet sitters are trained in first aid, emergencies, and pet CPR.
- Pro pet sitters own a business license.
- Pro pet sitters are bonded & insured thoroughly.
- Professional pet sitters sign a contract of agreement for payment, weather policies, cancellations, release forms, and others.
- Pro pet sitters offer to come to stay at your home as it is familiar territory for your pets.
- Pro pet sitters also have past working knowledge and client references which put your mind at ease to let them care for your pet and your belongings at home.
- Pro pet sitters are knowledgeable about pets, breeds, allergies, needs, and others.
- Pro pet sitters communicate clearly, often and keep the owners updated regularly.
- Pro pet sitters often love pets which immensely plays into their profession of tending to pets.
- Pro pet sitters are flexible with timing as pet owners need them to work according to their schedule and not the other way around.
Once these conditions are verified, you may continue with the rest of the process below.
Finding the Right Pet Sitter
The moment you choose to go with pet sitters and review the stipulations to look for in a professional pet sitter, start by asking the professional who may know a pet sitter locally.
Ask Your Vet: Your veterinarian is more connected to your pet than you think. Therefore, it makes sense to consider him the primary source of information when looking for the right pet sitter for your furry friend. As he/she is inadvertently in the business of caring for animals, he would have ample knowledge about the community that offers animal-related services.
Even before a Google search to find the right pet sitter for you, ask your vet briefly on a phone call or the next visit if he could direct you toward a professional pet sitter. Pet sitter businesses send professionals across cities and borders so, you’d rather benefit from local professionals taking care of your pets.
Ask Your Neighbors, Friends, or Relatives: If you’re leaving the house only for a few days, you’d be surprised how many close ones would happily volunteer to sit your pet at your home. If not, ask them for local pet sitter references, especially if they’re pet parents themselves.
The Dog Park: Dog parks are ideal places where like-minded pet lovers congregate, and it is a great place to ask around. So the next time you’re in a dog park, approach the person who has many pets to begin, and ask for professional pet sitter references. Pet owners are often chatty and you end up with multiple references on a warm weekend evening at a dog park.
The Dog Groomer: Businesses within the same industry are well connected. A dog groomer is a great person to ask if he/she knows a professional pet sitter, and sometimes the groomers themselves moonlight as sitters and have the right licenses.
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters: NAPPS is the only national non-profit organization that functions as a body for professional pet sitters across the United States. You may visit petsitters.org to find the best pet sitters or get a professional recommendation for one.
NAPPS also offers tools, information, resources, and certificates to practice pet sitting, along with an option to become a Pet Parent Member. Upon becoming a member, you can look for a certified pet sitter and use other tools on the website.
Online Ads: Online Ads on social media and other websites work extremely fast & efficiently, but you need to be extra cautious. Various websites claim to be authentic but simply aren’t, so proceed with caution without rushing or skipping any steps. .
The Last Step: Interview
Once you have found the pet sitter who fits your schedule and budget, these are the things to interview him/her about.
- Ask them about their previous experience and if they’re bonded or insured.
- Find out if they’re equipped to handle stressful situations like medical emergencies or otherwise.
- Ask for references from previous clients and speak to them.
- Let the pet sitter take care of your pet for a day or two and put them on a trial run.
- Most pet sitting companies offer contracts, so ensure to read the fine print thoroughly or let your lawyer look at the papers before signing them. Read the inclusions & exclusions carefully in the same process.
- In case of an emergency where the pet sitter may have to leave, have a backup plan and inform your neighbor or a relative to take his place. The agency will often replace the current sitter with a different person, but it is safe to be prepared.
Waggle Pet Camera
As a contingency plan or simply monitoring, keeping tabs, entertaining, or training your pet remotely, Waggle Pet Camera is an ideal device that comes in handy.
Monitoring your pet on an HD camera and broadcasting the live images to your phone over the internet, WaggleCam keeps your fido comfortable and safe around the clock.
The very camera is equipped with night vision, so you don’t have to worry about your beloved pet even during the middle of the night or during a blackout.
A two-way audio relay helps you talk to your pet in real-time, give them commands and even speak to your pet sitter if they’re around.
The icing on the cake is the treat tosser which throws a treat to keep your pet trained and entertained.
