Plan to fly abroad or decide to leave your home for your next vacation. Leave everything behind but don’t forget about your pet/dog. If you have planned to travel alone and have not made an arrangement for your pet, hire a trusted house sitter for special care. Before hiring live in house sitter consider both the categories of pet sitters professional and hobbyist. Make sure to hand over your pet and home to a trusted house sitter. We share several tips to hire a pet sitter, where to start, whom to hire; individual or professional pet sitter. Also, there is a difference between hobbyists and professional pet sitters.
Tips for hiring a pet sitter:
Pet Sitter service providers are available with different skill set and in different timing slots to take care of your dog. Most common things to expects from sitters. (Grooming, feeding, caring). When you hire a pet sitter or dog walker, make sure to fully check out their business and understand what are their service.
#1. Gather your needs:
Before hiring a pet sitter gather your demands, needs, services, and your budget that is more important to hire a live-in-house sitter. Talk to the company regarding your situation regarding your vacation so they arrange you a trusted house sitter.
#2. Check the References:
Check the references (professionals provide for trust) for potential animal sitters before choosing one. A person who is experienced and well known have references, policies, procedures, reviews, website, and people who recommend for live in house sitter.
#3. Search for Best Care Taker:
Go through pet care websites to find best trusted house sitter e.g. Association of pet sitters or Pet Sitters International. Find a pet supervisor who is concerned and secure in case something happens to your pet or property while you are away from home.
#4. Hire Professional Pet Sitter:
Hire a professional pet sitter from a recognized company (who are licensed & certified). Read below the checklist to hire a trusted house sitter for your pet. Most of the time people hire a hobbyist pet sitter and the consequence are beyond the thinking.
#5. Ask Cost of Pet Sitter:
Before hiring a sitter for dog clear your demands and get a cost estimate. Discuss the fees and policies. Individual sitters charge a basic fee to visit, but a professional and trusted pet sitter fee higher then an individual.
Cost of pet sitter vary from $15 to $50 /day depending on the situation.
Cost of Pet Sitter Video:
A small video representing on how cost of pet sitter been calculated for small or large dogs.
Additional costs may apply depending on the number of visits per day except for the time for live in house sitter. It can also increase: depends on tasks such as medication administration and to look after home as well.
#6. Instruction: Before Leaving your Place:
Once you find the right pet sitter, you can be assured your dog will be in good hands. Allow your pet caretaker to visit home before leaving, so you can introduce your dog and show him house. Explain live in house pet sitter accurate instructions and make sure to leave necessary contact numbers:
- Your mobile phone number (if applicable).
- Cell numbers of others traveling with you (if applicable).
- Your hotel or any other residential information.
- Your veterinarian contact number or tell him to find a right vet for dog.
- Family members or friend contacts whom your dog is franked and happy.
Your trusted pet sitter realize, you may worry about your pet, leave some necessary numbers and do not forget to check yourself. A short call once or twice a day until you return is perfectly reasonable. Connectivity keeps your trip enjoyable once you know your dog is doing well. You can let loose and have a great vacation!. When you get back your beloved companion will happy to see you.
explore theChecklist for Hiring a Pet Sitter:
License
license is necessary for professional.
License: Whether they have a professional business and also they have licensed for pet sitter. (read below hobbyist or professional pet sitter).
Insurance
For home, dog & company protection.
Insurance: What about the insurance? A professional pet sitter focus on the insurance to protect you and the company in the event that something happened while they are caring for your pets.
Reviews
check reviews on social media platforms.
Reviews & Website: Do they have website or online presence. If they exists surely they will have values about their company and their culture. Make sure you read their reviews others are posting regarding your upcoming pet sitter.
Policies
What are their pet sitting policies and procedures.
Policies: What policies and procedures do they have in place? Knowing the pet sitter’s policies will let you know how will they have planned in advance. What happens if your sitter is sick? What happens if you cancel?
Pet Employees
check who will visit you for pet siting.
Know Their Employees: Who are their sitters? Knowing if their sitters have experience and how they are screened is important to know if they are truly professional. Have they been background checked?
Sitter Timing
What is the pet sitter stay time full/half.
Sitter Job Timing: What do your pet sitting visits include? Are they a set time or does the sitter stay only for as long as it takes? Will the sitter do extra tasks lie bring in the mail and water plants?
Security
Keep your information secure & safe.
Your Information Security: How will your information be stored? There are a lot of details that go into proper pet sitting including alarm and door codes. Is it on a secure computer system or paperwork that can be lost? How do they store your keys?
pet Safety
Who concern about your pet safety.
Pet Safety: How will you know your pets are safe? You want to have peace of mind while you are gone. Will your sitter send you regular updates? Who else can you contact in an emergency?
Professional VS Hobbyist Pet Sitter – Difference
Now a days dog walking and pet sitting is so common and in most areas is unregulated and full of scam. With the time being anyone can call them a professional pet sitter or dog walker.
| Professional Pet Sitters | Hobbyist Pet Sitters |
| Contracts and Legal: Professional pet sitters have contracts to protect you and them. |
Only a Hand Shake: With hobbyist pet sitters, you are only going on their word. |
| Insured & Bonded: A professional pet sitter will be bonded and insured in order to protect property and your own peace of mind. |
Only Promises: Hobbyist pet sitters are not insured nor bonded – meaning anything could happen. |
| First Aid and Pet CPR: Professional pet sitters are certified and trained in first aid and pet CPR. |
No Training, Nor Certified: Most hobbyist pet sitters only own a pet or have watched an animal once or twice, and have no formal training. |
| Your Pets are the Plan: With professional pet sitters, you will find your pet is the #1 priority during their care. |
Their Plans can Change: Hobbyist pet sitters can and will change their plans at any time, leaving you out to dry. |
| More Value: A professional pet sitter may cost more, and you get lot more. |
Cheaper Outcome: Like anyting else, you get what you pay for! |
Questions to Find a Right Pet Sitter
If you prefer peace of mind knowing that a trained professional takes care of your dog in your home, then you may want to hire a pet caregiver. Animal shelters provide tailored care for your dog, working hard to get excellent care for your pet while creating as little stress as possible for both you and your dog.
It can be an attempt to find the right person to take care of your dog while you are away. Usually pet sitters have their own pets and realize how difficult it can be to leave your pets in someone else’s care. A good pet seeker wants to get to know you and your pet to provide the best care possible.
Compare the prices of multiple pet sitters in your area to make sure you are hiring a trusted pet sitter. When you return from a trip instead of a tip, it might be a good gesture to bring a small gift or souvenir to your pet keeper if he is individual. If the pet keeper is a professional give him a tip so he would be happy to visit you again.
Some pet sitters maintain a primary career of pet sitting, Others will work full time for a sitting pet business. Some pet sitters will even start their own businesses. Mostly pet sitters also offer services that you can avail even you are available to your dog, such as walking the dog and giving medication.
Feeling difficult to select a pet sitter, ask colleague or your veterinarian to help in hiring a trusted dog sitter. Your veterinarian staff members have useful contacts to find you a dog sitter. Individual pet sitters rely on word of mouth but we suggest to hire a professional pet sitter.
An alternative to finding a professional pet sitter is to find a group in your area that helps you connect with mindful pet owners in your area who can watch your pets while traveling. On the other hand, you take care of their pets when they are away. Plus, these groups usually have free membership. Search the internet or ask local animal professionals if they know of a group like this in your area.
You might consider riding your dog or asking a friend or family member to take care of your dog.
