CHOOSING A PET SITTER

When choosing a pet sitter, it's important to find someone that you trust and are comfortable having in your home while you are away.

Following is a list of tips and important questions to help make choosing the right sitter easier for you.



REFERENCES

Does the pet sitter have a list of at least three references from clients who have used their services?



LIABILITY INSURANCE

When choosing a pet sitter, it's important to find one with liability insurance. Liability insurance is necessary in case there is an accident with your pet? Many pet sitters are also bonded. A bond is actually there to cover the business owner in the event an employee is charged with theft. Previously a bond only covered the loss if the employee was actually convicted but more recent bonds now offer coverage when there is a charge of theft.



TRAINING OR EXPERIENCE

What kind of training or experience working with animals does the pet sitter have? When choosing a pet sitter, you obviously want to find someone who has a genuine love and concern for animals, but they should also have some experience. Find out if they have pets of their own or have ever worked in a vet clinic, boarding facility or animal shelter. Asking these questions will help you get a feeling for their commitment to the animals in their care.



PET EMERGENCIES

How does the pet sitter handle pet emergencies? Discuss the options the sitter has if a pet emergency happens while your regular veterinarian is closed. It's also a good idea to let your vet know when your pets will be in the care of a pet sitter and how payments for emergency care will be handled.



DAILY JOURNAL

Will the pet sitter leave you details about each visit? Most sitters leave a daily journal telling the owner of anything unusual as well as the pets behavior, eating habits, etc.



BACK UP PLAN

What kind of back-up plan does the pet sitter have in case of an emergency that would prevent them from keeping any visits? A pet sitter should have someone reliable who can complete visits if they are unable to make it themselves for any reason. It is also a good idea for you to have a neighbor with access to your home in case of a snowstorm or other problem that might make it impossible for the pet sitter to reach your home.



SCHEDULED VISITS

Find out how long the pet sitting visits last and an approximate schedule? The sitter will not be able to give you exact times but they should be able to give you an approximate time schedule. If you are looking for someone to stay overnight, find out what those scheduled hours are also. Most of the time overnight visits do no include a mid-afternoon visit so you may want to add a visit.



OTHER SERVICES

Do you want the pet sitter to do any extra home-related services such as garbage, watering plants, retrieving mail and paper? Most pet sitters offer these extra services free of charge, but again ask about any extra fees.



PET RELATED SERVICES

Does the pet sitter offer any other pet related services such as nail trims, bathing, grooming or extended walks? If you are interested, ask about the rates for these extra services.



RETURNING THE KEY

What is the pet sitter's policy for returning the key? Most sitters will not just simply leave the key and lock up after their last scheduled visit. It is important that your pet sitter can continue caring for your pets in the event you are unable to make it home as planned.



PAYMENT POLICY

Find out what the pet sitter's policy is for payment. Some sitter's require payment up front, while others may allow you to leave the payment on the counter or pay them when they return the key to you. Remember that choosing a pet sitter is a business transaction as well as a matter of the heart, so knowing what the sitters payment policy is will prevent any confusion.



ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THIS PERSON?

Ask yourself if you feel comfortable having this person come into your home. Choosing a pet sitter is much more than finding someone with all the right credentials. You also need to feel that you can trust them completely. Pay attention to your own gut instincts.



Choosing a pet sitter is a very important decision. Most pet owners find that a reliable pet sitter is an asset and often feel that their sitter actually becomes an important member of their family. I hope that these tips have helped you understand what to look for in a reliable sitter.

Return from Choosing A Pet Sitter to Pet Sitting Tips


Return to Home Page