Choices In pet Care

​When I meet new acquaintances and tell them what my business is, they often get excited followed by many questions. When I first started in 2005, pet care businesses were only around for a few short years. I mean when I first responded to a Help Wanted ad for a Dog Walker, I imagined it was like what I saw in the movies. Someone walking like 8 dogs at once down a beautiful  beach boardwalk. Now where I live, we don’t have beaches and I only walk clients individually.

 Back then there was maybe like 3 or 4 professional pet sitters in the area. Today there is closer to 30 in the area I serve. There are also some “hobbyist” pet sitters. I will get to what the difference is in a moment. As you can see, this means a lot of pet care companies and hobbyists competing for your business.
As a pet owner you may be overwhelmed by the choices when doing a Google search. Do you board your pet, ask a friend/neighbor/relative, or hire a pet sitter? This can be so stressful to pet owners, I have actually read where people just refuse to travel.  They just cant stand the thought of leaving their pet.

Lets take a look at the options I just mentioned. With all these options, don’t wait until the last minute to make a decision. You will want to do some research. You also run the risk of a boarding facility or pet sitter being fully booked or some may charge higher fees. This is especially true around busy travel times during the year.

BOARDING FACILITIES
I only recommend boarding your pet in certain circumstances. If your pet is house protective, has destructive behavior, lots of accidents when alone, or needs extensive or difficult to administer medicines. Keep in mind boarding your pet can cause a great deal of stress for them. Your pet could also catch an illness. You have to get your pet there, which sometimes may conflict with your schedule, meaning you will have to pay for extra nights to accommodate. If you must go this route, look for facilities that give your pet as much free reign and exercise as possible. Last thing you want is for your pet to be cooped up in a crate all day and night. Also choose a place where someone will be there with your pet 24 hours. Some cities/towns have made it law that boarding facilities have a caretaker there 24 hours. 

Make sure to scope out a few places you are interested in and don’t just go off price. If your veterinarian doesn’t board , you can ask them for referrals. Read reviews or get references. Keep in mind though that reviews are not always fact! A lot of pet sitters offer boarding in their own homes as well, but make sure you check them out just as you would a facility. Make sure to read all their policies and ask questions!

HOBBYIST PET SITTER
A hobbyist pet sitter is someone that does pet sitting as a side gig. They are not a business. Most likely are not insured or bonded. Usually this is a teenager or young college student trying to earn a few bucks. They will watch your pet for pretty cheap. This sometimes comes at a higher cost for you though.

 Problem is hobbyist pet sitters and dog walkers will not have the same “professional attitude” towards your pets or home. That’s not to say all are not responsible but I have heard many horror stories over the years. Teenagers throwing parties and trashing the home. Pets being forgotten about, not fed or taken out. The hobbyist being careless or not trained properly to deal with difficult situations. Worse yet, the “pet sitter” abusing the animals. Some may not even like or know anything about pets.

If the hobbyist is a local teenager, its important you talk to their parents. It’s a lot tougher than it seems to take care of pets, so make sure the parents are willing to step in if needed. If it’s a young college person, try to find out a little bit about their background. Have they done this before, get references. Check in with them daily! Have them send pictures of your pet.

FRIENDS/FAMILY
This is kind of a long the same lines as a hobbyist pet sitter. You may go this route to save money. You may or may not pay your family or friends. They may come to your home or you drop your pet off at theirs. If you have a friend or family member you trust, you are pretty lucky! Keep in mind though that this could be a great burden to them and they may feel bad turning down your request. They may be too busy to take on that responsibility or feel put out having to stay at your home. I have heard horror stories about this too. Actually I have my own.

 I normally always hire a pet sitter when we go away. A few years ago though, my brother-in-law was living with us. So I thought “well we can just have him take care of the pets.” I have 3 cats and a sheltie. We carefully went over all the instructions with him and I even left a sheet with instructions. Well we were 6 hours into our 12 hour drive and I get a phone call. Ironically, a pet sitter, spotted my dog dodging traffic on a busy road. She picked him up. We try calling my brother-in-law, no answer. So I had my mother-in-law go over to our house to wait for the lady to drop my dog back off at home.  Turns out my brother-in-law just let the dog out without putting him on his lead, then went back to sleep. Oh and my cat was outside too because he apparently forgot to lock the back door and she knows how to open it. So turned out I had to call my pet sitter I use anyways and luckily she was available to help out for the next 9 days we were gone.

 Its your call though! Like I said if you have family or friends that you trust, count yourself lucky! My bad experience and countless stories I have heard from my clients, I rather just hire someone. The price is worth my peace of mind and the safety of my pets!

PROFESSIONAL PET SITTERS
 Professional pet sitters will be insured and bonded at the minimum. Some states require them to be licensed, but not all, so check your local ordinances. I often get asked what bonding means. This is an added insurance for damage or theft. This will be their main source of income and what they do for a living.  Some pet sitters will be a member of organizations like Pet Sitters International or National Association of Pet Sitters. Honestly this doesn’t mean that they are any better than a company that is not a member. So if a sitter you are interested in, is not, I wouldn’t let that sway you.

Professional pet sitters may offer a variety of services. Seek out one that offers exactly what you are looking for and don’t assume all of them offer the same. Services can be overnight sitting, boarding in their own home, multiple drop- in visits, dog walking, cat sitting only or dog sitting only. Many will care for other types of animals too. Many pet sitters will also bring in your mail, newspapers, and parcels. They may or may not water plants. Will rotate lights and window coverings. Take out your garbage or bring in garbage cans. With a professional, your pet will be their #1 priority.
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 Will using a professional pet sitter guarantee great service? Unfortunately not! It’s important you do your research again! Pet sitting is also not cheap but if you find a quality pet sitter, it is well worth the peace of mind!