How To Choose A Pet Sitter

Thursday, February 20, 2014

When you need to leave your pet at home while you go on a business trip or vacation, everyone will be happier if your pet is well-cared for. That includes you, your family, your neighbors and, not to mention, your pet. This is why it is important to select a professional pet sitter who understands the needs of your pet and does his or her best to fulfill them.

Hiring a pet sitter gives a much better return on investment than taking your pet to a kennel or other place. Your pet gets to stay in his own home, which will reduce any stress he feels about being abandoned. He will also get regular attention as well as his usual food and feeding times. If you travel a lot and find a good pet sitter who knows your pet well, your pet may even begin to enjoy the change.

A qualified, professional pet sitter will provide written proof of commercial liability insurance and be bonded [detailed guide here]. This will give you peace of mind that you are protected against accidents, negligence and theft. You can also ask if the pet sitter is associated with a veterinarian in case of an emergency. A professional pet sitter will be happy to provide:

• References with phone numbers
• Related services such as grooming and dog walking
A service contract that makes services and fees clear
• Additional services such as watering the garden and taking in the mail
A business or kennel license if required in your area 

When you are satisfied that the candidate has fulfilled all the preliminary requirements, the pet sitter needs to meet your pet. It is essential to see how she interacts with your pet and how your pet reacts to her. Only if this goes well, you should hire her.

You can decide exactly what the pet sitter’s schedule should be. If you have more than one pet, you may want her to spend more time so that each pet gets some personal attention. The visiting time could be 15 minutes or one hour or somewhere in between, it’s up to you. You can select pre-determined time slots so that you know when the sitter is in your home. You may want to call at that time for updates on how things are going.

Dogs that only stay indoors may need three visits per day. Most dogs require one visit per day and cats may require two visits per day. You can ask the sitter to visit your pet every other day, but this doesn’t give optimum care.

There are also some professional pet sitters who offer live-in service, however, this is not common because they usually have other customers and pets they need to visit. The sitter should also tell you about any backup plan she has in the event that she becomes ill or, for any reason, can’t fulfill her duties. You should know in advance if the sitter plans to bring anyone else with them when they visit your pet. You can stipulate that the sitter should always come alone. However, if there is a visit after dark, the sitter may request to bring another person.

The best way to find a pet sitter that you feel you can trust in your home is to get recommendations from vets, the humane society, dog trainers and people who have experience with a particular pet sitter. Even then, you should ask for references. The applicant should take the time to ask you about your pet and write down important details such as medical conditions, vets phone number, likes and dislikes, routine and any other thing that makes your pet unique.

Pet sitters offer other services for your pets even when you are not on a trip. If you have a pet that is home alone all day during the week, a pet sitter may come to your house and take your dog for a walk during the day. Dog walking services can be for 20 to 60 minutes and either every day or just a few times a week.

Professional pet sitters are worth the cost because they give you and your pet peace of mind when you need to travel or be otherwise engaged.

You Might Also Like

0 kommentarer

Labels

4-Slice Toaster AC Accessories Air Air Conditioners Air Purifiers Air Quality Animals Animals - Horses Apartments Apartments - College Appliances Architecture Attic Auction - Home Australia Away from Home Babies Baby Furniture Baby Shower Backyard Activities Backyard Revamp Baking Baptismal Basements Bathroom Bathroom Pampering Tips Bathtubs Beat the Heat Bedroom Bedroom - Luxury Bedroom Ideas Bedroom Mistakes Beds Bidets Bills Blinds and Curtains Blogs Boilers Budget Style Buying a Home Cakes Canine Canopies Car Maintenance Care Homes Carpets Carpets and Rugs Cars Cars - Uses Cats Ceiling Fans Celebrations Children Chores Christening Ideas Christmas Christmas lighting ideas City Life Claims Cleaning Cleaning Services Coffee Tables Comfortable Living Commercial Lease Common Problems Community Spaces Concrete Condo Condominium Conservatories Cool Stuff Cooling Ideas Cost of Living Costumes Couch Credit Scores Curbs Curtains Curtains - Scalloped DA Dates Decking Dining Room Dining Table Dishwashers Display Racks DIY DIY - Carpet Cleaning DIY - Cleaning Products DIY - Soundproofing DIY Addiction DIY Schools Dog Breeds Dogs Dogs - Diet Dogs - Health Dogs - Hygiene Doors Dream Home Dreams and Hopes Earning Tips Eco Friendly Ideas Eco-Friendly Eco-Houses Electric Bills Energy Saving Tips Energy System Entertainment Room Entertainment Space Ethical Living European Inspired Expo Extra Rooms Family Family Room Fans Few Things in Between Filters Fireplace - Outdoor Fireproofing First Time Homeowners Flags Flooding Flooring Flooring - Bamboo Flooring - Tiles Florida France Furnace Furnished Properties Furniture Furniture - Dining Sets Furniture - Shopping Guide Gadgets Garage Garden Gardening Gardening - Allotments Germ-free Home Gift Ideas Gift Ideas - Babies Gift Ideas - Christmas Gift Ideas - Him Gift Ideas - Home Gift Ideas - House Warming Gift Ideas - Kids Gift Ideas - Parents Gift Ideas - Personalized Gift Ideas - Valentine's Day Gifts for collectors Gifts for her Go Green Living Grass Green Living Halloween Health and Home Health and Lifestyle Heater - Heat Pumps Heaters Heaters - Parts Heating Hen Parties Holiday Homes hom home Home - Building Home - Gadgets Home - Luxury Home - Technology Home Accessories Home Appliances Home Builders Home Buying Home Cooking Home Decorating Home Decorating - Christmas Home Designs Home Disasters Home Essentials Home Extensions Home Flooring Home Heating Home Hunting home imp Home Improvement Ideas Home Insurance Home Investing Home Maintenance Home Office Home Organizing Home Projects Home Reconstruction Home Redesigning Home Remodeling Home Renovation Home Repair Home Repair - Foundation Home Repair - Professional Home Restoration Home Safety Home Security Home Spas Home Tech Ideas Home Theater Home Upgrades House Problems House Warming Household Chores Housewarming Gifts Housewarming Party HVAC Hygiene IKEA Indonesia Indoor Designs Insulation Insurance Insurance - Car Insurance - House Insurance - Pets Interesting Architecture Interior Additions Interior Design Interior Design - Modern Interior Ideas Jewelry Jewelry Organizer Keeping Warm Kitchen Kitchen - Cabinets Kitchen - Spanish Inspired Kitchen Designs Kitchen Flooring Knives Landscaping Lawn Mowers LED Lights Lifestyle Lighting Lighting - Chandeliers Lighting - Garden Lighting - Lamps Lighting Options Lights Living Room Living Room - Designs Loans Loans - Home Loft London Luxury Home Luxury Houses Maintenance Malls Minimalist Mirrors Mitigation Mobile Apps Modern Home Designs Money Saving Tips Morphy Richards Mortgage Moving Moving Tips New Home Nursery Online Shopping Orangeries Organizer Organizing tips Outdoor Designs Outdoor Living Outdoor Living - Furniture Outdoor Living - Patio Outdoor Room Outdoor Spas Ovens and Cooktops Painting Paintings Parenting Parties Passion Patio Pest Control Pets Pets - Ailments Pets - Cats Pets - Dogs Pets - Health Pets - Sitters Pets - Toys Phones Pillows Plans and Visions Planting Ideas Plastering Plumbing Plumbing Issues Pool Accessories Pools Power Cut Quilts Quotes Rabbits Real Estate Recycling Relationships rent Renting a Home Retirement Reviews Rodent Problems Romantic Dates Roofing Roofing Contractors Safety tips Saving - for a Home Saving Tips Saving Tips - Water Security Self Improvement Selling Your Home Septic Tanks Shaving System Shaving System - for Men Shopping Shutters Sinks and Countertops Skincare Sleep Small Spaces Sofa Soft Furnishings Solar Energy Solar Panels Soundproofing Space Saving Ideas Spring Ideas SR Stains Steel Storage Ideas Student Life Study Room Summer Survival Tips Taps the UK the USA Toaster Toilet Toolbox Tools Travel Treehouses Trends Trimmer Trimmer - Cordless Trimmer Tubing TV Bench Urban Living Vacation Preparation Valentine's Day Ventilation Video Surveillance Vine Covered Homes Vineyard Vintage-Inspired Walk in Wardrobes Wall Decorations Wallpaper Wardrobes Washing - Clothes Water Water Damage Water Heaters Water Softeners Water Usage Weather Welding Windows Wine Racks Winter Tips Wish List Wood Work Area