How To Choose A Pet Sitter For Your Dog or Cat

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Hey y’all! Truth be told, I never look forward to having to find a new veterinarian. So I made this quick video to help you get situated in how to go about finding a pet sitter for your furry companions!

Hey yall! Jessica here, the furry family coach.
In this video we are gonna talk about choosing the right pet sitter for you and your furry companions
And stick around til the end of the video because I have a bonus tip that most people don’t ever think about! You don’t want to miss it!

Hey y’all – Jessica here and like I said this video is all about choosing the right pet sitter for you and your furry companions.

I know for me, any time I have to find a new sitter, whether we move or my current sitter is unavailable, I stress out big time!

I mean, no one is going to care for my cats and my dog like I do. And that’s the first hurdle you have to get over.  My husband always tell me, if they are being cared for and they are happy that’s all I can ask for.

And he’s right. I mean, you don’t expect a your kids sitter to be Mary Poppins do you?

So here are my top tips for picking the right pet sitter for you and your crew

First of all, I always choose a pet sitter over boarding. Why?
Primarily because I want my pets to be comfortable and as confident as possible while I’m away and there is no better way to do that than to control the environment. They shouldn’t have to leave home just because you are.
Also because there are some pretty shady boarding places and I don’t want to take the risk of my pet being neglected or mistreated.

The first thing I do when looking for a sitter ask my friends and family, even neighbors, about who they use for their pets.

I then go online and start doing research. Do they have good reviews? Do they have bad reviews?

I search for local pet sitters online and also look for their reviews.

When I decide on a list to make phone calls, here are the questions I want answered – and if they don’t have an answer up front, they tend to get pushed to my “no” list:
-why do you like pet sitting?
-What exactly is provided in a visit? (a 15 minute walk? A 30 minute walk? Cleaning the litter boxes? Feeding meals? Giving medication? Do they spend any quality time or play time with the pet?)
-What kind of training do you have? What experience? How long have you been pet sitting?
-Do you have liability insurance?
-What is your emergency plan should my pet need to go to the ER vet or if my home is evacuated for natural disasters? That kind of thing.

You need to be comfortable with all the answers provided to you.

If I have seen any negative reviews or comments online, I like to ask specifically about the situation. Don’t be vague – tell them exactly what you read and ask what happened. You can learn a lot about a person from the way they respond to criticism. Don’t take this step lightly – it’s important.

Of course, you’ll also want to ask about pricing and availability.

Once you’ve narrowed your selection down – Here’s the bonus tip that I told you about in the beginning of the video —
Once you’ve narrowed down your selection – invite your selections over to meet your pets. Have a conversation. See how they interact with your pets. See how your pets respond to them.

I can learn so much about a person by the way my pets react to them. They know how to tell if a person is good or bad – trust them on this.

And once you’ve made a decision – Here’s the best tip of all – do a trial run. A single visit or full day, whatever you think will help you best decide.

Be in town, maybe out running errands or taking in a day with your husband or wife just being out, going to a movie and lunch, something where you can quickly assess how the sitter did and how your pets act once they have been around them without you.

This can make all the difference.

I’m so lucky to have a wonderful pet sitter and although I don’t look forward to the day when I have to find another, but I know with these tips I will be able to find someone who both my pets and I love!

 

2 Responses

  1. I really appreciate your tip to choose a pet sitter over boarding them since you want your pets to feel comfortable. My wife and I have been thinking of going on a trip to the coast this weekend since it is our anniversary, and we want to make sure that our two dogs are safe. I will be sure to tell my wife that we should try and get a pet sitter since that will be the best option for our dogs!

  2. Awesome! Glad I could help. It really is a personal preference, but I think for many dogs it’s better to have a sitter.

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