Your tickets are purchased, the flight is on time, the bags are packed and the kids are finally ready. But just as you’re rushing out the door, you run into "Bowser" with those big, sad puppy eyes. Oh No, what about "Bowser"?
When planning vacation and holiday getaways, pets are often a forgotten, last-minute detail and as your chosen companion, they shouldn’t be. In order to avoid this, I’m offering a great solution.
When you are planning your next holiday, consider using a pet sitter. It allows your dog, cat, bird, rabbit or whatever pet you have, to stay in the comfort of his own home and maintain his normal routine. These are things well-meaning friends or family, pet stores (in some areas pet stores will board your non dog or cat pet) and certainly kennels, cannot offer. Also, having a trusted pet sitter in your home can help protect your home from intruders.
So, how do you find the perfect pet sitter? Start looking before your next trip and follow these ten recommendations.
1. Personal Referrals. Ask trusted friends or family members if they can recommend a pet sitter they have used. Word-of-mouth referral by someone you know is often the best reference. If none of these can provide the name of a sitter, then check with local pet stores or the local branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) as both should know of local pet sitters. Once you have several names, proceed to step two.
2. The Interview. Set up a meeting in your home with each potential pet sitter. Watch how the sitter interacts with your pet. Are they actively involved with the pet or are they distant or restrained around him? Does your pet want the pet sitter’s attention? Don’t second-guess your pet’s reaction or your own. If your pet and the sitter don’t seem to interact in a positive way, move on.
3. Questions and more Questions. The kind and volume of questions the pet sitters ask will indicate their actual experience in caring for your particular pet. A professional sitter will take notes and you should too. If they don’t ask questions, cross them off your list.
4. Affiliations. Judging a pet sitter solely by an organization affiliation such as Pet Sitters International or National Association of Professional Pet Sitters is tempting. However, remember that national organizations do not know these individuals or their reputation. Instead, ask for local affiliations and follow-up. This is EXTREMELY important. A number of years ago, my mom and dad hired a pet sitter without doing the follow up. She impressed both of them. All of us pets reacted positively during the interview, so they made the mistake of bypassing the follow up. That was a big mistake as it turned out. She dumped a bag of dog food into our dishes and onto the kitchen floor, put several water bowls down, dumped bird food into Bert’s (the parrot) and Cisco’s (the cockatiel) dishes and proceeded to party with her boyfriend in our home for two weeks. When mom and dad came home there was rotting dog food all over the kitchen, dried pee spots all over the house and piles of dog manure everywhere (she seldom let us go out into the fenced back yard). Cisco and Bert only had seed husks in their food dishes and only a few drops of filthy water in their water dishes. All of mom and dad’s liquor was gone, the money they had left for her to buy food, etc. was gone and there were dirty dishes, empty pizza boxes and potato chip bags everywhere. Mom and dad tried to contact her, but her landlady said she had moved out a couple of days before they got home. They never did find her, so she must have left the city we were living in at that time. The clean up costs greatly exceeded the money that she would have been paid if she had done her job as promised.
5. Client References. Ask for other client references. These will help you get a clearer idea of what to expect if you hire this person. Strangely enough, the young lady mentioned above had a number of client references and when these people were phoned, they gave glowing recommendations. What made her stay at our house different we were never able to learn.
6. Bonding & Insurance. Bonding and insurance protects you in the case of damage or theft of your property. However, this does NOT ensure that the pet sitter is reliable, caring or trustworthy.
Unfortunately insurance was not available when we had the above problems. Insurance of this type is relatively new in our part of Canada.
7. The Dotted Line. Ask for a copy of their contract and carefully review the details later. A contract will protect you and your pets. It will also spell out exactly what you can and cannot expect from the pet sitter. It should also list the appropriate rates for all services offered. Do not hesitate to ask questions!
8. Arrange another visit. Arrange for the pet sitter to spend some time alone with your pets, particularly your dog(s). A walk with your dog is a great idea. Monitor your dog’s reaction. Is he happy and comfortable with the pet sitter? Or does he seem eager to get away from the sitter? This also gives the pet sitter a chance to see if she or he can appropriately handle your dog(s), particularly if one or more of your dogs is a large-breed, strong or very energetic.
9. Listen to your gut! Finally, go with your gut feeling! If it doesn’t "feel" right, it’s not, so keep looking.
10. Before you leave. Leave detailed instructions (prepared earlier), phone number(s) in the event of an emergency, and your vet’s name and number.
If you invest your time in advance and follow these steps, you will ensure the best possible pet sitting experience. So the next time you’re making those early travel plans, remember to put "Bowser" and his pet sitter on your checklist, so you can avoid those big, sad puppy eyes.
Until next time,
Teia
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