A lot of pet owners enjoy the thought of hiring a pet sitter to look after their pet when they go on vacation or have to leave home for a few days. The pet gets to remain in his normal surroundings, and the owner doesn’t have to journey to the kennel and back. Nevertheless, having an unfamiliar person in your home can be a strange feeling – for both you and your pet. For this reason, it is really important to pick out your pet sitter carefully.
These days, pet sitting is a flourishing business. Our society as a whole is more mobile than ever, which creates great opportunity for this business. A lot of folks choose for one reason or another that they wish to get involved in pet sitting. Even so, as soon as they find out what work it requires they back off a bit. Bottom line – you need to come up with a person who has been in this business for a long time.
You can find ads and offers for pet sitting services everywhere. It seems that many young people try to do this during time off from school. Because it is hard to know much about a potential sitter in advance, the best way to start is ask your friends and your vet for some referrals.
Once you have a few names, contact some of them and have them visit your home. See how they interact with your pet, and how your pet reacts to them. Animals have a great instinct and “sixth sense” about people.
Ask the tough questions. Ask the pet sitter why you ought to hire them and not someone else. They will in all probability say, “Because I LOVE animals!!” This is a reasonable answer, but my four year old niece also loves animals. I don’t think you would trust her to watch over your pet while you are away.
A prospective sitter should surely love animals, but that alone isn’t sufficient. There needs to be a knowledge of pet health and how to recognize often subtle signs that something isn’t right. This may seem to be asking a lot, but remember, this is your pet and these folks will be in your home taking care of them.
Here are a few things you should find out before employing a pet sitter:
What is their visiting schedule, how many times per day will they come over?
When they are at your home, what will they do? There is more than just providing food and water. What about taking time to walk your dog or play with your cat? If the pet leaves a bowel movement in an inappropriate place, will they clean it up?
A reliable pet sitter, when you find one, is a jewel. Knowing there is someone taking care of your pet that you can trust is priceless. Do your research and choose your pet sitter carefully – it does make a difference.
Your dog or cat is just an animal, right? No. Absolutely not. It’s your pet, and a cherished part of your family and home. Enjoy discovering more about taking care of pets to ensure their health and happiness.