Finding the Perfect Pet Sitter

Emergencies come up and sometimes they require that we leave home immediately. In some instances, you might be travelling to a place where you cannot take your dog with you or you simply do not want the hassle of travelling with a dog.

Whatever the case, before you leave the house, you want to be assured that your pet is well taken care of while you are away.

You might consider leaving your pet with a neighbour or a family friend but you do not want to add more responsibilities in their lives.

More often than not, your neighbours or family friends may not share your love for your pet. In such cases, a pet sitter will be ideal to take care of your pet, in an environment that the pet is used to, helping ease your worry of leaving your pet at home.

Finding the perfect sitter is no walk in the park but here are some few tips to get you started:

- Bonding and liability insurance

Ask any potential sitters to provide proof of liability insurance, this will cover any accidents that may occur due to negligence of the sitter.

Any good sitter should be bonded and have liability insurance

- Years in service

While there is nothing against new sitter, a sitter who has been in the business for sometime is better. Since they have been around for longer they are likely to be better at handling pets.

The experience they get over the years is also a plus.

- Training

While this is not necessary, it is good that the pet has some sort of training especially when it comes to recognizing and dealing with emergencies. This also guarantees that they know when to call the vet and what to do in any emergencies.

- Services provided

Most pet sitters provide services such as feeding the pet, walking, cleaning as well as dog grooming. Others may provide additional services such as picking up newspapers and mail, watering plants in your house. Ask for a list of the services the sitter will provide. You can also ask them how frequently they will be coming around.

- References

This is a list of other owners to whom the pet sitter may have provided services to, you can also ask them to include a vet as a reference or other organisations they are affiliated with such as the NAPPS (National Association of professional pet sitters)

- Back ups

Does the sitter have a back-up plan if they were to get sick or have to travel out of town?

A good sitter will have a back-up in case they cannot make it to your house.

- Charges

What is the cost of the services the sitter will provide? What will these charges cover?

Ensure that you come to an agreement before you leave. Once you are in agreement you can draw up a contract which both of you will sign.

- Does the pet sitter get along with your pet?

How does the pet react when the sitter is around?

By looking at the reaction of the pet to the potential sitter, you can also decide whether or not to hire a sitter. If the pet is hostile to the sitter, you may want to consider trying out a few sitters and see who best get along with your pet. Since they are going to spend some time together, you want to ensure that any bad feelings are sorted before you leave.

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