Some people have a friend stay with their pets. Others have the kid down the street check in, while others hire a professional. There are a lot of options. Which is the right one?
Last week, Pamela at Something Wagging This Way Comes shared a tongue-in-cheek post called Top 10 Traits of a Pet Sitter Who Won’t Kill Your Dog. She took a humorous look at the topic but cited some heart-wrenching examples to illustrate the importance of finding the right pet sitter.
It came at the perfect moment: That very day, a husband and wife team of pet sitters came by to meet the boys and talk about their experience.
It’s going to work out with these pet sitters for days when we’re away, though they don’t offer overnight care, so we’re still going to need to find another solution. Possibly a boarding place in New Orleans… TBD…
When I shared Pamela’s post on Facebook, it sparked a good discussion, though I was saddened to hear how many people have horror stories from pet sitters! Our pet sitter in Bloomington, Ann of Bloomington Pet Pals, offered a few really valuable suggestions, which I wanted to share here. Ann wrote:
- They should have a federal tax ID number which just means they pay taxes as a business. They should also carry liability insurance which protects your pets and property. Ask to see proof of their insurance and what it covers – see if it covers transporting your pet b/c that’s a special provision you have to add. Ask if they have had any claims. Ask to see proof of their bond. If they don’t carry liability insurance and a bond, look for someone else.
- Ask if the person you meet is going to be the only one doing the sitting. Many times, you meet the owner of the company but they may use others to do the job, which isn’t necessarily bad, but you should know.
- Ask if everyone who works for them is covered by their insurance or bond.
- Your sitter should be in communication with you daily (at least) while you are away – via text or email. They should send photos. If you know your neighbors ask them to watch for the sitter and notice how long the person stays – are they in and out in 5 minutes or do they stay the length of time they say they will?
Such great advice. While you can’t predict or prevent every problem, doing your due diligence is critical when it comes to finding someone to take care of your fur babies!
Who takes care of your pet when you’re away? Do you hire a pet sitter? Go to a kennel? Any other advice to share with someone who’s considering a pet sitter?
I am from Houston but I go to school in New Orleans. I brought my dog with me and it took some getting used to since I didn’t know a single person there. I had to board my dog one time and I just thought I could suggest a place. It’s called Zeus’ Place on Freret Street and they’re really great people.
Ooooh! Thanks for the recommendation, Amanda! I’m going to check them out when I’m in NO this weekend!
Funny you should ask! I’m out of state for the next week and have left Hershey and Graham in the care of dog park friends. They have two dogs of their own and the wife is off for the summer so someone is usually there and there are always familiar dogs to play with. Graham is having a great time; Hershey is too, but she’s a bit mopey. This is the longest I’ve ever been away from her in the 3.5 years I’ve had her. I’m enjoying my trip but also looking forward to being with my critters again.
That sounds like an excellent solution for everyone! And I totally know the feeling of loving your vacation… but missing your pups! It’s always nice to get back home to their wagging tails!
they should stay with Grandma!
That would be their first choice, but it’s a bit too far to drive now! 🙂
That’s great advice! We’ve left the dogs with friends. We’ve left them in the house and had friends walk, feed and check twice a day. The best was when we took them with and kenneled them right around the corner from where we were staying. I knew we could be there in ten minutes if there was a problem, and the kennel owner knew I could drop in on a moment’s notice, just because. I hope you find a good solution!
That’s a great idea – being able to pop in and keep an eye on them would help me feel less nervous. We’re going to spend the holidays in IN and MD, so we need to find a local solution, but I think when we do our weekend in New Orleans, I’m going to follow your suggestion!
We’ve been lucky enough to have a friend and a sister that can usually pet sit for us. I think your former pet sitter gave great advice. I used to have a pet sitting business with that friend and sister and the first thing we did was get insured and bonded. A lot of the pet sitters around here don’t offer that. I also think the daily communication is key….for us worriers that really provides peace of mind! I would also suggest getting references from their other clients.
YES!! Peace of mind! I worry constantly, so it’s nice to find a solution that helps get rid of that worry. Er, well, lessens it anyway… 🙂
Thanks for the shout out. I’m glad it spurred some discussion.
I have a friend who provides an interesting pet service called Dog Vacay. It’s sort of like couchsurfing for dogs but you pay for it.
A family puts up an ad on the service and people can board their pets in this person’s home. One down side–recently the company used Cesar Millan as an endorser so I don’t know what kind of standards they have for their host families.
But my friend who does it is awesome. She works for the local SPCA and her partner is the volunteer who runs the reactive dog play group. They do lots of fostering and I’d definitely trust them with Honey or any other dog I know.
I’ll have to take a look at that. I’m sort of torn because I think, on the one hand, if they have other pets in the home, that adds a new layer of stress forcing the resident dogs to accept these newbies for a few days, what if they don’t get along, etc. But, on the other hand, if they didn’t have pets, I’d wonder if they knew what they were doing. I’m going to take a look at the organization and see what I can learn! Thanks for the introduction!
I am a pet sitter in my local area. I am not bonded or insured yet, I am trying to wait until the end of August to see how many jobs I continue to get since I’ve only been doing this since May. While I think it would be good to get bonded and insured, I disagree that it should be the first thing to ask for in a sitter. The first things to look for should be willingness to work hard, client reviews, and references- is that person reliable? Anyone can pay $35 to sign up for a tax certificate. Does that person have excellent reviews? (I do). Are they pet first aid/CPR certified (I am). Do they have reliable transportation? (I do). Do they send daily texts, updates, and emails? Just having a tax certificate and choosing a fancy business name won’t assure all of this. By the way, the most common type of liability insurance ranges from $275- $350 per YEAR. Averages out to about $21-25 a month. Definitely worth having but not exactly going to break the bank