Pet Sitters in North Yorkshire

Wednesday, 3rd February 2016 at 10:58 AM

If you are looking for pet sitters in North Yorkshire you can do no better than an established, insured company based here! Because we are the pet sitters in North Yorkshire we know the area well and are on hand to ensure that your pets receive the very best care by a live in pet sitter. Our pet sitters in North Yorlshire are friendly, professional and reliable and can provide care from a few hours to a few months! All are employed by us and fully insured.  We do not simply sign people up from the internet with no formal reference checks. If you are looking for pet sitters in North Yorkshire we are the best option: our live in pet sitters stay in your home and care for it and your pets as you would.  We are not a pop in service.  Your pets will receive dedicated one to one care from your pet sitters in North Yorkshire.

You can find out how to choose the right pet sitters in North Yorkshire by clicking here or find out how to arrange pet sitters in North Yorkshire by clicking here!

pet sitters in Harrogate

Wednesday, 3rd February 2016 at 10:56 AM

If you are looking for pet sitters in Harrogate you can do no better than an established, insured company based here! Because we are the pet sitters in Harrogate we know the area well and are on hand to ensure that your pets receive the very best care by a live in pet sitter. Our pet sitters in Harrogate are friendly, professional and reliable and can provide care from a few hours to a few months! All are employed by us and fully insured. If you are looking for pet sitters in Harrogate we are the best option: our live in pet sitters stay in your home and care for it and your pets as you would.  We are not a pop in service.  Your pets will receive dedicated one to one care from your pet sitters in Harrogate.

You can find out how to choose the right pet sitters in Harrogate by clicking here or find out how to arrange pet sitters in Harrogate by clicking here!

Booking a pet sitter

Tuesday, 19th January 2016 at 15:32 PM

At this time of year many people are looking at booking a pet sitter.  In fact we get numerous calls asking when is the right time to get on with booking a pet sitter.  It really is beneficial to look at booking a pet sitter sooner rather than later as services such as ours are often in great demand. Booking a pet sitter can be difficult at short notice and even if we can help you, you may find that the sitter has to travel slightly further than normal. Booking a pet sitter with us is easy and many of our clients find that booking a pet sitter early in the year works well for them.  The way we work allows for a little flexibility with dates so that you know you are booking a pet sitter who can work with you and your requirements.

For more information on booking a pet sitter click here.

how to find a dog sitter

Tuesday, 13th October 2015 at 11:14 AM

When planning holidays or business trips you are likely to ask how to find a dog sitter.  When asking how to find a dog sitter there are a number of options open to you.  The majority are now found online but the question of how to find a dog sitter that suits you still remains!  Word of mouth recommendations are always a great way to find a good local contact so be sure to ask your fellow pet owners. If you are still unsure and questioning how to find a dog sitter online we can give you a little advice on what to look for:

- Do they have a clear, comprehensive website?
- Can they provide references?
- How long has the business been trading?
- Are there FAQ to explain the ins and outs of how their service works>
- Are they personally carrying out the care?  Do they have staff?
- Is the service insured?
- Are they happy to chat things over on the telephone/in person?

These are the basic questions you need to be looking at when asking how to find a dog sitter and more importantly how to find a dog sitter who suits you and your pets!

how to find a pet sitter

Tuesday, 13th October 2015 at 11:13 AM

When planning holidays or business trips you are likely to ask how to find a pet sitter.  When asking how to find a pet sitter there are a number of options open to you.  The majority are now found online but the question of how to find a pet sitter that suits you still remains!  Word of mouth recommendations are always a great way to find a good local contact so be sure to ask your fellow pet owners. If you are still unsure and questioning how to find a pet sitter online we can give you a little advice on what to look for:

- Do they have a clear, comprehensive website?
- Can they provide references?
- How long has the business been trading?
- Are there FAQ to explain the ins and outs of how their service works>
- Are they personally carrying out the care?  Do they have staff?
- Is the service insured?
- Are they happy to chat things over on the telephone/in person?

These are the basic questions you need to be looking at when asking how to find a pet sitter and more importantly how to find a pet sitter who suits you and your pets!

Become a pet sitter

Tuesday, 13th October 2015 at 11:09 AM

Would you like to become a pet sitter? We are looking for trustworthy, responsible people who are animal lovers and would like to become a pet sitter.  We welcome applications from honest, friendly, capable people who are happy to travel to different locations and a variety of situations. Flexibility, a passion for animals and a sense of humour is a key requirement if you would like to become a pet sitter.

Property sitting is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Many of our sitters make firm friends with our clients and their pets when they become a pet sitter. It allows you to have a change of scenery in pleasant surroundings while enjoying spending time with a variety of delightful animals. As well as the being paid, you will also be provided with a provisions' allowance and traveling expenses.

When you become a pet sitter you are expected to keep the client's property as clean and tidy as when you arrive and to care for the pets in a loving and responsible manner. Some clients may require you to water house plants and outside tubs or do a little light gardening if this is of interest to you. You will be tasked with keeping pets in their usual routine and ensure that they remain content, cared for and as spoilt as possible!  This will obviously include general care from dog walking and feeding to maintaining comfort/cleanliness and administering medication if required.

We have a variety of people who come to us because they would like to become a pet sitter. We employ single sitters although some choose to take a (registered and reference/police checked) partner with them to a property sit and most clients are happy with this arrangement. The sitter's partner will pay his/her own expenses and would not receive any wages.

Property sits last from a day to two months, but the average is 1 to 2 weeks.  We also do part day sits if a client just requires a few hours cover and dog walking if a convenient.  When you become a pet sitter you can choose the sort of assignments you would be interested in completing and have the option of turning down those which don't suit your requirements.

Pet and Property sitting is a responsible position. We do our best to place a sitter with a client whose needs most nearly match his/her interests, therefore finding the sitter a property sit where they will have a pleasant and rewarding time.

Pet sitting is the sort of job that suits recently retired people with time on their hands.  It is not something designed to be a full time job, more something different to do whilst visiting new areas.  We do occasionally employ sitters to only care for properties but the people we actively employ are those who adore animals and value the opportunity to lovingly care for our clients pets as if they were their own.


Please note that in order to become a pet sitter you will need to own a car as many of the properties we care for are in isolated locations.  You will also need a permanent home within our coverage area, namely Northern England as detailed on our homepage. Pet sitting is not a suitable role to replace a full time job and can't be carried out in conjunction with one.  We only employ sitters on a long term basis.  Our sits are not suitable to replace your own home.

Pet & Property Sitters are actively recruiting sitters in Northern England.  Please note that we do not require staff in Southern England. If you would like to become a pet sitter we would love to hear from you. Please telephone 01423 817867 or email us for further information and an application form. If you would like to become a pet sitter you will be required to provide employment history, character references. We interview all sitters in their own home. A police check will also be required for insurance purposes.

Become a pet sitter

Arranging a pet sitter

Wednesday, 30th September 2015 at 14:20 PM

Arranging a home sitter is easy with our live in home sitting service. With over 15 years experience arranging a home sitter with us is easy; we can offer you the professional home sitting service you require with an established local company based right in your area. 

Our sitters provide a presence in your home helping to deter burglars. Police statistics have stated that four out of five burglaries occur when a house is empty.  In addition to the benefit of having someone staying in your home we offer far more than basic services such  as opening/shutting curtains, seeing to post and putting bins in/out and unlike many pop in services we do not charge extra to do so.   You home will continue to be run as it would if you were there; simply supply your sitter with instructions.

Your sitter will not vacate the property for more than 3 hours during the day (excluding dog walking) and half an hour at night.  They will not be juggling you with other clients (as many pop in services do) and are dedicated to ensuring that your home is well cared for. Our live in home sitters will also care for any pets you may have.

Using live-in sitters also helps to minimise the effects of adverse weather and if there is a problem or damage occurs we are on hand to ensure things are rectified immediately.  Rooms are aired in summer and warmed in winter.  Your house will always be as clean and tidy as when you left it.  The sitter will keep it warm enough to be comfortable but will also keep an eye on the household budget as they would in their own home.  Telephone messages will be taken according to your instructions and callers dealt with in a courteous manner.  Many of our sitters are also keen gardeners and are able to provide basic care to ensure everything is kept ship shape for your return.

Pet and Property Sitters also specialise in caring for larger properties without pets.  Please see our property care page for further details.

How to choose a pet sitter

Wednesday, 30th September 2015 at 14:19 PM

The question of how to choose a pet sitter as an alternative to kennels/catteries you find many different options! This guide on how to choose a pet sitter should help you ensure that you the right questions and ensure that you are in fact getting the service you require by a pet sitter you can trust.

The term 'pet sitter' is used to cover so many options and some are not really what they say on the tin!  Here are a few:

Live in Pet Sitters
We are the true pet sitting service because we only offer live in sitters.  In the same way that a babysitter would come to your home and look after children we stay on site to ensure that your pets receive the care and attention they require. Pet receive dedicated one to one care and your sitter will only be caring for your home and pets.

Pop in Pet Sitter / Dog Walker
This is someone who will call at your property a couple of times a day to feed (and walk your pets).  They will be caring for a number of homes at the same time and you will likely be given an allotted time slot which will only allow them so much time.  They provide basic care leaving your pet to fend for themselves the rest of the time and no real property care. A dog walker may well provide this service. They are likely pick up your dog along with others and drive them elsewhere to be walked in a group.

Home Boarding
This is where your pets will go to stay with a host family in their home.  There may or may not be other dogs present.  Some companies will allow you to meet the host families and some will not.  


Websites: register to view sitter profiles and adverts
Our business has been established as a professional pet sitting company for 15 years.  As such these websites horrify me!  It is so very easy to pretend to be someone you are not on the internet and to take someone on the value of them paying to post a listing is a huge risk.  If you choose to go down this root you need to be so very careful that you check, check and double check that they are who they say they are and have the experience that they suggest.  Pet sitting companies are there for a reason; to provide reference checked, professional sitters.  These websites promote themselves as a free way to travel the world and explore and you have to wonder if the people are doing it for the right reasons.  If they are wanting to travel how much time are they actually going to spend with your pets?  Are they insured? What come back is there in the event of a problem?  I would suggest very little.  With a professional company you quite simply do not have this problem.

Everywhere we look these days there are adverts for ‘pet sitters’ and dog walkers; flyers and cards posted, entries on websites charging people to post profiles, people mentioning that so and so down the street has been doing it for years.  But are they the right people?  The very first questions you need to ask are:

Are they insured/registered?
Any reputable company should be insured. Answers such as 'I've been doing it for years and have never had a problem' are simply not acceptable.You need to ensure that you are covered in the event of an accident or problem.What back up do they have in place in the event of illness or a problem?We get numerous phone calls from people who have taken the cheaper option only to get a call a few days before their holiday with excuses and let downs. Please note that live in pet sitters are not required to be registered but should still have professional operating procedures with your pets welfare and insurance in mind. There are a good number of pet sitting organisations around and you may well see their logo on the pet sitters site.  However, they are not always what they are made out to be so you still need to ask the right questions as it can actually mean that have simply taken advantage of a cheaper and less comprehensive level of group insurance. 

Can they provide testimonials?
Anyone offering pet sitting services should be able to provide countless testimonials. Get them in conversation, find out how they work, do they sound like they have a passion for animals? Do they sound organised and professional? Make sure alarm bells ring if you hear ANY negative comments about animals they have cared for! A good pet sitter will be happy to chat for hours about the pets they have cared for and will tell you all sorts of lovely stories.  You are looking for someone with a passion for animals, not passion for making money from something they see as 'easy'.

How long have they been established?
This is a tricky issue!Ideally it is always beneficial to go with an established company who know what they are doing and are not likely to disappear prior to your holiday.However there are also a scary amount of people who have muddled along for years doing private pet sitting with problems not coming to light. Likewise you may well get someone who can list endless courses and qualifications but are they also the right person?It is important to get a good feeling about them, after all, you are trusting them with something so very precious to you!

What are their basic operation procedures?
There are a few basic questions you should ask with regards to operating procedures.What plans to they have in place in case of illness or emergency? How many sits do they take on at once?If they are transporting your pets how is this done?How many hours will they spend away from the property? What background checks can they provide?

Are they happy to meet you?
Any pet care company should be more than willing to meet you prior to confirming a booking in fact they should encourage it and sooner rather than later. It is so important to ensure that you and your pets take to them, in fact your pets reaction will often confirm things for you! We have witnessed dogs pulling away from pet sitters and if horrifies us, there should be a real bond between the pet and their sitter and this is often instant. During this meeting they should ask the right questions such as your pets routine, quirks, medical history along with VET contact details.

Pet and Property Sitters do not offer pop in care as we find that the pets we care for thrive on the attention and would be unhappy with just a quick walk and a stroke.  Many of the pets we sit for are rescues who would be likely to fret if left alone for long periods of time.  Likewise, a poorly pet can become much worse if problems are not pick up on quickly.  Out clients get total peace of mind and do not have to worry about what is happening the other 22 hours of the day!

Having live in sitters also ensures that someone is on site to see to the daily upkeep of your home.  In the event of a problem we can ensure that action is taken and damage is minimilised.  Some pop in services offer to open curtains etc but this is not the same as having someone around to keep an eye on things for you. We offer a professional, discreet service: if it needs doing it will be done!

A little bit of research when you are looking at how to choose a pet sitter does show that other companies are now adding pet sitter to their services.  However, this can often be an after thought rather than the professional service we provide. It is always worth checking prices as what may initially seem a cheaper service can actually work out to be twice the price of an all in service such as ours. By the same example be wary of anyone offering a much cheaper service: why are they so desperate for business?  A good pet sitter will be very much in demand and will charge accordingly. If things are being done correctly they will have a certain about of outlay and this will be reflected in the price.

booking a pet sitter for Christmas

Tuesday, 25th August 2015 at 10:14 AM

Even though summer is only just coming to an end many of our clients are already booking a pet sitter for Christmas.  If you are planning on booking a pet sitter for Christmas you need to ensure that you book early as we already only have limited availability. When you are booking a pet sitter for Christmas we try to ensure that your sitter is as local as possible but as time goes on you may find that this is not possible.  Booking a pet sitter for Christmas ensures that you can go away safe in the knowledge that your pets remain in their own routine and spoilt rotten!  You sitters will also see to the day to day up keep of your house keeping it clean, aired, warmed and cared for, especially in the even of inclement weather.

Contact us today to chat about booking a pet sitter for Christmas.

live in pet sitter

Tuesday, 25th August 2015 at 10:13 AM

If you are looking for a live in pet sitter there are a few options open to you.  A live in pet sitter should move into your home and care for it along with your pets. You may find that a live in pet sitter is a friend or relative but you do need to be aware they they will not be insured or obliged to care for your pets as per your instructions; is it worth the risk? A live in pet sitter can also be arranged thru a free listings site or advert on local pages.  Again you need to be careful as this also throws up insurance questions plus are they who they say you are?  Can you be sure they are doing the job for the right reasons and not just a free holiday?

When choosing a live in pet sitter the best option is to use a professional service.  We can provide you with a insured, employed, reference/police checked sitter who will look after your home and pets in accordance to our standard operating procedures and your instructions.

To find out more about arranging a live in pet sitter click here or contact us.

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