Pet sitting priorities
Thursday, 9th August 2012 at 12:27 PM
Today I have seen an article about pet sitting that horrified me. There appears to be a growing number of websites offering to find pet sitters work. The emphasis of these sites appears to be looking for people who want a place to stay while traveling or attending events such as the Olympics. This raises so many questions with me! Over the many years I have worked in this industry I have employed numerous sitters. One of the first questions I always ask potential applicants is why they want to pet sit. If the first answer they gave was that they wanted free accomodation for the Olmpics I would be extremely cautious about their motives. We employ people who adore animals and want to spend time with them. They are happy to spend time at the property (our sitters only ever take a maximum of 3 hours out), get out on some lovely walks with the dogs and are there to do just that, not to lock animals in and go off for a day at an Olympic event! I hope potential clients see the huge warning bells that any company making such a suggestion rings. When a pet sit is advertised as a place to base yourself to visit events how can you be sure your home and pets are actually receiving the care they should?
When choosing a pet sitter it is so important to use a professional company. Any established pet sitter will know that certain things need to be recorded and that the sit should be carried out in a specific way. Unless in the case of an absolute emergency we always arrange a prelim visit so that our clients can get to know the sitters and that the sitters in turn have a chance to go over details and spend a little time with the animals. As far as we are concerned this isessential and I am always absolutely gob smacked to hear of strangers who have been rectuited from the internet simply turning up and being entrusted with anyones home and pets. I've even seen examples where it is suggested that the sitter 'might want to consider getting vet details'. I find it unbelievable that this should be an after thought! Our sitters are supplied with a checklist giving them details of each job along with detailed forms to record pets routine, vets, quirks and contacts along with detailed information for the running of the property. We also encourage our clients to speak to their vet and inform them that a pet sitter will be caring for animals, especially if they are older or have any medical issues. This is how it should be.
On a lighter note I've attached a photo to this post that I took at the weekend. Despite the fact the local summer fair was happening right next to my pet sit, I missed it as I was busy making sure this lovely dog had a nice walk in the sunshine! Pet sitting is all about ensuring the animals in your care are the priority.
