Guide to Choosing a Pet Sitter for Your Pet

Of course, the more you are willing to spend, the more comfort and attention your pet will get. In-home services typically also offer services such as watering plants and general house-care in your absence. Do not mistake a pet sitter, however, for a house-keeper - or you may soon need to get a new one!

People can become a pet sitter without any qualifications and it may be hard to gauge the experience any candidate can bring to the job. This is why it is sometimes very hard to choose a sitter from classified listings. Sometimes your individual impression of someone, and watching how they interact with your pet can be a good way of choosing. However, also look for accreditation from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, whose members abide by a code of ethics and have completed study courses and conferences.

Before selecting a person or company to look after your pets, interview the candidates over the phone or at your home. Find out if they will work in your home or whether you will take your pet to them. You will also want to know if potential candidates will be caring for other pets at the same time as yours, and if so how many pets and if your pet will receive as much attention as he needs. You should ask what other services your sitter might offer, such as walking your dog or watering your plants. 

If you are satisfied with the conditions in which your pet will be cared for, you should find out what training and qualifications the candidate has and what arrangements are in place if the candidate cannot make it to work one day (an emergency, car travel etc.) - for example can their agency provide backup? From a legal point of view you should find out if the candidate has commercial liability insurance (to cover accidents and negligence) and is bonded (to protect against theft). Finally, you should request that candidates provides a service contract to ensure that she is legally obliged to provide the care for which you are paying.

Find out from the candidate names and numbers of previous pleased customers who can provide a reference. Also judge your candidates on their interaction with your pet, and their interest in their well-being. For example, Does he/she seem interested when you are telling them about your pet? Do they take notes about feeding and medicating?

Once you have chosen a pet sitter, it is important that you do everything you can to make things as easy as possible for your pet and his new sitter. Every time you want to make a reservation with your sitter you should do so well in advance of your requirements. You should provide your pet sitter with clear instructions detailing specific pet-care responsibilities and contact information for you and for your vet. Most pet sitters will require that your pet's vaccinations are current, particularly if your pet is not the only animal being cared for on the premises, and you should make sure that you attach current identification tags to your pet's collar. Finally, a good tip is to leave a key with a trustworthy neighbor as a backup in case of loss, and make sure your pet sitter knows how to contact them.

About the Author

Find Pet Sitters in your town or state at PetPeoplesPlace.com.

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Pet Sitter Insurance

I am thinking of starting a pet sitting business. Would like tips from professional sitters or sites to visit

Do I need training? How and where can I get training, insurance, etc.

You want training first of all you need to keep animals seperated small pens in the back yard is a must for two reasons
1. let's say the animal has a lot of energy and is some what destructive you can't let him walk with you and the other cool animals on a leash so what you have to do to give him excersise is turn him loose in a pen.
2. by keeping them seperated it's easier to take care of them, have 3 x 5 cards with there feeding instructions on it the animals owners last name the animals name because animals respond to there name and all those names are hard to remember
3. spend at least 10 minutes twice a day talking to each animal individually it helps them learn to trust you and you can see clearly any extra needs the animal might have. Never take an animal out of it's cage unless you have a leash on them even if you carry them....lost animals = lost income, and damaged reputation. When handling an animal make sure you wash the scent off after each handling. Some animals react to the smell of other animals. Start off small and work your way up or you'll be sorry, always make sure you can give each animal there 10 minutes each day, and good luck!

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