3 Tips: Choosing Best Pet-Sitting Services For You
3 Tips For Choosing The Best Pet-Sitting Services For Your Needs
Whether you’re going on vacation or need someone to help care for your pet during long work hours, finding the right professional is imperative to your peace of mind and your pet’s happiness. Many pet sitters will offer a variety of services along with regular pet-care duties, some of which you might need and others that you might not. No matter your needs, a pet sitter should be flexible enough to cover what you require and reliable enough to get the job done. Here are three tips for choosing the best pet-sitting services for your needs:
1. Create a checklist
If you have a pet sitter in mind, it’s a good idea to write down a checklist of what you would need them to do. Then, cross-reference your checklist with services they offer. If all of your boxes are ticked off, then it’s an easy choice for you. If not all of your needs are met with their services, try asking about any similar services they could offer that would meet your needs. If none of what you require is offered, it might be time to look elsewhere for pet care.
If you haven’t found a few pet sitters you are considering, look for pet-care companies within your area. Many businesses, even small ones, will have a website where you can find information about their services and even pet sitters they have on staff. Even if you aren’t sure about what company or pet sitter to go with, making a checklist of what you need is a great start to figuring out what you need and where you can get it.
2. Form a connection
An important part of finding a pet sitter is the rapport that they have with your pet. A service provided by pet sitters should be comfort and companionship for a small portion of the time they spend with your pet. In an effort to ease your pet into becoming comfortable with the sitter, a meeting can be set up so your pet can interact with the sitter and learn their face and scents, so it’s not a shock when they enter the house without you.
When you’re out of the house, you want your pet to feel safe, which can be hard with a stranger coming in. Having a sitter that forms a connection with your pet is ideal so they can still get all the love, cookies, and smooches while you’re away.
This is particularly important for skittish animals that need time to warm up to people. Several meetings might be necessary before an animal with that disposition is comfortable with the sitter coming into their space. An attribute important for a sitter is patience, especially for animals that are afraid or have been abused. Their trust won’t be given easily, so a strong connection created by meetings with you, your animal, and the sitter is imperative.
3. Understand services and fees
Before selecting a sitter, it’s crucial to know the specifics about the person who will be coming into your home and caring for your pet. Additionally, you’ll want to know about the company they work for, the services they offer, and the cost of those services.
- Liability Insurance. One thing many people forget to ask about is commercial liability insurance. This insurance will protect you and your pet from thefts, accidents, or negligence. Often people think pet sitting isn’t something you need special training for, but people do need to be vetted.
- Training. As we mentioned before, some training would be preferred in a pet sitter coming into your home. You want to make sure that they are well-equipped to handle not only your pets needs but also their unique qualities.
- Services. Different companies will offer different pet-sitting services such as in-home grooming, dog walking, dog training, and play time. Depending on your contract, find out what services are offered to you and what times the sitter agrees to be with your pet.
Your pet is important to you, so do your due diligence and find the right pet sitter that will fit your needs. If your pet is laid back and you don’t need an abundance of services, find a company that offers a flat rate for pet sitting. If you prefer to have options, even if you don’t plan on using them right away, find a pet-sitting company that offers several different services for you to choose from. To learn even more about choosing the right care for your pets, visit our post How To Choose A Pet-Sitter.
