If you own a pet that is dependent on daily care (and most are), you understand the problems you face when leaving home for a few days. One option is taking your pet to a boarding facility, but many people prefer to hire a pet sitter to come into their home and take care of their pet while they are gone. This is an important decision, because you need someone you can really trust and depend on.
These days, pet sitting is a flourishing business. Our society as a whole is more mobile than ever, which creates great opportunity for this business. A lot of folks choose for one reason or another that they wish to get involved in pet sitting. Even so, as soon as they find out what work it requires they back off a bit. Bottom line - you need to come up with a person who has been in this business for a long time.
There are advertisements for pet sitters all over. You can find them in the Yellow Pages, online, and placed on bulletin boards in pet stores. A good idea is to ask your friends, family, acquaintances, and your veterinarian for a few recommendations.
Once you have a few names, contact some of them and have them visit your home. See how they interact with your pet, and how your pet reacts to them. Animals have a great instinct and "sixth sense" about people.
Ask the potential sitters some thought provoking questions. Find out why they are in that business, and why they think anyone should hire them. Some will flake out at this point and you can eliminate them. Others will go into detail and begin to establish a trust with you.
Find out more about their experience with animals. Are they able to recognize the initial symptoms of illness, and discern when an normally healthy pet is hurting? This might seem elementary, but it really takes someone with experience. Just loving animals is great, but a good sitter should have a broader background and some knowledge of animal health.
Ask these questions of any prospective sitter that you might hire:
How many times will they visit your pet each day?
What services will they perform in your home? Feeding and providing water is obvious, but what about playing with the pets or walking with them outside (if it is a dog). If the pet's stomach is upset and it vomits, will they take care of removing the mess?
Discovering an honest and dependable pet sitter you can trust can be very reassuring. It's nice to know both your home and your pet are in the hands of someone who cares and will do a good job. - 31851
These days, pet sitting is a flourishing business. Our society as a whole is more mobile than ever, which creates great opportunity for this business. A lot of folks choose for one reason or another that they wish to get involved in pet sitting. Even so, as soon as they find out what work it requires they back off a bit. Bottom line - you need to come up with a person who has been in this business for a long time.
There are advertisements for pet sitters all over. You can find them in the Yellow Pages, online, and placed on bulletin boards in pet stores. A good idea is to ask your friends, family, acquaintances, and your veterinarian for a few recommendations.
Once you have a few names, contact some of them and have them visit your home. See how they interact with your pet, and how your pet reacts to them. Animals have a great instinct and "sixth sense" about people.
Ask the potential sitters some thought provoking questions. Find out why they are in that business, and why they think anyone should hire them. Some will flake out at this point and you can eliminate them. Others will go into detail and begin to establish a trust with you.
Find out more about their experience with animals. Are they able to recognize the initial symptoms of illness, and discern when an normally healthy pet is hurting? This might seem elementary, but it really takes someone with experience. Just loving animals is great, but a good sitter should have a broader background and some knowledge of animal health.
Ask these questions of any prospective sitter that you might hire:
How many times will they visit your pet each day?
What services will they perform in your home? Feeding and providing water is obvious, but what about playing with the pets or walking with them outside (if it is a dog). If the pet's stomach is upset and it vomits, will they take care of removing the mess?
Discovering an honest and dependable pet sitter you can trust can be very reassuring. It's nice to know both your home and your pet are in the hands of someone who cares and will do a good job. - 31851
About the Author:
Your dog or cat is just an animal, right? Wrong. It's your pet, and a cherished part of your family. Enjoy discovering more about taking care of pets to ensure their health and contentment.
