How to Choose a Pet Sitter
Many pet owners find that their animals are less stressed when a pet sitter takes care of them than if the pets are left in a boarding kennel. But how do you find a good one? What should you look for? Here are some tips on finding a reliable pet sitter.
1. Referrals
Check with your pet-owning friends and find out whom they use as a pet-sitter. If you don’t know anyone personally, check with your local veterinarian. If you have a pet supply store like PetSmart in your area, they also might be able to refer you to a reputable sitter. Even your local feed and grain store might have fliers posted by pet sitters. You can ask the staff if they know anything about the sitter’s qualifications.
2. Interview
When you have some names and numbers, contact the potential pet sitter and talk with him or her. After all, just because a person is recommended does not mean he or she is necessarily the right person for you. Some questions to ask are:
* What do you charge? (A very expensive person may be a setback at first, but consider that you will probably get what you pay for)
* What kind of experience do you have?
* Do you have any references? (References are important, especially if this sitter is not someone you are familiar with)
* What kind of animals have you cared for?
* What got you started in the pet sitting business?
Asking these and other questions can help you “feel out” a potential pet sitter. It also may help to write out your questions ahead of time.
3. Red flags
Some things to watch out for in a potential pet sitter might be:
* Too much eagerness to stay at your house – If you want to hire a pet sitter and prefer that he or she visit your home, and the sitter insists that he or she should stay at your house, you might not want to hire that person. It may just be a pushy personality, but someone who is that eager to get into your home may be plotting something mischievous.
* No references – A pet sitter should have at least two references, even if they are simply attestations to his or her character and integrity. Even a very young person starting out should have an adult or two who can vouch for his or her abilities and character.
* No pets of their own – If someone claims to be a pet sitter but has never owned a pet, they may not be a very effective pet sitter! This does not mean that they have to own pets right now; but there should be some kind of work with animals in their past, even if it was with someone else’s pets. Maybe they used to walk their neighbor’s dog or had a special relationship with their friend’s cat. There just needs to be some kind of background of a love for animals in a good pet sitter.