Having your pet by your side at all times sounds like the ideal scenario, but sometimes you just have to leave your furry friend at home. Whether you’re travelling for work, or the hotels you’re about to stay at while you’re on vacation are not pet-friendly, your four legged-friend will have to stay behind, and it’ll require proper care while you’re away. Therefore, it’s essential that you find a professional and qualified pet sitter for your cat or a dog that will make sure all of their needs are met during your absence.
Ask around
One of the first things that comes to mind when you’re looking for the right pet sitter is to ask any of your friends if they can recommend someone trustworthy. No matter how professional or qualified a sitter may appear on the commercial, it’s best that you find out whether they’re good or not first hand. Therefore, if any of your friends or colleagues at work may have trusted their pet with a sitter, make sure you ask for their number and see for yourself how dependable they are.
Talk to your vet
A support network is one of the crucial segments in every professional pet sitter’s work, so they will be connected with various veterinarians. Therefore, the next time you take your pet to an exam, and you know you’ll go out of town soon, make sure you ask your pet’s veterinarian for any recommendations. This is an especially good idea if your dog requires special care and has special needs. If the vet and the sitter are already familiar with each other, you won’t have to worry about your pet getting the best care in case of any emergency.
Look up online
The internet is filled with various pet sitting agencies, so it’s always a good idea to look up a professional online. In a sea of good agencies, look for the one that offers professional pet minding services, and has trained and certified pet sitters with long experience in pet sitting. Once you think you’ve found the right one, make sure you also find out if anyone you know has had experience with the agency, so you can be sure they’re the right choice.
Ask for references
Once you’ve chosen the person you’d consider for taking care of your pet, make sure you do an interview with them and ask for references. The longer the experience they have in pet sitting, the better. A professional and qualified pet sitter is most likely to have several regular clients, as well as a few pet care services that will give them the highest recommendations. This will also mean that they’ve already learned what dogs and cats need, how they’ll react to your absence, and what the best way to calm them down is in case they feel too sad for being left behind.
Give them a tryout
If you’re satisfied with a sitter’s references, you’re only one step away from hiring them. Namely, you should have them spend a day with your pet and see how the two will get along. Even though the minder you chose may have a lot of experience, every pet is different and it doesn’t necessarily mean they will like the sitter. Therefore, give your pet an opportunity to meet the minder, and vice versa. If you see that your pet approves your choice of sitter, look no further and seal the deal at once. Only after all of the previous criteria are met will you be able to have peace of mind while you’re away.
Finding a reliable pet sitter may seem like a piece of cake, but it’s not always that easy. Your pet is like a family member, and trusting them with a stranger is a serious step, so it’s vital that you find a person who has good references, a long experience in pet sitting and one that will get along with your pet well.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.