21
Aug
2015
Not only does the sitter have the responsibility of caring for your beloved pet, they also have full access to your home. You need feel comfortable and confident that the sitter will take care of your pet the way you want them taken care of and someone you can trust in your home.
You should look for a professional, qualified sitter who carries commercial liability insurance specific to pet sitting. This means they have invested in their business by taking steps to ensure they have liability insurance to cover accidents and negligence, and are bonded.
References are a great way to determine if the sitter is a good fit for you and your pet. Most sitters provide on-line testimonials to review, but go even one step further and request to have references provided and actually call them. You can do this before you even meet with the sitter for the consultation.
Some sitters don’t like it if potential clients interview more than one pet sitting service – I don’t think it’s a bad idea – you need to make sure that you and your pet are comfortable with the sitter you hire.
Have the sitters taken Pet First Aid and CPR Training? You’ll want to ensure that anyone taking care of your pets has this training. It provides them the knowledge they need to respond to any immediate basic medical emergency needs and determine if your pet needs further veterinary care.
Does the company do an in-depth consultation with you in regards to your pet and their needs such a special dietary needs, medication and how your pet reacts will react in specific situations. They should also be asking what your pet loves to do for fun, do they like to be snuggled and cuddled, tummy rubs etc.? A professional will have the experience to tailor their visits to meet the needs of your pets so they are happy and content while you’re away. Which means that you can be happy and content to go on vacation or business trips!
Do they have a back-up plan in place should your sitter become ill?
Do they provide you with information about the company, themselves, their sitters and the fee structure?
Can you contact them easily while you’re away? Will they send you texts, emails and photos of your pets?
It’s really worth your while to plan ahead and spend some time doing the above well in advance of the need for a sitter.