Pet Sitting

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I customize what I do based on the needs of my clients and their pets. If I am taking care of horses, I make sure that water and feed are clean, stalls are mucked out and the horses have been turned out for exercise and cleaned. If needed I will check for injuries, spray for flies, and treat per the owner's instructions.. If I am taking care of dogs, I play or talk with them as I prepare their meals, etc. I make sure that they either get time outside or depending on their needs, keep them throughout the day, traveling with me. Cats, well I have them. They tend to be the easiest to care for. Seems like they need food, water, litter box cleaned regularly and they are happy. Then there are those times that you are absolutely their favorite person! And those are the great times. Essentially, the animals dictate how you interact with them.
In addition to caring for someone's pet, I tend to include all of the plants, mail, newspapers etc. It does not take that much time and it makes it easier on the owner who is already somewhat stressed about leaving.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Ask about their history of care. If you have an exotic or pocket pet make sure they have worked with them before. If you have horses, make sure they are experienced in reading body language and are familiar with the common problems that horses tend to find when their "parents" are not home. Watch how your animals react to the provider. Initially, if a negative reaction occurs, it is ok as long as the reaction becomes milder over time.(this bit of advice is generally geared toward dog owners) Cats have their own responses that are highly individualized.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. My background as a veterinary technician makes it pretty easy for my to promote the business of pet sitting. I would recommend to all clients that they put in writing what they want done. Generally, I go over this during the initial interview, however if they start writing down what they want done and questions that they want to ask before the interview, more information is made available to them.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I genuinely like animals and am very skilled in taking care of them. Most of my clients are aware that they have hired a person who can spot potential problems. I do what the owners request be done and leave daily care forms for owners to review upon their return.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. Each pet has it's unique way of accepting you. I love it when I spot the acceptance. When this happens, I am able to reduce anxiety resulting from the small changes in their daily cares.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. Most ask about pricing and availability. I usually can juggle my schedule to cover almost any need and still provide quality care. Some ask why I do this. I love animals. I am slowly building up my business, so when I retire, I will have my dream job!

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I genuinely care about their pet(s). I have been a vet tech not because of the pay, but for the interaction I have with with the animals. Most techs will tell you they are in the business because they love working with animals and want to do their best to alleviate pain and anxiety. Pet sitting is just an extension of what I do as a tech.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. This is the job for retirement. It is a natural extension of the work I have done for so many years as veterinary technician. I am starting a few years early so I will have a good base of clients at the time I retire. I have no intentions of sitting around and twiddling my thumbs. I am an active person who loves working with animals so the transition to this profession is natural

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. First off, I am not a trainer. That in itself is an art in my mind. However, I recently had some success working with a dog who had fear based aggression. It took four days, but with patience and just being there, I was able to get his anxiety level down to where he would interact and play with me. I know his owners were pleasantly surprised at the change in him when they came home.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. My certification requires about 20 CEs every two years, however I try to attend an equine symposium every year and a veterinary conference every other year to maintain about 30-40 CEs.

Q. What is your greatest strength?

A. I have a great deal of empathy for the pet and I am a professional. I care most for the animals and I know what I am doing. Known for being a straight talker, I will let owners know what I think are safety and health issues that need to be addressed.