Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services

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

A. When hiring someone to look after you pets and your home, you should be sure that you check them out thoroughly before you hire them.

Make sure your potential pet sitter is bonded and insured by asking them for a copy of their bonding and insurance documentation prior to hiring them. Be sure to ask for them for a list of references, then call the people on the list. Check websites such as thumbtack.com to see if the pet sitter your are thinking of hiring has any reviews listed by past clients.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. Are you and/or your employees bonded and insured pet sitters? If so, may I please have a copy of your insurance information?
May I please have a list of your references?
Do you have any kind of first aid training for pets?
How long have you been in business?
What kind of experience do you have with working with animals?
What do your rates include and what do they not include?
What happens if my pets get sick or injured while I'm away?
Can I call and/or email you while I'm gone to see how my pet is doing or will you call and/or email me updates?

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

A. I strive to give my clients and their pets the best care I possibly can. I treat my client's pets as if they were my own & give them the same loving care as I give my own pets.

I treat the homes of my clients as if they were castles; I am always very careful in their homes so that I don't break anything and I handle their mail very carefully so that it doesn't get misplaced. I do a quick walk through of a customer's home on each visit to make sure that all the doors and windows are locked and to make sure that any pets that have free range of the house haven't gotten sick or gone potty in an inappropriate place. I always clean up after my client's pets and myself and I always leave the customer's home in the same condition I found it.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. What I love best about being a pet sitter is getting to care for so many different types of animals! I've cared for bearded dragons, rare Hyacinth macaws, dogs, cats, fish, and many different types of parrots.

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

A. Are you bonded and insured? Yes, I have a surety bond and pet sitting insurance through Pet Sitters Associates LLC. I am happy to provide my clients with a copy of my insurance certification.

Do you have a references available? Yes, I have a list of references available which includes people I've worked with professionally, the director of the dog rescue service I volunteer with, and a list of clients who have given me permission to use them as a reference.

Do you have any training in pet first aid? Yes, I took the pet first aid and CPR course offered by the American Red Cross. I always bring my Red Cross Pet First Aid kit with me when caring for a client's pets.

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

A. I wish customers would realize that there are two different types of pet sitters: professionals and individuals who think pet sitting is an 'easy' way to make money. Pet sitting is not an easy job if you want to do it right, in my opinion.

Doing it right means paying for liability insurance and bonding, taking courses in pet first aid so that you are prepared for any emergencies that might come up, taking the time to get involved in the local pet-owing community by working with a rescue group or being involved with local pet-related clubs, and by taking the time to develop your business in a professional manner.

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

A. I became a professional pet sitter after I realized that there wasn't a business in my immediate area that provided professional and reliable care for people who owned parrots. At the time, I owned nine parrots and I never went out of town on vacation because I had no one that I trust to care for my birds and my home.

I started a pet sitting business with my friend and, at first, we specialized in taking care of parrots only. However, people began calling us to see if we offered pet sitting services for other types of animals as well, and so we expanded our business to include all types of pets.

I began my own pet sitting business in 2011 after my friend decided that she wanted to pursue other business opportunities on her own.