In-Home Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services

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

A. A customer should sit down with the pet sitter before leaving to cover all aspects of pet care while they're gone and allow us as pet sitters to get to know the pets. We do the best job of pet sitting when we have a thorough background on a pet's healthy history, veterinarian, emergency vet and any medications and special foods, toys and treats they're allowed. It makes for healthy and happy pets when the pet owner returns.

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

A. As a customer looking for a pet sitter I would want to know how experienced the pet sitter was and if they, too, had pets. In addition, customers shouldn't be afraid to ask for references as any good pet sitter will be happy to provide them.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. As pet sitters we need to know how many pets, what type of pets and how many visits per day the pet owner requires while they're gone. Where they live is also important and when/how long they will be gone. This information will help us give them an accurate estimate of the cost for pet care.

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

A. We are the only pet sitting service in the Twin Cities metro area that provides pet owners with movies of their pets. It reassures pet owners their pets are fine. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video (movie) of your pet is priceless.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. We like the unconditional love we see in all the pets we visit. Every pet is unique and special to us and it's sometimes hard to leave them behind because we develop a bond with each one of them.

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

A. Many customers want to know if we come to their home or if they need to bring their pet to us. We end up explaining how we come to their home so their pets don't have to leave the comfort of familiar surroundings. This is very important to pets who don't do well in boarding facilities.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. One of our first clients received a video of their cat while they were on vacation in Hawaii. They had been there 3 days and even though we had emailed them that everything was O.K., they were still worried about their cat and not enjoying their vacation. When they got the video, they watched it three times and sent a page reply about how fantastic it was to see that their cat was doing fine and they could now enjoy the rest of their vacation without worrying.

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

A. We're professional pet sitters so we are licensed, bonded and insured. If a person gets their neighbor or a college kid to pet sit for less money, they are not protected. For example, our insurance carrier provides us with a monthly list of nationwide claims. An average dog bite costs the insurance company over $8,000. Our insurance coverage protects pet owners from these types of claims while we are pet sitting their pets.

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

A. We've been fortunate to have a lot of experience with older pets at the end of their life cycle. We understand the extra time and hospice-like care that goes into attending to older pets.

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

A. We are members of Pet Sitters International, a professional organization that keeps us updated on the latest trends and educational requirements for our profession.