Dog Walking and Pet Sitting

Introduction: Professional pet sitters are great at many things, from offering trusted advice on pet-care issues to finding unique ways to make pet owners still feel connected with their pets while they are away. However, there's one skill that many professional pet sitters still struggle with: saying "no." From enforcing a cancellation policy with a client who always forgets to let you know he's made other arrangements to the client who's technically no longer in your service area but you keep sitting for anyway, perhaps you are finding that saying "no" is not as easy as one might think, especially when you are just starting your pet-sitting business. While it may be easy to refer a pet owner to another pet sitter if your schedule is booked or they are outside of your service area, there are other times that turning down clients can be more difficult. Professional pet sitters' dedication to the pets, commitment to their clients, desire to grow their clientele and huge hearts may sometimes result in putting up with a lot more than they should. However, it's important to realize that sometimes saying "no" is a must -- not only to reduce your stress level but also to keep you safe as you perform your day-to-day pet-sitting assignments. PSI's Pet Sitter Safety survey was conducted to determine the most common methods employed by pet sitters to stay safe while on the job, and what we found is that there are four top situations that make pet sitters feel unsafe. The following four circumstances should -- and do -- make pet sitters say "no" to a pet-sitting assignment: #4. Aggressive dogs: 18% of pet sitters responding to the survey indicated that an aggressive dog had been reason to consider a job too unsafe. One pet sitter described a situation she had encountered: "We had a client who had a dog that was very protective of their property. On a walk the dog was fine. At home, however, it was aggressive even when given treats. This is a situation that is not correctable. It can only lead to catastrophe and possibly injury. We did not take the job." #3. Filthy home/client was a hoarder: 22% of pet sitters responding to the survey shared that they felt unsafe or uncomfortable with a pet-sitting assignment when the client's home was filthy or when the client was a hoarder. One pet sitter described how she initially took an assignment in a filthy home, but had to ultimately "fire" the client: "One client's home was filthy. I made sure not to take anything into the home, except the bare essentials and did not set stuff down that had to leave with me. In other words, everything that came into their house with me went into the garbage can before I left, except my keys, which I stashed into my pocket. Unfortunately, after two sitting assignments with this client, we had to tell them we could no longer sit for them...it was just a dirty and unsanitary situation." #2. "Creepy" client: 23% of the pet sitters who completed the survey indicated that they had felt unsafe or uncomfortable with a pet-sitting assignment because they simply did not feel comfortable with the client -- even if they could not exactly put their finger on what made them feel so uncomfortable. Pet sitters shared examples of potential clients who did not make eye contact or seemed overly nervous, made flirtatious or sexual comments and seemed more interested in asking detailed personal questions about the pet sitter instead of their pet-sitting services. #1. Unsafe neighborhood: 38% of pet sitters completing the survey listed a potential client's neighborhood as a reason they would feel to unsafe or uncomfortable to take the pet-sitting assignment. This included homes in neighborhoods that were considered unsafe, as well as clients with homes that were too secluded. Have you ever had to turn down a job for one of these reasons? If so, how did you tell the pet owner you were not able to take the assignment? Are there other reasons you have turned down a potential pet-sitting assignment?