Finding a dog sitter whom you can trust is a challenging task these days. You will have to consider many things. These seven tips will help you walk through the process without hassle.
Pets are more like humans; they need exercise, proper grooming, timely feeding, and entertainment to ease the stress and elate their mood.
But many of us have little time because of our busy lifestyles. This is where the need for a professional dog caretaker arises.
To make it easy, we have made the list of seven easiest tips for you to quickly find a dog sitter who can walk your pet, feed your pet timely, and take care of your dog’s every need while you are away from home.
Related: Seven In-Home Dog Care Tips You Can Follow Quickly
1. Talk to Your Pet Doctor
A professional dog sitter has good network support, so your pet doctor would be a better person to ask for recommendations. A professional caretaker has experience working with many leading vets.
So, your pet doctor may have known such a good dog sitter. A professional dog sitter with a good relationship with leading vets for older and special needs pets would provide better peace of mind in a medical emergency.
2. Talk to People in Your Circle
Word of mouth is never fake, meaning the people you know would never lie to you. So you must ask your friends, relatives, or neighbors who have pets if they know a dog sitter who is good enough to hire. They will provide you with honest advice.
This is the best way to learn about dog sitters you can hire to care for your dog.
3. Prepare a List of Questions
The human society of the United States has set some parameters for screening dog sitters. You can use them to make the list of questions you should ask a dog sitter before hiring them.
Among the most pertinent questions you should ask when you want to hire dog-sitting services from a pet care agency are:
- Can they provide proof of commercial liabilities insurance to cover any accident and negligence?
- Are they liable to protect against theft by a pet sitter?
This way, you can ensure you hire a reliable dog sitter to be let in your house while you are away.
4. Never Forget To Ask for References
Finding a dog sitter is easy, but finding a reliable one is an uphill battle. All the pet sitters claim to be the best. But do not just trust their words. Instead, ask them to provide you with references to their clients.
Call and talk with them, discussing all crucial points. This will help you decide who to hire to care for your dog.
5. Select a Certified Dog Sitter
The best recommendation is to contact at least two national-level pet sitters associations. Pet Sitters International, the most coveted organization of highly professional pet sitters, has also provided the “Pet Sitter of the Year” excellence award.
The pet sitters associations are where you find helpful information about pet sitters and a lot of crucial things that help you choose the right dog sitter for you.
So, always remember to hear what the pet sitters have to say about when it comes to hiring a dog sitter.
6. Hire a Dog Sitter From a Renowned Agency
Your pet sitter may stop rendering the service. Such cases are easy to notice. And the best way you can go is to hire a dog sitter who works with an established boarding facility.
The most significant benefit here is that if your dog sitter denies rendering service further, you can be provided another dog sitter. So you do not have to spend hours searching for a new pet sitter for your dog.
7. Check the Agreement Carefully
Last but not least, read the agreement documents carefully. Do this even though you think you have landed the best deal. Pay heed to even minor details, and never be shy to ask your dog sitter to make it clear if there is anything you are doubtful of.
Be very attentive when studying the contract to ensure that everything discussed and agreed upon has been included in the agreement.
If possible, accompany someone who has earlier used pet-sitting services to help you.
Finding a Dog Sitter Shouldn’t Be Hard
To sum up, I find these tips helpful in finding and choosing pet-sitting services that you can rely on.
However, you are advised to do everything you think you should, which can help you find a dog sitter quickly. If you have other tips to find a dog sitter, please do tell me know about them in the comment section below.
Additional Resources:
Every dog owner has a duty of care to make sure that their dog gets at least one walk every day. Unlike most activities dog walking is something that the whole family can enjoy and better still, it doesn’t cost anything at all.