Are you wanting to go on vacation, & have pets, but don’t have anyone to watch them? I hope I can give you some suggestions on how to find a pet sitter or a place for your pet to stay.
There are some things you need to think about so you can find the right place for your pet?
- Do I want my pet(s) to stay at my home & have someone come in to care for them?
- If someone is coming to care for my pet, do you want them staying at my house or just coming by as needed to care for your pet(s)? How often would they be needed?
- Would my pet be ok to be boarded at a place, such as a boarding facility, a person’s home or a Vet”s office?
- If your pet has special needs, does it require a skilled person to care for, or can you teach someone fairly easily (example: giving meds)?
- Is your pet friendly with strangers or other unknown animals?
- Do you want your dog to be walked or a small animal taken out of its cage while your gone?
The above questions will help you to figure out where is the best type of place for your pet while you’re gone (home or away). Now you need to locate a responsible place or person to take care of them. I will give you some ideas of how to start your search:
- Ask family members for a recommendation (who knows one might volunteer to pet sit for you, but if you prefer it not be a relative be honest with them).
- Ask your neighbors that have dogs or pets, they may have a pet sitter or a niece or nephew that pet sits. Sometimes college students are looking to make a little money & love animals. Some neighbors might be willing to trade with you: you pet sit for them & they pet sit for you.
- Ask friends at church or call your church & ask the church administrator or the Pastor if anyone in the congregation is a pet sitter. I know we have at least two adult women in my church who pet sit.
- Ask trusted friends who they use or recommend? I have given my pet sitters name to several people.
- Contact Vets in your area & see if they board, that is if your pet would be fine with boarding. Some Vets offices have doggie daycare in addition to boarding if you want your dog to participate in that. It doesn’t ‘t have to be your Vet, but they will require some proof of medical records.
- If you have a trusted dog trainer ask her or him for their recommendations. I became friends with my 1st dogs trainer & she recommended my current pet sitter & she works at a Vet as a kennel worker & they recommended her as well.
- You can call Vets near you & ask if they have any techs that pet sit? This is especially nice if your pet needs to be given medicine as most techs administer medicine as part of their daily job.
- Check online for boarding facilities near you.
Once you have a few names of individuals or places to contact then I suggest you make a list of what you are looking for in a pet sitter, so you have your questions ready when you contact them:
1. To stay at your house or just stop by & for how long, how often?
2. What do you want them to do for your pet?: feed, walk, clean up after, let out etc…
3. Ask for references (other people they have pet sat for or references if they are new to pet sitting)
4. Ask about their pet experience with the type of pet you have?
5. Ask their fee? (daily, per visit or per night? ) Is the fee per pet?
6. If your pet takes medicine ask about their experience administering medicines. (At first let them tell you what they know instead of you saying what the pet needs. This way you’ll have a better idea if they have the experience your pet requires or they can be taught).
7. If your pet will be watched at someones home (not yours) ask if they have kids, other pets or anything that could be different or stressful to your pet.
So when you have a few people or places you have contacted that you feel are possibles to hire to care for your pets. Next I would research them online & see what you find out, such Social media, google & read reviews. If things look good then I suggest setting up an in person meeting. You can meet for a coke or coffee if an individual person & not a facility. You can meet at your home or theirs, you both can decide this. If it’s a facility, then contact them & set up a tour (with or without your dog). In the past I set up a meet & greet at a boarding facility about a week before I was going out of town, (thought he would be adopted or another foster home could watch him, but no luck). I did a tour of the place with the owner & my foster dog. I was so upset, I left there in tears & didn’t want to leave him there & I could tell he didn’t want to be there. It was dirty & a kennel worker was using a high powered water hose to spray out a kennel with a dog in it. The owner seemed to think it was up to standard & nothing wrong with what he was doing. On my way home I saw another boarding place & stopped in without an appointment, I apologized, & explained what just happened. They gave me a tour even though it was not the normal thing they did without an appointment. This was a nice place & if my foster dog was dog friendly (he was) he would get playtime with other dogs out in a large fenced area while monitored by 1-2 employees. They also would give him a bath before I picked him up. I could tell he liked the place & the people & that is where he was boarded when I was out of town. Please note that most places will require certain Vet records & a current negative stool sample, so be sure to ask their requirements & allow time before your trip to be sure you have all that is needed updated.
I hope you found this helpful & you have some ideas on how to find a pet sitter for the next time you want to go on vacation & your pet(s) can’t go with you. Please like the post, so others can also find my blog. Please comment, share with friends, or subscribe so you don’t miss out on upcoming posts. (you won’t get spam or ads you will just get notified via email when I post on my blog page). You can send questions directly to me, to my email at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 