You’ve booked the plane tickets, you’ve booked the hotel, but what about arrangements for your pets? There are many options when it comes to caring for your pets while you’re on vacation. You could leave them with family or friends. You can board them at your vet’s office. And then there are other boarding options like pet hotels. And yes, just like the human hotels, those can get pretty swanky! Depending on your budget, those may be your best options. But what if you wanted your pets to stay at home. If so, you need a pet sitter!
Why would you choose a pet sitter?
Sometimes, having a pet sitter come to your home is the only option. Many years ago, we tried boarding our dogs at a typical boarding facility. Each dog had their own 3 foot by 3 foot space.
We had our dogs in spaces that faced each other but outside of 2 hours per day, they were kept separated in their own space. They were used to being together and being apart made them really depressed. Not long after, one of our dogs began having seizures.
The seizures became more frequent during times when she was highly stressed. It was during this time that I had to re-evaluate using a boarding facility. Boarding her created more stress and caused her to have more seizures. And the place she felt most relaxed in, was in our own home. For our next vacation, I hired a pet sitter!
Not all pet sitters are created equal
Finding someone you trust to take care of your pets can be super hard! Over the years we have had several pet sitters, and some were not very trustworthy at all. We once purchased a brand new bag of dog food prior to going on vacation because there was very little left in the bag we had.
When we returned a week later, the new bag had not even been opened! I immediately called the pet sitter and questioned her about this. She claimed that the dogs did not seem very hungry while we were gone and barely ate.
While I believe this may have been the case for the first day we were gone, I found it really hard to believe that the dogs were not hungry the entire length of the vacation. I began to wonder if she had even tried to feed them, or worse, if she had even visited them every time she said she did. After all, we were paying for each and every visit and I expected them to be there each time.
After that, we installed a security camera so that we could track how many times a day the pet sitter actually came to the house. We had one incident where a really young girl only stayed 5 minutes and then left. Our scheduled visits were supposed to be 20 minutes.
After seeing the footage, I contacted the company we use and let them know. They sincerely apologized and sent someone else over to do another visit for free. We haven’t had any problems like that since then.
So why trust them?
There are bad sitters out there, but there are also really good ones. And we are happy that we found our current ones. Your pets will receive specialized attention from sitters that know all of your pets’ little quirks. Sometimes I think that my dogs have such a good time with the sitters that they’re actually sad to see them go.
What to expect from your sitter
Most visits are around 20-30 minutes each. You can have pet sitters just come to your house a few times a day or you can also have them stay overnight. We actually prefer the overnight visit not only because our dogs get a little extra attention but they can also stay on track with their schedule.
Our dogs are used to going out one last time around 9:00-9:30 pm at night and then first thing around 5:30-6:00 am and the overnight visits start and end around those times keeping our dogs right on track. Pet sitters should also bring in your mail, water your plants, and take your trash bins to the curb if needed. It also gives the overall impression that someone is at home.
Finding a good one
Do your research when it comes to finding a good pet sitter. You can search Angie’s List, Rover.com or look at Care.Com for recommended sitters. Poll your neighbors or ask your friends if they have any recommendations. Once you have one or two picked out, look for online reviews. Look to see if they have any negative reviews with the Better Business Bureau.
If they pass, then it’s time to schedule an interview. It’s just like interviewing for a job but you’re the one doing the hiring. Most reputable pet sitters will come out for an interview and a meet and greet free of charge. You’ll get to see how they interact with your pets and have a chance to ask them questions.
Questions to ask your pet sitter
One of the first questions you should ask is whether or not your pet sitter is insured or bonded. This means that if anything happens on their watch, their insurance policy should cover the damages. This would include burglary or property damage.
Another top question to ask, is how high they are allowed to go on vet expenses. Every reputable sitter should have you sign a form in which you indicate how much you are willing to spend on vet care. So, if something happens when you are away and they rush your pet to the vet, you can authorize them to spend up to a certain amount on your behalf which you will reimburse upon your return.
The vet once told me about a dog that swallowed a rope toy and had to have surgery to remove the toy which had caused a blockage. The surgery cost almost $10,000. So be very specific about how much you would be willing to spend for vet care. But that being said, you wouldn’t want to authorize $10,000 but your pet sitter only has $5,000 to put down in your absence. Make sure they can cover the expenses you’re authorizing them to spend.
Also make sure to ask how many spare keys they need and how they keep track of them. Your keys should never have your name or address labeled on them. Most pet sitting companies will have a “tagging” system in which a key may be assigned a number that then corresponds to a particular client file, but only they should know the code.
Also, beware of pet sitters that have their logos printed on the side of their cars. A big logo on the car is a dead giveaway that you are out of town.
If you’re using a pet sitting company, you should know how many people they have on staff. And if you’re using a single pet sitter, ask if they have a backup in case something happens to them. If they don’t have a plan in place, you shouldn’t hire them.
Before you leave for vacation
Make sure to settle your invoice before you leave for vacation. This could mean leaving a check for the pet sitter or paying your invoice online. Make sure to either leave out or mark the location of all the important items your pet sitter may need. This includes common items like leashes, food, treats, and toys as well as cleaning supplies and extra towels in case of accidents.
Leave detailed instructions for your pet sitter for any medications that might need to be given while you are away.
Let your alarm company know you are going out of town. Give them new emergency contact numbers, and if you are able to, set up a new code that only the pet sitters will use.
Notify the pet sitters know if they need to bring the trash bins outside on a particular day or if there are any packages that are being delivered while you are gone. If you have plants that need watering, leave those instructions as well.
Need More?
For more questions you should ask your pet sitter and a pet profile you can print and leave for them, click on this link to download your Ultimate Vacation Pet Sitting Guide.
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