5 Things that you should ALWAYS ask a Pet Sitter before you hire them

We’re accustomed to asking a ton of questions when shopping around for a baby sitter but we’re less inquisitive when shopping for a pet sitter. Why is this? They are, after all, our furry children! Here are five things that you should always ask a potential pet sitter before you hire them.

1. How often will you let me know how my pet is doing while I’m away?    

Each pet sitter will have a slightly different way of keeping you informed on your pet’s well-being while you’re away. The best sitters communicate often. At the very least they should be communicating with you as often as you need to feel comfortable that all is okay on the home front and Spot has not chewed through your very expensive designer shoes. It’s ok to request updates and pictures from every visit. I personally love to get these updates on my furry family members while I’m away. They make me smile and allow me to relax knowing that things are going smoothly.

2. How do you keep my key secure?

Okay, so you plan to give your house key to whoever you hire. The key to the most expensive thing you own, full of everything you and your family hold dear. It’s nice to believe that nothing bad can happen in this situation and that the world is full of only good people but it certainly doesn’t hurt to take precautions. A good pet sitter will have a solid process in place for using and storing your key. For example, do they code your keys? This means not putting a tag or label onto your key with your personal information or address so that, in the event that the key is lost or stolen, there is no way to connect that key with your house. And what happens between vacations? Does the pet sitter have a secure process for storing your keys or are they simply put into a bowl in their office or worse yet, left in their car?

3. Will I get the same pet sitter each time?

How would you feel if, every time you walked into your doctor’s office you were faced with a different doctor? This is unsettling at best and scary at worst. This is how your pet feels if they’re seeing a different sitter each day. Variety is not the spice of life in this case. Your pets crave routine and since you can’t be there for them during your time away, the next best thing is to have the same sitter visiting them each time. The other reason for consistency is this; your sitter cannot know what “normal” is for your pet if they don’t see them on a regular basis. Just as your doctor develops a history with you to better diagnose medical problems, your pet sitter develops a history with your dog or cat. Our furry family members can’t tell us when something is wrong, we are left with getting to know how they act normally which allows us to recognize when their behavior crosses the line into abnormal.

4. How do you provide a minimally stressful experience for my pet?

I’m often faced with the belief that hiring the neighbor’s kid/relative/friend/coworker/etc. to check in on your pets is just as good (and cheaper) than hiring a professional pet sitter. The fact is that the neighbor’s kid (no matter how responsible they are) is still performing a secondary responsibility. In other words they have other things going on and checking on your pets may or may not get done and, if it does get done, it may not get done in the way you normally do it. Professional pet sitters are just that, professional. Caring for your pets is their primary responsibility and they have processes (and backup processes) in place so that your pet is safe and cared for in any situation. Furthermore they take care of your pet as you would. This means feeding Fido and Fluffy in the blue bowl next to the ottoman with the TV on and the blinds open so that they can see outside while they eat. Okay, slight exaggeration there but the point is ROUTINE IS IMPORTANT. Breaks from routine stress your pets out. Professional pet sitters know this and follow your instructions to the letter.

5. Are you insured and bonded?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world where insurance was never needed? While we’re at it, let’s live in a world where eating copious amounts of pizza makes you lose weight. Back to reality people! The reality is that things go wrong, we need to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Pet sitting is no different. A professional pet sitter gives you the best chance of getting through your vacation with no issues at home. You need to have a level of comfort that, if something does go wrong, it’s covered. Any good pet sitter will carry insurance and will be more than happy to provide you a copy of the insurance certificate.

In conclusion, bear in mind that pet sitting is a completely unregulated business. In other words there are no legal requirements or processes that a pet sitter must follow so asking questions is IMPORTANT! Don’t be afraid or hesitant to ask ANY questions you need to feel comfortable. This is an important decision and a reputable pet sitter will welcome a client who takes the time to make sure they are a good fit for each other. There are a lot of great pet sitters out there but these are your fur babies so make sure you’re armed with the information you need to make a great choice for your furry family members!