Anyone can be a Pet Sitter, Right?

Aug 27, 2018   Tracey Aston   Hiring a Pet Sitter

So, you want to be a pet sitter?

“I love animals!”  “I have pets of my own!  “I can do this!”  

I hear this over and over again but dog walking and pet sitting is a serious responsibility!  While being an animal lover is a definite requirement for this position, it's not as easy as cuddling puppies and kittens all day. Someone has left their living, breathing, deeply loved family member in your care, are you up for the task? Do you know basic animal first aid and CPR, disease control, canine body language, medication administration and can recognize signs of distress or illness?

According to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households have pets. However, pet sitting is much more than grabbing your best fur friend and heading out the door whistling your favorite tune.  Yes, spending time with great fur friends can and should be fun for both sitter and animal but it's not all fun and games!

A quick Google search on the new trend of dog walking apps will reveal enough horror stories to make you realize not everyone is responsible and passionate about superior care of furry family members.  Do these stories happen because of deliberate malice? Most likely not. They happen due to lack of knowledge. They happen due to lack of proper training. They happen due to lack of referrals and checking qualifications. They happen because they don't realize what is required for a pet sitter. 

Pet sitting requires a true passionate heart for animals, and, more importantly, the knowledge to put that heart to good use for the animal.  Let's say you show up to your client's house and there is blood on the floor, or the animal is seizing, what do you do? You're out enjoying a nice summer afternoon stroll while walking a client's dog and another dog comes charging at you out of nowhere. Do you know how to protect yourself? Protect the dog in your care? 

As Pittsburgh's first and ONLY Certified Professional Pet Sitter Company, Comfort at Home Pet Services LLC is not only passionate about superior pet care, we train for it!  Being certified means we are educated on the topics of general pet care, pet behavior, body language, dietary and exercise needs, anatomy, growth and development stages, diseases, recognizing signs of illness, pet first aid, health and safety and pet loss for dogs, cats and birds. 

Constant continuing training, education on all animal health and wellness needs, responsibility, dedication, alertness, a calm head, kindness and empathy, insurance, bonding and proper licensing are all integral parts of being a pet sitter. 

For more information, please visit the link to my radio show appearance “so you want to be a pet sitter, not so fast!” 

If you are looking for local pet sitters in your area, please visit The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters or Pet Sitters International. 

Also check out Pet Sitter Internationals interview checklist on how to hire a pet sitter.