Petowners all over the world occasionally face the challenges of how to choose a petsitter. It can be a tough decision to leave your cat or dog behind if you have to go away. And of course you want them cared for as well as possible, ideally in their own home. Here are some top tips to help you negotiate this challenge and find the best possible sitter you can.

4 Tips on how to choose a petsitter for You

Unlike a service dog or an emotional support animal, you cannot take your pet with you everywhere. There will come a time when you need to face choosing a petsitter or hiring someone to petsit.

Thankfully, there are people who will pet sit for you, either as an exchange of services or professionally.

What is petsitting ?

If you have pets at home who live as part of your family, or if you have a number of pets either rescued animals or as part of your small holding you you may need to choose a petsitter when you go away. This means the sitter will need to care for them on a daily basis, and for extended periods by people other than your self when you are away on holiday or for work projects – this is pet sitting.

For this you will need to find a pet carer or pet minder to step in; they can look after your pet animals while you are absent.

If you are planning to go away on holiday or for work trips you need a plan. You may find yourself presented with a number of challenges, not least how finding pet care for your animals.

How to choose a petsitter to suit you and your pets

Aside from obvious tips like making sure the sitter isn’t allergic to pets, there are other things to check when looking for the perfect petsitter.

In this article, we are going to highlight a few key things you should double-check before you hire someone. We will focus mainly on hiring through an organisation rather than just your neighbour or friend. Curious as to what you should look for in an ideal petsitter? Read on!

1. Check Reviews before you choose a petsitter

Whether it is asking around in pet communities or combing through the website, check out any reviews that a pet sitter has. The review or recommendation section of a person’s profile is the first place you should head to in order to get an indication of their service standards. Also see if they have been reviewed elsewhere like Yelp — it’s good to do due diligence from a few sources.

You should also see if they respond to any negative reviews and what their customer service skills are like. If they are understanding and address any grievances professionally, then they are more trustworthy than those that immediately jump to defend their actions.

2. Communication with the sitter

Communications are really important for how you choose a petsitter. Reach out to the sitters you are interested in and see what their responses are like and how they communicate. Have a couple of questions ready such as “are you able to administer medications?” – “I have two dogs — is that ok?” etc. If they are quick to respond and happy to communicate with you, that’s a good sign.

As the pet owner, make sure you let the sitter know all the information they could possibly need and then let them communicate with you about whether they can fulfil those needs. You need to know before you head out on a trip that your pet is in capable hands and that your petsitter will be in touch whenever you need them.

3. Flexibility of your arrangement – Agree terms

Last-minute changes to any work schedule or trip can be a nightmare. This is worse if you have a pet at home waiting for you with a fixed arrangement.

Make sure that you have a game plan with your sitter to ensure that, should the need arise, they can flex their time. Don’t risk your pet being left alone if your trip out of town should run over.  If flexible dates are important to you choose a petsitter with that in mind.

4. Insurance

Do not be afraid to check and get confirmation that the company you want to pet sit has all the correct paperwork. If a petsitter is legitimate, they should be happy to let you know just how qualified they are to take care of your animals. If you are paying for a petsitter for a professional service this is important.

Also, make sure they’ve had a police check. Ensure they don’t have a criminal record, and are ID-verified to confirm they are who they say they are. At Housesitmatch.com we enable sitters to keep their police checks up to date online via the website. this should make it easier for you to choose a petsitter.

Conclusions on how to choose a petsitter

There are thousands of people out there willing to watch your pets in exchange for temporary accommodation. Before searching for pet sitter near me or how to find a cat sitter, think carefully about how you choose a petsitter. Some platforms offer global pet sitting which might be useful if you have pets overseas. You should take selecting a petsitter as seriously as you would picking a sitter for your children.

If you are using a housesitting and petsitting platform like Housesitmatch.com you know that we check all our members. And if you want a long-term agreement with someone to watch your pets for a prolonged period it’s super important. Thoroughly research the individual and their credentials.

At HouseSit Match we make that easy. Find your ideal sitter today.

HERE ARE SOME USEFUL ARTICLES ON PETS AND CHOOSING A  PETSITTER

What is in home pet sitting and how much will it cost?

Keep pets at home with a sitter for less stress