How to Choose a Pet Sitter

Choosing a pet sitter is not a decision to take lightly. You’ll be inviting someone to enter your home when you’re not there, and you’ll be sending them to care for a beloved member of your family. Your pet can’t tell you if things go wrong during the visit.

It can be a scary decision, but there are ways to make sure that your experience with your pet sitter is a positive one. Here are a few things to check on before you hire your next pet sitter.

What’s the sitter’s reputation?

Reputation is everything! Read reviews. Ask friends and family members about their experiences with pet sitters. This will help you narrow down a list of candidates.

Then, ask around the professional world. Pet sitters quickly develop a reputation with pet stores, animal aid societies, and other pet-based businesses. Find out who these businesses feel you should trust.

Look for professional associations.

Truly good pet sitting companies become members of and are certified by organizations which hold pet sitters to strict standards. Look for membership in the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters or the Association of Pet Sitting Excellence. Joining these associations also tells you that the sitters are serious about their business. It tells you that pet sitting is a business to them, and is treated seriously.

Find out how the sitters are screened.

A pet sitting company has an advantage over a single pet sitter. An actual company has the resources to run criminal background checks on each of their sitters.

You just want to make sure that they are doing it! Make sure you ask when you call the company. You don’t want to invite anyone unscrupulous or untrustworthy into your home.

Make sure the sitters are bonded and insured.

Each sitter should be bonded and insured so that if anything does go wrong in your home you are shielded from liability. Most reputable pet sitting companies handle this for their sitters, but an individual who puts up a Craigslist ad or who simply hangs up his or her shingle may not even realize that this insurance is necessary.

Check for longevity.

New pet sitting companies come along every day, but it takes a truly skilled and trustworthy company to stay in business year after year. Longevity tells you that a group of pet sitters is experienced, has a true passion for pets, and has a knack for the kind of friendly customer service that will leave tails wagging and smiles on faces.