Booking Summer Pet Care & Avoiding Last Minute Panic

You want to go away and enjoy your summer vacation, not wonder and worry about what's going on back at home with your pets. Unfortunately, many people wait too long to schedule pet care coverage for when they are away (what??!! You forgot about Sparky and Mittens??!!). This can make for a very stressful situation for both the pet parents and the Pet Sitter when there is a last minute scramble to get something set up.

You can avoid this last minute panic and have a reliable, responsible caregiver in place before you go by following these tips:

Plan your trips well in advance whenever you can

This is especially crucial if you are going away at the same time as everyone else (holiday weeks/weekends, school vacations and summer time).  Contacting your pet sitter up to six months in advance for these super busy times is a good idea and not at all premature, even if it’s just with tentative dates.  Good Pet Sitters (and you want a GOOD Pet Sitter, right?) get booked well in advance because other pet owners know they will be "in demand"...because they are good! Be sure to check in with the Pet Sitter again about 5-6 weeks before your trip to confirm that they have you on their schedule and it’s still a “go”. Just in case for some reason they’ve dropped the ball or their own personal availability has changed (and if it did, they should have already let you know!) you are leaving yourself enough of a window of time to line something else up. Booking for off-peak times should still happen with as much advance notice as possible, but reasonably a minimum of 2-3 weeks, unless it’s a real emergency.  Pet Sitters like to try to book personal time off and activities too, so you don't want to call them assuming they will be free only to find out they are not available. A good Pet Sitter will do anything they can to help you out in a true emergency.

Include the pet care fee in your trip’s budget 

When you first contact the Pet Sitter they should at least be able to give you a ballpark price of what the fee will be based on their rates. Then if they need to tweak it as the dates get closer based on specific departure and return dates and times as you firm up your travel plans, the amount should still be pretty much in that range. Put this money aside so that you have it to pay the Pet Sitter before you leave.  Coming back having spent too much on the trip and then not having money for the Pet Sitter is a big no-no and it does happen! The fee should be set and agreed upon before you leave, no one should come home and get blindsided by a bill that was higher than they were expecting. Pet care can get expensive if you are going away for more than a couple of days and it can take up a significant portion of your trip's budget, so you need to plan for that.  I actually require that clients leave payment for me at the home prior to their departure so that I can just take it with me on the last visit rather than have to wait to get paid until after the clients are back.

Check with your Pet Sitter before you book the trip to make sure they will be around and able to help you

If it turns out they’ll be away too (what?! your Pet Sitter got time off??!), either consider other dates if you can, or make sure you line up someone else very reliable before finalizing your trip plans.  The checklist when booking your trip should include reserving pet care at the same time as booking everything else, not weeks or months later. Plane tickets, hotel/vacation home reservation, rental car, Pet Sitter. Include it all on the same list and do it all at the same time. Don't confirm travel plans until you have also confirmed pet care.  I often get emails from people who are at their computer in the process of booking stuff online and I always try to get back to them right away with a "yes" or "no" on my availability for the requested dates.  Sometimes I will be at home sitting at my computer going back and forth in emails with them as they look at alternative sets of dates to see what is going to gel with my schedule. This is why it's a good idea to run a few sets of dates by the pet sitter before you sit down to figure out your trip.

Establish a good working relationship with at least one local professional Pet Sitter

Even if most of the time you can have a friend, neighbor or family member help you out (and boy are you lucky if you can say this), you never know when that one time everyone’s “un-availability” will converge and you will be stuck! My suggestion is that anyone with a pet should develop a relationship with not one but two local professional Pet Sitters that will know their home, their pets and the routine and be able to step in on a moment’s notice in case there is ever some kind of last minute emergency or snafu. None of us want to see anyone in a last minute pinch, especially if it's for an already stressful reason, and we don't want to see your pets end up in a questionable pet care situation because it was all that was available.

Always make sure that you have a back-up Plan B

This is of paramount importance just in case something happens with the Pet Sitter at the last minute. They’re human, they have their own personal lives with family deaths, health crises and heaven knows what other unexpected personal emergencies that can come up. You want to be sure that if something happens with your Pet Sitter or Pet Sitting Service (it can even happen with a larger company that has multiple employees, believe me, I’ve gotten plenty of clients that way!) either right before you go or even after you’ve already left town,there is someone that knows you and your pets who can step in and help out.  Be sure they have a key and all pertinent instructions regarding care, feeding and routine.

Be specific when asking the Pet Sitter for what you want

Know your pet’s schedule. Be able to concisely tell the Pet Sitter when you are leaving (date, time) and when you are due home (again date and time).  Let them know how many visits per day you need each day that you are gone, starting with the day you leave (what time do you want the first visit?) and ending with the day you get home (what time do you want the last visit?).  Be specific in being able to tell your Pet Sitter what you need from them.  This will make it easier for them to accommodate your needs and get it on the their schedule and it will help them plan the rest of their schedule (remember, your pets aren't the only ones they are helping out with!).  I always suggest that pet parents schedule the last visit of the day within around three hours of when they are *expecting* to arrive back at the home. I cannot tell you how many times over the years people have gotten stuck in traffic for hours or missed canceled flights due to bad weather. If you're due home at 5pm and you've told your pet sitter to make the last visit at noon, and then you are delayed for hours and will be getting home substantially later than planned, your pets may be sitting alone a long time if the Sitter just can't get back there. Better to leave a small window of time between the Pet Sitter's last visit and your arrival time home.  I like to use what I call the "five hour rule" - I try never to leave dogs alone for more than five hours at a time (unless they are staying alone at home at night). Be sure to always let the Pet Sitter know as soon as you realize you won't be home on time.  Make sure to always check in with them as soon as you do arrive back at the house and are safely with the pets.

How to determine what you need for pet care:

Most cats are fine with one visit a day, unless they have special feeding needs or need medication such as insulin twice a day. Dogs vary depending on their age and capability to “hold it”.  Base the plan on what’s best for the pets, not on pricing.  Cutting dogs down to fewer visits to save some money isn’t fair to the dog, especially if you’re going out of town for more than a couple of days.  It’s not just about them getting out and fed, it’s about them getting lonely. Most adult dogs are okay with three visits a day, although four is not overkill. Many times my clients will have the pups on a schedule for early morning visit, mid-day, dinner time and later evening/bedtime. That's the schedule I have dogs on when I am staying overnight at the home with them. You know your pet, so decide what works best. Some Pet Sitters can come stay at your home (like I do) and some are able to take your dogs to their homes to board them (I don’t do this). The Pet Sitter should know what your dog's usual routine is so that they can most closely duplicate it while you are gone. This can help prevent accidents and stress for dogs that need the comfort of a routine. Some dogs really need someone to come stay in the home at night with them, and many/most adult dogs are fine sleeping home alone at night as long as someone comes by enough times in a 24-hour period to get them out/exercised, feed them and keep them company for a bit.

Should they stay or should they go?

Some poor dogs are nervous wrecks going to new places and really should stay home to avoid stress and anxiety while others are more adaptable and would prefer to go to a boarding situation rather than stay home alone.  Many dogs can find actual kennels highly stressful (especially if they have come from an animal shelter, because it's pretty much the same situation from their point of view, concrete cage, loud barking dogs...not fun!) Again, know your dog. An elderly dog should not be sent to a boarding kennel if they can stay at home in quiet, calm, familiar surroundings, while an energetic young puppy may do better going to a sleep-away-camp type place that can get him lots of play time and socialization rather than staying home alone in a crate for hours at a time. The kitties are always better off staying at home.

Quick Summary:

*Have an established on-going relationship with at least one local Pet Sitter

*Know your pets’ needs and schedule, book care according to what’s best for them

*Book and budget pet care at the same time you book and budget the trip

*Have a back-up plan, just in case (family friend, neighbor, relative, other pet sitting service)

*Confirm dates with your Pet Sitter far enough in advance that you still have time to make alternate plans if things have changed for them

*Be organized!  It’s easiest for a busy and in-demand Pet Sitter to help clients who can communicate clearly what they need and when they need it and who look ahead and plan well in advance.

Enjoy your vacation with peace of mind knowing that your pets and home are in good hands and you ironed it all out in advance!