Can’t Do Cat or Dog Boarding? Try a Pet Sitter!
Cat and dog boarding are useful, but what if those options just aren’t right for your furry best friend? You can hire a pet sitter! There are many reasons you can’t send your dog or cat to a pet hotel. Some animals don’t play nice with others, some pets have diseases and some owners simply can’t afford an expensive kennel. This is where pet sitters come in.
How Do I Know a Pet Sitter Is Right for Me?
Pet sitters are a good option for animals that won’t do well at a cat or dog boarding facility. Some dogs and cats flourish in a kennel environment. They enjoy be social with their four-legged peers. However, if your pet prefers friends of the two-legged variety, you might want to consider hiring a pet sitter.
Other pets might not qualify to get in a cat or dog boarding facility. Most of these establishments have strict medical standards. Animals must be vaccinated, healthy and spayed or neutered. If your animal doesn’t meet these criteria, then you also might benefit from hiring a dog or cat sitter.
What Do Pet Sitters Do?
The responsibilities of a pet sitter can vary from gig to gig. In fact, you can hire an animal sitter to simply feed your pet twice a day or even stay in your home overnight. Dog and cat sitters frequently:
- Feed your animal
- Take dogs on walks
- Play with your pet
- Take in your mail
- Clean up after your pet
- House sit
- Water your plants
How much a pet sitter accomplishes in your absence is up to you, the sitter and how much you’re willing to pay for their services.
How Much Does Cat or Dog Sitting Cost?
How much a sitter costs is entirely dependent on the volume of work they’ll do, how much experience they have pet sitting and how many animals you own. Think of pet sitters as similar to babysitters. How much would you charge someone to look after humans? You can also ask your pet sitter for a quote.
Where Can I Find Cat or Dog Sitters Near Me?
It’s easy to find an animal sitter if you already know someone who makes money cat and dog sitting. Even if you don’t know a pet sitter, you might have a friend or family member who is good with animals and would be happy to look after your pet for you. But what do you do if you don’t already know a pet sitter? Reach out to your community. Leave a note on your Facebook page, ask your friends and family or put up a “help needed” poster at your local high school or church. You might also find a qualified sitter on pet sitting site, but make sure to do your homework on their services and policies ahead of time. Also, check online reviews for personal experiences with individual pet sitters or pet sitting sites.
What experiences have you had with pet sitters? Do you have experience pet sitting? What would you tell someone looking to hire a dog or cat sitter for the first time?
