When a pet owner has to leave a pet in the hands of someone else, a professional pet sitters is often the best choice. Many owners try to save money by asking a friend or family member to help out. This is not always the best choice for anyone, especially your pet. When you want to hire a pro, be sure you get someone you know you can depend on.
Questions To Ask When Interviewing A Prospective Professional Pet Sitters
Many professional pet-sitting services, such as Paw Pals, provide a wide variety of pet-sitting services both in-home and out-of-home for dogs, cats, and other small pets around Northern Virginia. When you are interviewing a professional pet sitters, go with the person who makes you feel comfortable. You can know that you are getting someone you can trust by getting clear answers to the following questions.
What Services Can You Provide?
At a minimum, the pet sitter should feed your pet at agreed upon times each day, provide fresh water and clean any pet messes daily. Additional services may include medicine administration, grooming, vet appointments, petting and play time. Your pet may or may not need those services.
One of the most important questions is whether the pet sitter will come to your home and stay overnight, if needed, or whether you will leave your pet with the pet sitter. If your pet can stay in its own environment and on its regular schedule, it will be less stressed during your absence.
Premier pet-sitting services like Paw Pals have professionals who come to your home to give your pets all of the attention, exercise, food and supplies they need. They offer a good variety of services during their stays, also. Paw Pals professional pet sitters also offer house sitting and garden watering services so your home is cared for while you’re away. If an emergency arises (sitter becomes suddenly ill, car troubles, etc.), a back-up Paw Pals sitter is always available. In the event of inclement weather, a Paw Pals sitter will be happy to make contingency plans with you before you leave. Your pet will be cared for no matter what.
What Is Your Pet-Sitting Experience?
You want to know if this sitter has any experience taking care of other people’s pets. This may be an obvious question, but you should use it to engage in conversation about the extent of the sitter’s experience. If you have a pet with behavior or health problems, you probably want an experienced sitter who is willing and able to take your pet to the vet should a pet emergency arise.
Are You Licensed and Insured?
Accidents can happen. You need to make sure you and your property are protected if anything happens while you are gone. You also want to be sure you have a sitter who is responsible enough to have complied with local laws pertaining to pet-sitting services.
Paw Pals sitters are licensed, bonded, and fully insured.
Do You Have Any Formal Training In Pet First Aid?
If you decide to hire a professional pet sitter, be sure to find out what kind of training they have regarding pet first aid. In many states, professional pet sitters must undergo a first aid training program and keep up with continuing education.
Paw Pals professional sitters are 100% PetTech certified in Pet CPR and first aid.
Do You Work With Pet Behavior?
Your pet may benefit from a pro who has been trained in pet behavior. Someone with that background is better positioned to read and understand your pet’s behavior and respond appropriately before a problem escalates. Many of the professional pet sitters at Paw Pals have such training.
Can You Provide References?
The sitter should be willing to provide two or three references who can attest to the sitter’s reliability and performance. Be sure to call the references and talk to them about their experiences with the sitter. If the sitter has a website, look at the reviews.
Paw Pals has a list of references that can be provided upon request. Paw Pals is also proud to publish its reviews on its website.
Will We Have a Signed Agreement?
A signed agreement embodies what services the sitter’s fee covers and how much time the sitter will spend in your home with your pet. Many professional pet-sitting services provide a written service contract that specifies the fees to be charged and the services to be provided.
Paw Pals pet sitters always explain what services are available in advance, discuss what services the pet owner needs, and agree upon a fee. That agreement is carefully memorialized in a signed agreement.
Get In Touch With Professionals Pet Sitters At Paw Pals For More Information
Before you hire a professional pet sitter for your pet, contact Paw Pals to discuss your pet’s needs. They are available to explain their services and answer your questions.
