9 Things Your Pet Sitter Wants You to Know:
Camera Bloopers –
Please tell us if you have cameras! I have been known to exit the bathroom with my pants not fully buttoned! I have also been known to talk to myself. A total embarrassment at the end of the week when I see a camera tucked behind a plant aimed at me. Please save us the embarrassment and kindly tell your sitter if you have a camera! I will forever make sure that my pants are fully buttoned up when exiting the bath from now on! My heartfelt thanks!
Call Me
Yes! You heard it right! Close that email, and freely dial my digits when dreaming up your next trip! I like to talk to you! Just like you, I’m worn out with emails, text, social media, and lack of human contact! I LOVE when clients aren’t afraid to call to book their reservation, it is SO refreshing! I truly enjoy to talking to you. For real! No kidding!
The Truth about Cancellations
Cancellations can be devastating to a pet sitter!
It can be very difficult to recoup lost wages from a cancellation. Its darn near impossible to fill in the empty gap with another client unless the cancellation is light years in advance. Remember, a lot of pet sitters rely solely on this income to pay their bills & feed their family. A cancellation is kind of like being fired with no severance plan. Please always consider your pet sitter when changing your travel plans, they will forever appreciate you!
Communication is Key!
Please answer us when we text or email with a pet update! By nature, pet sitters are nurturing folk. When we don’t hear from you after sending a pet update, we get to thinking….oh dear, are they ok?….Did their plane land safely?… Did they get in an accident?…. I have labored many hours when a client goes a day without responding. Please save us the torture and send a quick happy face. It will be greatly appreciated!
Inform us of major changes ahead
Please let us know if you change the locks or alarm code.
Or if your son will be sleeping over during your absence and scares the daylights out of me when I walk in to him just waking up. Yes, this has happened…..
Reservation Etiquette
When making a reservation request, please say:
“Are you available” and not “I need”. This will bring my love of you to the TOP!
Leave candy out for me
Haahaa! This one is purely to be funny, of course!
Ok, the cat’s out of the bag! That’s right! I love chocolate! LOL! You obviously don’t have to do this, but you should see the ridiculous smile that comes over my face when I walk in to a house with a candy bowl set out for me…..
Request my advice
I feel very honored to help my clients with problems they encounter with their pets. Questions about medical issues like itchy dogs and training help are always welcome! But please, if you request my advice, please take my experience seriously. I have over 25 years of experience with dogs and cats, and 8 years as a veterinary technician. I know my stuff, and if I recommend changing to a higher quality dog food to alleviate internal allergies in a scratchy dog, I probably know what I’m talking about. If your cat is leaving presents outside of the box, I can advise too!
Book Ahead
Early Bird catches the worm, so to speak! Booking ahead assures your travel request is more likely to be available. Think at least 2 months in advance for busy summer months from June – October and all Holidays. Calling 2 weeks prior to July 4th or Thanksgiving is a sure fire way to dash your hopes of a fun vacation. Most pet sitters will have long been booked at this point. A good quality pet sitter will limit their maximum number of jobs per day to 10-12. This ensures quality of each visit and allows for a pet emergency if one should arise. So the good pet sitters book up fast! If your pet sitter is fitting in more than that, you may want to reconsider a new service!