Pet Sitting - Not Aways an Easy Job

In order to be a pet sitter, you really need to have a good understanding of what types of situations you can handle regarding the care of someone else's pet, and those that you cannot.

There are a variety of ways that pet sitters will care for someone else's pet. Sometimes they will visit a few times a day, staying about 30 minutes while they care for the pets basic needs. Other pet sitters will stay overnight.

Regardless of how the pets are cared for, it's important to be aware that pet sitting does not always go as well as planned.

Most people may think it's easy to be a pet sitter. After all, the only thing you have to do is make sure the dog or cat or other pets have fresh water and receive their daily food allotment and if needed take them outside to relieve themselves a few times during the day.

Yes, it's true, the life of the pet sitter does seem rather easy. Yet, there are situations that a pet sitter needs to be aware of that could actually become very dangerous.

Sometimes having to care for dogs, especially outside dogs, can become very dangerous because outside dogs can be very territorial. Most owners know their dogs well enough to know whether there is any danger for the person who may need to come into their home to take care of their pets when there away.

This is not where the problem is. The real problem comes in when the pet sitter is required to take care of the dogs by entering their yard to provide them with food and water. This is where the pet sitter needs to have extra caution. Before accepting a job where you must deal with outside dogs, you need to make sure they are well behaved and well socialized.

If there is more than one dog, and you enter their yard, the situation could become very dangerous. If you become fearful and the dogs sense that you don't belong there, they could see you as a threat and even decide to attack.

Trying to cope with a nervous dog, or worse, several nervous dogs can become a pretty scary situation.

Always stress to the owners that it is important for them to be honest with you and tell you how well socialized their dogs are. You may want to ask if any of their dogs have any tendency to be aggressive. Do they jump up on people? Do they get nervous when someone enters the yard? Do they have any problem with strangers coming into their territory?

With some of the larger breeds, you may want to have a test run when the owner is hidden away from the house, yet close enough to help out if needed. You can test to see how the dogs will react when you enter their territory while they think the owner is away.

Before you enter the yard, you need to take note of how the dogs behave. Do they seem nervous or anxious? Or are they thrilled to have a visitor? If your gut tells you it's not safe, you should not to accept that job.

It's better to be safe than sorry. Pet sitters really need to understand that it's not always a good idea to take every job. Before taking on any pet sitting job, make sure you meet with both the pets and the owners. Ask questions about how well the dogs behave, what types of problems the owner may have or have had in the past.

This is not only the time for the pet owners to interview you, it's your time to interview them as well. Never accept a pet sitting job if you do not feel comfortable with the pets or the owners.

Most times pet sitting is truly a great job to have. Just remember that all jobs are not for all pet sitters. Sometimes it's best to say no.

Designing Your Home Around Your Pets

As a petsitter, I like to be in the know about new technologies coming down the pike, pet-wise. Here's an article with some useful information:

Pet Project

by Kaj Gam

Even though we like to think of our pets as important and treasured members of our families, we sometimes forget about ways we can include them in our home design and decorating plans.
Thanks to new products and technologies, it has never been easier to incorporate the needs of our four-legged (or in some cases, two-legged and gilled) friends into our home designs.

Fabrics: In addition to fun and whimsical pet-inspired patterns, the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces has led to the development of new moisture-resistant and antimicrobial fabrics that are indistinguishable from traditional indoor fabrics. Whether you choose them to upholster your pieces or use them just as slipcovers, these fabrics are ideal for pet owners who like to share their favorite sofas and chairs with their furry friends. Check out Crypton Super Fabrics to see new fabrics created by photographer William Wegman and architect Michael Graves that appeal to pet-loving families. Perennials Fabrics carries an extensive line of products ranging from contemporary to traditional patterns and has recently teamed up with textile designers Galbraith & Paul® to create an exciting new line of durable and beautiful products.

Flooring Surfaces: If you have a family member (or members) who suffer from allergies and you don't enjoy heavy cleaning on a frequent basis, you should avoid deep pile carpets such as shag rugs. Hard surfaces enable you to control allergens better, but in the past many pet owners shied away from hardwood floors because of concerns about claw and scratch marks. Thanks to a new water-based, low VOC polymer floor finish called "Traffic" from Bona , pet owners can put those fears to rest and once again enjoy beautiful and easy-to-clean hardwood floors.

[read more...]

Sad, Sad Kitty Day

It's a sad, sad day when your client's pet has to be put down, but also very stressful when you, the pet sitter, are the one who has to do it. Are you prepared? And I don't mean mentally.

If the pet is in ill health or very old, you need to discuss the possibility with the owners before they leave on their trip.

1. Have something in writing, signed by your client, that you have the authority to have the animal put to sleep if it becomes necessary.

2. Make sure all vet information is up to date and that you have a Plan B if it becomes necessary to bring the pet in after regular hours. You need an animal hospital that's open 24/7.

3. Have the owners call the vet and/or the animal hospital before they leave to have them note in your pet's file that you have the authority to carry forth with the owner's wishes to have their pet euthanized.

4. As much as you can, discuss possible scenarios with the owners that could happen that would require the pet to be put down. Do they want heroic measures taken? Do they want the pet to just be medicated and kept at the hospital until they return? Where do they stand with their pet having a sudden seizure and can only turn right circles now and won't eat, or if their pet needs emergency surgery, or was hit by a car? Is there a nearby family member or very close friend who can make these decisions if the owners can't be reached?

5. The owners need to make sure their credit card information is on file with the vet or that the vet will bill them so that you aren't financially obligated to pay for the visit, the euthanasia, or an emergency surgery.

This is about communicating with the owners before something happens, and it really applies to each pet you sit, not just the old ones who are more likely to have problems. You never know if you're going to be able to reach your clients on their travels; they could be out of the country. Take the boy scout motto, "Always be prepared" and make it your pet sitting motto.