Whether it’s for the evening out or a two-week vacation, leaving your dog can be a stressful experience. There are many options for making sure your dog is taken care of when you aren’t able to – you can ask friends and family, browse apps, hire a pet sitter or take your dog to a kennel – but knowing which one is right for you and your dog is not always easy. In this article, we have outlined why we believe that hiring a professional pet sitter for your dog is the closest you can come to being there yourself.

What Makes Pet Sitting So Great?

There are many benefits to hiring a professional pet sitter to take care of your dog when you’re away. More and more pet owners on leaning towards convenient in-home pet care thanks to the following benefits:

Pets Stay At Home: The first and most evident advantage is that your dog can stay in his own home and can stick to his own routine. Depending on his character, your dog might find boarding in a kennel to be very stressful, and hiring a pet sitter can substantially diminish these negative feelings. It’s much easier to relax on vacation when you know that your dog isn’t stressed and nervous the whole time!

Customizable Service: A professional pet sitter can also work with you to determine the service level that would best suit your dog. If your dog only requires a few walks per day, or if he is more comfortable having someone stay overnight, the pet sitter can tailor their services to you and your dog’s needs.

One-on-One Attention: Another benefit is that your dog is guaranteed one-on-one time from the pet sitter. They are not juggling many dogs at one time; the time being spent with your dog is focussed and personal.

Flexibility: You can hire your pet sitter regardless of the reason – if you’re having a busy work week, your pet sitter can come by in the afternoon to give your dog a walk, and if you’re going out of town for a few weeks, you can rely on them to ensure your pup is well taken care of.

Pet Health: Your dog’s health and safety won’t be put at risk. He won’t be exposed to other dogs with potential illnesses and if something does go wrong, your pet sitter will notice immediately and be able to contact your vet right away.

It’s convenient! When you hire a professional pet sitter, you don’t have to worry about transporting your dog to a facility, dropping him off and picking him up at a specific time, or having someone else check in on your house while you’re gone.

Avoid burdens: It won’t burden your personal relationships – sure your friends and family love your pooch and are willing to look after him every once in a while. However, with a pet sitter, you won’t have to worry about asking too often or about your inexperienced loved one not caring for your pet properly.

Not Just Any Pet Sitter – Hire a Professional

When hiring a pet sitter, it is essential to make sure that you are hiring a professional and not someone random off of an app. Looks for a pet sitter that is a member of Pet Sitters International (PSI), National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), and/or Pet Sitters Associates.

Here is why you should trade the convenience of these apps for the expertise of a professional pet sitter:

Knowledgeable and Skilled: Signing up to be a pet sitter or a dog walker for an app or website can be very easy – they often don’t require any form of certification, training or background check before being entrusted with your pets. In contrast, a reputable and professional local pet sitting company will always require certification, specialized training, and background checks before a pet sitter would be allowed to care for your dog.

Trained and Experienced: Professional pet sitters are well trained and experienced with all types of dogs. They understand that dogs all have different personalities, needs, and quirks, and will know how to tailor their services based on this experience.

Medication Administration: The professionals are also trained to administer medication properly, and they also know how to look for signs of illness. They will be able to tell when a dog might need veterinary attention, whereas an amateur pet sitter is more likely to miss the warning signs.

Insured: People employed through apps are often not insured in case anything goes wrong – these apps are often more interested in protecting themselves as companies rather than their customers and employees. In the event of an emergency or a mishap, most professional pet sitters will carry insurance policies that will protect themselves, your pet, and your property.

Responsible and Trustworthy: Professional pet sitters are reliable and take responsibility for their work. For them, this is their career or their own small business, and they take it very seriously. Therefore, if they will always care for your pet to the best of their abilities. In contrast, you will not likely find this level of dedication and reliability when hiring an amateur pet sitter, who is just looking to make some extra cash.

We hope that the next time you need someone to take care of your dog when you’re not available, you consider hiring a local and professional pet sitting company to do the job. You will be able to rest easy, knowing that your dog is in the hands of a caring and reliable pet sitter. Contact us for more information.