|
As if traveling wasn't stressful enough for some of us, when it requires separation from our beloved four legged friends the leaving can be even more difficult to bear.
The last several years have seen a dramatic rise in the popularity of in-home pet sitting services. The common sense reasoning goes something like: "Your animals' routines will be disturbed enough without your comforting presence. No sense traumatizing them further by confining them to small pens and cages in a noisy and most unfamiliar smelling boarding facility." Most folks who share their lives with pets far prefer to leave them at home with a responsible and caring pet sitter.
The range of services offered, frequency and duration of visits, and pay scale are diverse and will vary with the geographical market place. So where to begin and how to select the person with whom you are probably leaving some of your most valued and treasured friends?
Locating your perfect pet sitter:
Two of the best places to seek referrals are the local Humane Society and your own Veterinarian Office. Many Humane Societies publish a brochure or list of people offering their services in this manner. Likewise, your Vet will probably know of several viable candidates, and if you get really lucky, perhaps some of their employees pet sit on a free lance basis.
Of course you can also check the local newspapers and yellow pages in the phone book if need be, but begin your search by seeking counsel and recommendations from people that already know your potential sitter on a more intimate and personal basis.
Interviewing your perfect pet sitter:
While you will definitely want to meet at least once, if not twice, in person at your home with the potential caregiver and your animals, there is much that can be gleaned during the initial phone call. Look for personal attributes like warmth, flexibility, intelligence, and an expressed interest in learning about your pets and personal situation.
Do you want someone to stop in once or twice a day? For how long? Will a 20 minute visit twice a day really be enough attention for your fur friends? What will the sitter do during the time he or she is at your house? If you share your life with fairly independent animals, perhaps just a feeding and nose count will suffice. However, if you have social and human attention loving animals that need to lap sit or take an hour long walk twice a day to burn off energy, you must determine immediately if your prospect has the time and the willingness to put your pets first. If they are busy with a full client load every day, you might want to search a little further for someone that will offer you the individual attention you desire and your pets require.
If you have special needs pets (aging, on medications, separation anxiety prone, highly active and socialized dogs) you may want someone to stay overnight with them. Is your candidate willing to do this? (If they should say to you: "Well, if I can't, my husband will", I would thank them kindly and keep searching.) Will they leave their own children, romantic partners, and pets at home to give your house and animals their full attention? This is what you are paying them for and you have every right to expect a professional and dedicated attitude.
Training your perfect pet sitter:
Ideally the sitter should come to your house as much in advance of your trip as possible simply so that you can gauge your own comfort level with them in the presence of your animals. (If they should forget all about this appointment, I would thank them kindly and keep searching.) Are they responsive and kind when meeting your pets? Do they seem to genuinely love animals? These are non-negotiable and mandatory traits. If time allows, the first visit should be a "getting to know you" one, allowing the animals to familiarize themselves with their new friend. A short walk together with the dog(s) is a fantastic way to break the ice and convey a sense of belonging and "everything is all right here" to the dog.
The visit just prior to your departure should be as close to the date as possible so that the memories are fresh: the sitter's memories of your needs and routines and the animals' memories of the new human presence. Walk through your entire routine with the sitter, and if they are not equipped with a notebook and pen upon arrival, hand them one. Note taking is also non-negotiable and mandatory. While you can leave a sheet of instructions, we all know how much better we remember something if we have written it down ourselves. Most of us have very detailed lives and funny little daily routines that, while innate and automatic to us and our pets, will no doubt need some explaining and deciphering to a newcomer.
No matter how neurotic and petty you feel (and you will feel very neurotic and petty as you observe yourself trying to walk someone else through your idiosyncratic rituals) tell them everything. Are they listening attentively? Do they seem to understand how important this is to you for your own peace of mind on the road? If they seem bored or restless with you as you "train" them, think twice about hiring them. Yes, you are paying them to care for your animals, but you are also paying them to free you from worry and anxiety while gone.
Leave them your travel itinerary with all pertinent phone numbers. Leave them the phone number of your Vet and medical records, if appropriate. Call your Vet and tell them that you are leaving and authorize them to carry out any procedures they deem appropriate in the case of an emergency. Leave the sitter the number of a close friend in the event that something should happen and you are unreachable for a period. Tell them you will call to check on everything (or tell them you won't and do it anyway. You know you will!)
Rewarding your perfect pet sitter:
If you are like many of us, the peace of mind you will enjoy from knowing your fur kids are well cared for will be priceless. Thus, tip your sitter generously, and/or bring them a thank you gift. Make sure that they realize how much their reliability and devotion to your animals means to you. Chances are you will have to leave home again one day, and if you have been blessed with a pet sitter that is gentle, capable, highly socialized, well trained, and fully integrated into your little pack or tribe, their loyalty and willingness to return will make the prospect of leaving home all the easier to bear the next time around.
| 
