How to choose the right Pet Sitter for you

In our fast paced world where we can now request dog sitters and dog walkers on demand there are some important things to look at when choosing a company and caretaker that will best fit you and your pet's needs. The consequences of not considering who is providing care for your pet can be tremendous. Below are 5 of the most important questions to ask yourself when looking for a pet sitter or dog walker.

1. Does this person require a Meet and Greet before taking me on as a client?

Meet and Greets are essential for all pet sitters to do when taking on a new client. At the meet and greet the pet sitter will ask you important questions about your animal to better serve and take care of them. Some questions they may ask are; has your animal ever bitten anyone? Are they friendly with other people and animals? Do they have a specific diet? Are they allergic to any foods? Do they take any medications? A professional pet sitter and dog walker needs to know these answers to give your animal the best possible care.

2. Is this person caring for my pet trained in Pet CPR and First Aid? 

Just like you would feel more comfortable with someone who is CPR trained to watch your child, having someone trained in emergency care for your animal will give you the same peace of mind.  If your animal gets a cut or accidently chokes on an item, you should have someone who is trained in emergency care.

3. Are they Insured and Bonded?

A professional Pet Sitter will be insured and bonded with a reliable company, because they know that sometimes things happen that are out of our control. For example, a dog could be bitten while on a walk, or your pet sitter could accidently loose your keys. In these cases, if your pet sitter has insurance and is bonded, those costs would be covered by their insurance.

4. Are they members of any Professional Pet Sitting Organizations?

In any profession when someone is a member of a larger organization that supports their profession, that shows dedication and continued education in their field. This holds true with Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers.  There are a number of Professional Pet Sitting Organizations such as National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, Pet Sitters International and Professional United Pet Sitters.

5. How does my animal interact with this person?

You always want to trust your animal when introducing them to someone new. Especially, someone that will be looking after them while you are away.  Your animal will let you know if they are excited to see this person, if they are scared of them, or if they trust this person. If you have a shy or skiddish animal, I would recommend having the potential Pet Sitter stay longer than 30 minutes so your animal can have extended time to adjust and get comfortable with them. You can also try having the potential Pet Sitter give your animal a treat, and see how your pet reacts. 

In my experience, these 5 questions will help provide you and your pet with the safest and lasting care. When we consider our pets as our family, we want to give them the best. Some other important questions to consider may be: Does this person or company have references? Discussing their services with other clients is your right to know. A responsible and quality Pet Sitter will have references available. 

Edited by Tara Rico

Keeping your Animals Safe during Halloween

Its Halloween time! Which means fun costumes, candy and mischief! But during this time of year, it is also important to keep our animals safe. 

Candy is not for our pets. Make sure that the all candy is out of reach of animals on Halloween. Candy, especially anything with chocolate and gum, are extremely toxic to animals. So my recommendation is to keep the candy in a bowl high on a shelf or countertop where they cannot get to it. Also be careful on your walks before and after Halloween. Kids tend to drop some of their candy on the ground and your dog or cat could pick it up while outside. Be on the lookout for anything on the ground.

If Trick or Treaters frequent your home it would be best to keep your animals away from the door. You will be opening and closing the door frequently and some animals take this opportunity to try and run past you for a nighttime adventure. If you have a baby gate or a crate this would be the best option to keep them safe. I wouldn’t recommend putting them outside due to the fact that Halloween is a prime time for pranks and some pranksters use this night to injure, steal or even in some horrific cases kill animals.

Keep any glow sticks and raw pumpkins away from your animals. Glow sticks are fun for kids to carry on Halloween however some animals like to chew on them and though the liquid inside is not shown to be toxic, it doesn’t taste good to them and isn’t good for them. While small amounts of corn and pumpkin can be fed safely to many pets, ingesting uncooked, potentially moldy Halloween pumpkins or corn displays can cause big problems.

And the best thing to do to keep your pets safe on Halloween is to make sure all tags, microchips and licenses are up to date with correct information.  If your animal should escape due to the increased mischief and mayhem on this holiday if your animal has their collar, ID or microchip up to date it is more likely that your animal will be found and returned to you safely.

Hoping everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

Edited by Tara Rico

Benefits to In-Home Pet Sitting

Living in Southern California, I have many friends and acquaintances I’ve crossed paths with who say they would love to rescue a dog or a cat but don’t have the time to care for it. Well, I agree; if you don’t have the time to tend to a pet, it is better to wait to take one on. However, I also believe there are too many animals today in shelters, in negligent situations, or on the streets. I would often wonder, how could I help? By making pet-care easier for the animal and the owner, I believe we can help mitigate some of these issues, and make the world a little bit better.

As a pet sitter, I am often asked, “What are the advantages of in-home pet sitting?” In my experience, animals are most comfortable in their own environment where they are around familiar sights, smells, and sounds. They can sleep in their own bed, and walk around their own neighborhood. All of these factors help eliminate the stress your animals can feel when you are away. Doggie Dreamz is designed to maintain our clients’ schedule as much as possible while caring for their needs. Animals are most comfortable with routine, and maintaining that routine gives them a sense of ease and comfort.

If you have an animal with anxiety issues or who is not socialized with other animals, in-home pet sitting is ideal for someone like you. Your pet sitter is only focused on your animal and can give him or her the undivided attention and care they need. In-home pet sitting is also ideal if you have an older animal or animal with special needs. Often times, the sleeping quarters at boarding facilities are small and do not accommodate for special animal-mobility and other needs. Additionally, kennels and boarding facilities sometimes carry diseases such as Canine distemper, Canine influenza, kennel cough and heartworms. (AVMA.ORG).  Without the stress of a foreign environment at a facility or in someone else’s home, you are less likely to experience your animal running away, getting into a dangerous situations, or just being lonely and upset when you are gone. Even a walk a day from a pet-sitter can help alleviate behavioral issues with your animal. These are some the reasons why I believe in and only offer In-home pet sitting through my company.

 As an animal-lover and dog-enthusiast, it is my passion to help pet-owners provide compassionate and quality care. A dog or a cat in a home is an animal off the streets, out of a shelter, and in a loving environment. So, helping people manage that responsibility is my mission! In wanting to help others care for our animal community, I have cultivated a company that operates with compassion at it’s heart and with your pet’s best interest in mind. In addition to utilizing the most comfortable environments for your pets, I ensure each of our pet-sitters are trained in CPR and first aid for animals. Also, all of our pet sitters are insured and bonded. Finally, I personally interview and hire each of our pet-care representatives, making every effort to ensure our pet-sitters are passionate and professional when it comes to our business. 

Now, not all pet sitters are the same. That is why it is very important to choose the right pet sitter for your animal and you. I’m excited to discuss this more in our next blog post, and how you can find the right pet sitter for you. If this was helpful, leave a like or a comment below!

Mia Enos

Chief Canine Officer of Doggie Dreamz