Most frequently asked Questions about Petsitting

"Sounds like fun.  Anything really hard about it?"

It's a piece of cake.  Especially if you try very hard, as I did, to make all your mistakes the first week on the job:

Accept a client's house key without checking to see if it opens a door.  So when you arrive the first time and find it doesn't, you'll get to spend three hours waiting for a locksmith to arrive and convince him to make you a key.

Take a dog with a loose collar out for a walk and see how quickly she gets out of it.  Forget to take along the small bag of dogfood for a snack at your usual halfway point.  That way when you get there and find her waiting for you, you'll have nothing to offer.

Be sure to walk under trees so low branches can gouge you as you're looking down at the pets.

Remember to leave a harness on a dog overnight so he'll have plenty of time to shred it and you'll get to drive to a pet store and buy a new one.

If you keep the garage door opener in your pocket, it will open the door for you before you're ready and the pets can bolt out and enjoy a game of "Catch me if you can!"

Let pet owners go on their vacation without getting a number where they can be contacted.  That way, when their cell phone doesn't work there, you'll get to handle everything, even emergencies, without having to ask for directions.

"You have to drive a lot.  Do you get sick of driving?"

You have to learn to make peace with the road any way you can.  I keep lots of my brochures in the car so I can distribute them in the paper boxes along the way.  When I'm not rushed, I take new routes to my destination, making new contacts every time.

You may find, as Gloria Steimen said, "Practice random acts of kindness" is the best attitude. 

For example:  Keep a gas can in your trunk.  Even if you don't expect to need it, you may see some stranded motorist who is out of gas.  Offer it for free, and give them your brochure and business card.  Even if they're not pet owners, they know people who are.  You'll find that gas money was well spent.  It's sort of a petsitter's "buy low and sell high."  Even if it weren't smart advertising, it's a nice thing to do.

Go the extra mile for animals.  When you see a "Lost Pet" sign, stop and write down the information.  Keep some food and water in your trunk.  So if you do see the pets, you can park, set out lunch (keep your distance), and call the family.  Don't forget to give the family your card; you'll be keeping that client for life.

WE'LL COME WHEN YOU CALL

Come see me at:
Pet-Sitters.biz
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters
Bonded - Insured - Professional

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