# What do you look for in a dog sitter?



## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

I am a responsible, part time college student looking to make some money through pet sitting. This would be my first time offering these services for money so I am interested in your answers to these questions:
What do you look for in a pet sitter?
What would you consider to be "red flags" when hiring a pet sitter?
Would you hire someone without professional experience but WITH references from family friends, vets, local pet store owners, etc as being trustworthy?
How much would you pay a pet sitter who is a novice professionally but very experienced with animals personally?
Would you be interested in any of these services?:
-refilling water/food bowl
-dog walk for potty break
-full length dog walk
-play time
-transportation to/from the vet/groomer
-clean litter box
-food delivery
Since I am very experienced with other typed of pets I also wanted to offer other things like:
-feeding of fish, reptiles, small mammals, birds, etc
-water changes and algae scraping for tanks 20g and under
-cleaning of enclosures
-play time with birds and other friendly critters
-transportation to/from the vet/groomer
-food delivery

Thanks!


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

When I had a dog walker several years ago for a young puppy who couldn't yet make it through the day w/out a potty break, we sat down and discussed what I expected/wanted for my puppy. The person I hired was affiliated with a large pet walking/sitting company in the ATL area, and she was my area's rep. She had great references and was very down to earth! She offered to do anything needed within the 30-45 minute time frame that she was going to be at my house, including bringing in the mail, watering plants, cleaning the kennel if necessary, etc. She tooks notes as we talked, so that she could remember everything. I chose for her to only spend the time walking/playing with my puppy/cleaning his kennel, if needed. She always sent me a text after each visit, detailing what she and the puppy did together, his poop quality (he was having digestive issues at the time), and training things they worked on (she even asked me what I was working on at the time, so she could reinforce it during her visits!). I left her a check at the beginning of the week for the days she would be needed that week. I would text her if my schedule changed, and she would/wouldn't be needed on certain days. If my schedule changed after she'd been paid for days not needed, the amount would roll over to the next week. 

Maybe you could get hired by a larger company until you gain the needed experience/references to go out on your own. My dog walker said she liked working for the company b/c it freed her from having to find clients and deal with the administrative details. She told me that it took her about 3-4 years to build up a solid client base that paid her full time, which is what she wanted. She'd been in the corporate world, but tired of it and wanted a career with more freedom. Also think about whether you are willing to be tied down on a regular basis. You can't just call a client and cancel at the last minute, without having a replacement person in place. These people are counting on you to be present whenever you're needed.


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## Kritter (Jan 9, 2015)

LilasMom said:


> I am a responsible, part time college student looking to make some money through pet sitting. This would be my first time offering these services for money so I am interested in your answers to these questions:
> What do you look for in a pet sitter?
> What would you consider to be "red flags" when hiring a pet sitter?
> Would you hire someone without professional experience but WITH references from family friends, vets, local pet store owners, etc as being trustworthy?
> ...


So I've never had luck myself finding a pet sitter I am comfortable with, aside from 1 or 2 family members. I think any of those services would be a great offering, but ultimately you would need to tailor it to the client. I would look for honest, trustworthy, reliable, someone who is going to follow my dogs routine so it goes seamlessly. Red flags would be if my dogs behavior changes, that would tell me something with the sitter was not going right. I'm not sure about the professional services experience requirement, but references would be a must, and possibly insurance bonding. The one time I had someone walk my dog it was $15 per visit, if I paid someone to stay overnight it would probably be $35-50 per night, but I live in CT so you would have to adjust accordingly. I would ask around locally about the rates you could charge and start off by getting referrals from people you know. Word of mouth can be great advertising. But remember you need to be very reliable to venture out on your own in any business.


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## [email protected] (Oct 14, 2013)

I thought I'd jump in since I've worked as a pet sitter for a number of years and own my own pet sitting business.

I would get a few references, even if it's just friends or family who you've watched pets for. Also set up a web site if you have anyone who can help you do that. It can be basic.
Don't charge too little. I'd say $20 per half-hour visit or more.
Most people want feeding, dog walks and potty breaks; some ask you to stay overnight with the dog but most ask for 3 visits per day.

To get clients, it helps to hang fliers in vets' offices.


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## LProf (Nov 12, 2013)

We only use overnight dog sitters when we are away. And we only use sitters who have been recommended by dog people we know and trust. We also interview the person before and try to use our intuitive sense of whether we will trust our precious dogs to their care. It isn't easy, but, so far we have been lucky with the sitters we have used.

This is just us, but we would never leave and only have a sitter come by to feed and walk our dogs, and leave them alone the rest of the day and night.


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