All about pet sitting: A traveler's guide

Pet owners who want to travel often turn to pet sitters for help. While similar to house sitting, pet sitting involves caring for your pets on a full-time basis during your absence. For homeowners who don’t have loved ones to volunteer for the job, professional pet sitting organizations can fill the gap.

No matter where you’re going or what kind of pets you have, here are some of the important things to know about traveling and pet sitting:

What do pet sitters do?

While every pet has different needs, there are some basic tasks pet sitters perform. They might include:

• Staying in your home to care for your pets and make them feel less anxious.
• Playing, dog walking and encouraging exercise.
• Feeding and providing specialty care for pets like reptiles, birds, fish or rodents.

Typically, the responsibilities of a pet sitter and a house sitter will overlap in some ways. General upkeep of the home, including fetching the mail, light cleaning and gardening, are also things you can ask of a pet sitter.

Finding a good pet sitter

It might not sound ideal to leave your cat, dog or other pet in the care of a stranger. Luckily, there are some trusted ways you can find a good sitter to take care of your animal friends while you’re away. Some excellent ideas for finding a quality sitter are:

• Asking for recommendations from loved ones, neighbors or coworkers.
• Asking for recommendations from your veterinarian.
• Researching and reading reviews for professional organizations in your area.

Safety with sitters & pets

Even with rigorous vetting and glowing recommendations, it can be nerve wracking to leave your pets. For safety, it’s a good idea to clarify communication expectations with your chosen sitter. You’ll also want to make sure everything they need to take care of your pets in an emergency is readily available, including contact information for your vet.

Checklists & checking in

One simple way to take the stress out of hiring pet sitting services is to make a checklist of tasks for them to accomplish. Include plenty of detail, including locations for supplies and information about needed services. 

If you’re traveling, house and pet sitters can alleviate some stress of leaving your pets at home. Research your local options and ask around for recommendations, so you’re prepared to leave your pets in the best of care while you’re away.