Tips For Hiring An Overnight Pet Sitter
If you'll be going out of town and can't take your pet, you may be trying to think of alternatives to leaving them at a kennel. One option is to hire an overnight pet sitter to come stay in your home and take care of your furry companion while you're gone. You can find overnight pet sitters on pet-sitting apps, and sometimes even through connections like your vet or pet food store. So, how do you go about hiring such a sitter and making sure they take good care of your pet? Here are some tips that should help in that regard.
Have them meet you in your home, with your pet, beforehand
Instead of making plans to meet the sitter at a coffee shop—or making all of your plans via text—arrange to have them come meet you in your home before you go out of town. This way, you can show them around and ensure they know things, such as where you keep the dog food. This also gives them a chance to meet your pet with you there. Your pet will be more comfortable when you later leave them alone with the sitter. And you'll get to watch the sitter and dog interact to ensure it's a good fit.
Be clear about how long you expect them to stay
Establish which day and which hour you expect the sitter to leave your home. This way, you don't have to worry about your pet being alone for too long because you miscommunicated about your flight's arrival time, or about the sitter planning to stay for a day longer than you were preparing to pay them for. If anything changes while you're gone and you need the sitter to stay longer or leave sooner, let them know ASAP.
Establish how long your pet can be left alone
Surely the sitter will leave your house at some times, perhaps to go to school or work. Even if sitting for you is their only obligation, they may go out to run errands or meet friends during the day. Make sure you're clear, before you leave, as to how long the sitter can leave your pet alone. For instance, if your dog can only be left alone for 4 hours, let the sitter know. Such timing is not consistent between pets, and you don't want to leave the sitter guessing about your pet's needs.
With these tips, hiring an overnight home pet-sitting service should go smoothly. Enjoy your time away!
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