No matter how adorable your pet is, you can’t take them with you on every travel. Whether it’s a work-related trip or a vacation with friends, in most cases, it’s often feasible and in your pet’s best interest to leave them at home. Depending on how anxious your furry mate is, exposing it to newer places, people, and environments can make them uncomfortable. 

But, you can’t leave your pet alone or and often, it’s not feasible to leave them at someone else’s place. Separation from the owner, combined with a location change, is the most common cause of pet anxiety. Hence, the most viable solution is to hire a qualified pet sitter who’ll take care of your pet while you’re away. 

In this guide, we’ll share some valuable tips on how to prepare for a pet sitter.

How to Prepare for a Pet Sitter

We all have to leave our homes at one point or another, and it’s always possible to bring our pets with us. When you need to hire a pet sitter to come to stay with your pet, here are a few tips to help make the whole experience more comfortable.

Make Your Reservation Early

Pet sitters typically book appointments well in advance. To make sure that you get a pet sitter at the right time, book an appointment and make a reservation as soon as your trip is scheduled. Keep the pet sitter in the loop for any changes in your travel plans so that pet care can be scheduled accordingly.

Work Out a Pet Care Schedule

Once you’ve found a reliable pet sitter, conduct a detailed discussion about the pet sitting schedule. This is the time to share your expectations with them. Develop a full plan with the sitter that addresses all your worries, including whether they will make visits every day or stay overnight. To have peace of mind, you may want the sitter to call or send a text message every day to keep you informed about how the pet is doing. Tell them about this and make sure that the sitter sticks to the created schedule. 

Introduce the Pet Sitter to Your Pet

Instead of leaving your pet to a total stranger at the last minute, allow your pet to meet the pet sitter beforehand. Consider scheduling pet care a few days before you depart. Prepare a pet schedule, give it to the sitter, and give them instructions related to feeding and medication. 

To ensure that your pet and sitter get accustomed to each other and develop a bond, allow them to spend some time in private. If the dog feels comfortable with the sitter, ask the sitter to take the dog out on a walk, too. 

Taking these steps should ensure that your pet stays happy with the sitter and reduce the chances of separation anxiety.

Make Sure They Have Emergency Contact Information

Your sitter should have all the information they need about what to do in case of a health emergency. They should have your vet’s name and number, and also an emergency phone number. It might also be a good idea to give your vet notice that someone else is watching your pet and authorize them to provide medical care while you’re away. Another idea is to include a pet emergency kit and a carrier at your home for your sitter just in case. 

They should be able to reach you too via text, email, or phone. 

Ensure Easy Access to Pet Supplies

To simplify pet care for the pet sitter, make sure you place all pet supplies in one easily-accessible place. While most pet owners will explain where food, treats, and medication supplies are, they’d forget to inform where other items are kept as well. A few things they might need are:

  • can opener for food
  • a scoop for measuring dry fare
  • utensils to mix food
  • cleaning supplies
  • paper towels
  • a collar and leash
  • vacuum cleaner or dustpan
  • potty pads
  • scooper and litter
  • plastic bags for waste disposal

The pet sitter should know precisely where to find these items. 

Though those were some quick tips to prepare for a pet sitter, we also have fantastic home boarding services that might be the perfect solution for your pets while you’re away. We take an innovative approach to pet boarding that is far superior to traditional kennels. We have professional pet caregivers that welcome your pets into their homes and treat them like their own. They won’t be kept in crates like traditional kennels – instead, they will feel comfortable and given the time and attention they need. Don’t let them feel anxious and lonely; let them stay with a family who will love on them while they wait for you to return. Whether for a day, a week, a month, or longer, our cat and dog boarding families offer your pets a comfortable home environment.

 

To book your pet service, contact Pet Pros International Services today.