How to be a pet sitter?

Pet sitting as a career can be both fun and challenging and requires a pet lover who is honest, reliable and hardworking. There are two ways to get into the world of professional pet sitting. First, you can join an existing agency or receive training of an already experienced pet sitter who is looking to hand the job over to another person. Secondly, you can decide on starting your own pet sitting company.

It would be wise to weigh the pros and cons of both choices before choosing whichever works best for you. When you work for an already established company or under somebody, it would mean you have a boss to look up to and you would have to settle for whatever salary they are offering.

On the other hand, it would work in your favor considering that you will not stress over finding clients and dealing with them on a personal level when issues arise since the company would handle that for you. For this choice, all you have to do is be available for whenever duty calls.

For the second choice where you start your own, it would need you to have to create and spread a good reputation about yourself. You would have to create fliers for advertisement, apply online advertising and use whatever means possible to get a word out there that you will be offering pet services. You would also need your friends to put in a good word for you out there. If all these methods are successful you will have a successfully established pet sitting company.

Now let’s focus on what you need to do when you begin offering pet sitting services. First, you need to be a timely bedsitter. This means you should be readily available according to your terms of the agreement with your clients. Depending on the number of clients you have, you would have to plan out a schedule to cater to all your clients.

This would help avoid confusion and prevent colliding with pet sitting sessions. You also need to be specific on what pets you specialize in. For example, you might have a preference for dogs and cats and this makes it clear to the client preventing any unexpected surprises like exotic birds or fish or anything of the sort.

Animal Training and Education

When looking to become a pet sitter, it’s not a requirement to necessarily have formal training or education. However, it does not mean that they have to be dummies about pet care. It would, therefore, have an added advantage if they were familiar with pet care and behavior. It’s also advisable to have hands-on experience with the specific type of pets that you will be taking care of and this would make it easier to handle the duties that they command.

It wouldn’t hurt to also have some animal health care experience just in case. These experiences would include giving animal CPR and also be familiar with pet first aid. This will work to your advantage in your resume as your source for clients as it would be assuring that their pets are in able hands.

Duties

A pet sitter is automatically in charge of all basic animal care. The obvious routine duties that they have to do include: feeding the pet and providing fresh water, cleaning the pets litter areas and brushing the pets. You don’t have to restrain yourself indoors and it’s advisable to take the pets for a walk where applicable that is in the case of dogs and cats. You can also vacuum the pet houses and administer medication when necessary.

Pet food

Pet food is an essential part of taking care of pets. Pet food should be stored in a controlled environment which is normally in a cool and dry environment. This ensures that the food retains its vitamins and prevents oxidation of fats which would cause rancidity. It also retains the flavor of the food. Storing food at high temperatures speeds up normal degradation or loss of vitamins. Storing food off the floor prevents infestation. Freezing canned food on the other hard alters the texture of the food and affects the taste too.

However, if you’re storing already opened cans, store them in a fridge with controlled temperature but don’t at freezing temperatures. This reduces exposure to air and transfer of odor to other foods. Pets that are on a special diet should be put into consideration too.

The pet sitter should avoid overfeeding since weight loss in pets can be difficult. It’s therefore advisable to have regular weight checks to ensure there’s no excessive weight gain or loss either. The amount of food also depends on how much exercise the pet does, so the pet sitter should adjust food amounts accordingly.

Pet hair Vacuum cleaner  

Pet hair can be difficult to remove from furniture and floors or carpets and this is where a proper hair vacuum cleaner comes in. vacuum cleaners come in different forms and it’s essential for pet sitters to know these various types. The types are

• Cordless vacuum cleaner for pets – It works perfectly for large homes that may not have enough sockets to plug your cleaner too. They also give you the freedom to move around.
• Cylinder vacuum – They’re pulled along you as you vacuum. They are lightweight and compact and can be used for stairs and furniture.
• Upright hoover vacuum cleaner – they have a lot more power than other cleaners meaning they have a greater suction capability and can vacuum all fur to the core and are ideal where there are several pets.
• Handheld – They are normally small and have limited space to store the vacuumed material. They are essential for small rooms and just because they are handheld does not necessarily mean that they are inefficient.

Pet sitters should also consider the floor type of rooms when selecting appropriate vacuum cleaners.

Dog carrier

They are essential for pet sitters that travel with the pets even for short travels like a visit to the vet. It’s therefore advisable to have a good quality carrier. Proper carriers ensure pets experience comfort and safety. Carriers also vary in size so pet sitters should consider this when selecting appropriate carriers.

When equipped with career knowledge, it’s easier for the sitter to select a perfect one. The material that the carrier is made of not only affects the comfort but also determines the durability of the carrier which is an essential factor.

If the carrier is meant to be used in places with long walks, it’s wise to consider using wheeled carriers as it reduces fatigue experienced by the pet sitter. It’s also comfortable for the pet since long walks would mean a lot of swaying if the carrier was handheld with no wheels.

Verdict  

When a pet sitter put all these factors into consideration, it’s guaranteed that the pet sitting experience will be productive on both the side of the pet sitter and that of the pet itself. This would, in turn, conclude the pet sitting experience as a success.