Food for thought about what is involved in providing quality pet care

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

I recently came across this really thoughtful post on another site which sums up what is actually involved in quality pet care .I think it is a wonderful assessment and acknowledgement of the service good sitters actually provide and felt Id like to share it with the group
Thankyou

Mirayas thoughts :

I do think it’s important that we don’t undervalue the responsibility involved in looking after someone else’s dog.

Pet sitting is not just “having a dog sleep over” or “staying in someone’s house”. When you are responsible for a dog overnight, you are responsible for that dog’s safety, routine, comfort and wellbeing for 24 hours a day.

That can include feeding, walks, toilet breaks, medication, cleaning up accidents, managing anxiety, helping the dog settle, keeping them safe around other dogs or people, monitoring their behaviour, sending updates to the owners, following specific routines, and being available if anything goes wrong.

There is also a level of experience involved that is not always visible from the outside.

A good pet sitter needs to be able to notice early signs of stress, illness, pain, separation anxiety, reactivity, overheating, digestive issues, injuries, or any behaviour that doesn’t seem normal. Sometimes that means knowing when something is minor, and sometimes it means knowing when the dog may need a vet.

And if something happens after hours, on a weekend, during a public holiday, or over a long weekend, the responsibility becomes even bigger. Emergency vets can involve hours of waiting, even when the situation is not life-threatening. A sitter may easily spend 3 or 4 hours at an emergency vet, while keeping the owner updated, making calm decisions and managing the dog safely.

Looking after someone’s dog is a big responsibility. It deserves to be taken seriously.

2

Hi @wendywindow :slightly_smiling_face:

This is a really thoughtful share and it does capture something important about the level of responsibility involved in looking after someone’s pet. The day-to-day care and the judgement calls around wellbeing, behaviour changes, or unexpected situations can be quite nuanced, especially when you’re also working within someone else’s home and routine.

At the same time, I think what also makes good sits work well is that mutual trust and clear communication on both sides creates a fairly calm framework for all of that responsibility to sit within. When expectations are clear, most sits run very smoothly and can be genuinely enjoyable for both sitter and pet.

Appreciate you bringing it into the forum - it’s a good reminder of the care side of what we all do here.

:paw_prints: :heart:

3

I remember the first time the true level of that responsibility hit home…

On the first walk of a sit, I let two dogs off their leads in some woods and they promptly disappeared for 20 minutes, leaving me wondering how on earth I was going to find them, or explain to the owners that I’d lost them. Up until that point, it had all seemed like fun. The dogs were gorgeous, friendly, and apparently had good recall. I’d been up since the small hours in order to arrive at the sit in time, and now found myself tired, disorientated in an unfamiliar area, with two empty leads dangling from my hand.

They came back eventually, but I learned a lot of important lessons during the time they were gone.

4

Now, if only THS would include this , even in an abbreviated way, in their advertising…

5

Wow a big lesson you learnt early on in your first sit .Those doggiess were really testing you . On the weekend I looked after a cat that was a bit of a houdini and escaped on me when she wasnt supposed to go outside. No sign of her for a few hours and I was a bit upset but rang the owner who was really cool and lovely and assured me she’d come back which she eventually did .Big sigh of relief. I think it would be a housesitters worst nightmare to actually lose a pet.

6

Good thought !!

7

It would actually be good to have had it in the Owners’ Category rather than the Sitters’ one. What do you think @wendywindow?

8

Actually both I reckon !!:star_struck:

9

You can ask a moderator to do this.

10

Along parallel lines, a good house sitter takes on significant responsibilities as well, and things can go wrong and need strong problem-solving skills.

Meanwhile, many folks aren’t good at pet care and house care, plus want to do them while they’re traveling. (Though there are plenty of folks who’d like no-cost stays and would do a crummy or cursory job at both, while prioritizing sightseeing or whatever their personal preferences are.)

That’s why I say THS will have a hard time scaling as much as its private equity owners want. And that’s part of the gap now — it’s easier to sign up hosts than it is to sign up (good) sitters.

Even potential sitters who might be good at pet and home care might have limited time when they can sit, because most people who work still do it onsite, not remotely.

11

I agree with the responsibility, we took it thoughtlessly when we first signed up. “We’ve had dogs and cats, it will be fine” but these are new to you and you have to learn what is right or wrong for them. One of the inside kittens we sat for was so desperate to get out I found him eyeing the skylight one day! Sheesh I had to have eyes in the back of my head with him. It’s so not an Airbnb and it’s needs to not be advertised like that.

12

A very good point cathie a pet sit comes with its perks but also with awesome responsibility and diligence and yes indeed it is not an air bnb and as you say should not be advertised as such

13

@wendywindow totally off topic but you aren’t Australian are you? I knew a Wendywindow (her real name was Wendy Door)in my younger days and it’s just brought back memories.

14

Hi Ziggy yes I am an Aussie but not Wendy Door…sorry …