You need a dog sitter...who ya gonna call !!
by
Shannon Shetler

Hiring a dog sitter is one of the most important processes you will go through whether you own multiple dogs or have only a couple of pets. That person who you deem "the responsible party" in your absence needs to be a person that you feel 100% about. There are a number of options and directions you can take in securing quality care for your pets. The three most common are:

1. Boarding your pets at a vet or boarding kennel
2. Hiring a pet sitter/dog walker to come in 1-3 times per day
3. Hiring a pet sitter to stay at your home while you are away.

While researching this article, I checked rates with all of the above in a cross section of the country, trying to include both coasts and the midwest as different geographical areas rates vary slightly. Keep in mind, these were the “most common” rates I was found. All pet sitters have a detailed rate sheet and will provide that to you.
The first option is one that seems most popular with pet families who have only one or two dogs or cats. This involves dropping the dogs off at the kennel where they will stay in either runs or crates, although there are some that now offer bedrooms with TV's for a rate of about $30-$40 per night.
Most kennels I checked charge by weight of the dog. A small dog under 20 pounds runs around $10-$15 per night and dogs over 20 pounds somewhere around $13-$18 per night. Some kennels provide their own food, and some require that you bring the food along which I would recommend. During a stressful period, it would seem that changing a dog’s diet would not be ideal.
Some of these kennels offer Sunday pick ups during certain hours. Most I checked would meet owners during Sunday hours of 1-5 or 3-5 p.m.
Many of the vet boarding facilities do not offer Sunday pick ups.

The second option is hiring a sitter to come to your home during the day. Cats require fewer visits while dogs obviously require 2-3 visits per day. The sitter comes to the house and follows the routine you have written for her/him. Usually it involves feeding, exercising, cleaning the dog's area, and walking the dogs if you want them to have daily walks.
Most pet sitting businesses charge an average of $20 per 30-minute visit for up to two dogs and three cats. I found most charge an additional $3.00-$5.00 more per each additional pet above the two dogs.
Extra charges do apply for holidays, per visit or per day.
The sitters I checked with all belong to organizations that set down guidelines, pet sitting registries, etc. As of now, there is no license required to become a pet sitter but there could be other type of state licenses that are required for operating a business. Most sitters are insured and bonded. They have a rate schedule for sitting for your animals, as well as services that might include other things you would like done while you are away. Here are a few examples of rate schedules for dog sitters I spoke with who will come to your home on a "per visit" schedule.

A pet sitting service in Texas:
Rates include care for up to two dogs, four cats or two cages. Minimal fee applies for additional pets.
The rate is $20.00 per 30 minute visit for two animals. Additional dogs/cats/birds are $3.00 each.
*Additional $10 visit rate applies for major holidays.
*Additional Fee for Medications: $3 Pilling, $5 Injections and $10 Fluids

A sitter from the west coast:
Rates include care for up to two dogs, four cats or two cages. Minimal fee applies for additional pets.

A sitter from the east coast: Single visit per day, one or two pets $20.00
Two visits per day, one or two pets $36.00
(Additional pets extra and discounted weekly rates)

Heres one from the south that charges $5.00 extra for each dog above the allotted one dog walked. Daily Dog Walking
Dogs are walked for 20 minutes in your neighborhood.
No ‘Group Walks’ - Your dog(s) get full attention.
Rates are $20 per visit for one dog, plus $5 per visit for each additional dog.

Some added costs were applied for various things like...
Cancellation fees, administering medications and
Vet trips are always extra. Extra $2.00 per visit if gas is over $2.75 per gallon with one pet sitter I checked. However savings could be found with 10% discounts to prepay for the week with some.


Almost every pet sitter I checked offers the following services for an additional fee of $20 per day and even a few I checked included it as complimentary... It's called the mail & plant watering package
For example:
Mail and newspaper brought in
Plant and garden watering
Alternate lights and blind.
VCR Recording

The one common thread was that the charges are for 30 minutes on the average. Some sitters would stay up to 45 minutes per visit.
So for a summation of charges... if I were to have a sitter come to my home to take care of my ten TTs it would cost me on an average of $44-$50 per visit. Multiply that by three visits which is the minimum I would even consider and that would put me at $150 a day to have a sitter come three times a day. If I wanted additional services i.e. dog walking, mail and plant package, it could add up to an additional $40 per day
 
Caroline, my 18 year old daughter is currently doing a rather difficult sitting job for seven show golden retrievers and a shihzu. To add to the stress, these people haven’t left their dogs in 8 years! She is going over at designated times and feeding, cleaning, etc. It's a little more difficult because they left two of the goldens in e-collars for the entire two weeks due to pretty serious hot spots. So, she has to monitor these hot spots, treat them and be able to recognize if any of the sores are not healing properly as well as deal with the slobbery mess and anxiety that e-collars create. In addition, she has been asked to groom the dogs daily, clean ears every other day, exercise them in the various play yards, mop all dog areas daily, wash dishes and buckets daily, check and clean all air conditioner filters, pick up all the yards daily and haul off to the dump, and of course love on the dogs and spend quality time with them. She comes home telling me all the cute things they did, how she already knows each of their little personalities, and she is just having the time of her life with these wonderful Goldens. She has even learned how to remove the occasional tick that loves the surrounding woodsy areas. Normally, here at home, that would be my job as she hates to touch ticks! I taught her as a sitter to always have her cell phone clipped to her body!! You never know when you will have a situation arise that warrants an immediate call to someone. The first day she went to care for the dogs, she realized when she went out into the play yard that all their doors lock instantly when they close and her keys were inside on the counter!! Just a little something the owners forgot to tell her!! So, she remained calm, called me and asked my advice. After deciding she wouldn't fit through the doggie doors, she climbed the 8 foot chain link fence and went around through the open door to the main entrance. Crisis solved without a problem, but the point is that the owners may not remember little things like this that they take for granted, so you want a sitter that is going to be able to remain calm and solve problems rationally and with a level head. Bottom line, you need a dog person!! Someone who knows how we dog people think! You also want to be sure you have someone who will recognize when a dog is not acting 100%. Little things can turn into big things if your sitter isn't recognizing a dog's cry for help. Many people like to hire vet techs or people like Caroline who grew up in a show home for this reason. Dogs may not be able to speak to you but they actually are telling you when something is wrong...you just have to be able to understand the way in which they are telling you, which is through their eyes, their actions, their body movements, changes in eating habits, etc. Any deviation from normal behavior is a sign that better not be ignored.

This brings me to the third option....hiring a dog sitter to come into your home and stay the duration of your trip away. This is the method I have chosen when leaving my dogs. I think this is probably the most difficult kind of pet sitting when it comes to hiring a sitter because you are bringing this person into your home to move in, and take over your life while you are away. I will admit to being SO extremely picky that I have fired every house/dog sitter except my current one who is incredible!! I went through quite a few before I discovered this lady who is my dream of the perfect dog sitter. She has my house, doggie areas, dogs and yards looking immaculate when we return. The dogs all love her to pieces and she is wonderful with TTs. I pay her $75 a day and if I have young puppies, I add an additional $25 per day for the extra duties the puppies require. I leave her with full access to our home, the pool, a fully stocked pantry and frig and my car if needed, as well as my Video rental card. It is not intended to be a vacation although I think she does immensely enjoy the time she spends here. I have found her to be reliable, dependable and someone who I would highly recommend. She will travel out of town and has done so if someone is willing to pay her airfare. She understands the TT mind and has learned to interact with them the same as we do. She plays with them, gives them quality attention and I know when I come home they have enjoyed their time with her. They are all running to her as if they don't want her to leave. Her first two visits here I printed off photos of all the dogs with their names and a distinguishing characteristic to know them apart, as I have four red and whites who all favor each other. After her first two jobs here, I no longer needed to do that as she knows them all very well. I use a color coded system of dry erase boards to leave her instructions hanging in my breezeway. She can refer to the boards if she has any questions while here, as well as she has already come several days before we leave to meet with me so I can answer any questions she may have.
I asked other breeders on one of my show dog lists if they would like to offer their input on dog sitters and I have included a few helpful responses. The first three are on hiring a sitter, and the last one is very good information from a house/dog sitter on things you should know from the sitters perspective.

One breeder wrote:
I pay anywhere from $25.00-40.00 for the trainer to come check and spend time with the dogs to $100-200.00 for Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Overnight stay includes dogs sleeping with the person (unless the dogs lay down and all their brains fall out of their ears) to 2 of them being crated for the night.

Tammy Smith included what she looks for and her actual questionnaire she asks a potential pet sitter:
We are a home of SHOW dogs and Security Horses. We raise and show Great Danes and we ride Mounted Patrol for Bush Intercontinental Airport. In addition we have one cow, two outside cats and two birds. At times our show schedule requires we travel a distance that is not feasible to travel back and forth due to gas prices, so we choose to stay overnight. When we are required to stay overnight, we have to leave some pets behind, dogs not showing, horses, cats and birds.

We are seeking a pet sitter that is PROFESSIONAL in giving our pet’s PROPER care and undivided attention when here caring for our animals. We are looking for a pet sitter that can care for our animals in their own environment at our residence, whether the pet sitter chooses to stay overnight or make several visits to our residence.

Some of our requested rules to consider up front:
1. We have neighbors that will be watching the pet sitter coming and going
2.House is OFF-LIMITS to anyone in our absence, except Pet sitter
3. Birds are OFF-LIMITS to remove from cages and handle, birds are tame but I do not want them handled just in case an injury occurs during handling.
4. You must carry a Cell-phone to be able to contact us in the event of an emergency
5. You must be able to lift at least 40lbs.
6. NO personal pets are allowed to come with the pet sitter while pet sitting our personal pets
7. NO pets will leave the premises unless an emergency, we live on an acre and pets get plenty of exercise
These rules above are subject to change

Questions:
1. Have you ever pet sit for a Great Dane or are you familiar with bloat issues? Do you feel you are mentally and physically able to handle a bloat case.
2. Have you ever seen a Manchester Terrier and are you familiar with Terrier behaviors?
3. Have you ever pet sit for horses and are you familiar with the signs of colic?
4. Do you have three references to offer as to your character and responsibility around animals or house sitting? Please no family or close best friends, preferably someone you have pet sit for.
5. If not bonded, how do you feel about pet sitting in the pet owners residence and being responsible around their property and its contents? Are you a trustworthy person?
6. Are you scared to handle birds if an emergency arises with one of my birds? Do you properly know how to remove a bird from its cage if the bird will not step up onto your hand?
7. Do you like cats?
8. Do you have a problem filling in our daily care log if we hire you?
9. If you pet sit for more then one family the same day you are scheduled to come tend to our animals do you have a problem with changing clothes and removing shoes prior to entering our residence. We are very cautious about our show animals obtaining virus's from others pets and we take extra precautions.
10. Are you a college student?
I look forward to reading your responses and possibly setting up a personal meeting to introduce you to all our pets and provide you with our show schedule, etc. if hired.

Tammy Smith
Taro Great Danes & PBR Terriers
Champion Fawn & Black Great Danes
Home of Multiple BISS CH. Sunrise Sharp'R Image, CGC "Auto" 2004 AOM winner
Website: http://www.geocities.com/taro77511/

Lizzy wrote:
I look for several different things. The first and foremost, even though it costs extra, is that I want them to come before hand and learn my dog's routine. That way the dog's can be more comfortable while I am away. But that is not the only reason I want them to come before hand. I also look to see if they are learning my dogs' names. If they aren't going to learn my dogs' names then I feel they don't care enough to provide proper care while I am gone.
I also prefer to look for someone who has some kind of medical experience. They seem to know how to deal with emergencies better than others.
When I look for someone to care for my dogs when I am gone I look for someone who can stay at the house while I am gone, at least at in the evening and overnight.
LizzyB
www.eventhorizonfarm.com
www.queensciencegeek.com
www.kraftyk9s.com-under construction
www.celticcanines.com-under construction

A Dog sitter Debbie wrote:
First of all, when looking for a dog sitter for your home, keep in mind the person's personality. Are they the type of person that is sound, stable, and responsible and loves dogs? Will they be there for when your pup is not feeling well and has accidents that need to be cleaned up? Will they take the extra step needed to be sure you, the owner, return home to a happy home, making you relieved that your companions have received quality care?

My experience has been assembled over the last 5 years as a dog sitter. I have had situations where, when I was at a home, the smoke alarms went off and the dogs went crazy listening to the "Beep, BEEP, BEEEP, until I found batteries and replaced them. I arrived at a home where someone took a shower and they did not turn the faucet off completely when finished. The bath tub was stuck up, and not draining, and the faucet was dripping lots of water, almost filling the tub to overflowing.

I have never had a dog get out and loose, so I am happy to say there has been no chasing of family companions to report.

All this leads me to advise people to get someone in to their home that they trust. It should be clear what you expect of your dog sitter on a variety of levels - animal care and home care. Remember the dog sitter is not going on vacation when they are coming in to your home, but are working hard to be sure your companions re able to have minimal stress while you are away.

Be sure to leave your cell phone number, (if you have one) with the dog sitter, or at least the number of someone that they can connect with in case of a home emergency. So, when the bathtub does not drain there is a source to connect with to have this repaired by the time of your return home. Include a list of names and numbers of your vet, and any source that might be needed. Talk with the vet's office and advise them who your dog sitter is, how long you will be gone, and what you are willing to authorize in case of emergency. Provide the address and directions to the vet - just in case.

Talk with your dog sitter about your daily routine so they can incorporate that into their presence at your home. Realize there may be need to have some flexibility with the daily routine, as the dog sitter may not be familiar with where things are, the time it takes to do things, etc. If you do have a need for certain activities to be conducted on a strict schedule, let the sitter know this, and the reasoning behind the requirement. It will make for a smoother dog sitting experience for everyone involved.

Finding a good dog sitter is as hard or easy as you want it to be. My customers come from word-of-mouth references. Meeting with the person a few weeks prior to your trip will make you happier because you will see how your animals and the person coming in to your home react with each other.

I like it when my customers consider that I am away from familiar territory when I go to their home, and they ask me to provide a list of food for when I am there. I put together a list and identify what I really need when I am there. Then there is a list of "would like to have" and list things with and/or by them to identify how important they are. Having a working TV (basic cable wished for) and an instruction sheet as to how things work is really nice.

A guide to the thermostat is a plus, because if the weather goes from 40 degrees to 95 degrees in a day, it is nice to be able to make adjustments. This has happened to me, where I went outside and prepped the air conditioner so the house cooled for us. The interior of the home was at 101 degrees by the time I was able to get the covering off, and the air conditioner working, so I was happy when it started. That was an exhausting dog sitting experience.

When I am staying at a home it is a good idea to have a working phone for the dog sitter to have access to. Many homes today are not keeping a local phone in house. If there is an emergency, having a phone to call for help is very important for the safety of the animals and the sitter them self. So, keep this in mind as you determine your household set up.

Fees vary from person to person. My fees differ from number of animals to care for; to types of care the animals will need while I am there. Most often my fees are $20 per day per animal for the first two, and then we discuss what the person can handle. I ask for food to be provided during my stay, and they shop for the grocery items since I am not familiar with the territory they live in. Usually they already have the majority of food I ask for since they live there. But I do have a few "must have" requests. Once home provides me with a gift card from the local grocery store to use in case we run out of something. That was helpful, with directions to the store!

Just remember that if you ask someone to stay at your home, they are leaving their familiar home and moving to yours for the duration of your absence. Keep this in mind when discussing fees.

Debbie Schaefer and Tiger (I go with my human when she does remote dog sitting duties) Champion Fawn & Black Great Danes
Home of Multiple BISS CH. Sunrise Sharp'R Image, CGC "Auto" 2004 AOM winner
Website: http://www.geocities.com/taro77511/
I like the idea of pet sitters filling out daily logs on each of the dogs for the owners. My sitter actually emails them to me every couple of days and it is a good read for a worrisome mom to hear how well things are going at home. She includes personal funny notes about some of the dogs and things that she especially enjoyed about them that day. She also has a grade card that grades each dog individually on how they ate that day, etc..
I hope from this article that you take away the importance of finding a good sitter and that you will compensate them appropriately! Don’t be stingy about paying for a sitter when in reality….can you really put a price tag on peace of mind? I believe a sitter should be paid well as they are entrusted with our little precious bundles for the time we are away. I think each of us should take on at least one big pet sitting job to see it from that perspective. While I don’t pet sit, I have done a lot of it in the past and now see my daughter’s pet sitting clientele growing and I appreciate those people so much!! What would we do without them?

Click here: National Association of Professional Pet Sitters
http://www.petsit.com
http://www.petsitllc.com
http://www.petsits.com
http://www.petsitterswi.org

Shannon