Do you want to be a pet sitter?

So you love animals and you think it would be great to be a pet sitter so you can take care of cats and dogs every day. While it is fun to take care of different animals all the time, I want you to know what working with pets is all about. There is more than you think.

Do not misunderstand. I love what I do and I do it well. But, most people just don’t realize what it takes to be a professional pet sitter or dog walker. When looking to hire someone to work for me, I look for certain traits in that person to see if they can handle the job and how dedicated they really are.

Just saying you love animals is not enough. Pet sitters must be dedicated to working through the different situations they will face. And they must be able to deal with very stressful situations. Every time you have the life of an animal in your hands, there are tensions involved.

I’m targeting those who want to work for a pet sitting company and do the work of caring for animals, but not have to worry about running a business. Let me tell you what I look for in a pet sitter or dog walker when I am hiring.

Work for a pet sitting company

As the owner of a dog walking and pet sitting business, I have worked very hard to earn and maintain a very good reputation for what we do. When I hire someone to work for me, I make sure that the person will do everything possible to help maintain that good reputation.

This means that I am looking for pet sitters and dog walkers who care deeply about the animals they care for and who treat our customers with the utmost respect and courtesy. This cannot be ‘just a job’ for the people I hire.

When you are looking for a pet sitting job, you need to decide what kind of work you would like to do. Will you just take dog walks at noon, will you only take care of pets during the holidays, or will you do both? Will you be pet grooming overnight where you will be spending the night at the client’s home taking care of their pets and their home? This depends on what you want your hours to be.

Will you be willing to work on vacation? The holidays are a very busy time for any pet sitting business. I am looking for caregivers who do not have problems working on vacation. This means they may not have time for family events or they may have to work their family time around their pet sitting schedule.

Some pet sitting companies will hire you as an independent contractor and others will hire you as an employee. This means that if you are an independent contractor, you are a sole proprietorship. You must withhold and pay your own taxes, you are responsible for your own health care, insurance, supplies, and tools, and you must pay for any training you need. However, you are flexible in the way you do your job.

If you are an employee, your taxes will be withheld, your employer must provide you with supplies and tools to do your job, and must pay or reimburse you if you use your own vehicle. As an employee, you must do your job as instructed by your employer.

Do you like to take a lot of vacations? If you work as an independent contractor, that means you don’t get paid if you don’t work. If you are an employee, you may not have much vacation time yet. Will you work weekends, mornings, afternoons and nights? This is a typical schedule for a pet sitter, week after week.

These are just a few of the many questions you will need to ask yourself and be prepared to answer when looking to work for a pet sitting business. Being a pet sitter allows you to have some flexibility in your schedule, but you will still have a schedule.

Are you looking for a full-time or just part-time position? You need to tell your potential employer how much work you are looking for and see if this fits what the pet sitting company is looking for. If you only want to do this extra work to make some extra money, and you only plan to take care of a few clients, this does not necessarily mean that you will not be hired by a pet sitting company.

For my company, as long as I know this is the case, I will know that you will be a pet sitter from time to time. This means that she may not be as trustworthy as another babysitter, but she could be an important endorsement.

Short list of pet care considerations

As a pet sitter or dog walker, there are many things to be aware of and to be aware of. A true professional has to deal with many things. I have listed just a few.

• Get up early in the morning
• Visiting later at night
• Visiting in the afternoon
• Have your day divided into visit segments, leaving little time between
• Walking dogs in the cold
• Walking dogs in the heat
• Dogs walking in the rain
• Dog walking in the snow (depending on location)
• Walking dogs on very windy days
• Dog walking in a combination of the above.
• Sometimes dealing with aggressive animals.
• Dealing with other loose dogs while walking your client’s dogs
• Dealing with one of your client’s dogs that gets loose
• Being attacked by a loose dog
• Giving a pill to a dog or cat by mouth
• Give a dog or cat a chance
• Giving subcutaneous fluids to a dog or cat
• Giving insulin to a diabetic dog or cat
• Pick up dog droppings with a poop bag
• Clean a litter box
• Cleaning cat or dog urine / poop from a hard floor
• Cleaning cat or dog urine / poop from the carpet
• Cleaning hairballs
• Clean up vomiting from dogs or cats
• Cleaning urine, poop, or vomit on several visits in a row (happens)
• Working every day for weeks, sometimes months at a time
• Try to find time for friends, family, and loved ones.
• Dealing with any pet emergencies, including pet first aid / CPR and taking the animal to the vet
• Be able to walk two dogs at the same time, at least
• Be able to walk dogs up to 150 pounds.
• Basically be on call at all times
• Keep your vehicle in good condition
• Putting lots of miles on your vehicle driving from one customer to another
• Be professional and courteous to your clients

Like I said, this is just a small list of things that a professional pet sitter has to deal with. There is so much more, but I don’t want to continue for days. If you think you have what it takes to be a pet sitter then you are a true animal lover who loves hard work and will do anything for the animals in your care.

If you think this list is not a problem for you, then I know that you would really go beyond the call of duty to take care of the animals in your care. This is the type of pet sitter I look for when I’m hiring, and I know this is what any other potential employer will look for as well.

The rewarding side of pet sitting

This job can be very rewarding. When you do everything in your power to ensure that the pets you care for feel loved and happy, you will feel that you have made a difference, because you have. When you walk a customer’s dog, with the two of you enjoying the experience, it will make you smile a big cheesy grin as you walk. Dogs and cats have been shown to help lower blood pressure. When the dogs or cats you are caring for cuddle with you, you can almost feel their health improving every second.

Here’s a quick look at what it means to be a professional pet sitter or dog walker. So you want to be a pet sitter? Hope this has helped you make a decision on whether it is right for you or not. Either I’ve made you realize that you really don’t want to work as a professional pet sitter, or I’ve just reaffirmed that this is what you want because you love animals unconditionally.