Resources

Articles & Additional Information

Courtesy CNN.com

Make sure your pet enjoys your vacation

Story Highlights

Look for professional pet sitters that are bonded and insured
Invite the sitter to your home for an interview before your trip
Familiarize the sitter with your home and the special needs of your pet

By Marnie Hunter

(CNN) — Worried about how Fido will fare while you’re away? Do some research to minimize the stress of leaving your pet in someone else’s care.

Many travelers look to friends and neighbors for pet care, and although this arrangement may be working, experts caution against relying too heavily on them.

Sometimes friends get wrapped up in other things and may not routinely visit your precious companion.

“If they are just looking in on the pet on a fly-by-night basis, they may not necessarily remember all the time,” said Kelly Connolly, an issues specialist at the Humane Society of the United States.

“It just tends to work a little better if you can go into it and look at pet-sitting as more of a business contract than just a favor.”

Click here for Full Article

Courtesy The Humane Society of the United States

Choosing a Pet Sitter

Pet sitters do much more than provide your pet with food and water while you’re away from home. A good pet sitter also spends quality time with your pet, gives him exercise, and knows how to tell if your pet needs veterinary attention. What’s more, pet sitters typically offer additional services, such as bringing in mail and newspapers, watering plants, turning lights on and off, and providing homes with a lived-in look to deter crime.

But just because someone calls herself a pet sitter doesn’t mean she’s qualified to do the job. This information will help you find the best pet sitter for you and your pet.

Why hire a pet sitter?

When you must be away from home—say for travel or an emergency—and don’t want to leave your pet in a boarding kennel, who takes care of your pet? If you’re like many pet owners, you ask a friend or neighbor to stop in and pour some kibble and water in your pet’s bowls. But is this what’s best for your pet? There’s a good chance that your friends and neighbors lack proper pet-care experience and have even forgotten to show up. They may also resent frequent requests to look after your pet while you’re gone. So what is the solution? Consider hiring a “pet sitter”—a professional, qualified individual paid to care for your pet.

A pet sitter offers both you and your pet many benefits.

Your pet gets

the environment he knows best.
his same diet and routine.
relief from traveling to and staying in an unfamiliar place with other animals (such as a boarding kennel).
attention while you’re away.

You Get

happier friends and neighbors, who aren’t burdened with caring for your pet.
the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your pet is being cared for by a professional.
someone to bring in your newspaper and mail so potential burglars don’t know you’re away.
someone who will come to your home so you don’t have to drive your pet to a boarding kennel.
other services provided by most pet sitters, such as plant watering and pet grooming.

Courtesy Natural Pet Magazine

While You’re Away….Choosing a Kennel or Petsitter

By Shawne Messonier

Thanks to the internet, it takes only a few minutes to find the most desirable five-star hotel anywhere in the world. However, when it comes to looking for the best place to care for a pet for the night or longer, there are no shortcuts. Unless someone you trust supplies a personal recommendation, you’ll have to make multiple phone calls and put in some legwork.

A good place to start is the Yellow Pages. While animal lovers used to have limited care options, these days, kennels, catteries and pet hotels are available, as well as people who will care for your pet in their home and pet-sitters who will visit your home.

A pet-sitter should be anyone’s first choice, particularly for pets that are easily traumatized by boarding in unfamiliar territory. Reliable sitters can take the anxiety out of leaving a pet behind because animals, like people, are much happier and more comfortable with the sights, sounds and smells of their own environment. Animals naturally function better when they can keep their regular routine.

More serious sitters are licensed, bonded, insured and listed on the Internet by zip code, on sites such as PetSitters.org, sponsored by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. Sitterport.com is another clearinghouse.

Require personal references for any sitter that you think you might employ and don’t be afraid to ask pertinent questions, such as how many times a day with they visit, when and for how long? Services typically include feeding, playtime and exercise and administering medication when necessary. Ask them what they would do if they were unable to give necessary medication to an aggressive or uncooperative pet. Give them the name, telephone number, address and directions to the family veterinarian, in case of an emergency, and leave a signed letter outlining your wishes if the pet is seriously ill or injured. Include details of how much you are prepared to pay for treatment.

If you prefer to place a pet in a boarding facility, visit it beforehand to check out its cleanliness and safety standards. Ask about their vaccination policy, possible mandatory flea bath (chemical versus nontoxic), practices involved in medicating a pet or attending to their medical needs, and where the animal would be taken in an emergency. Ensure that they are fully insured against any negligence by their staff and ask about an owner’s liability and responsibility in situations where a pet may inflict harm on another animal or human. Request the name of the veterinarian used by the facility and ask if the family vet can be a substitute.

Many kennels insist on up-to-date vaccinations prior to boarding, even though pets no longer require annual immunizations. Check if the kennel will accept pets accompanied by a letter from the veterinarian showing the results of a blood titer test, which measures the antibody level against the disease for which the pet has been immunized.

When it’s time to re-collect a beloved pet, keep in mind that boarding generally causes stress and symptoms like diarrhea, which may last for a few days past a joyous reunion and return home.

Whichever option you choose, it’s best to be able to travel content in the knowledge that your pet is happy, safe and in good hands.

Shawn Messonier (www.petcarenaturally.com) is a doctor of veterinary medicine who provides natural and holistic pet care.

Pages

...If I am away for the weekend she has also come in early in the mornings, midday and late evenings to feed and care for them. I have found Mary to be reliable, enthusiastic and very responsible...