Piper's Pet Sitting Service

Dog Walking Services in Holiday – Three Things You Absolutely Must Ask Before Hiring a Pet Sitter

There are some important issues to keep in mind when searching for dog walking services in Holiday or Pasco County Florida, some of which non-professionals may not be equipped to handle. You may think to yourself, “Watching a dog isn’t that hard,” and you’re right; watching a dog. But then you factor in all the “what if’s” and you’re not so sure about that statement. That’s why you should ask many questions while you look for dog walking services in the Holiday area to find the right pet sitter for you and your dog.

Here are three things you absolutely MUST ask before hiring a pet sitter:

1. Say my dog eats something poisonous or injures his or her body. How do you handle pet emergencies like that?

Their answer will give you great peace of mind or send you running for the hills. In the right answer, they should address these concerns:

• Find out general veterinary information or a preferred animal hospital (If you don’t have one, they will recommend one to you.)
• Ask questions regarding your dog’s allergies, if any
• Show that they are pet first aid certified
• Explore a pet first aid kit with you for extra reassurance

Their tone of voice should be direct and you should get the feeling that your pet will be in good hands. This IS the life of one of your closest friends we’re talking about here.

2. How would you care for a sick dog?

You may have a healthy dog now but every living thing is at risk for illness during their lifetime. When a dog is under the weather, he or she is inactive, unsociable, and has little or no appetite, however, they STILL need to consume water and move around to strengthen their body during recovery. Here are some ideas of what the pet sitter should do in a situation like this:

• Make sure the dog ingests water so he or she does not dehydrate (the bare minimum)
• If your dog does not want to move and there is no apparent injury, the pet sitter should comfort/pet your dog while he or she is there
• Administer medication as directed by the vet
• Adhere to any diet plan your dog may be on
• Incorporate some kind of exercise or movement until your dog is back to optimum health
• Clean up any mess created by your dog
• If a Pet Taxi service is available, the sitter can take your dog to various check ups or physical therapy sessions if needed

Many of these tasks need to be done throughout the day but if you’re not available to take care of it all yourself, hire a qualified professional who can.

3. How can you make my house safer?

Many pet sitters are able to house sit while they’re caring for your pets. Ask them how they can make your home look less abandoned. They should bring up these points:

• Park in the driveway so they look more like resident and less like a visitor
• Rotate lights around the house including leaving a porch light on for you
• Talking a walk around the house for a casual inspection
• Bring in any toys or objects in the yard left out from previous use
• Check the mail and bring in packages
• Bring in garbage cans and recycling bins

Doing these light duty chores will help make your home look occupied while you’re out. A busy home is not a watched home.

These are some serious questions you should ask every pet sitter while looking for dog walking services in Holiday. Don’t be timid; you NEED to know how your pet sitter will handle all of these issues before you consider hiring them and LONG before any of these situations come to be. They understand that.