“Help! I have to leave town for business and I don’t know what to do with my pets!”
“I just started a new job and can’t make it home for lunch any longer. I know that it’s dangerous to make my dog wait 6 hours without letting him out to pee. I need help!”
“My family and I are taking a 10 day vacation this summer. I need help finding someone who can take care of our cats and home while we’re away.”
“I just had rotator cuff surgery, and won’t be able to walk my dog for months. I need help finding someone who can control large, energetic dogs.”
“My dog has just been diagnosed with diabetes. He needs to have daily insulin shots, and I am afraid to do it myself. I need to find someone who can help us.”
Sadly, 3 out of 4 pet owners do not know what to do when it comes time to find help.
Where do they look? What do they look for?
For most pet owners (and I’m really hoping ALL of us pet owners), our pets are our lives. Your pets and your home are two of the most important things in your life. So who can you trust with the responsibility of their well being?
PLEASE, for the sake of your pets and home, DO NOT trust your livelihood to anyone who is not a professional. Too many people make the mistake of trusting a friend, neighbor or relative, only to regret what could have been prevented.
Taking care of a pet while the owner is away is a great responsibility. It isn’t just putting out food and water. Just this morning I heard from someone who trusted their neighbor to care for her cat while she was out of town last weekend. Apparently, during one of the neighbor’s visits, she accidentally let the cat outside. After an unsuccessful attempt to find it, she gave up. Hoping the cat would eventually return before the owner came home.
Well the cat was eventually found. After the owner came home and performed her own search, she discovered that the cat had wondered into another neighbor’s yard and had eaten rat poison behind the garage.
In this industry, not a week passes without us hearing of a case like this one. The stories do range from someone tracking tar on the carpet when they entered the home, to runaway pets, to someone injecting the wrong medication into the wrong pet. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve heard devastating stories of people trusting a neighbor kid to walk their dog, or someone mixing up the care dates and not even visiting the pets at all.
The problem is these things do happen. They actually happen more often than not. However, almost every one of these stories could have, and should have been prevented.
I’m taking the time to tell you this because we as pet lovers, have to put a stop to this. It isn’t the pet’s fault that they have needs. Pets bring us so much joy and unconditional love that they deserve better than this. If we can provide them a fraction of the love and affection they bring us each day, they will be happy. They deserve it!
Please, if you feel you may need assistance when it comes to the care of your pet, find a professional.
We (Absolute Pet Care LLC) are NAPPS members. The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters is a national association comprised of nearly 3,000 pet care professionals. You can simply visit the website at http://www.petsitters.org/ type in your zip code to find a professional who will provide service to your area.
Different businesses may provide various services, and like us, can help with nearly every need you may have.
Most pet owners don’t actually realize how much they need us until they start using us. We help with pet sitting while the owner travels for business or pleasure. We help pets who may be anxious, and need us to stay overnight with them, or even perform an actual Live-In.
The majority of our clients need our Daily Dogwalking services. Most are trapped in an office and can’t make it home during lunch. Also, some clients may have an after work meeting or happy hour arise, and need us to do afternoon walks. It’s common.
However, the point is that we are here when you need us. So please, find a professional. Hopefully before you actually need one.
One last thing, find out what their insurance will cover. Remember, a pet sitter is responsible for your pets and your home as well. Their insurance should cover your pets, home and any third party. If they aren’t certified, insured, experienced AND professional, DON’T USE THEM!
Thank you!
Tim Heise
-Certified Pet Care Specialist
Absolute Pet Care LLC
http://www.AbsolutePetCareAZ.com/
Scottsdale Dog Walker | Scottsdale Pet Sitter | Scottsdale, AZ 
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