I had some great sitters for these three.
I’m looking again, it seems that I am always on the hunt for my next great dog sitter. I’ve been speaking with a friend this morning about how hard it is to find a good sitter. Honestly it is nearly impossible. I thought I’d found one…that is until I started to ask a few questions, and I mean a few. “How long will you be gone during the day?” “Can you come home during the day to let my guys out?” I was trying to figure out if I’d need someone else to come by midday. But the would be sitter, very quickly decided that we weren’t a fit.
Can you imagine having a new, strange person in your home; looking after your dogs while you are away and not asking questions? It is impossible for me to relax or enjoy my time away if I am at all worried about how my dogs are doing.
Now, I’m sure that there are folks out there that are just happy to have a sitter say “yep, I’ll do it.” Not me, I need to know their schedule and I also need them to know Elsa and Rigg’s schedule and requirements. When I go away and hire someone to take care of my dogs, that is what I need them to do. Just popping in now and again, a check in before bed and in the morning is not going to cut it. Dogs are not cats, they require far more care. I need someone to move into my home and care for my dogs in my absence as my “replacement.”
I am very upfront about what I need for my dogs. There is no hidden agenda when I hire someone. I actually have pages of notes that I leave and try to best explain everything to the sitter. I make sure that they know it all and are willing before I hire. And I want reliability and honesty as well; when they say that they will care for my dogs, I expect that. When they say that they will be there, I expect that they will be there.
If you are like me, and I know there are lots of you out there; just going away and leaving your dogs at home is tough. Add to that, you are relying on someone else to solely care for your dogs. That is big, not to be taken lightly. So I will ask and you should as well. If a sitter does not like questions about the care that they offer, well, they shouldn’t be caring for other peoples dogs.
So on my many numerous quests to find a sitter, these are a few things that I hear regularly:
I’ll do it, I’d love to take care of your dogs. (before they know anything about me or my dogs.)
I’d love to help, I’ve sat dogs twice before.
We can do that, but it will cost a premium.
We do nightly visits, we do not do overnights.
I’d love to, if I can bring my 2 year old daughter.
I’m looking for a second job for some extra income, I can do it.
I can do it but I work full time 8-5 every day.
There are lots of people out there who are meaning well by offering. But, if you are going away, you actually want a dog sitter. Preferably one who has great references; even better would be someone you know who has used them. Being dog savvy is also a huge plus. But for those big companies online that you can pick/book and pay for your sitter sight unseen, no thank you.
Over the years we have had some amazing sitters who sadly all retired. I have had to stop using 2 sitters for not being honest with me or forthcoming. In my books is the absolute worst case scenario, lying or hiding. If you aren’t honest no one will ever trust you about anything. As a dog trainer, I have heard many horrible stories of sitters and walkers just not showing up.
Being a dog sitter is a huge commitment.
Commitment - a pledge or promise.
It should never be taken lightly. Our dogs are our family members and when “we,” their family members cannot be there to care for them, we need a very reliable replacement. I’ve had people who want to sit my dogs; during our meet and greet I ask if they have any questions, they don’t. If I was taking care of someone’s dogs I would have a million questions for the guardians. Heck I have a million questions as a dog trainer and the guardian is right there with me.
Things happen, it’s called life. A great sitter will take into account that at some point they may have to go above and beyond for the dogs. If you can’t rush to the vet, help a fallen dog, work around separation issues then don’t offer to sit for someone. Dog sitting is not and will never be House sitting.
My absolute best way to find a great sitter is to have them come over and interact with me and my dogs. I am not only a highly skilled reader of canine body language, but humans as well. It is a fallout from being a behavior specialist, I watch. You can tell a lot by how someone behaves around your dogs and how your dogs behave around them. Of course there will still be times when someone lets you down.
I do not feel like I am over the top in what I require for my dogs. My dogs can’t talk, they can’t tell me if the person was a great sitter for them. Although it is amazing the things I discover when I return from a trip. We need to advocate for our dogs. It is our job to do the work, do the research, make the calls, have meet and greets and find someone who takes the job of caring for your dogs as serious as it should be taken.
Our dogs deserve the best we can offer them.