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Professional Pet Sitters Week

March 1, 2021

International

Pet Sitters Week is celebrated the first week of March! This event was founded by PSI, the world’s largest professional pet sitters organization. As you may know, pet sitting is on the rise in many places. While your canine buddy would love to go everywhere with you, that just isn’t always possible. There will always be times that people need to leave their dogs in the care of others. A local vet discusses petsitting below.

Benefits of A Sitter

When should you use a sitter or dog walker? These professional pet caretakers can be a perfect solution for times when you are working long hours, busy, or even ill. Fido is usually pretty good about holding it, but he can only go so long without a walk. The fresh air, exercise, stimulation, and company a dog walker provides with those daily strolls will definitely benefit him, and just help break up his day a bit.

Sitter Or Boarding?

Which should you use: a pet sitter, a dog walker, or a kennel? While every circumstance is different, we would generally advise boarding when you’re going to be gone for a day or longer. It’s also worth noting that many kennels have reduced their hours or capacity, or even paused services, during the pandemic, which may make pet sitting the obvious choice for some.

Friends And Family

Many people ask friends or family members to watch their dogs when they go away. There are some obvious benefits here: it’s often much cheaper, and people are comfortable leaving their beloved pups in friendly, familiar hands. However, if something were to go wrong, that could strain—or even ruin—your relationship. You also won’t have the protection that a licensed petsitter, dog walker, or kennel would offer.

Choosing Fido’s Sitter

If you are going to use a pet sitter, your first and biggest concern will be screening applicants. Professional organizations do carefully vet their applicants, but even this isn’t always foolproof. Ask for references, and look at some review sites. You may also want to ask your friends, family members, co-workers, and vet for recommendations. One thing that is very important is making sure that your canine companion’s sitter or kennel is properly licensed, bonded, and insured. Of course, Fido should also be able to weigh in!

Trial Run

Whether you choose boarding or pet sitting, we recommend starting out with a short trial run. In case of boarding, an overnight stay will help Fido get used to his home away from home. With pet sitters and dog walkers, it just allows you a chance to see how things go.

Is your pet due for vaccinations or an exam? Contact us, your local veterinary clinic in Carlisle, ON, today!

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