Finding a pet-sitter

Louise Fick of Bellville writes We’re going away for three weeks in December and I don’t want to send my dogs to kennels; they’re indoor pets and used to one-on-one attention. We’re considering hiring a petsitter, but I’m concerned about finding the right person as I’ve heard some awful stories. Any advice?

Leigh de Wet of Pet Sitters Cape Town replies On-site pet-sitting has become a popular alternative to kennel care and offers many advantages for both pets and their humans:

• Pets are happier and experience less stress at home in a familiar environment.

• Diet and exercise routines are uninterrupted.

• Travel trauma is eliminated.

• Pet’s exposure to illness is minimised.

In addition to caring for your animals, a pet-sitter is likely to deter burglars who may otherwise take advantage of an empty house. Routine activities such as putting out the bin, bringing in the post and rotating lights indicate that the house is occupied.

However, it’s important to ask questions before making use of a pet-sitting service:

• Is your pet-sitter accountable to a professional licensed body such as Pet Sitters International (PSI)?

• Has your pet-sitter completed any formal training in animal behaviour or first aid?

• Is your pet-sitter contactable 24/7 in case of an emergency? Can you get assistance if your pet-sitter goes missing or isn’t contactable?

• Does your pet-sitter have public liability insurance in case of an accident?

• Does your pet-sitter have back-up if they’re unable to care for your pets due to personal illness or an accident?

Cheap pet-sitting services often don’t have adequate internal structures in place for when an emergency arises – so make sure you use a reputable service, even if it costs a bit more.

We offer one, two or three daily visits, or a personal stay-over service to take care of your indoor pets (pricing starts at R119 per day). We cater for special needs as well as the administration of medication. Daily “pat and play time” and “head to tail” checks are part of our service, while walks are optional. Also included in our service is care of your pool, plants, post, poop and refuse removal as well as daily perimeter checks for peace of mind and alarm system management.

CONTACT petsitterscapetown.co.za