Why I Chose a Career in Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

    2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Professional Pet Sitters' week (PPSW). Pet Sitters International (PSI) started PPSW back in 1994 as a way to bring attention to a budding industry, whose mission is to provide top notch, in-home care for pets, and provide their guardians with peace of mind while they’re away from home. Over the years, thousands of pet sitting companies have cared for countless pets with the support of PSI, and we are proud to be one of those companies. 

    Jenn started researching about becoming a professional pet sitter back in 2009. It didn’t take long at all for her to decide PSI is a fantastic organization and, soon after joining, found her first client (the sweetest lab/chow mix to ever walk the earth).

   Jenn has always been passionate about animals. Growing up she had goldfish, parakeets, a hamster, guinea pigs, cats and a dog. She also always loved horses but wasn’t able to fulfill the dream of owning one until she was 20. There is a certain joy that animals bring to our daily lives that is unmatched by any other experience. It’s been scientifically proven that having a pet (any pet) can help us live longer, reduce our stress, give us purpose and keep us laughing with their silly antics. 

     When we travel away from home (whether for a few hours or even days at a time) our pets’ well-being in our absence is vitally important. Dogs pine for a friend to visit them for an adventure. Even the shyest of cats want to know that someone is looking after them while their guardians are away. It is truly fulfilling to be able to fill that need for pet parents and provide peace of mind while they aren’t home. 

     The emotional fulfillment pet sitters get from animals isn’t just limited to our own pets; we find joy, peace, laughter and even heartbreak when we’re around our clients' pets. We form a bond with each and every pet we care for. Over the years, we’ve cared for hundreds of pets, and not one has been exactly the same. Each has their own personality and quirks. And that's one of the things that makes this career so amazing, interacting with so many different pets!

    Trust is paramount when it comes to finding the right pet sitter, and we endeavor to ensure our clients have that trust. We provide yearly background checks for all of our staff (including officers). We’re bonded & insured by the best company in the industry. We’re a licensed business. We hire employees (NOT independent contractors) so we can provide hands-on training to ensure everyone provides the same level of service. We send daily report cards with pictures, video and notes about how the visit went. We clearly communicate with our clients so that no one is ever confused about the well-being of their animals.

     Reliability and expertise are also core values in providing peace of mind to our clients. We provide a continuity of service guarantee, which means that if our client is on our calendar; the pet will be seen one of our amazing sitters –guaranteed! Continued learning is also a value and we never pass up an opportunity to learn more about the industry's best practices. Anything from behavior, to business management, to nutrition, to communication styles, the topics are nearly endless. 

     We have dozens of amazing reviews. One of our favorites is: “Jenn and Ryan are superb sitters. Both are kind and sincere people. They provide detailed and descriptive updates with photos after each visit. Our cats trust and love both of them. We leave home with confidence our furry family members are getting the highest quality of care. Highly recommended.”

     The pet industry is like any other industry when it comes to innovations and new ways of thinking. While we aren’t officially trainers or behaviorists, we do learn a lot of the basics that help us when interacting with client pets. Over the years, science has revealed a lot about animal body language, as well as how to properly train and handle misbehaving pets. Aspects of proper pet nutrition have been a top concern as of late and countless studies have been done regarding shortfalls in quality for the pet food industry. Technology is changing rapidly too and we’re learning all the time about best practices for social media, communication and website design. 

     PSI is our number one source for continued learning. They offer an annual in-person conference, an annual online summit, and dozens of online courses for us, and our employees. They also offer a certification in professional pet sitting (CPPS), which both Jenn and Ryan have attained. As a company, we ensure we’re all up to date on our Pet First Aid/CPR training every 2 years. 

     When pet sitters learn, we are more than willing to pass on that information to our clients. An educated pet sitter is able to spot potential problems that perhaps the guardian didn’t notice. We’re able to act quickly in emergency situations. We have plans in place in case of a natural disaster. And if the pet is nervous about us being in the home while their guardian is away; we’ve learned techniques to calm the pet, and provide enrichment as well.

     We’ve learned a lot over the past 15 years. Many things have changed, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is our dedication to top notch service. We want to wow our clients and are always looking for ways to do just that. 

    With our software, our clients are able to provide us with personalized information about their pets and their needs. From there, our sitters can review this information and ensure the pets they’re caring for receive that personalized touch. We share stories about how the visit went, fun photos and cute videos.

     Most of our employees are trained in medication administration, and Jenn & Ryan are trained in almost all in-home care treatments. We also will provide enrichment (with the clients’ permission) if we feel the pet we’re caring for is bored or in need of some mental stimulation.

     We’ve noticed most sitters in the Silicon Valley are solo sitters or they use independent contractors. Solo sitters, if overcome by circumstances that preclude their ability to offer service (flat tire, sick, delayed, etc.), leave their clients scrambling to find coverage.

   Those who use independent contractors expose their businesses to shortfalls in quality that they, themselves, might not even be aware of. Independent Contractor law in the State of California is often misunderstood. According to the ABC test, as long as a worker is doing the core work of the business that is hiring them (i.e. a dog walking business hires a dog walker) that worker must be classified as an employee. Those who use independent contractors are not legally allowed to provide training or instruction of any kind. That contractor is also well within their legal rights to pass on that visit to anyone they want if they decide they don’t want to fulfill that visit. 

   The simple fact is: a pet sitter who utilizes contractors in the State of California likely hasn’t done the time to research what that means for their business (which may indicate critical gaps in other knowledge bases).

    In contrast, we have an amazing team of dedicated employees, who are trained to our standards of care. They are not only stellar individually, but they function as a brilliant team as they each support each other during unexpected upsets (it really is a special kind of dedication to spend an extra hour mopping after an explosive bowel episode)

   Choosing a career as a pet sitter and dog walker is truly fulfilling a passion for pet care and well-being. This career isn’t for everyone. We work long days, weekends, holidays, in bad weather, and we encounter pet loss far more often than the average guardian. But the reward of seeing happy pets, working outside and providing peace of mind to our clients is like no other career. 

    Providing that peace of mind to our clients is almost indescribable. We never tire of hearing ‘thank yous’ and the appreciation we feel from our amazing clients (the occasional bottle of wine doesn’t hurt either). 

   So while Professional Pet Sitters Week 2024 comes to a close, that doesn't mean our pursuit in continued education, exceptional service, and providing that all-important peace of mind stops. Here’s to a great year!