Would You Hire A Professional Pet Sitter or Would You Make Do With The Kid Next Door

Would You Hire A Professional Pet Sitter or Would You Make Do With The Kid Next Door

Eight reasons why hiring the kid down the block to care for your pet  is not a good idea 
When you need to go out or away, organizing pet care can be troublesome. Ultimately, we are often so accustomed to caring for our own pets that it is easy to forget quite how much of a commitment it is. So, while it may indeed be a great deal easier to hire a local youngster or neighbor to pet sit, it is certainly not the best option for your pet. The following are the main reasons why you should spend the extra money, and hire a professional pet sitter.

Insurance
While it isn’t always natural to immediately consider the worst-case scenario, it is important to recognize that animals can occasionally be unpredictable. If your pet is accidentally injured in the home, or worse, if it attacks and injures another animal or human while being taken for a walk, a professional pet sitter will have insurance to cover these eventualities. Their insurance will also pay in the unlikely event that your pet runs away. This may not be a comforting idea to consider, but should the worst occur, the financial cover could prove extremely important.

Responsibility 
Professional pet sitters are trained and have a proven track record of being responsible. You may know your neighbor but, especially if they are a child, they will most likely not have the same sense of responsibility that a professional pet sitter does. This could very easily translate to a lack of authority either when controlling a pet, or in a potential situation with other owners or animals. A child may well choose to shirk their responsibilities in a difficult situation, where a professional pet sitter certainly would not. Imagine a scenario in which something exciting happens in the neighborhood while you are out; would a child be able to contain themselves and focus on the task of looking after your pet for you, or would the temptation to go and see what had happened to be too great?

Commitment
One standout reason to hire a professional pet sitter is that it is their main job, and source of income. They are committed to caring for your pet and will do the job for the amount of time for which you have paid them. There have been a great many media stories about children forgetting to fulfill their duties as pet sitters, or becoming bored and allowing animals to a run-off because they are too busy playing computer games. Children are also easily frustrated, and again there has been a multitude of cases in which a child has teased, taunted or even been violent towards a neighbor’s pet out of anger or spite.

Specialist Knowledge
A trained pet sitter is an animal expert. They know about breeds and their individual needs. They know how much exercise and food to give to an animal, and they can recognize signs that your pet needs something. A child will not have this kind of knowledge, and so may well struggle with recognizing when your pet needs to go outside or is hungry or thirsty or not feeling well. By spending the extra money on a trained professional, you are ensuring that your pet does not suffer in any way and that your house will stay clean.

Individualized Care
Not only are professionals experts in care, but they are experts in listening to you. As a conscientious pet owner, you know your animal’s individual quirks, routines, and expectations. Your pet sitter will listen to these and be able to tailor their care to your pet quickly, efficiently and effectively. A great many pets do not like change and can be shy and uneasy around new people, and maintaining an established routine is a very swift way towards ensuring that your pet feels comfortable and avoids stress. The difficulties and increased level of responsibility for a child when looking after a neighbor’s pet can be overwhelming, and this may well lead to them forgetting what to do, and how to do it.

Medication
A professional pet sitter is trained in administering medication to animals. If your pet requires a daily tablet, then it is important to hire a professional pet sitter in order to avoid accidental overdoses or changes to medication routines, which could be damaging to your pet’s health. Besides this, it would not be advisable to put any medication in the care of a child, as they themselves may lack the responsibility required to take care of and ensure the safe use of medications.
Professional Pet SitterEmergencies
While emergency situations are rare, it is important to prepare for the possibility. In an emergency, would a child know what to do? When the emergency concerns an animal, would an adult neighbor be confident in the best course of action to take? The answer to these questions is likely to be “no”. A professional pet sitter is trained in dealing with emergency situations. He or she can spot a potential emergency health issue a lot earlier than an untrained neighbor and could arrange for your pet to get the help that much quicker than it could end up making all the difference. They are also trained in diffusing potentially dangerous situations, such as confrontations with other animals or unpredictable behavior under provocation from negligent members of the public.
Advice

Perhaps one of the most overlooked benefits of hiring a professional pet sitter is that you could very well make use of their expertise. It is considered normal to ask for advice or tips, especially if you are a new owner. They might recognize opportunities for improving behavior or training, or be able to offer advice about exercise, grooming, health issues or those dreaded unpleasant smells that most pets suffer from, from time to time. Evidently, a local child will not be able to offer these things, so you could view your extra financial outlay as an investment in the long-term welfare of your pet.

Conclusion 
The message then is a clear one. Hiring a professional pet sitter should not be viewed simply as a luxury. By doing so you are ensuring that your pet will avoid neglect, but most of all that they will be safe, cared for and, in the event of an emergency, will be given the appropriate help in a timely fashion. A child is not a trained career, and should not be given the responsibility of looking after an animal that you love and care for, no matter how tempting it may be.

If you are in the Union County area and are in need f a professional pet sitter call Love and Kisses Pet Sitting for all your pet sitting and dog walking needs.  Cat Sitting to.

Get Started

Previous

Next

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Keep up with all the specials and important updates that are pet related!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This