February, 2008 - Page 1     Page 1     Page 2

I got an email a while back from a gentleman who was upset that a pet sitter he interviewed refused to visit his pets (a dog and 2 cats) only once per day. The pet sitter turned the job down rather than care for the pets in a manner she felt was not adequate.

All of Joe’s pets live indoors and he only wanted someone come to his home once a day, to let the dog out and make sure all of the pets had food and water. He was going to be gone for seven days. The man, I’ll call him Joe, didn’t want the expense of more than one visit per day, and felt there was no need for it. He was certain the pet sitter was scamming him and was simply trying to get as much money out of him as she could.

I explained to Joe that while one visit per day for cats is usually sufficient, most professional pet sitters will require at least two visits per day for healthy dogs. Far from being a scam though, pet sitters who require a minimum number of visits per day have the dogs’ best interest at heart. They want to be sure the dog gets outside often enough to relieve himself, and gets the social interaction he needs.

Making a dog wait 24 hours to relieve himself can cause a great deal of discomfort, and in fact, may cause medical problems. A healthy dog should be allowed outside to relieve himself at least every 12 hours, and more frequently if possible. Many pet sitters will require at least three visits per day if the dog has health problems or is elderly. And in response to people who say “my dog has held it for 24 hours before” I say, “That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”

In addition to the dog needing to relieve himself, there is the social factor to consider. Since dogs are social animals, keeping them isolated for a long time without human contact can be very stressful. Things are unsettling enough for a pet when his people go away for an extended period of time. Having a pet sitter visit for a short thirty-minute visit every 24 hours does little to help relieve this stress. More frequent visits break the time up a bit for the dog and can serve as a way to keep him on a schedule as close to normal as possible.

A pet sitter’s job isn’t just to tend to the physical needs of a pet – food, water, and relief – but to also cater to that pet’s need for physical contact and attention. Asking a pet sitter to visit only once per day is depriving your dog of those physical needs as well as that much needed interaction.

After explaining the rationale behind multiple visits per day, most pet owners, like Joe, are more than happy to have a pet sitter visit their dogs more than once a day. Quite often all that is needed is a little bit of education, and once they understand the reasons, they are apt to make better decisions for the health and welfare of their pets.

Comment about this story on our blog

by Therese Kopiwoda, owner and founder of PetsitUSA.com

Advertise | Industry Resources | Link to Us | Site Map | Contact | About Terms | Advertiser Login