Pets

The Checklist: 7 Things to Verify Before Hiring Your Dog Sitter

When a furry friend can’t see their owner all day, and letting them at home alone isn’t realistic, daycare is an option. Owning a pet is a very important responsibility. A dog becomes part of the family and requires the same love and attention as others in the family. Staying at home with no attention and no activities can cause a dog to have behavioral problems due to boredom. The lack of exercise will affect their health, including obesity and other problems. Choosing the right sitter for a dog can help a family love their dog and provide the training every dog requires.

Exercise

Exercise for a dog is key to living a healthy life. It helps a dog to exert energy, strengthen their muscles, and relieve stress. An owner might want someone to come to the house to exercise their pet, but permitting someone into their home when they’re not at home can be risky. An owner has an option to take their pet to a Dog Day Camp. At a day camp, their dog will receive the exercise and socialization they need.

Referrals

One way to find a great dog sitter is by asking friends and family for a reference. If an individual is new to the area, asking coworkers or neighbors for referrals is a great place to start.

Researching On The Internet

Another way to find a great doggy daycare is by researching daycares in the area. It’s important to look at reviews. Another place to look is their rating from current and former customers. If the facility has a low rating or a higher rating with poor reviews, it’s a good reason to pass it by. Some reviews might be disgruntled customers who didn’t want to pay their bill, and a consumer should attempt to read between the lines when reading the reviews.

In-person Visits

Personally visiting a doggy daycare is the only way to see for themselves if the facility is clean and if the pets seem in control during the day. Dogs fighting or laying in a pen is not a good sign when evaluating the situation. There should be a large exercise and socialization area for the dog.

Clean Facility

A clean facility is important to keep a dog from picking up worms and other parasites. The animals in the facility should have all their shots, and the records should be on file. The type of cleaning products is also important. Some products can cause adverse health conditions in a dog.

Meet With Staff

It’s important to know the staff caring for the dog is truly interested in the best interests of the dogs in the facility. The staff should be interactive and calm around the dogs. They should also be able to maintain control of the animals they are caring for. Meeting with the manager and asking questions about exercise, feeding, socialization, and other items is another way to get more questions answered about licensing and staff.

Giving a facility a trial run with the dog and viewing how the staff handles the dog is another way to check out a facility. An owner should watch their dog’s behavior after the visit and look for signs the dog was traumatized during the day. Any bitemarks or complete exhaustion shouldn’t be signs an owner sees.

One thought on “The Checklist: 7 Things to Verify Before Hiring Your Dog Sitter

  1. Great tips especially for those who are considering to hire a pet sitter for the first time. There are plenty of options to choose from but not all of them are reliable. I’d highly suggest visiting them in person and researching the internet before one hires a dog walker or a pet sitter. I had a few bad experiences until I found barkindustries.com, their pet sitters are amazing .

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