What’s it like to be a professional pet sitter? I am Kristen, owner of Your Best Friend Pet Sitting located in beautiful Hamlin, PA, nestled in the Poconos. I love to write about my experiences running a business, being a pet sitter, and living in one of the most beautiful natural places on Earth!
It’s SUMMER and that means the pet sits are rolling in “fast and furious”, and I’ve made a few little changes to the service for new clients. I’m no longer taking on dogs over 40 pounds, but dogs under 40 pounds and all cats, birds, reptiles and small mammals are fine. I’ve also reduced my service area, as I am now primarily serving Hamlin, Greentown, and Newfoundland.
If you have not tried pet sitting before, I recommend calling at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance of your requested dates of service. That will give us plenty of time to meet, get the proper paperwork filled out, and make sure that we’re the right fit for the very best pet care.
Remember, pet sitting is not boarding! I do not board dogs, cats, or other pets in my home. I provide pet care in your home, where your pets are surrounded with their familiar sights and smells. I get so many calls to board pets, so I am happy to explain what pet sitting is, and how it is different from boarding. But of course, when I am pet sitting, it means I book up much faster and can not take on the number of clients that a kennel can. If you’re accustomed to calling a kennel four or five days prior to your departure date, they can often accommodate you since they can board twenty, forty, or even eighty dogs at a time. A pet sitter books up fast, fast, fast, so we often need several weeks’ notice, especially in the summer and before holidays.
So email today to get the ball rolling and make sure you have a pet sitter lined up before you even need one! It’s worth it for your peace of mind.
It’s a time for giving, and many of us love giving presents to our pets. Here are a few gift ideas that even the grumpiest of Grumpy Cats would love to receive!
- Kong toys! For many dogs, even the most tireless of chewers, Kong toys hold up. You can stuff the middle with treats and keep your dogs happy for hours (or in the case of my dogs, minutes!)
- When thinking of presents for dogs, I always think “interactive”, especially for dogs who are smart and love the mental exercise. They make puzzles for dogs – you can hide a treat in them and the dogs move pieces of the puzzle around to get the treats. Here is a link to one of the many types of puzzle toys you can get your dog: Puzzle Toy
- I’ll be honest here, every time I’ve bought presents for my cats, they just jump right in the box and bat at the paper. So this is a toy you don’t even have to buy. I call it: Wadded Up Paper Ball. My cats love them. Then my dogs grab the paper balls and shred them on the living room carpet, so, it’s like a bonus dog toy! (And a chore for me, hahaha.)
Ta-da! The cheapest cat present there is (quarter for scale).
- My parrot friends seem to love big blocks of brightly colored wood to chew on. And for parakeets and cockatiels: mirrors, hanging bird toys, and sprays of millet make great presents!
- For rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and mice, you can’t go wrong with presents to chew on. I found these neat little chews on Amazon made out of pumice. They help a rodent keep their teeth filed down to prevent overgrowth. They are bright and cute, too.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to keep the pets in your life happy. And even if you choose to forego the presents, the one thing your pet will love most of all is your PRESENCE. Give your pet a hug for me.
The holidays can be a little rough on pets. We’re working, we’re shopping, we are preparing for guests, entertaining, or leaving for a few days.
It’s tough in such a busy (and sometimes stressful) time to pause, and give your pets some extra attention. But taking a few extra minutes a few times a day not only helps them – it helps YOU.
Petting your dog or cat does a few things. Studies show that petting your furry family member releases the feel-good chemicals in your brain, serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin. It also decreases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is responsible for regulating appetite (and cravings for carbohydrates!) Additionally, taking a few minutes to pet our fur kids gives us a little break in our day. We can take a few deep breaths and relax. We can enjoy the surge of good feeling that comes from the warm touch of someone we love. It’s great for our pets, yes, but it is also a wonderful form of self-care that we often need more than ever around the holidays.
On my pet sits, feeding, fresh water, litter box cleaning, and poop-scooping are all part of the job. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s complicated, these things are always necessary no matter what. But the true joy of pet sitting is the quality time I spend with the pets in my care. The hugs and kisses, the tummy rubs, the back-scratches, brushing a purring kitty or caressing a dog’s chin in just the right spot to make her sigh – these are moments that I live for as a pet sitter.
We have pets because they bring true happiness into our lives. The cuddles, the unconditional love, and the time we spend making their tails wag and throats purr – this is the real joy of pets.
Your Best Friend Pet Sitting believes strongly in giving back, and the Hillside SPCA is an amazing animal shelter providing a safe space for pets in need of homes. There is no time limit on how long a homeless pet can stay with them, making them a true no-kill shelter. I had the opportunity to visit their facility, and found their staff to be amazing, hard-working, and truly dedicated to the well-being of the animals in their care.
We’d like to invite all visitors to our website to check out Hillside SPCA, and if possible, to give a donation to this wonderful organization. The Hillside SPCA is almost entirely funded by private donations. They are not affiliated with, nor do they receive any financial assistance from, any other national, state, or local SPCA or Humane Society.
Follow the links below to find out more, and to make a donation today! Your donation can REALLY make a huge difference for these homeless animals.
How to donate to Hillside: http://www.hillsidespca.com/donate/
More about Hillside SPCA: http://www.hillsidespca.com/
Please note that Your Best Friend Pet Sitting and Hillside SPCA are not affiliated in any way. NO PART of your donation to Hillside goes to Your Best Friend Pet Sitting – it all goes to Hillside SPCA. We are providing this page for educational and informational purposes only, and because Your Best Friend Pet Sitting believes in the good work Hillside SPCA does.
It’s summer, and that means lots of new clients signing up to have their pets cared for by Your Best Friend Pet Sitting. It is an absolute joy to meet new pets!
We offer FREE Meet-and-Greet consultations for those who are interested in signing up for service. This allows us to do a few things:
- Meet you, meet your pets, and make sure we’re all comfortable.
- Get the necessary paperwork filled out and signed (this can take 30 – 45 minutes, or we can email it to you in advance!)
- Show you our proof of insurance as well as dozens of testimonials from our clients, our features in the Scranton Times-Tribune, and the Moscow Villager, and everything you’ll need to know about Your Best Friend Pet Sitting to make the best decision for your pet’s care.
- See firsthand your routine with your pets, and learn where you keep pet food, litter boxes, leashes, and so on.
- Get the key to your home and test it in the lock.
- Answer all of your questions so you feel comfortable leaving your pets in our knowledgeable and loving hands!
This meeting is necessary for us to do a great job for your pets. That said, because we book up quickly, we need at least between one and three weeks to set up a Meet and Greet, and we recommend that Meet and Greets are set up at least a week prior to your needing service.
A Meet and Greet is NON-obligatory, meaning you don’t have to hire us just because we meet you. Likewise, there may be reasons we feel our services would not be a good match for your pets, so we advise having a backup plan in place.
After over nine years in business (almost a decade!), everything we do is designed for the utmost in health and safety for your pets, and peace of mind for you. But don’t take our word for it. Send us an email and we’ll send you a list of references you can call – as many as you need – so you can hear firsthand from our “fur-ever” clients. We hope to be your fur-ever pet sitter, too!
The times, they are a-changin’. Decades ago, having to “talk to a machine” seemed cold and impersonal to some who were hesitant to embrace the new technology of answering machines. Now, voicemail is a welcome part of our daily lives.
As a busy pet sitter, I rely on voicemail for the following reasons:
- I am often either driving, or caring for pets. I can’t give the road, or the pets, my full attention when I’m juggling the phone or trying to answer questions on a phone call.
- Pet sitters need a little down time too! If we burn out, we are of no help to anyone. Voicemail allows us to return phone calls during our normal business hours, so we can enjoy a few hours’ off per day, too.
- When people leave their detailed questions or comments on voicemail, that gives me time to research and answer their questions, instead of having to look things up while on the phone. For example, when a client leaves a message saying “call me,” I have no idea what it may be about. However, when a client leaves a message asking if I have availability on Memorial Day, for two dog walks, and what the cost is, I can make sure I have the answer ready when I return the call (and I can leave that answer on voicemail if I don’t reach the client!)
- Telemarketers are RAMPANT (even though my phone number is submitted annually to both the federal and state Do Not Call lists). Answering these calls means that these shady companies know my number is an “active” number, and can be sold to more shady companies. Therefore I do not answer calls if they are from a number I don’t recognize, to try to prevent more telemarketing calls. I get between six and ten of these kinds of calls per week.
One other aspect to consider is the cost of hiring someone to answer my phone. However, in order to cover that cost, I would have to raise my rates by a ridiculous amount – and I simply can’t do that and still stay in business!
There will always be people who insist on having their phone calls answered by a live person every time they call. For those folks, I can’t recommend a professional pet sitting service, as every pet sitting business owner I know is far too busy to sit at a desk simply waiting for phone calls. My advice is to embrace the voicemail! Enjoy the benefits of this amazing technology! You’ll still get your questions answered, and if you leave a message, you’ll certainly get a call back.
Don’t be afraid to send an email, either! Sometimes email is a great way to get a quick question answered. The main benefit is that it’s there, in your email archive, so you can always refer back to it. I almost always insist on email reconfirmations for pet sitting, as there is no room for confusion – it’s right there in black and white, and you can always refer to it.
Your Best Friend Pet Sitting is a company that uses all sorts of technology to keep costs down and make our business more efficient and effective. I invite you to embrace the technology! It’s a wonderful age we live in!
One of the great things about running a pet sitting business in the Poconos is that I am not bound by big corporate rules. I have my own policies, and I of course have to abide by laws, and insurance regulations, and the NAPPS Code of Conduct. But I don’t have a big corporate entity looming over me telling me what I can and can’t do.
I’ve seen the menus of some big chain restaurants – they’ll mention the side dish that comes with the entree, and in bold letters it says “NO SUBSTITUTIONS”. Big businesses want to package what they think you want, and sell it to you as-is. You have no choices, you either take it or leave it.
When you forge a relationship with Your Best Friend Pet Sitting, you have choices! not only is our service personalized and tailored to your needs and the needs of your pets, but there are a lot of “extras” we throw in for free or for a few extra bucks – all you have to do is ask!
A few of the “extras” we do for free, upon request:
- Taking in the mail
- Home checks
- Watering plants indoors or out
- Rotating lights or curtains so people know there’s a presence in the home
- Feeding a few fish (indoors or out!)
- Taking trash to the curb / bringing empty trash bins in
Some of the “extras” people have requested in the past, for a few dollars more:
- Vacuuming the home
- Cleaning small animal cages or tanks
- Taking out the recycling off-site
- Picking up packages at the post office
- Picking up pet food or supplies
- Cooking for pets
- Taking video of the pets and uploading to YouTube
If you have a special request that isn’t on the list, just ask! We aren’t always able to accommodate special requests, as we of course have to comply with laws, policies, and insurance requirements, but you, as the pet parent and homeowner, have lots of choices in the level of care your pets and home receive. It is our pleasure to take your comments and requests under consideration to make sure you are delighted with your experience with Your Best Friend Pet Sitting!
File this post under “Help us help you!”
The worst time to find good, reliable pet care is in an emergency. You’re stressed, you’re rushed, and you’re desperate. Maybe the friend you’ve always relied on isn’t available, or the flaky brother-in-law you hoped would come through has bailed on you yet again. Or the neighbor who has always been so helpful is indicating that they’re starting to feel a bit put-upon. That’s why we recommend to anyone considering pet sitting service to “Meet us BEFORE you need us!”
A kennel is a big facility designed to house many dogs with a few staff members attending them. Unless it’s a holiday, chances are a kennel can accommodate last-minute requests and new clients. But that doesn’t help you if you just can’t kennel your pets (we understand!)
With a small, personalized pet sitting service, there are typically only a few pet sitters (in our case, two), to handle hundreds and hundreds of clients, providing custom, one-on-one care for pets. While we can sometimes handle last-minute requests from our current client base, for pets we already know and love, it is nearly impossible to take last-minute requests from brand-new clients, to get the required paperwork completed, and try to arrange a last-minute meeting with you and your pets (that meeting is required, we never sit for a pet sight unseen for insurance reasons, not to mention common sense!)
The best answer is: Meet us BEFORE you need us!
Even if you have no pet sitting dates in mind, set up a meeting with us. It’s free! At the meeting, you can get answers to all of your questions. We can determine if our services are the right fit for you and your pets. And we can have the required paperwork completed, so when you DO need us, we can be there. While we can’t always promise last-minute service, we can tell you that it is so much easier to schedule last-minute for clients who are already in our system.
If you have questions about pet sitting, or whether or not or service might be right for you and your pets, drop us an email or give us a call! Set up that free Meet and Greet before you even need service.
It’s so much easier to arrange for pet care when you’re nut under the pressure of time constraints. You can meet us at your convenience, take the time to call our multiple references, complete the paperwork with all of the details that will allow us to take the best care of your pets, no stress – no pressure.
Meet us BEFORE you need us!
Let’s talk a minute about trust. Trust is a tricky thing for new pet sitting clients. They need a pet sitter, they know the benefits, but it’s hard to make that leap. They are turning over the keys to their home and the lives of their pets to someone they don’t know, or barely know. And as a pet sitter, I can hear the questions-that-aren’t-really-questions, that dance around the REAL question, which is “How do we know we can trust you?”
Do not fear! I am here to answer that question for you, and to let you know – It’s okay to ask. It really is. I understand. I was a pet sitting client before I was a pet sitter, and I had the same doubts and fears. When I lived in Illinois, I had a GREAT pet sitter who was able to remove my doubts and put me at my ease, and that’s what I hope to do for you.
So…how DO you know you can trust your pet sitter?
- The first thing to consider is if your pet sitter runs a real, professional, insured, tax-paying business. It costs nothing to have a leash and print a business card, but it costs a LOT of money and time to set up a business, establish business and marketing plans, develop a client base, join professional organizations, obtain certifications, and constantly take classes and courses to improve your knowledge, service, and business. A real pet sitter will NOT throw all of that away just to steal from a client or betray their trust. We have invested too much.
Contrast that with the ads you may see on Craigslist, or the flurry of home-printed business cards that arrive at the end of the school year by well-meaning folks who want to walk dogs for the summer (but will be gone in the fall). They have nothing at stake. If they steal, or miss visits, or don’t follow your care plan, it’s no big deal. They can walk away, because they didn’t invest in the job in the first place.
- The second thing to do is to check references! Even a brand-new professional pet sitter has someone who can vouch for their services, and for those who have been in business for years, they’ll have dozens if not hundreds of clients willing to give an honest reference.
- Remember that a professional pet sitter has a reputation at stake. And that reputation is everything. Pet sitting is not my side job or my hobby – it is my full-time career and source of income, and I’ve dedicated almost a decade of my life to being the best I can be. A professional pet sitter simply would NOT risk their entire livelihood to steal, to snoop, or to otherwise betray the trust that clients place in us. All it takes is one theft, one betrayal – and word spreads and I would ether be in jail or at the very least lose everything I’ve built. It’s not worth it. Even if I were the kind of person who would consider betraying a client’s trust that way (and I’m not – My parents raised me better than that!) it would be tremendously stupid. My clients are my friends – I build relationships with them. Betraying them would be betraying myself. I love my clients, and their trust in me and my care is more important than anything.
- Nowadays, everyone has a camera in their home. Even when we can’t see them, we assume they are there. You can see for yourself when we arrive, what we do, and how we care for your pets.
- Finally, the one thing that may be hard to understand unless you’ve been in this business a while, is that we really don’t care about your private stuff. We are there to do a great job for your pets. If a door is closed, we don’t go in there, it’s not even a temptation. I’ve been doing this for 9 years – I’ve seen more closed doors, locked safes, padlocked sheds, jewelry, artwork, electronics, and more – they just aren’t part of my job and I have no interest in them. Pet sitters are there for your pets. We are there to follow your instructions, feed them, make sure they have fresh water, give them their medication, clean up any accidents, and play with them! Our focus is on your pets, and their happiness and well-being.
If you still aren’t sure if pet sitting is right for you, or you feel you need more information, just ask. I take no offense to these kinds of questions, because I understand. I’m not just providing loving pet care, I feel that a big part of my job is providing peace of mind for pet parents. It is essential that you have that peace of mind, so you know the person entering your home and caring for your pets is ethical, trustworthy, and committed to doing the job with diligence and love. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions. I welcome them!
There’s a reason people choose Your Best Friend Pet Sitting over the kid next door, or a stranger off of Craigslist. Yes, we cost more than a teenager or someone looking for a quick buck on the side. That’s because our experience, longevity, and long list of satisfied clients can give YOU the peace of mind you need and deserve when you are away from home.
Winter is a tough time to be a pet sitter. We don’t get a day off for snow or illness, we have to be out on the roads in all weather, and standing out in the cold waiting for a dog to find just the right spot to do their business can test our endurance! There are a few things I recommend to make caring for your pets easier and safer in the winter in Hamlin, Lake Ariel, Greentown, and all these hilly, winding mountain areas!
- Expect some delays. We do our best to leave early and be on time, but we MUST be safety-conscious at all times. We slow down in winter weather, for safety.
- Have your driveway plowed. an unplowed driveway tells potential home invaders that nobody’s home. It also makes it hard for us to get in and out, and we often have to end up parking on the road, which can create its own hazards. We do not shovel driveways or walkways. If you don’t have a snow plow provider, email us and we’ll give you some names!
- Rock salt and chemical ice-melts can hurt dogs’ feet. If you use those types of ice melters, it helps to have a towel by your entryway so we can clean off your dogs’ paws, so they do’t lick their feet and ingest those harmful chemicals.
- There are “pet-friendly” ice melt pellets available, but we still prefer to clean dog’s feet, as they may still have some toxicity in them.
- Keep your pets inside in low temperatures. We don’t sit for pets left outdoors in under 50-degree temperatures. (The exception would be to help out with feral cats with feral cat shelters, and hopefully you are participating in trap / neuter / release programs to cut down on feral cat colony numbers!)
Here’s a great website with instructions on how to make a feral cat shelter:
http://www.erubbermaid.com/roughneck-homes
Together we can keep your pets happy, safe, warm and secure in these unpredictable winter months!
You live with your dogs and cats every day, so you have a really good idea of what your pets are likely to get into when you’re home, or even if you’re gone for a few hours. Food is in fridges and cabinets, knick-knacks and chewable things are placed safely out of reach.
But when you’re gone for days or weeks, bored pets might start exploring more than they ever have. Just because your pet has never done something before, doesn’t mean he or she won’t do it if left alone longer than usual.
Pet sitters are ALL about prevention. It is so much easier to put your pens and pencils in a desk drawer than it is for us to clean up a pile of chewed-up pens and pencils and taking your pet to the vet. Here are some tips to help your pet sitter by creating a pet-proofed environment!
- Put everything away. I mean everything. If it can be reached (don’t forget, a bored dog or cat might jump much higher than you may think possible!) it should be secured, preferably behind a door that’s impossible for your pet to open.
- Some things to pay special attention to – Medications, live plants, ANY kind of food – human or pet, dog treats that require supervision (rawhide, bones, or hooves, for example), lotions, ointments, potpourri or air fresheners, cotton swabs or pads, toilet paper, cosmetics, sewing kits, antifreeze, or bags of mulch or coconut matting for the garden. Make sure anything that could be potentially hazardous to your pets is well-secured.
- “Good enough” is often not good enough! If you’re pet-proofing, and you’re not sure if the item is secured well enough or not, it isn’t. Take the extra minute or two to put the items in another room behind a closed door, or, if your pet can open doors (some can!), behind a locked door.
- Cats and dogs can jump much higher than we give them credit for. I remember more than once making a sandwich for myself on the kitchen counter, turning my back for a few minutes, and my sandwich was gone. I had no idea how. Turns out, my smallest dog, Fiona, may be tiny, but she has an incredible reach. Somehow she was able to stretch up, and use her front paw to grab just a tiny corner of a paper towel or piece of bread, and work food down to the floor where it was gone in a second. I never would have believed she was capable if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! Likewise, cats are notorious for knocking over food, plants, boxes, well…anything! And putting in within reach of dogs.
- Remember the consequences. As a pet sitter, I am deeply attuned to the surroundings of pets. I have to envision worst-case scenarios, because they can happen. Look around your house. If there’s anything at all you think “Hm, SHOULD I move it to a different room?” the answer is YES. Even if you think it’s overkill.
Erring on the side of caution, a LOT of caution, an over-abundance of caution, can save lives. And to pet sitters, those few extra minutes you spend being extra-super-overly cautious are more important than we can express.
Baby, it’s COLD outside in Northeast PA, and that creates challenges for pets and pet sitters! At Your Best Friend Pet Sitting, we are constantly reading articles, and networking with fellow pet sitters to learn their best practices in taking care of pets in this cold weather. Here are some things to consider:
- Just because a dog or cat has a “fur coat” does not mean they don’t get cold! It’s best to bring dogs and cats indoors if the weather drops to 50 degrees or below.
- When the weather gets to 32 degrees or below, we keep our walks and outdoor potty breaks for dogs to a minimum. We may walk them two or three times, to give them a chance to go without keeping them out in the cold too long.
- We recommend leaving an old towel out so we can wipe snow off of cold paws. (If you don’t have one, let us know, and we’ll bring one on our pet sits!) Rock salt and other ice-melt chemicals can hurt dogs’ paws. Sometimes, dogs lick their paws and ingest those harmful chemicals! We like to wipe their paws to minimize that risk.
- Cats, rodents, and other mammals seek warmth in the winter, and sometimes a car engine provides that warmth. We recommend pounding on the hood of your car a few times before starting it in the winter, to scare out any animals that might be hiding in the engine.
Together we can make sure your pets stay safe, warm, and comfortable this winter.
The holidays are upon us, and with everything there is to do, our pets sometimes become an afterthought. Some ideas to keep your pets happy and healthy over the holidays:
- Make sure you double check before bringing any plants into your home. We know that poinsettias can be toxic to cats and dogs. Did you also know that lilies are highly toxic to pets? And lilies are often included in many bouquets. If you’re not sure what flowers are used in your bouquets, ask a florist or do a Google search. The few minutes you take to research the plants you’re bringing in can save you lots of money in vet bills, and most importantly, spare the life of your pet!
- Chocolate toxicity is also a big issue this time of year. Pets and chocolate don’t mix. Please make sure that all chocolate is kept well out of reach of your pets. When baking with chocolate, don’t leave the kitchen or turn your back – dogs love the taste and smell of chocolate and could pull a bag of chocolate chips off the counter in seconds.
- Holidays also mean travel plans! Most pet sitters (we’re no exception) book up very quickly for the holidays. If you’re planning on traveling, make your pet care arrangements as soon as possible. Many pet sitters (again, we are no exception) don’t accept new clients over the holidays, so it’s important to meet and establish a relationship with a pet sitter well in advance, to give your sitter time to get to know your pets. the holidays are a stressful time, so the more a sitter knows about your pet BEFORE the holiday, the smoother it will go for you, your pet sitter, and most importantly, your pets!
Have a safe and happy holiday and a joyous New Year from Your Best Friend Pet Sitting!
We live in a tech-heavy world, and sometimes it can be frustrating. Texts, emails, Facebook, and instant messaging can make us feel more distant from human beings than ever before. But they can also make us feel more connected then ever before.
As a busy pet sitter, I have come to rely on these technical methods of communication with my clients. And I understand that at times, when someone simply wants to call and speak with a human being, and I’m not available, it can feel frustrating. So I’d like to share this insight into the daily life of a pet sitter!
Over the eight-plus years I’ve been in business, I’ve been delighted to see my business grow from one client to hundreds of clients in the Poconos (Hamlin, Lake Ariel, Greentown, Newfoundland, Moscow, Elmhurst, and so on.) With that many clients, and prospective new clients calling every day, that’s a lot of phone calls.
Yet I still do most of the pet sitting myself (because I LOVE it!) which means hours on the road going house-to-house, and hours with the pets I cherish so much. It’s company policy (and hopefully your personal policy) not to take calls while driving – we always think of safety first (not to mention in many areas it’s illegal!) I also don’t take calls while pet sitting, as my focus needs to be on the pets I am caring for (and it’s hard to talk with leashes in your hand!) If you hired me to care for your pets, wouldn’t you prefer me to focus 100% on the well-being of your pet instead of yakking on the phone?
Additionally, the cost of hiring a receptionist, even part-time, would result in raising my rates by a ridiculous amount. And it would basically amount to a human answering the phone, only to say “I’m sorry, Kristen is not available, she will have to call you back.” I simply can’t justify such a significant increase to my rates for such little benefit, when voicemail does the exact same thing, and costs nothing.
As a small business owner, I have to make tough choices. I understand that every once in a while, a client will call me and not want to deal with the hassle of voicemail. And sometimes, a prospective new client will call with questions, and feel that the lack of a human being answering the phone is a detriment, and they’ll look elsewhere for their pet care needs. It’s the downside of a pet-sitter’s busy schedule, and our tech-heavy world.
Just know that when I can’t personally answer your call, it’s for a great reason. I’m either driving, and making sure I’m a safe driver, or I am pet sitting, and giving someone’s furry family members my full time, care, and attention. And I’ll be sure to return your call within twenty-four hours!
You can always check the website here for recent rates, service information, and updates, and of course you can email anytime. I look forward to hearing from you, no matter what method you use!
You can feel the days getting cooler and shorter. Autumn in the Poconos is a spectacular sight, but I have a hard time letting go of summer.
This has been our busiest and best summer yet, and we are so thankful to our clients who kept us busy, referred new clients to us, and trusted us with the care of their beautiful pets.
On the downside, we had a hard time keeping up with the last-minute requests, and we have had to turn down some pet sits because we were too booked. As a business owner, it’s hard to say no to a client. As a caring human being, it’s doubly hard to have to say “I’m sorry, we’re booked.” So I’d like to offer some tips to help us help you hear “Yes, we’ll be there!”
- The number one tip I have – book early! A few weeks’ notice is good. A few months’ notice is better. And we have a couple of savvy clients who have already scheduled Christmas of 2015 with us as they visit family every year, and they know they’ll need pet care (and that holidays book up fast for us). This summer has been so busy that even with a few weeks’ notice, we have not been able to accommodate every client.
- Call us BEFORE you buy your plane tickets or book your hotel. It breaks my heart when I have to tell someone we’re booked, and they say, “But I’ve already bought the plane tickets and got the time off work!” Many of our clients now call us first, find out what we have available, and then buy their tickets. We are grateful to them because we LOVE saying “yes” to their scheduling requests!
- Be flexible with scheduling times. All of our pet sits are first-come, first-serve. Sometimes we have slots available in our schedule, but they might not be for the exact times you want. If you allow a little flexibility in your schedule, sometimes we can get a sit or two in, even on a busy day.
- Have a backup plan. For those times when we are fully booked, it doesn’t hurt to have a relationship with a trusted family member or neighbor that might be able to fill in or board your pets in an emergency. They won’t be insured professionals, true. But in a real emergency, you don’t need perfection. Have them keep our business card or phone number handy to call us if they have questions.
We truly want to say yes to every request. And we understand that sometimes emergencies arise that you could not have possibly planned for. We will do our very best to accommodate as many scheduling requests as we can. Never hesitate to call or email, even last-minute! We want to help you!
It’s easy to get free pet sits with Your Best Friend Pet Sitting. Here’s how!
- Refer a friend, family member, or neighbor and have them complete 3 visits with Your Best Friend Pet Sitting. (Be sure to let us know you referred them!)
- Get your FREE pet sit!
- Repeat! There is no limit to the number of free pet sits you can get by referring a friend!
This winter in the Poconos has been relentless. Unplowed roads, unsafe driving conditions, freezing weather and masses of snow have made pet sitting a challenge. But we are plugging away, and hoping that we’ve seen the end of the massive amounts of snow. Good snow tires have been essential this year, as have been the snow shovels and extra cold-weather gear.
While spring seems like it’s years away, it will be approaching fast. Spring break, then the summer holidays will be fast upon us. It’s a great time to look at your calendar and think about your vacations in 2014! It’s never too early to book pet sits for your furry, finned, and feathered family members.
Soon we will be unveiling our online booking system, to make scheduling service as easy and convenient as ever! As our pet sitting business grows, we want to continue to streamline our operations. One of the joys of being an entrepreneur is constantly generating ideas to make your business better, more useful, more convenient, more customer-friendly. It’s like playing a game where the levels get more detailed and challenging, which is what makes it so fun. So the process of improving my business to make booking easier has been enjoyable, and I am looking forward to seeing the results. Of course, you can always book pet sits by phone, text message, or email, even Facebook message! And I’m always happy to answer your pet sitting questions, too.
Hang in there, fellow Northeasters. Only a few more weeks till spring. There will soon come a moment when we can set down our snow shovels and blink in the sunlight of a warm spring day. Aaaaahh… I can’t wait!
“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus
It’s the end of January in Northeast PA, you can’t help but mumble and grumble about the snow and the cold. But little things happen to sweeten the long, cold days. Like the Great Dane puppy we’re sitting for, who is all paws and legs and cuteness. Or the cool, friendly cats we get to see every day. Or some canine friends I’ve known since my business opened, and I get to see them grow into wonderful and graceful adults who greet me like an old friend.
Before we know it, the daffodils will be poking through the grass, and we’ll welcome the mud and the ruts because we so enjoy the sun and the warmth. I walk dogs through the woods on a nice April day and I think that there is no job I could love better than pet sitting. These pets are my heart and soul, and I get to care for them and spend time with them.
Brrr! This cold snap is no fun. We are having to take dogs out in short little jaunts so it doesn’t get too cold for them, especially on tender paws. That’s okay. It’s all part of walking dogs in Northeast PA. Every pet parent and pet sitter in the area knows the feeling. You’re bundled up, facing away from the wind, and your beautiful dog, your faithful companion and best friend, wants to sniff around and take her time while the wind bites at your face and ankles.
To help stave off the winter blues, I do a few things. Firstly, I have the right gear. I layer up, and I wear really warm mittens and a great hat. I love scarves, and the feeling of one wrapped over the top of my coat, keeping the chill out, is wonderful.
Secondly, I keep emergency gear in my trunk. A snow shovel, rock salt to help melt ice if I get stuck (careful not to use too close to pet areas as the salt can make them sick), a blanket, jumper cables, signal flares, a first aid kit, a gallon of water and some granola bars…you get the idea. In my line of work, in a rural area, you never know where you might end up stuck in a snowdrift, without anyone driving by for hours. Safety first, always.
And thirdly, I try to have fun in the snow. Some dogs really love it, and it’s fun to watch them tear around in the big drifts. There are some fun aspects to winter. If you ski, this is ideal weather for hitting the local ski slopes. Snowmobiling is also popular here in the Poconos. Ice skating on the local lakes, cross-country skiing, ice fishing – if you love the outdoors no matter what the weather, then winter in the Poconos offers as much to do as the summer and fall.
Pet sitting bookings start to pick up in February – lots of folks take vacations. I think it’s brilliant. Those of us who live here year-round know that February feels like the looooongest month. By the end of the month, lots of folks want to go somewhere warm!
This time of year is amazing in the Poconos! Fall is in full swing, and the trees are ablaze with bright leaves. It’s been bright, sunny, brisk, and just about perfect, weather-wise. Great dog-walking weather! If only it would last.
The leaves are changing a little more every day, it’s really something to see.
Fall in the Poconos
2014 is approaching. We’re going to see some new and interesting things from Your Best Friend Pet Sitting to make booking sits easier! We are always looking for ways to make sure our customers (be they human, canine, feline, or other) are delighted with the service and attention you receive from us. We truly love the pets we care for, and we thank our clients for having us care for their furry family members, again and again.
Keep your eyes on your mailboxes. Your Best Friend Pet Sitting Dog and Cat calendars will be hitting the post office in the next month or so.
Hope you’re enjoying fall in the Poconos!
It’s summer, which means that lots of kids (and adults!) are printing out flyers to do some dog walking or pet sitting. To those of us pet sitting professionally for a while, who have seen the accidents, suffered the bites, and had to handle real medical emergencies, it almost makes us catch our breath in fear.
I can understand it though – the teenager who loves animals and wants to make a few bucks, or the person who wants to bring in some extra income without the hassle of business costs, they think “I have a leash and some free time – I’ll be a pet sitter!” They aren’t thinking of the things that can go wrong. They are thinking about their own beloved pets, and how fun and easy it is to take care of them, and they think “I can do this as a job!”
So they put up a few flyers, and maybe even get a few calls. They charge low rates, because they haven’t put any thought into pricing, or a business model, and they don’t pay taxes or insurance. But as a pet owner, if you are considering trusting the key to your home and the lives of your pets to uninsured hobbyists or kids, you should be concerned. Here’s why.
- Everything’s fine until it’s not. If there’s an emergency, you need a trained, experienced professional who knows how to handle the situation.
- Professional pet sitters have a lot at stake. We invest in our businesses, so we HAVE to do a good job, or we lose our entire livelihood. A hobby pet sitter or kid can walk away anytime.
- Beware the bargain pet sitters! Many people offer extremely cheap pet sitting services. This means two things. Firstly, they will make almost no money. (If you paid $3.00 in gas to do a $5.00 pet sit, would YOU do your most excellent work for $2.00 an hour?) Secondly, this means they will be out of business in no time. So when you need a pet sitter next, you’ll be back to searching for a reliable person to do the job.
- Do you really want to hand over the key to your home and the lives of your pets to an unknown stranger from Craigslist?
- Pet Sitting Insurance providers say that the most common claims are re-keying locks (if a pet sitter loses a key or locks it inside), and surprisingly, water damage – sometimes a sitter may accidentally leave a hose or faucet running, and it can cause tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. If you hired an insured professional, guess what? You’re covered. If you used a teenager or a hobby pet sitter, you either have to eat those costs, or head to court to try to get that damage covered. It’s not worth it.
- What is peace of mind worth to you? If you can’t enjoy your vacation because you can’t get in touch with that shady Craigslist pet sitter, or you heard that the kid you hired hasn’t been making visits, or worse… is it really worth the money you saved hiring an uninsured professional?
The great news is that the professional pet sitting industry is growing, and insured professional pet sitters are becoming more and more mainstream. There will always be those folks who want to save a few dollars by taking a chance with trusting their home and pets to strangers or kids. The pros aren’t looking for the kinds of clients who would trust their pets to anyone. We want to forge relationships with the people who love their pets as family, and want to provide them with top-notch, one-on-one, personal, loving pet care by trained professionals.
If you have any stories or questions about the benefits of professional service vs. the other kind, leave us a comment!
“Honey, I’ll be late coming home from work today. I’ll be getting into an auto accident at 4:47 p.m., on the corner of Spruce and Young Street.”
“Oh, really? Why?”
“I’ll be driving through the intersection like normal, and some guy won’t be paying attention and he’ll plow right into me. I’ll be alright, but they’ll take me to the hospital to be sure. The car will be a mess though, so can you pick me up, oh, around 8:30? And call the tow truck driver so he can be there, waiting?”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring our insurance forms too, you’ll need those. Oh, and I’ll pack a change of clothes for you now, you’ll probably need them.”
“Good thinking! I’ll see you tonight at 8:30 at the hospital, after my accident.”
“Are you sure you can’t push this off till Tuesday? Tuesday would work better with my schedule.”
“Sorry, dear. I have Rotary Club on Tuesday. It has to be tonight, it’s the only time I’m free.”
“Alright. See you tonight at 8:30.”
If only we lived in a world where we knew in advance when things would go wrong. Unfortunately, it never happens this way. Accidents are accidents. Emergencies are emergencies. You can’t schedule them, and you don’t know when they can arise.
When you are away from home, and you entrust the care of your home and your pet to someone else, it doesn’t mean that accidents won’t happen and emergencies won’t occur. But what matters in those situations is the person you put your trust in. Can they handle an emergency? Do they have a plan? Do they have a backup plan, just in case? Do they carry insurance to help defray the costs of an accident they may have caused?
Every year, we hear stories in the news or from friends, about the “kid next door” who was asked to pet sit for a few bucks a day, and it ended in a disaster that the teenager was not equipped to handle. Or the stranger on Craigslist who offered a great deal to watch someone’s pets, and the owners came home to missing valuables. Or the well-meaning dog-walking hobbyist, who could not afford to pay for the expenses incurred when she accidentally left the sink running and caused thousands of dollars in water damage.
When you turn the keys to your home over to someone to care for your pets, it can be so easy to think “It will be fine. I’m sure nothing will go wrong.” But only an insured, experienced professional pet sitter can give you the peace of mind knowing that:
- If there is an emergency, they have a plan.
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They have the experience and knowledge to know what to do.
- They have the security of insurance so you aren’t stuck paying for damages they may have caused.
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They have the professional reputation at stake so you know they have to work hard to delight you and your pets with service.
- They have plenty of references so you can make an informed decision.
A professional pet sitter will no doubt cost a little more than the kid next door, or your brother-in-law, or the unknown stranger who offers to walk dogs cheaply on Craigslist. A professional pet sitter has expenses such as insurance, certification and education, gasoline, taxes, and other fees associated with running a real business. And those very things are what enable professional pet sitters to provide the highest level of care for your home and precious pets.
If we could plan for accidents and emergencies, you could hand your fur-babies’ leashes to the next-door neighbor kid, knowing that there are no emergencies scheduled for that week, so Little Timmy could walk your dogs for a few dollars, and you won’t have to worry. But this is real life. If something were to happen, you need the security in knowing that a trained professional is at the helm, ready to do their very best for you and your pets. The few extra bucks are worth it. your peace of mind is worth it.
Spring has exploded in Northeast PA, and with the unparalleled natural beauty of our lakes and forests comes a serious hazard, and that is the threat of Lyme disease.
The Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/lyme/) says; “Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.”
Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risk of getting Lyme disease. Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants, some recommend tucking pants into your socks to make it harder for a tick to find exposed skin. Use pest repellent containing 20% or more DEET (read the labels and follow all precautionary statements). Avoid bushy, grassy areas, and walk in the center of trails. Check yourself thoroughly for ticks after coming indoors and remove ticks immediately. Some recommend using tweezers to remove ticks, others recommend products like the Tick Twister. The idea is to try to disengage the mouth parts of the tick so they are not left behind when the tick is removed. Do not try to burn or smother the tick.
Some people have recommended a product called diatomaceous earth to help keep tick populations down. Food-grade quality diatomaceous earth is a natural, chemical free product that can create a barrier around your yard that ticks and other insects can’t cross. Follow all package instructions carefully. Food-grade diatomaceous earth is safe for you and your pets to eat, however it poses an inhalation risk so be cautious while using and follow the instructions carefully.
By spreading the word about Lyme Disease, and how we can minimize the risks, hopefully we can see incidents of this painful disease decrease.
I have been active in the great organizations NAPPS (The National Asssn. of Professional Pet Sitters) and PUPS (Professional United Pet Sitters) since well before I opened my business. Having all of that information, the educational opportunities, networking forums, and guides were instrumental in learning the ins and outs of being a well-educated, informed pet sitter and business owner.
I do get emails now and then from folks who are interested in making pet sitting their career, and are looking for advice. I’m flattered! Seems like just last week I was the new kid on the block, trying to learn as much as I could from those who had been in the business for years. There’s so much to know when you are just starting out. I thought I’d offer these tips to those serious about a career in pet sitting.
- Join NAPPS and PUPS. This is my top tip, and if it could be my only tip, it would be sufficient. When you are starting out, there is too much to know. There is no point in spending days, weeks, months of time and tons of money starting your business, when you can join these organizations and have guidance and information to help you every step of the way . They offer forms and templates, networking opportunities (where you can get answers to your questions from plenty of experienced sitters), and all of the information you’d need to run a pet sitting business. While some sitters are hesitant to pay for these memberships, I would argue that $160 for NAPPS and less than $30 for PUPS (for a LIFETIME membership, that’s a no-brainer) is well worth it. If you are not willing to invest in your business, your education of the industry, and your clients, then your clients will not invest in you!
- Get insurance.
- Have a plan – there are lots of free business plan templates online to guide you. A business plan is challenging but really makes you think about how you’re going to succeed.
I could go on about respecting your peers, delighting your clients, being good with pets AND people, and on and on. But these 3 things will get any novice pet sitter off to the right start!
5. Be prepared. I keep all sorts of emergency supplies in my car, but I have found that the best preparation is experience and knowledge.
4. Don’t underestimate any animal. They are smart, and they know that I may not know all the “rules”, so just like kids, they push boundaries. I have been tricked and outsmarted by cats, dogs, and birds. Usually they are just trying to get an extra treat, toy, or prime spot on the sofa. I’m always amazed at the intelligence of animals.
3. “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley”. No matter how well we plan, something can happen on the road or on a pet sit that throws the day into chaos. That’s why we never book exact time slots – we book in 2-hour time frames, so if you want a pet sit at 12 noon, it will occur sometime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and as close to noon as we can get it. This kind of flexibility lets us provide the best care for the pets we visit, and allows us to work to the job and not the clock. No pet goes neglected or untended, some pets and situations require a little extra time and care. No pet parent should have to worry that we’d just leave, even if the job isn’t finished.
2. Relationships take time. We know that all pets are different, with different histories and levels of trust. Developing a bond takes time and can’t be rushed. We take things at a pace your pet is comfortable with.
1. They Know We’re Not You. We are never there to take the place of Mommy and Daddy, and pets know this. Instead we come to them like a loving, trusted friend, and the pets know this too! I think of it this way: When I was a kid, I had 2 kinds of babysitters. The first kind sat and watched TV or talked on the phone, largely ignoring my brother and I until we got into trouble. The second kind would play with us, keep us occupied, take our minds off the fact that Mom and Dad weren’t there, and entertain us. We LOVED those sitters – they not only cared for us by being there, but they knew that kids needed entertainment and distractions to keep us out of trouble, and also happy and comfortable. It’s hard to mope about missing Mommy when you’re having so much fun! We strive to be that kind of pet sitter. And the pets know it. They know we’re not Mommy and Daddy, and they also know that when Kristen, Jennifer, or Kathi show up, they are in for comfort, fun, and LOTS OF LOVE!