Having a good reputation as a pet-sitter is important – especially if it is your sole source of income.
But even if it is something that you only do every now and then, it is still important to have a good reputation. If you’re new to pet-sitting and want to build up a reputation, start pet-sitting your friends and families’ pets. This will build up a good reference base for you if anyone asks for references or recommendations.
If you’re a professional/full-time pet sitter, here are some things you can do/set up to increase your reach, and to give people a place to go to if they want to find out more about you and/or the pet-sitting services you offer.
– Have a Facebook Page: this will be one of the places you can refer people to to find out about you and your pet sitting services, as well as leave reviews. If someone is looking for pet sitting services, they’ll easily be able to see how people recommend you and what they say about your pet sitting services.
– Have a basic website up – somewhere else you can refer people to if they want to find out about you and your pet sitting services. You can perhaps even have some reviews on the website as well.
– Make it clear what pets you look after, and don’t overwhelm yourself if there is a pet you don’t know how to handle, or aren’t able to handle.
– Have a separate contact number (not your personal number) that people can get hold of you on – and also make it clear what hours you are available, so that no one contacts you after hours.
– Make sure to have contact details of the owner, another contact in case you can’t get hold of the owner, and the pet that you’re looking after – the vet contact details. If something happens to the pet, be sure to contact the owner as soon as you can.
This goes without saying, treat the pets you’re looking after well – this will increase the likelihood of you getting referred to other people, having good reviews and a good reputation. Also make sure that the pet is comfortable with having you around them. Don’t take on a pet you can’t handle.
To the owners:
Do research before taking someone on as a pet-sitter – make sure that your animal is comfortable around them. If you have dogs, see if you can have a separate back yard in case there is loadshedding that opens your palisade gate. See that your pets are microchipped, in case they go missing.
If you have an aggressive animal, be careful who you take on to pet-sit, if something goes wrong and the pet sitter gets bitten, they can open up a case against you.
Have some way for the pet-sitter to get hold of you – in case something happens to your pet. One last thing to note – put off any hired help while you are away – i.e. garden service, maid, etc. This can also be one of the ways that your pets get out/lost while you’re away.
As always, please always practice responsible pet ownership.
Blog Post By Your Pet Caring Friend,
Carmen Harris.