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Working at PETA, I'm fortunate to be surrounded by people who care about animals, many of whom would love to earn a few extra bucks, so it hasn't been too difficult to find people to stay with my dogs when I'm away. I've managed to zero in on a couple of very reliable coworkers who allow me to get away without having to worry about what's going on at home.
However, it hasn't always been so. I once employed a pet sitter straight out of the phone book and ended up being very sorry I did: When I got home, my dog and his canine friend had no water to drink. Later, on the phone, the pet sitter admitted that she had been in a hurry that morning and had simply neglected to refill their water bowl!
And leaving dogs in a boarding kennel or at the vet's is just not an option for people who really care about their dogs. Being in a strange, cramped environment surrounded by lots of other stressed-out barking dogs, who might be transmitting diseases to one another, isn't exactly on a par with the vacation being taken by Fido's guardians while he pines away. I know that a lot of newer facilities are trying to make things nicer for Fido, but there's still no comparison with staying in his own familiar surroundings from which he can derive comfort.
I remember when I was in high school and we picked up our beloved Socksie from a boarding kennel after we had been gone for several weeks. She looked horrible. She was sick and droopy. I don't remember what she had contracted, but I'll never forget the contrast between her experience of the previous few weeks and my family's. We learned our lesson: Dogs deserve better.
As family members, dogs deserve to be left in not only capable but also caring hands when we have to be away from home. Therefore, it's well worth our while to submit our potential pet sitter to a great deal of scrutiny in order to avoid coming home to a tragedy or getting a distressing phone call while we're still hundreds of miles away from home.
I recently became aware of a nationwide California-based pet-sitting company called Fetch! Pet Care, and I like what I've read about its policies and practices. To begin with, the company suggests using the following thorough checklist when selecting a pet-sitting service in your area:
[ ] Diligently check all of the company's references—at least three should be voluntarily provided.
[ ] Ensure that the company is fully bonded and insured.
[ ] Confirm that your sitter has undergone a criminal background check and has received proper training.
[ ] Pre-interview the sitter with your pets present to observe interactions and establish a "comfort level" for both yourself and your pets.
[ ] Clearly state how you would like the sitter to use his or her visit time in terms of walking, playing, feeding, cleaning, etc.
[ ] Verify that the sitter can accommodate both your pet's daily feeding and walking schedule and your desired vacation schedule, even during the busiest holidays.
[ ] Ensure that the company offers seven-day-per-week telephone and e-mail availability.
[ ] Provide medical and behavioral history about your pets as well as veterinary and other emergency contact information, and gather all necessary supplies, including food, vitamins, and treats, in one central location.
[ ] Ensure that the company has "backup" measures in place should your sitter have an emergency that prevents him or her from completing your assignment.
This quote from the company's Web site really resonated with me:
Fetch! Pet Care has significantly raised the bar by setting a new industry standard in pet-sitting and dog walking services. Prior to our inception, pet-sitting services were largely provided by independent one- or two-person operations that often quickly booked up, accommodated a limited area, offered a limited range of services, didn't have emergency backups or insurance, weren't professionally trained, and often got overworked or otherwise burned out. Fetch! Pet Care, however, offers professional, reliable, loving care to animals of all kinds, a large professionally trained staff always available wherever and whenever you need them most, a wide range of service offerings, and a satisfaction guarantee that, all combined, are simply unmatched in the field.
Additionally, Fetch! Pet Care offers the gamut of services from private visits or overnight sitting in your home to boarding or daycare services in the sitter's home to daily dog walking to pet taxi services. I don't know how they do it, but I'm so glad that someone took this on.
I decided to call my local Fetch! Pet Care representative, Tammy Cobb, to see if she was for real. We had a delightful conversation about her company's services and history and about her local operation, and I came away feeling very good about it. She loves her job and has a whole network of contract people on standby, ready to petsit as needed. For a household with two dogs, she would stay from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. and provide two 20- to 30-minute walks—for only $60! (There's a small extra charge for each additional dog or cat.) A 30-minute midday walk/visit is $20. This is very reasonable pricing.
With Labor Day approaching and holiday travel planning already underway for some, Fetch! Pet Care is offering PETA members a 10 percent discount on its services as well as a free in-home consultation. If you're interested, call 1-866-FETCH-ME or visit Fetch! Pet Care's Web site.
