One of the many questions that we get asked when people call to enquire about our services is who the person will be that is coming to take care of their pets. Of course we have the Free Meet and Greet for you to get to know your Pet Sitter /Dog Walker, and we do our extensive checks before we hire people to work for us.
But if you are looking for someone to take care of your beloved pet while you travel away from home or are out at work you should make sure you take time to make sure it is a good match.
How do you choose? What are the things you should be looking for?
When I think about using the services of a Pet Sitter myself, then these are the questions that I would be asking. I love my pets and they deserve the best care possible.
Do they have a back-up in place?
Imagine lying on a beach in the Bahamas and you get a text from your Pet Sitter to say they can no longer take care of your pets. What do you do? You can’t get a flight home that day – so your pet will not get fed or walked.
Do they have a website?
You might think that having a website is not important – and to some extent you are right. But if they don’t have a website and full contact details displayed then are they really a legitimate company? Are they even registered as a business?
Do they have any Social Media Pages for their business?
References are great – and as a company we have lots of them. But a presence on Facebook is a better way of judging a company. Are many people following on their page? Do they interact with customers on a daily basis? Are their any reviews on there?
Let’s face it – any company is only going to show you good references. They won’t show you the complaints!
Are they insured?
Any serious legitimate company will have insurance for them and their staff. It’s a must! Check what they are insured for?
Does their insurance actually cover you if your dog is off the lead? Unlikely!
What age are they?
I doubt you would want to leave your home and your pets in the safety of a 16 year old.
Is this their sole business?
Someone doing Pet Sitting and Dog Walking to earn a bit of extra cash is not going to be totally committed to the care of your pets.
What is their process for handling complaints?
Who do you complain to if you are not happy with the service you receive. Is their a landline number you can call? A mobile is great – but do they have a fixed business address and phone number.
What are they charging?
While cost is important for all of us, someone who is charging 5 euro a visit to come and feed and walk your dog is not going to do a good job. After 5 visits they will realise they only made 25 euro – which is unlikely to cover their fuel and travel costs.
It’s always true that you get what you pay for. A T Shirt from Pennys is great – but it’s never going to be same quality as Ralph Lauren.
Can you get hold of them 24/7?
I would want to know that if I had a question, concern or query that I could get hold of my Pet Sitter. I love my pets and want someone who is available all of the time when they are caring for them.
Of course this isn’t an extensive list of questions, as every pet owner will have different needs for their pets. Different things are important to different people – which is why Pet Sitters Ireland is here to answer your questions.
Feel free to give us a call on 1800 30 30 10 or fill in our contact form for more information.
We look forward to hearing from you and taking care of your pets.
