How My Clients Have Been Disappointed

I talk to pet parents every day.  Sometimes I talk to pet parents who have used pet sitters before and were disappointed in the service.  Once I ask discovery questions to better understand why they were disappointed, 9 times out of 10, I find out the pet parents weren’t using a PROFESSIONAL PET SITTER.  Their “pet sitter” was a hobby sitter.

What is a hobby pet sitter?

A hobby pet sitter is someone who doesn’t care for pets on a full time basis.  Someone who may love pets, but doesn’t make it a priority.  The most common hobby pet sitter is a teenager…the kid that lives down the street.

How do people find hobby pet sitters?

The most common places you will find hobby pet sitters are Craigslist, Care.com, Sittercity.com, Petgigs.com just to name a few.  Check out this ad from one of the mentioned sitter websites:

My name is (removed for protection), I’m actually 14, I’m very honest and u can trust me with your pets, I love animals of almost all kinds , I’m not looking for a crazy large pay, and there a variaty of things I’ll do for your pets for even 5 Bucks Like I’ve said I love animal.I have a few myself.

Can you predict the problems you would have if you hired this person?

What are the top complaints about hobby pet sitters?

The top 2 complaints I hear from my clients is:

1. I came home and found a several piles of poo and urine stains throughout the house.
2. I never heard from the sitter and assumed everything was ok.

These clients wondered if their pet sitter ever actually came.  And if they did come, why didn’t they clean up the mess?

Never hearing from your “pet sitter” may be a good thing, it may be a bad thing.  But wouldn’t you want to hear from your sitter…just for a little peace of mind?

How is a Professional Pet Sitter different?

A professional pet sitter would certainly clean up any messes that were made in the house.  They would also communicate their findings with the pet parent.  Maybe the pet needs more visits, or the timing of the visits needs to be adjusted. A professional pet sitter will have no problem communicating with the pet parent daily, even if it’s just to let the parents know everything is okay and to share a cute picture.

I’ve talked to and gained 2 new clients in one week who had similar experiences from different “sitters”.  Unfortunately for hobby sitters, this happens more often than you’d think. In the long run, it’s better to hire a professional pet sitter from the start.  It will save you heartache, stress and time finding a new sitter after the hobby sitter let you down.

How do you find a professional pet sitter?

There are several ways to find a trusted, professional pet sitter.

1. Ask your vet, groomer or pet supply store for a referral.
2. Google “pet sitters (your town)”
3. Check out the top 3 sitters who show up on Google and review their website, find them on social media outlets like Facebook and Google +
4. Check review sites

Have you ever had a bad experience with a hobby sitter?  Share your stories with us…

Register For Pet Sitting Services Made Easy in Mesa AZ

Play Time Pet Care makes scheduling your pet sitting needs EASY. We not only want to offer you peace of mind while you are away, we also want to make scheduling your services a no brainer. That is why we instituted an online scheduling system and communication portal for our clients. The system keeps all your information SECURE, easy to find and a breeze to schedule your services.  It’s the end of an era of calling your sitter, leaving a message (or emailing) and waiting anxiously to hear back from your sitter to see if they are available for the dates you are requesting.  Now, all you have to do is log into your online profile, update any new information and schedule your services.  EASY…right?

Let me show you how easy it really is….

New Clients

Visit our website at www.PlayTimePetCare.com.

Click on the Services and Scheduling tab.

Click on Register Now.

The next window will ask you for your zip code (to determine if we service your area).  If we service your area, viola, you can begin entering your information.  If you don’t live in our service area, you will need to contact us to see if you live in an area we CAN service.

IMPORTANT

Entering as much detailed information about your pets as possible will help us provide the best care possible.  There is an area where you can upload a photo of your pet.  The photo must be no larger than 200 x 200.

Medications

Enter any and all medications your pet receives.  Enter the name, dose and administration style (oral, in food, shot, etc)

Location of Food and Instructions

In this section, we are looking for where the food is located, how much food your pet(s) receive, and how often they eat (1x per day, 2x per day, etc) and if they get any special additions to their food (like green beans, boiled chicken, rice, probiotics, etc)  If your pet eats different amounts each meal or gets special treats at different meals, this is where you would add that information.

General Notes

This is where you will describe your pets general demeanor and if they have any funny quirks we should know about.  For example, if your pet will ONLY eat out of a certain dish, we need to know.  If your pet is afraid of hats, we need to know.  If your pet will lick you to death when you sit on the couch…we should know .  Tell us anything and everything we need to know in order to love, play and care for your pet while you are away.

Once all your information and pet’s information has been entered, you will be able to schedule your services.

How To Schedule Services

First, name your appointment.  Types of names can be… where you are going, business trip, your pet’s names…you can be creative

Then you will enter in the dates of services.  Keep in mind that we do accept last minute requests, but if your service date is within 48 hours you will need to call the office to ensure availability.

Next you will need to choose the type of service you are interested in:

Daily visits are used when you are on vacation and we are coming by a couple times a day.

Dog walks are used for clients that contract with us on a regular basis, weekly, daily, for walks ONLY.

Overnights and Live in are services used when you are out of town and want some one to spend the night or live in your home while you are gone.

Dog sitting is used when a sitter will be staying with your pets for at least an hour and beyond.

Once you have entered your service type, you will then go to a screen that thanks you for scheduling services and will offer instructions on what to do next.  While on this screen you are able to edit your request or enter a note on each day you need services.  Why would you want to enter a note?  Well, it’s nice to know what time you are leaving on the first day of services and when you are expected home on your return date.  If there are special instructions for certain days, like, the landscaper is coming…please check the gates prior to letting the dogs out, we should know.  We LOVE and WELCOME detailed notes

Check out this client’s detailed daily notes…(click on the image for larger view)

All that’s left is to wait for our confirmation.  We will review your request and approve it then send you an email confirmation.  If there is a problem with your request (say your sitter is unavailable or we are booked) the office will call you to discuss your options.

That’s it!  You’re done!  Easy as pie…right?  So what are you waiting for?  Try it out and schedule your services today.