• By petcloud
• April 25, 2016July 2, 2021
• Dog Care pet minding pet sitting petcloud tips
• With 0 comments

So you’ve got your first pet sitting booking. Congratulations! You’re a little bit excited and maybe a little bit nervous. Make sure you take the online RSPCA Qld Accredited Animal Care Learning Course.    Tidy up and clean your home.  You need to make your home escape-proof and hazard-free.  Your number 1 priority to make sure the pets don’t escape.  Discard any stacks of wood in the yard, prune bushes, mow your lawn. Fresken up the house, turn the lights on, clean the benches and mop the floor. Did you have the opportunity to meet the pet and Pet Owner before the booking occurred?  If not, you may wish to ask the Owner via your inbox on PetCloud for an initial Meet & Greet to ensure there is a good fit between yourself, your yard, your home, your pets, your family, and the visiting pet. This is really important.

Next, you need to ensure you’ve written down that day and time the Owner is arriving to drop off their Pet, and the day and time they arrive back from their holiday to pick up the pet. When the booking is accepted by you, PetCloud sends you the Owners contact details. Next, you need to ensure that your backyard meets the RSPCA Qld Backyard Checklist + ensure you ask about their Pet’s health, any behavioural triggers, medication requirements, diet and exercise routine.  You will be emailed this guide upon signing up.

Your Responsibilities as a Pet Sitter

Pet sitters are responsible for all basic animal care while their clients are on vacation or traveling for business.

Your Routine duties include:

• Daily Feeding, putting out fresh water every morning and evening
• Brushing pets
• Taking dogs on walks, and providing exercise through play
• Cleaning litter boxes
• Additional services may include giving medications, vacuuming up pet hair in the house, or collecting the client’s mail or newspaper
• Pet sitters are also responsible for notifying owners and taking pets to the vet if they should become sick or suffer an injury while under their supervision

During the stay:

It is best to keep in touch daily with a little text to them saying “We had fun in the park today, oh and by the way, Fido doesnt seem to like eating their own food, and seems to want some of my food. Do you want me to stop them and not allow them or are you happy to just reimburse me for extra food costs when you return?” All sorts of unexpected pet behavioural things can happen during pet sitting, and its important to remain in daily friendly communication via text message.

Example messaging between Pet Owner and Pet Sitter

Online Vet Consultations

If you need Vet advice during a pet stay, you can book with an online consult with Dr Claire at www.vetchat.com.au via skype or facetime. Use promo code: PETCLOUD for adiscount on your appointment.

Pet Details are important for the stay

While PetCloud does ask the Pet Owner to complete information about the pets with everything about their routine, behaviour, training, habits through to sleeping and eating habits, whether that all happens, is an entirely different thing all together!  It is both yours and the Owners responsibility to complete the Pets detailed profile on PetCloud.

Wee and Poo Accidents

Be prepared that some wee or poo accidents may happen if the pet is a puppy or kitten.  So have some puppy training pads on hand, paper towels and cleaning fluid.

Buy some Puppy Training Pads from a Pet Store in advance of the stay in case of any toilet accidents.

Ensure the Owner brings poo bags and a dispenser but also have some handy in case they forget.

Take puppies outdoors for regular breaks if possible. They will want to pee at least every 2 hours.  If the Pet Owner owns a cat, they will need to drop off a kitty litter tray and litter.

The Pet Owner may have even dropped off their pets with all their bedding, food, poo bags, leash, ID tags, and toys. Some dogs may try to hop onto your bed when it’s bed time if thats what they are used to at home. Have some spare healthy natural treats on hand  if you are wanting to reward good behaviour. The Pet Owner has booked you because they trust your judgement, but at the same time, if the dog is not eating their own food and just want to scoff all yours, dont allow it to continue, and don’t ask the Owner to pay you extra on return if you didnt prevent the pet from eating your food.  Below is an example of a friendly food-related question being asked between a Pet Sitter and a Pet Owner.

Example Messaging between Pet Owner and Pet Sitter

It would be like booking your car into a mechanics on an agreed set price, and then upon returning to pick up the car, the mechanic says “Oh but you have to pay me an extra $1000 for a new radiator because i felt you needed one”. You’d be in shock, right?

Don’t give Pet Owners bill shock by adding in extra food expenses that their Pet incurred while on holiday

So you need to text the owner at least once a day and report anything that is happening. If you dont text them with what their pets are up to, they wont know otherwise – and you’ll feel annoyed and out of pocket for your extra food or efforts. Pets can be wonderful company and so much fun.  The PetCloud team is also here to support you via email or phone 1300 66 77 85.  With each pet stay, you will feel more and more confident as you’ll remember what questions to ask when you have your next customer!  We also recommend you read this next article 7 Things Every Pet Sitter should ask a Pet Owner  If you haven’t tried it out yet – join free as a Pet Sitter today and start making money cuddling pets!

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