A Guide On Pet Sitting

Here are a few guidelines to follow in case you decide to take pet sitting as unusual kind of part-time job:

- Take in animals that you are familiar with. Make sure you've had plenty of experience with its care, maintenance, grooming, behavior, habits, medical care and other vital information.

- Make sure your charges have been examined by a vet. Never take in pets that have never had its shots (anti-rabies, feline leukemia, etc.). Never take in animals that suffer from complications, psychological problems (biting, destructive tendencies, etc.) or are known to have seizures and diseases. Remember, you will be responsible for it should anything happen while it is in your charge.

- Make sure your place has the proper accommodations for your stay-ins. If a charge is housebroken and you intend to let it stay in the house, make sure your home is pet-friendly and that your other pets will get along with it.

- Always ask vital information about your charge: its exercise routines, medical prescriptions, feeding schedule and the amount of food it needs and so forth.

- Ask the owner to provide the brand of feed for the pet he or she is leaving behind with you. Remember, your fee is only for the sitting services, not its food, vitamins and other accessories. It's also better if you let the person buy and stock it before he goes away.

- Get to know the pet a few days before your sitting schedule. Pets need to bond with those whom they will be left with and you'll get to know its character, its likes and dislikes and even some of the quirks it may have (a good example is Tong who likes to whistle and make lewd remarks at women, my uncle almost got slapped by our neighbor's wife for it!)

- Don't be too greedy to take in more than you can handle. Keep a chosen circle of clientele and schedule your sitting services. Taking in too many pets at the same time may be too much for you and the people and animals you share your place with!

- Be prepared to stay with your charges, which means, canceling dates and other gimmicks with your friends or romantic relations. Some pets may also require outdoor exercises (dogs need to be taken for walks), play or a visit to its vet or groomer. These are also part of the job.

- Don't forget the owner's contact number and address just in case of emergencies.