What is a professional pet sitter, anyway?
Many people in Miami don’t seem to know what a pet sitter is or what pet sitting services are. They board their dogs at the vet or have their neighbor or maid take care of their furry loved one but don’t know how much they’re missing out on when they don’t hire a pet sitter! So, what is a professional pet sitter? The short answer is, pet sitters are like professional baby sitters for pets.
The longer answer? We are reliable professionals who specialize in pet care, be it pet sitting while you’re away on vacation, daily dog walks or runs, cat sitting, or sleeping over your home to help your pets stay comfortable in your absence. In our case, we take care of dogs, cats, small animals (rabbits, sugar gliders, hamsters, to name a few), fish, reptiles, and birds.
What it means to be a professional pet sitter:
What is a pet sit? A pet sit is when one of our employees goes to your home an dcares for your baby in his or her environment. We typically visit dogs two to three times a day, and at least once for a cat and other pets. We feed, exercise, and love your babies in the comfort of their own home. This means less stress for your fur kids; cats especially benefit from staying at home- they are highly sensitive and territorial animals who definitely need someone to peek in on them once a day. Even if you have an automatic feeder and water source, they could get sick or get into trouble.. In our experience, birds and reptiles can also be highly sensitive and should be monitored by a professional who knows how to care for them. The added benefit of pet sitting is that we also provide a mini-house sit which includes bringing in the newspaper, turning lights on and off, and being your eyes and ears while you’re away.
During a pet sit, professional pet sitters will:
- Make sure your pet is healthy and happy! They check for emotional and physical well-being and love them the way you would.
- Check the premises, making sure your home is secure.
- Perform light house sitting duties, including taking out trash, bringing in newspapers, watering plants, and making your home look lived in.
- Administer medications or fluids. For example, we have several diabetic cats who get insulin twice daily.
- Follow your pets’ feeding and care instructions to the letter. We have a great online software, Power Pet Sitter, where we keep all our pet’s information on hand in their profiles. Pet parents update it whenever something changes for their pets, be it type of food, medications needed, etc…
- Leave detailed notes about your pets’ progress and notice if anything is amiss with your pets or home.
- Take photos so we can post them on social media for your enjoyment!
More qualities to look for in your professional pet sitter:
- A professional pet sitter should be bonded and insured.
- A pro hould be ready for any emergency thanks to experience, being trained in pet CPR and First aid, and their networks. We pride ourselves on knowing the community; we connect with relevant professionals such as plumbers, veterinarians, pet food specialists, dog trainers, and more to help our clients with their needs
- A professional pet sitter will be reliable; no last-minute cancellations just as you’re leaving on your trip! Our pet sitting company has 10 employees; we always have back-up plans if something happens.
- A pet sitter should be reachable- Equipaws Pet Services’ owner and founder, Flavia Berti, is available via text or email, as are photos of your pets.
Professional pet sitters are responsible pet caretakers, so hiring one should help you breathe a sigh of relief and bring comfort when you have to leave your pets away We strongly believe that you should hire a pet sitting company with employees over one with Independent Contractors. Flavia, owner of Equipaws Pet Services, personally trains all of her employees in the Equipaws way. Our employees are answerable to our pet sitting policies as well as our quality control; we can and do tell them what time to be at the pet sit, how to perform at the pet sit, and more.
Would you like to speak with Flavia about your pet care needs? Please call her at 305.794.3733. She’d be happy to steer you in the right direction for you and your pet. You can always email us at info@equipawspetservices.com as well. You can also book your pet care now if you’re ready. We look forward to serving you!
A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.