Do you have pets yet love to travel? Some people are lucky and have pets who can travel with them. For those of us with pets who don’t travel, there are various options for caring for your furry friends while you’re away. Boarding at a kennel, having a friend or neighbor come over periodically. Other people use pet sitters, and there are some strong benefits of using a pet sitter.
Our pets weren’t the traveling types (think cats and larger dogs), so we had to find someone to care for them when we went away. We tried having a neighbor or friend come by to feed our fur babies and let them out, but that was a lot to ask for our longer trips. And it was difficult for our indoor-outdoor cat, who loved to explore the neighborhood but was used to coming and going as he pleased (He was a cat after all.) We could tell our pets weren’t happy with these arrangements while we were gone no matter how nice our friends were. Our pets got lonely being by themselves for over 20 hours every day. We also tried kenneling our pets and putting them up at posh “pet hotels”, but we were never really satisfied with the care they received there.
Then we discovered pet sitters. The clouds parted, the sun came out, and we and our pets were much happier. Have you used pet sitters for your pets? There are many benefits of using a pet sitter while you’re away.
Most vets will agree that keeping pets in their own environment and following their usual routines when their loved ones disappear for days at a time minimizes pets’ stress. “Cats and dogs are creatures of habit, and if anything changes in their day-to-day routine, they can become quite stressed” says Veterinarian Matthew Bayliss. An amazing number of pets suffer from separation anxiety when their human companions go away on vacation, especially if their pet parents usually spend a lot of time talking, playing and actively loving them.
Our pets missed us most in the evenings and mornings, times we spent taking care of them, playing with them, and cuddling with them on the couch. Minimizing the changes your pet needs to adjust to is an important step in keeping them relaxed and happy. The more you can keep their daily routine intact while you’re away, the better they feel.
Putting your pets in a kennel can be extremely stressful for them. Even in the poshest setups, they will hear noises from animals they don’t know well, some of whom may bay or howl because they miss their people. They can also worry that you’ve abandoned them, especially if they were originally obtained from a shelter. There’s also a chance your pet could come home with flees, a disease, or both in an environment with so many other animals, no matter how careful kennel management is. You don’t have these issues when your furry friend stays at home with a pet sitter.
You may live in the safest of neighborhoods but having a pet sitter stay in your home while you’re away still protects your property and possessions from the unthinkable. Having a pet sitter living in your home while you’re away minimizes the risk of an intrusion, theft or damage to your property. It also means, should an emergency like a water main break or a natural disaster occur, someone will be at your house to evacuate your pets or minimize any damage more quickly.
If you are going to be away from home for more than a month, check your insurance before leaving. Your policy may be invalidated while the house sits empty, and you could be on the hook for the costs of any damage should the unthinkable happen. Insurance companies usually prefer the property to be occupied. This is another benefit of using a pet sitter who lives in your home while you’re away, as opposed to a sitter who just comes by a few times a day.
Boarding your pets is expensive, especially if you have multiple pets. Even paying someone to come over to your house a few times a day can take a big bite out of your holiday budget. The costs of both of these ways to care for your pets rack up with each day you’re away.
One growing trend that could help you save money is pet sitting. You can save a lot of money by securing a pet sitter to stay in your home when you go away. This will give you the peace of mind to relax and truly enjoy your vacation knowing your pets and home are in good hands.
Pet sitters and pet parents who are part of these networks approach these arrangements as equal exchanges. The pet parents provide rent free accommodation to the pet sitters, and the pet sitters provide free care for the pets in their homes. You can save more money during a single trip than the cost of the pet sitting network membership costs.
The sitters that belong to such networks are often retired or semi-retired active travelers wanting to experience new places or see different parts of the world on a budget. They can also be younger digital nomads traveling the world taking their work with them. Whatever their background, they are all people who love pets and traveling, just like you.
There are a number of pet sitting networks around the world and accessible via the internet. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. We’re members of a handful of networks, but the one we use the most is the largest one by far. As most people who sit in exchange for accommodation will tell you, TrustedHousesitters is by far the largest pet sitting network in the world by far.
We love all the pet sit opportunities we’ve been able to take advantage of through TrustedHousesitters. We also like the tools they provide to help new members get started, and the various levels of insurance and support they offer. They even have a community forum where members and prospective members can share travel tips and insights into the nuances of pet sitting, and the more experienced members help the newer members get started. None of the other pet sitting networks has anything like that. For over nine years we’ve been very pleased with them.
As you can see, there are some definite benefits to using a pet sitter. If you decide to go that route and want to give TrustedHousesitters a try, here’s a discount code for 25% off your membership cost.
And feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the benefits of using a pet sitter.
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