Checklist for Pet Sitters
Pet sitters are professionals who provide an in-home daycare service for your pet. Their services vary; some will check in on your pet once or twice a day, while others will commit to exercising the animal, grooming it as needed, and also feeding the pet. Some professionals are licensed---as required by their jurisdiction---while others are merely animal lovers turning their affection for animals into a business. If you are thinking of entering this field as well, there is a somewhat unofficial checklist for pet sitters that details what the most common concerns of pet owners are and address them.
Significance
The various aspects of the pet sitters' checklist provide not only a significant hint toward marketing tools a prospective pet sitter may wish to employ, but they also underscore the expectations a pet owner has when hiring a professional to look after the family pets. Remember that if the pet owner were less concerned about the specifics of the animals' care, he most likely would have simply entrusted the care of the animals to a neighborhood child for a few dollars. Instead, he is willing to hire a professional and pay significantly more, so in return he also expects quite a bit more from you.
Features
The features of virtually any pet sitter checklist include the availability of the professional for an upfront interview, solid references, round the clock access to an emergency veterinarian, intermediate knowledge of emergency procedures, and business materials that include all services and fees in writing. Pet Sitters International has identified these features (a link is provided in the resources section) as well as several others, and the organization urges pet owners to go down their list in an effort to spend their pet sitting budget wisely.
Benefits
The benefits of this pet sitter checklist are obvious: much like a wanted ad in a local newspaper, this listing provides the standard of care the pet owners expect. Pet sitters can adapt their business practices accordingly and then offer the kinds of professional services that will keep them competitive with others in the field. As a matter of fact, this kind of checklist also provides a blueprint for new pet sitters who wish to enter the field but are uncertain what services to provide in a standard package, and for which to charge extra.
Misconceptions
Animal lovers sometimes believe that their affection for the furry, scaly, or feathered companions is sufficient for a successful business. Concurrently, pet owners do not realize that there are significant differences that exist among various pet sitting services. It is a common misconception that pet sitting is a standardized industry and that there are common training modules, regulations, and also certifications that must be obtained in order to go into business. Instead, pet sitting is a largely unregulated or voluntarily regulated field, and it is thanks to a pet sitter checklist that consumers finally have a way to separate hobbyists and beginners from professionals. Moreover, the list offers the newbie the option to set themselves apart from other pet sitters by exceeding the expectations and standards of the checklist.
Potential
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters has released a press article that reveals pet sitting to be a growing business in an economy that is taking a downturn (a link is provided in the resources section). Pet sitters who meet and exceed the expectations of the pet sitting checklist may expect steady employment, and might actually see an increase in the amounts of money pet owners are willing to spend on their companion animals.
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