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Rates for Pet Sitting Services

Our first guest blogger post is an article on pet sitting rates written by Karin Howland of Pets Stay Home in Winnepeg, MB, Canada.

Rates for Pet Sitting Services 

If you have done any comparison shopping for pet sitting services you will likely have noticed a wide range of prices for services. Why is that?

Well, price is actually arbitrary for this type of service, so comparison of each individual service is needed. While the adage, “You get what you pay for.” may be true for many types of services, pet care services are the exception.

When rates are very low, will that service provider be around tomorrow? Low rates usually mean many bookings a day to keep the business afloat, and that leads to burnout. Are corners being cut to keep rates extra low? As with any type of service, when someone is the cheapest, ask why.

On the other hand, when another service is more expensive, ask why are they so expensive. Do they, for sure, have liability insurance? Surprisingly, not all do. You may be asked to sign a waiver that the service provider will not be held accountable in the event of problems because they don’t have insurance. Or insurance may not even be mentioned, because there isn’t any.

Before comparing services, realize that operating a pet service can be expensive. The largest expense is in a vehicle, and that vehicle must be reliable. A car held together with hope, just won’t cut it when time is of the essence. Next, a liability insurance policy costs about $600 a year. That’s a lot of pet sits to cover the cost of that policy.

So what to do? Compare the service providers. Are they pleasant to deal with? After the initial contact, if you have more questions, how quickly do they respond? Do they have a contract? Do they have a contingency plan in the event of emergencies? Are they insured? Is the business registered or are they operating under the table? Are they organized? That point is very important. Missed visits, forgotten requests or carelessness, can all be avoided through effective scheduling, record keeping and time management.

Don’t base your decision on price alone. Make an informed decision.

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This guest blogger post was written by:
Karin Howland 
Pets Stay Home
Winnepeg, MB, Canada.

Missing Dog in Alexandria/Arlington!

UPDATE 7/16/09: Leo has been found!  You can read the update on his blog.

Help Find Leo: http://findleo.blogspot.com/

Leo is a foster dog with border collie rescue that has been missing since Sunday, June 7th. He escaped from his foster home in the Park Fairfax area of Alexandria, which is bordered by N Quaker Ln on one side and West Glebe Rd on another. Both roads border the city of Alexandria and the county of Arlington.

Leo is a red & white border collie or mix, is fearful of humans but is not aggressive. He has white feet, a white stripe down his nose, and white on the tip of his tail. He is approximately 45 lbs and has green eyes.

He was wearing a collar with a tag from border collie rescue in Richmond.

If you see him, please call 804-337-9715! DO NOT CHASE him! He’ll run from you, and you won’t be able to catch him.

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The Arlington Pet Guru is written by Amanda Carlson, a professional dog walker, pet sitter, and pack leader of Amanda’s Pet Care in Arlington, VA.

PetAirways Set To Take Off

PetAirways, the nation’s first pet only airline, is set to take off one month from today.  On PetAirways, pets fly comfortably in the main cabin instead of the cargo area of the plane.  However, one downside to the airline is they currently don’t accept dogs taller than 33″ or over 120 lbs, so your Great Dane will have to stay home for now.

The airline will make two cross country trips per week, flying from New York to Los Angeles (with stops in Washington DC, Chicago, and Denver) on Tuesdays with a return flight on Thursdays.  The inaugural flight is set to take off from New York on Tuesday, July 14.  Flights start at $149 each way.

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The Arlington Pet Guru is written by Amanda Carlson, a professional dog walker, pet sitter, and pack leader of Amanda’s Pet Care in Arlington, VA. www.amandaspetcare.com

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