Rise in self-employment means pets rarely get left alone, so what do you do when you go away?

Posted on 7 May, 2018

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The number of people working for themselves has increased from 3.3 million people (12% of the labour force) in 2001, to 4.8 million (15.1% of the labour force)[i] in 2017.

Many self-employed people work from home, and together with the rising numbers of companies that allow employees to work from home regularly, it’s estimated[ii] by 2020 more than half of the UK workforce will be working remotely.

This is great news for Britain’s pets. They no longer have to face the day alone when their owners head off to work all day. Instead, they can snuggle down in the home office and enjoy the companionship of having their owners around most of the time.

But what happens when you want to go on holiday? How will your dog or cat cope if you put them in a kennel or cattery or ferry them off to a family friend? It’s likely not very well. Dogs and cats can get anxious when out of their home environment.

Add to this the stress of being in a kennel or cattery and you are likely to come back to a very unhappy pet. One solution is to employ a homesitter.

These professional people will come and stay in your home, look after any pets and make sure your home is safe and secure. More people are turning to this type of service when they go away for business or pleasure, as they want their pets looked after in their home environment.

Being at home and having someone stick to the pets usual feeding, grooming and walking routines can minimise the stress of their owners going away.

For people who work from home this service is invaluable, especially since homesitters are not allowed to leave the home for more than three hours in daylight hours and for more than an hour at night.

For one Oxfordshire based couple employing a homesitter has been a real lifeline. Gwen Lawler and her husband work in the entertainment industry and run a production company from their home.

Their work involves frequent business trips, which are often arranged at very short notice. They have been using our homesitters since 2008 to look after their pet dog and cat, Bilbo and Baggins, when they go away.

Gwen commented, “As my husband and I work from home our pets are used to us being there all day, so companionship is very important for them when we’re away. I wouldn’t put them in a kennel and cattery as it would be too much of a disruption – Bilbo prefers the company of humans to other dogs!

“I believe that using Homesitters is money well spent to give our pets stability, and it’s also reassuring to know that the house is occupied too as there have been several burglaries in the local area recently.”

Don’t let you pets be home alone when you next go away. Give us a call on 01296 630 730 to discuss your pet sitting needs.



[i] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/p...

[ii] http://smallbusiness.co.uk/half-uk-workforce-remot...

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