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Top Tips for happy home and pet sitting assignments
Posted on 13 February, 2017
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Looking after someone’s home and pets is a big responsibility. We’ve put together the following checklist to ensure all your assignments go smoothly:
Accepting an assignment
Prior to accepting an assignment, make sure you have a good chat with our Administrators who have detailed knowledge of our client’s situation and requirements. After speaking to them, you can decide if the role suits your capabilities and preferences. Only choose assignments you feel comfortable taking on.
Preliminary meeting
Once you have accepted an assignment, book a preliminary meeting with the client through your Administrator. This meeting will enable you to build rapport with the client and find out exactly how their home operates including important details such as how the burglar alarm works or where the stock cock is located.
This is also the best time to meet any pets you will be looking after. Meeting pets beforehand starts the bonding process and means that when you start the assignment you will be familiar to them. It’s also a time to discuss the pets’ routines and ask questions; What are their feeding times? Where do they sleep? Are they allowed on sofas? Can they have treats?
If you are looking after a dog, ask about their favourite walks and what commands they respond too. Remember to take a notebook with you so you don’t have to rely on memory.
Ask for important numbers
Ask your client for the location of the completed Home Data Card, which will contain a list of important telephone numbers.
If you are looking after animals, there also may be people to contact in an emergency.
You will probably never need to use these numbers but it will give you and your client peace of mind to have these to hand.
Read up on pet behaviour
It can be really useful to read up about the typical behaviour of any animals you are looking after, especially if you never looked after them before. Breeds of dogs all have typical behaviour traits, so the more information you can arm yourself with the smoother the assignment is likely to be. Often we are asked to look after more unusual pets such as reptiles, llamas, pot-bellied pigs etc – so it’s definitely worth taking some time to find out about them.
Research the area
It’s useful, especially if you are looking after dogs, to explore the area prior to the assignment, checking out great places for walks, as well as interesting places to visit. This can easily be done online and is really worthwhile to make the most out of your time in a new area.
Ensure you understand the Homesitters guidelines
Read through your Notes for Homesitters guidelines booklet and make sure you understand all our rules just before each assignment. For instance, you are not allowed to leave a property for more than three consecutive hours (or one hour after dark). It’s important you adhere to our guidelines as we pride ourselves on offering a professional and reliable service to all our clients.
Ask questions
If you have any questions or concerns prior to the assignment make sure you ask these well in advance. Our team is on hand to make sure every assignment goes well so if there is anything you are unsure about please don’t be afraid to ask – we are here to help!
During the assignment
Remember we are on hand 24/7 to support you and to handle any issues during your assignment. We also check in with you regularly whilst you are on assignment to ensure everything is going well.
Happy home and pet sitting!
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