Should You Tip the Pet Sitter?

We are asked about this pretty often! Some people wonder if it is allowed, is it expected,

what is normal? We leave that up to the discretion of our clients and the service provided. While that's not the most helpful answer we can only say that your pet sitters will take great care of your pets, regardless!

The team strives to do the best job possible to enable you to travel with Peace of Mind. They pay attention to your pet's behavior, potty habits and eating habits to be alerted to anything unusual that may need intervention. Your visit reports will be fun and informative and you can trust that if your dog has stopped eating or has diarrhea you will be kept informed.

We'll also be looking after your home and the pet sitters have alerted the manager and clients to ice makers that have failed (they leak all over the floor!), a gas burner that was on at our first visit (the pet was immediately evacuated and the house was aired out), a trampoline that had blown over the fence, a ping pong table that had blown up against a sliding glass door, a gate that was blown off the hinges (yes, we do have a windy season!), a toilet that hadn't stopped running, a sprinkler system gone haywire, pipes that had burst after a deep freeze and more! 

If you choose to tip your pet sitters our system makes that so easy! Simply log in to your account and navigate to Petcare > My Info > Details (expand the section) > Tipping. You can set a Percentage or a Dollar Amount per visit.

Tip FAQ:

Q: How much do most clients tip?

A: It averages out to $2 to $4 per visit.

Q: How is the tip distributed?

A: The system splits it per visit and the amount goes to the pet sitters completing the visits.

Q: Can I leave a cash tip?

A: Yes. Please put it in an envelope with Creature Comforts written on it so they know to take it (they are not going to take unmarked cash left on the counter). The manager will collect it from one of the pet sitters and will add it as a tip payment to have the system split it. 

Q: What if I cancel or add visits?

A: We charge at the end of service and your automatic tip setting will apply only to completed visits. If you pay your invoice in advance the cancellations will appear as a credit balance on your account and the tip amount is not applied to cancelled visits.

Q: Can I tip one pet sitter more?

A: You can do this with the assistance of a manager, just text and we'll help!

We hope that you will rest assured that our pet sitters are dedicated to providing the best care. They do love to get tips and it makes their day but they are going to love your pets just the same if tipping is not within your budget!

  

Why a Pet Sitter is Not Right for You

Believe it or not, pet sitting is not the right solution for all pets.

Why would we bring this up? We want to make sure that your pet receives the best possible care while you're traveling and that you're aware of the reasons why a pet sitter may not be right for your pet.

1: Your dog is not good with strangers. Some pet parents don't really know this or they won't fully disclose it and the pet sitter finds out in a most unfortunate way. We have had several encounters like this and they've been among our most challenging experiences.

In one situation, the owner said the dog is skittish around strangers but should be ok. We

met the dog the day before the owner left. The next evening the dog would not let the pet sitter in the house. We reached out to the emergency contact and the dog wouldn't let the friend in the house, either! Fortunately, the owner was only in Tucson and was able to come home.

We once had to contact an owner who was away on a trip to get vaccination records to take their dog to a boarding facility as he was too dangerous to the pet sitter attempting to let him out of his crate on the visits.

2: Your pet has a medical condition that is not fully managed by medication. This is most common in senior pets and pets with chronic issues whose health is deteriorating and not responding to medication. These pets require a lot of supervision and, often, veterinary intervention. We recommend boarding at veterinary hospital.

3: Your pet is on medication and is shy with strangers and/or is resistant to the medication. Pets on medication must reliably and easily take medications without force or extreme trickery. Putting medication in favorite treats is fine, as long as the pet will always accept the treat. While we can usually spend extra time getting the medication into an unwilling pet it can often be a risk; to either the pet, if we simply can't administer the medication or get the pet out from under the bed, or to the pet sitter, if the pet becomes upset and bites or growls.

4: You are having workers or guests at your home while you're away. They may be there during scheduled visits and impede the pet sitter's ability to provide care. They may leave a gate, window or door unsecured. The noise and chaos of having significant construction or repairs being done can cause your pets undue stress.

We have walked in on guests in various stages of undress and activities that definitely indicated they weren't expecting anyone to come barging in on them. We have been startled by people coming out of bedrooms when we thought the house was empty. In one very alarming situation a boyfriend chased one of our pet sitters out of the house. Our policy requires that no one else is at the house during our visits for the safety of our pet sitters.

Those are the Top 4 Reasons why a pet sitter is not right for you. If you have a unique situation and you aren't sure whether we can help just give us a call! After 12 years and more than 100,000 visits we have the experience to guide you in the right direction, even if it is not with us!

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How Much Does Pet Sitting Cost

Most of us go straight to the "Price" page when browsing options for things we need. It can be frustrating to not find prices published on a website. We're working on that! 

Let's dive into this topic while we are working on the rebuild of our website where our rate chart will have it's own page to make it easy to access!

If you live in Sierra Vista or on Fort Huachuca your rates are pretty straightforward. If you live in Hereford, that's where it becomes a bit complicated! We're happy to give you an actual cost, all we need is an address, but this chart will give you a good idea for your rural area.

Our pet sitters are paid fairly for their professional service, knowledge and dedication and we are confident you will find your Peace of Mind worth it! There is no sales tax on service and we do not charge fees for multiple pets or even plants that need to be watered. We offer flat rates to make budgeting for your pet care easy.

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What would happen to your pets 

Many people in our community worry about what would happen to their pets if something were to happen to them. Whether this is an accident, a sudden health issue, or hospitalization. We want to put your worry at ease!

Existing Clients: Simply put a wallet card or key chain fob to alert emergency responders that you have pets at home alone and put our contact information on it. They will call us and we will step in to make sure your pets are fed, watered and let out for potty until you are able to come home. If you want us to be on standby for this service we will need to keep a copy of your key in our safe; simply reply to this email and we'll coordinate this step.

Other Pet Parents: This is a bit trickier as we won't have met your pets and we aren't familiar with their care. We will provide this service to cats and reliably friendly dogs (think Golden Retriever personality) who will welcome us into the home. Hospital staff who call us on your behalf will also need to give us basic information, like your address, and we can arrange to get your keys from them. This is not always an easy solution and we recommend using our pet sitting or dog walking service so we are already part of your dog's family.

Alternative: What happens if you don't have an emergency contact or your pet will not allow a stranger into the home? Animal Control is the default contact when a pet parent doesn't have anyone to call, or isn't able to alert emergency staff as to who to call. Your pet(s) will be taken to the animal shelter.

Most Important Step: Please make sure to have a card in your wallet that indicates you have pets at home alone. This is critical to fast coordination of their care In Case of Emergency.

Signs of Diabetes in Dogs and Cats

How can you tell if your dog or cat has diabetes? There are common symptoms to watch for and we recommend talking to your veterinarian about prevention at each annual check up. 

1. Excessive Thirst. Dogs and cats will drink more than usual. In fact, you'll probably notice your cat drinking more frequently because getting cats to drink enough water can be so challenging. Dogs will also drink more water and you'll notice the bowl needs to be filled more frequently.
2. More Pee. This one is definitely easier to tell with cats because you clean the litter box whereas dogs may need to go outside more frequently or will start having accidents in the house. Cat pee also tends to be "sticky" and you may notice the clumps stick to the litter scoop or the litter box.
3. More Infections. This one is easiest with dogs. You may notice their feet become infected if they get thorns. They may break out in other infections such as sores that don't heal.
4. Appetite. Your dog or cat may seem to always be hungry, as though they can't get enough food. They may have an increased sense of urgency while eating. They may try to get into the food bag or dispenser between meals.
5. Weight Loss. The urgency for food can coincide with weight loss as they struggle to absorb enough nutrition from their normal diet.
6. Coat Quality. Diabetic pets often have poor coat quality. Dandruff, oily fur, lackluster appearance.

Diabetes is a serious disease and will be a life-changing diagnosis. Talk to your vet about prevention and be sure to take your pet to the vet when you notice any of the above symptoms.

If your pet is diagnosed with diabetes we're here to help. Read our article on hiring a pet sitter to take care of your diabetic pet.

  

Diabetic Pet Care

How do you travel or even have evenings out if your pet is diagnosed with diabetes? 

We hear this concern from our new clients all the time. They feel tied to an insulin schedule and it makes it challenging to spend a day or evening out, go to Tucson, visit with friends, go camping or even take a vacation. It's a life changing diagnosis, that's for sure!

We're here to help! We have diabetes certified pet sitters on our team who are experienced taking care of diabetic cats and dogs. Whether you need care for a vacation or an evening out, we are just a click away!

Our requirements (we're sorry to single out cats but they've given us the most stories!): 

1. Your pet must be friendly. We've had some pretty scary encounters, mostly with cats as they are the most common diabetic pets, but also with a few dogs. Cat bites are a serious issue and can lead to infections. Your dog or cat must be well-socialized and must not have any issues with injections.
2. Your cat cannot hide. If you have a diabetic cat who is friendly but is known to sleep soundly in odd locations, like in the box springs or under the sofa, we'll ask that you keep all bedroom doors closed and block other napping places that may require moving furniture or the use of ladders. 
3. Identical pets must be distinguished. This is most easily done with collars of opposite color. You might be able to tell two nearly identical littermate cats apart at a glance but we can't accept the risk that the cat with the slightly more pronounced stripes on the tail might not be the one who gets the insulin. 

Most of the time diabetic pets are pretty easy and their owners can travel with peace of mind while the pets are in our care. The above criteria is from our 12 years experience in all sorts of situations! We've had cats hiss, growl, bite and chase our pet sitters. We've had them hide inside box springs, which required disassembling the bed. We've had to use a restraint bag (specifically designed for testing the blood glucose of cats who are less than impressed by this event) to give insulin injections (this usually only works once and then they are on to us). 

How can you tell if your dog or cat has diabetes? Here are 7 common symptoms to watch for.

Because insulin is not optional we will take extra steps prescreening your diabetic pet. New clients should expect to schedule 2 to 3 practice visits for us to come by at the evening feeding/insulin time while you are out. These visits will let us know whether your pet will cooperate with our pet sitters before your actual trip leaves them in our care for several days.

Let's talk about your diabetic pet and how we can help! Call or text 520-333-7387 and tell us about your pet!