Home Safe

As I make travel arrangements and get ready to go on vacation I am also preparing for my own pet care; making sure there is enough dog food, cat food, cat litter and tortoise food. Taking a vacation can be a lot of work!

My biggest concern, as a pet parent, is - what if something happens to us while we are on vacation? You know, the kind of things that are not likely but can still cause worry when you have pets alone at home who are dependent on your return for their survival.

At Creature Comforts, we are all pet parents and we understand that worry. We have a Home Safe policy to make sure we keep all pets in our care until our clients return home safely. On the last day of each service schedule a notification appears on our admin console and a Home Safe email is sent to the client. That email has a link that the client clicks to close the service ticket, which notifies us that they have returned home. We noticed that not all clients were checking their email when they got home (we know that's a busy time with overjoyed pets welcoming you) so we made these cute little Thank You cards to leave on the counter with a reminder to click the link in the Home Safe email.

Our clients have had a lot of unexpected delays during our decade of service and we are always prepared to continue care. Some delays have been weeks-long, like the wife who was deployed to Afghanistan while the husband, stationed in Antarctica, had to wait for transportation home. A mechanical failure in the cargo plane caused it to be grounded in New Zealand and it was 2 weeks before a replacement plane "landed on the ice" to pick him up. We continued our three-times daily visits to the dogs whose parents were 7000 miles apart. We even kept their beautiful lawn alive!

As a business owner, our Home Safe process gives me peace of mind at the end of each day, knowing that our traveling clients are home and the pets are safely back in their care. I hope that it gives you comfort when you choose us to take care of your beloved pets knowing that you will come home to a card on your counter reminding you to let us know you are Home Safe.

  

Welcome Collies

We are always excited to welcome a new pet, or family of pets, to our fold. We began watching Ramsey, the kitty, and Kona, Bella and Ike, the Collies, in November. They are beautiful and fun!

Ramsey loves when the puppies get to come in for the night so he has someone to play with! 

We would love to welcome your pets to our Furry Family, too!

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Interview Questions You Should Ask A Pet Sitter

Pet Sitting allows you to travel while allowing your pets to live at home where they feel safe and comfortable. It is an excellent alternative to boarding where some pets feel stressed by being caged in close proximity to other animals. Finding a pet sitter is not difficult. Google, Facebook and Yelp will yield a lot of results. How do you find the right pet sitter for your needs?

Ask questions! Caring for your pets is a serious responsibility. Interviewing prospective pet sitters for the position will ensure you make an educated decision. Here is a guide to use during your search:

1: Do you have business insurance and are you bonded?  Your pet sitter will have access to your home and valuables as well as your pets. Business insurance will protect you in the event of any accidents to your home or your pet. How will you be protected if your dog is attacked while out walking? How will you be compensated if something is broken in your home? Hire a professional with business insurance specific to the pet sitting industry.

A bond will protect you against theft. A reputable pet sitting company carries a bond on their staff, typically up to $10,000.00. We also conduct background checks. You will want this peace of mind when allowing access to your house.

2. What is your Emergency Plan? Things happen! A sole proprietor may not have a back up plan in the event of illness or a personal emergency. Who is going to cover if your pet sitter has an emergency? At Creature Comforts, we have a team of professionals and every situation is handled without missing a beat.

3. What is your experience with __________ (your type of pet and/or medical condition/unique requirements)?  If you have horses you'll want to make sure the person caring for them has experience (it is very easy to find someone who just LOVES horses but what experience do they have?) If your cat is taking medication can the person administer it? What experience do they have? If your dog is insulin dependent can they do the injections? Have they done this before? Do they know how many times a day an animal needs insulin? Can they be on time?

4. How will you know when the visits are done? A good company will have GPS and time-stamped visit reports that are automatically sent to you to let you know the pet sitter was at your house when clocking in and out of your visit.