It’s full on Fall here in the PNW, home of the Habibi Bear puppies, the Original Teddy Bear dog. Maybe your family has a lot of upcoming autumn activities planned, which may require going out of town overnight for a period of time. We are here to help you get the best person for the job by offering a list of some questions to ask so you can find someone great to watch your precious Habibi Bear puppy dog.
- Do you have personal references for the person you are interviewing for the job? The best way to find a pet sitter is to ask your other dog parents in your network who they have used to watch their pups when they are out of town.
- If you do have a reliable reference from people who have used their services, here are more questions to ask:
- How long have they been watching dogs? Do they have a lot of personal experience with dogs in general? Perhaps they haven’t been watching dogs long, but they have been responsible for dogs all their adult life. Experience is helpful because in cases of emergency, they will know how to react and won’t panic when the chips are down.
- How much attention and interaction will they be giving your dog? Are they willing and dedicated to maintaining your dog’s daily schedule? Will they be leaving your dog alone for extended periods of time? How long?
- Will they at any time be drinking during their stay? Again, for reasons of dog safety and potential emergencies, a sober pet sitter ensures that your pet will be able to get to the veterinarian office in a timely manner.
- Will the primary focus during the job be the dog? Will you allow (their) visitors to your home?
- Will you allow them to take the dog in their car on rides to parks or trails? Are they properly insured and have a reliable vehicle?
- Do you feel comfortable with them and the answers of their interview? How does your dog interact with them? How do they interact with your dog? Are they at ease with your pup?
***Star Tip: Arrange to have a potential sitter meet with your puppy at least twice with your supervision so there will be an element of familiarity and your pup can be comfortable when you leave.****
Of course, these are just some basic questions to give you an idea of the type of things to ask in order to know someone you’ve just met who will be caring for your little Habibi guy or gal. It is imperative that we find someone loving and reliable. Our puppies need us to advocate for them, lacking voices and the ability to let us know what has happened in our absence. It is really difficult undoing damage or a traumatic experience after it has happened. Let’s be proactive and put feelers out for finding just the right person ahead of needing them so we can be confident when the time comes to leave our puppies in their care. How have you found pet sitters in the past? Leave a comment and share with our Habibi Bear tribe your success stories. We’d love to hear from you. We are always her for you, cheering you on!