In-home pet care business models–which is best for you?

June 23, 2011 By 3 Comments

When I was making pet sitting visits last week, I got to walk the sweetest dog on a short walk in the neighborhood. Due to all the storms a lot of roofs were being replaced or repaired.  I was stunned at the number of different roof companies the different neighbors employed.  How did they choose from so many?  This got me to thinking about the in-home pet sitting industry and what it is like for pet owners to choose pet care for their pets. There are many options today from boarding to in-home pet sitting. In the 20 years we have been in business boarding facilities have made many changes. What was once referred to as “warehouses” for dogs and cats has now become “pet spas and resorts” that pamper your canines and felines.

The same goes for the in-home pet sitting industry. You have those who are trying to make as many visits a day as they can possibly squeeze in.  Then there are those who spend time with the pets pampering them and doing what we believe in-home pet care should do… “reduce the stress” on the pets when the pet owner is away.

This blog is to help pet owners choose from the different structures of professional in-home pet care companies. This is an attempt to help start the process of selecting and we will follow up with another blog to address other issues in finding an in-home pet care company. We begin with the different business models.  

First, the largest group of pet sitters is what’s called the “one man show”.  This type of structure limits the person on how many clients they can service at a time so when they are booked they have to say no even if you are an existing client. This structure has the pet sitter doing  10-15 visits daily during the busy season and working 7 days a week. You hear the sole proprietor say she does not take a vacation or if they take a vacation they let their clients know that they have to make other arrangements while they are gone.  Back up in the event of illness, car wreck, family emergency is usually a family member of the pet sitter.

The second group of companies is the ones who sub contract to other pet sitters to get clients covered. This may mean that the same person is coming into your house or different people depending upon who is available. What happens if the sub contractor pet sitter has one of her own clients call and needs service? The owner of the company can not train or tell the sub contractor how she wants the visit done, nor can she have any control over the number of visits the sub contracting pet sitter can do.  The sub contractor has the right to sub contract to another pet sitter. The question is will she be as diligent on checking out the person she sub contracts too?

The third group does have employees. The companies that have employees can fall into two categories:

 #1     Company with employees does not operate much differently than the companies with sub contractors except they have more control over what the pet sitter is doing and the employees can not go outside the company to find coverage for clients.

#2      Companies that realize how important the employee is to the company’s success (the employee is the one performing the service) will place investing in the employees as a high value of the company.  You will see training, team building and systems in place to benefit the employee and empower them to do the job. The company shows concern for the employees. There will be systems that show employees are valued such as not overbooking the employees, ensuring that employees can take vacations, have family time and have the tools and knowledge needed to perform their job.   This company structure allows for the employee to enjoy what they do.  When someone enjoys what they do and feels appreciated they will perform at a high level giving the type of care and concern we all would want from a service provider.

Guardian Pet Sitters® is structured to benefit the clients and the employees. We want our employees to be knowledgeable, relaxed and engaging on each visit. We offer our employees quarterly meetings, team building and an in-house certification program. We also encourage them to take vacation or to be there for an important family event. We don’t overbook our pet sitters as this is more than a job-it is a vocation. With the team building the pet sitters know who is covering their clients (yes our pet sitters are territorial as they get attached to the pets) and know that when they have their back up covering for them the pets will have the same quality service they provide. Each client has a primary and back up pet sitter. We never want our clients to find themselves without a pet sitter when needed so with our team structure we can offer our clients service 365 days. Our clients ALWAYS know their pets will be taken care of by a trained knowledgeable pet care provider.

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Pet Sitting is a NEVER-ENDING Responsibility

June 2, 2011 By 4 Comments

The last letter in our name says it all! N—It is a NEVER-ENDING responsibility to be thorough, conscientious and helpful to our clients, always going that extra mile to make them satisfied! Guardian Pet Sitters values our relationship with our clients-human and animal. We look for ways in order to serve and bring more value to benefit our clients.

Who would have thought 20 years ago we would stay so busy looking for ways to provide services to our clients. Wouldn’t you think if it was working you wouldn’t change it? Look how much has changed in the past 20 years. When we started, people didn’t use email, cell phones were limited and life didn’t seem as hectic. What we have learned is there is always a better way to do things. We want to ensure we are always offering the best to our clients.

Several years ago we switched our business model from focusing on a visit to focusing on the pet. What does this mean? We used to allow xx minutes for 1-2 pets or xx minutes for 3-4 pets. Today we allow xx minutes for 1 pet, xx minutes for 2 pets, xx minutes for 3 pets and xx minutes for 4 pets. We allow the time in the schedule, charge accordingly and thus are able to give more time and attention to each pet on each visit. The pet care provider is not rushing to get everything done in a visit so they are conscientious and thorough each time they make a visit. We want to do what we say in-home pet care is all about—reduce stress on your pet when you are gone.

Our back up system is not only in the event the pet sitter gets hurt, injured in a car wreck or becomes ill but works in the event there is a pet emergency. Arriving at a house with a sick pet whether minor or serious, our back up system allows the pet sitter to handle the emergency without concern for other pets that might be on the schedule. The pet sitter has an extra pair of hands if needed to help in the situation or to take over other visits if that is needed. Not overbooking our pet sitters’ aids in our ability to handle emergencies without compromising our service.  

Our business philosophy is pet care services require a team. We are working with live animals who must be cared for no matter what the circumstances. We offer our service 365 days and will be there when YOU need us.  Our clients need to be able to depend upon knowing their animals will be cared for in a top notch way when they need service. There will not be a note left saying I am unavailable from such and such dates. What happens if you have a family emergency and must leave town during those dates? With a team of trained professionals you know you can rely upon them to offer the same consistent quality service if you have a family emergency or you became ill and hospitalized. You know that your pets are cared for and watched by a trained pet sitter.     

Today, life is hectic for us. We have added services to help add time into the day. We offer home services (waiting for a repair man), cat brush-outs and nail trims, sub q fluids and allergy injections. This keeps the pet at home (reduces stress) and saves time for the owner as they do not have to make a trip to the veterinarian or groomer.  

As we said, it is a NEVER ending responsibility we have to our clients—human and furry. We love it that way as it means we must stay on our toes to provide quality service!

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Ongoing education is important to Professional Pet Sitters

March 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We are down to the last two letters in Guardian.  A stands to strengthen your ABILITY through on-going training (Pet Related Seminars, Public Lectures, Videos, Volunteer Work, In-House Certification Program, Reading and Internet Resources). As I was thinking about what to write I was taken back to the prehistoric days of pet sitting (19 years ago) when I started. In-home pet sitting as an industry is relatively in its infancy. Boy I wish I would have had the awareness then I have today about this industry. When I started it was believed anyone who loved animals and had animals of their own could get into the in-home pet sitting business. This belief has continued to escalate today. For me I was already in the midst of the business when one day I had a realization. As I was wearing the many different hats of a business owner/pet sitter I was at a client’s house and I realized that I did not have enough knowledge to be caring for other people’s pets. No one I talked to as I setup the business was concerned about how much animal related knowledge one needed (they didn’t realize it either).  

I was fairly knowledgeable in caring for animals as the pets we had growing up and the bird and dogs that I had when I started the business taught me a lot. But not enough to be taking care of other people’s pets! Before I got into being a professional I took care of my neighbors and friends pets and on the day of awakening I realized that I had been extremely lucky that nothing had happened to the pets in my care. This was a defining moment in my life and in Guardian Pet Sitters®.

I set out to learn as much as I could about the animals in my care and to also pass this information along to the others working with me. I subscribed to every pet related magazine and journal, went to any seminars I could find in the area (there were very few), and asked many questions of my veterinarian and others in animal related careers. I also found others to work with Guardian Pet Sitters® who worked in pet related careers. I started attending NAPPS conferences. It was at this time that some were awakening to the need for animal related knowledge and the NAPPS conferences were a great place to hear many different speakers on various animal related topics. I attended national and regional meetings NAPPS offered even though they were out of state.

I held seminars for the people working with me and passed on what I learned. We would also have various speakers at our meetings to speak on different aspects of animal husbandry. I flew in a cat specialist from Houston to speak at one of Guardian Pet Sitters® meetings; we had a ferret specialist, canine specialist and many veterinarians teaching us emergency first aid and how to recognize different ailments and what to do in certain situations. A pet sitter needs to have a wide variety of knowledge. A pet sitter needs the knowledge of the veterinarian technician, nutritionist, canine behaviorist, cat behaviorist, and bird specialist etc.  to perform the job.    

Out of my own need, I started a group for the DFW pet sitters to help us in getting animal education. I realized that our industry needed knowledgeable pet sitters to be recognized as true professionals.  We even had pet sitters from Austin and Houston who flew in just to attend our meetings. Trying to get the meetings setup was time consuming for me and unfortunately the group did not survive.

However, out of my quest for animal knowledge and how to run an in-home pet sitting company I volunteered and found myself serving on the board of NAPPS (1996 to 1999, co-chair of the NAPPS conferences from 1996 to 1998 and regional director from 1997 to 1999). This experience gave me exposure to many aspects of in home pet sitting and knowledge needed to be the company we are today.

Today we have the wonderful world of the internet and the knowledge we can gain about animals is on-going. You do have to be careful what you read and make sure the people you follow are themselves knowledgeable on the topics they write about.  

Today I am still on the pursuit for knowledge for myself and the employees of Guardian Pet Sitters®. Attending conferences and seminars is important for me and the staff and we continue to hold meetings for the pet sitters. We have started an in-house accreditation program, we have speakers who speak on various animal related topics and we encourage our staff to educate themselves.  

At Guardian Pet Sitters we believe knowledge about what we do is a key ingredient to quality pet care services. We strengthen our ability through our ongoing training and this helps us provide excellent pet care.

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How do you conduct your business?

February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 As we move through the letters in our name Guardian, we reach what we think is probably the most critical letter: I which stands for conduct business with Integrity and honesty.  in any business is everything, but especially when people are putting their pets and home in your care. When Guardian Pet Sitters® was started in 1992 we had high standards for our day to day operations of the company and that has not changed. 

A company that operates with Integrity is consistent with their actions, methods, principles, values, expectations and outcomes. Guardian Pet Sitters® finds with Integrity you can give reliable quality service. You can build relationships with your human clients and the pets win with responsible consistent pet care.  We are part of your pet care team! 

We value our Integrity; we want to do what is right for our clients and their pets, employees, vendors, other pet professionals and the communities that we serve. We value the principle to do what is right rather than what is expedient or will just get the job done. It usually takes longer to perform the duties when you have this as your goal. One of the reasons our service is built on time; we want to do the job completely each time we enter the home. We want each pet to have their needs met and if possible be able to add extra TLC. Our policy of treat each visit as if it is your last  means that at each visit we spend the time to do the job thoroughly. We don’t cut time on the visits and wait until the last visit to make everything perfect for the owner when they return.   

Another important aspect is being dependable and reliable. Guardian Pet Sitters® sticks to our commitments and we do not commit to what we can not deliver. Our backup system for our pet sitters is an example. We know we are human and “life happens” to us also. Being there for a client when we say we will be there is of paramount importance. It is important to us to be able to do what we say we are going to do regardless of what we encounter (life situations) while performing our services. 

Of course like all businesses we need to make money in order to stay in business. However we have the policy that we do what is best for the pet and their human above making money. This means if we don’t think in-home pet care is the right choice for your pet or if we don’t have the skills needed to provide a particular service for a pet we will help the owner find the right alternative. If we make a mistake we admit it and then we do what we can to rectify the situation even knowing that it will cost us money. Doing things right and being truthful is very important to us.   

Guardian Pet Sitters® believes that our integrity is the greatest value we can possess and it includes ethics, truthfulness, honesty, commitment, dedication, and personal responsibility. 

“Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.”   Don Galer

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D stands for “Be Dependable and responsible at all times.”

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Pet sitters are counted on to provide pet care services at an excellent level at all times. Being a dependable pet sitter means you are capable, reliable, responsible, steady, tried and true, and trustworthy. 

Each pet owner is looking to find a pet sitter with the character needed to perform excellent service for the pet family and the home. How do you decide if the pet sitter is the one for you? 

Guardian Pet Sitters® looks for a person who is much more than a pet lover. Being a pet lover is a MUST when taking care of pets. We believe that is the starting foundation to build upon. Early in my experience I got the “awakening” that taking care of my own pets did not qualify me as a pet sitter. During the 19 years Guardian Pet Sitters® has been in business, I have continued learning more about pets and pet related issues. This allows me to educate those who work for us and helps our clients with their pet’s needs. 

Most articles you read about how to select a pet sitter associate the credentials of the business with the qualities of a pet sitter. Some of the things you would want to know about a business:

  • A business should be bonded and insured.
  • The business has a service agreement that spells out what is expected and gives the necessary information needed to provide service.  
  • The business has policies in place that insure your pet’s care would not be compromised.
  • A business follows the laws that pertain to the business.
  • The business has office hours and a system for you to contact the office when needed.
  • The business offers their staff on-going training to keep them knowledgeable in pet care and other aspects of in home pet care. 
  • The business is a member of professional organizations and has advisors they work with to keep the business on track.
  • The business is about customer service and will put doing what is right for the customer and their pets over making money. 

 Some of the things you want to think about when you select your pet sitter: 

  • A pet sitter finds pleasure in caring for pets-petting-playing and nurturing and most of all providing them TLC.
  • A pet sitter must be trustworthy, have excellent judgment and be self motivated and disciplined.
  • A pet sitter needs great organizational skills and can think fast when faced with an emergency.
  • A pet sitter must be in good health.
  • A pet sitter should be more concerned about what is best for the pet and the pet owner over their own agenda. That would include being able to put the pet owner and pets’ needs over their own.
  • A pet sitter should be engaged in on-going training and open to learning more about their chosen profession. They must have the time to continue their learning.

 There is much more one needs to know in finding the right company and pet sitter.  Deciding what the best avenue is to meet your pet care needs is a serious process. 

Guardian Pet Sitters® takes providing pet care service seriously and has 19 years of selecting pet care providers and running a business concerned about customer service. What we have learned and practice is what makes us “dependable and responsible”. We do have the solutions to your pet care needs. 

 

 

 

 

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Teamwork Makes Great Pet Sitters!

January 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

  

For the past few months I have gotten away from talking about the letters in our name and what they mean to us. It is time to start again! R stands for respect and work as a team with my fellow professional pet sitters. 

Teamwork is the foundation of our company and gives us the ability to give quality pet care. At Guardian Pet Sitters® working as a team means we can ALWAYS have pet care coverage for our clients without compromising another client’s pet care. When you are a one person operation and a client has an emergency and needs pet care service you might not be able to provide the coverage if you are already booked or away on a scheduled vacation. Those who say yes and the schedule is already full must find a way to get everyone cared for in the same amount of time. What does that mean for the clients that already have pet care scheduled? 

At Guardian Pet Sitters® our team of professional pet sitters shows their respect to each other by helping each other when needed. They show respect to the clients by wanting to help the client when needed especially in an emergency. The management respects the client by having top-notch professional pet sitters available when a client needs pet care service and shows respect to the pet sitters by not overbooking them and having backup coverage. We don’t think other clients and their pets should be affected when there is an emergency. 

The team at Guardian Pet Sitters® shows respect to the pet sitters in our industry by setting high standards for ourselves and making sure that we do our best to present a positive professional image of our industry. 

Respect is something you earn from others and we at Guardian Pet Sitters® will continue to provide the highest level of pet care service to earn respect from our clients and those who are in our industry.

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Who Do You Have Available For Your Pets In An Emergency?

January 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The New Year has begun and this is our first blog of the year! Guardian Pet Sitters® is excited about 2011! The start of the year has been a time of reflecting back to “why” Guardian Pet Sitters was started 19 years ago. My feisty Shih Tzu named Precious, who would not settle for anything less than the best, had the best care that was possible. You might say she was a little spoiled! I wanted other pet owners and their pets to have what I had for Precious. Precious has been gone for 9 years but lives on in my heart. She will always be the reason for Guardian Pet Sitters®.   Our company is structured with a team foundation. This enables us to offer clients consistent quality pet care and to be available when our services are needed.

Have you ever wondered who would provide care for your pets?

If you suddenly became ill and were rushed to the hospital

If you had surgery and could not provide the everyday care for your pets such as exercising the dog or cleaning the litter box

If you had a family emergency (illness or death) and had to leave town suddenly

If your pet was recovering from surgery or illness and needed to be checked on during the day

Clients of Guardian Pet Sitters® have pet care available when needed!

This year we have a lot we want to do to help our pet community. You can look forward to many things from educational information to new services. Let us know how we can help you with your pet care needs.

We are excited about the opportunities in 2011 and are looking forward to helping our pet companions!

Sharon and the Guardian Pet Sitters® team

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Holiday Tips for a Healthy and Happy Pet

December 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This a wonderful time of year! The holidays bring us time with family and friends, enjoying great food and exchanging gifts. It is a time of hustle and bustle, holiday programs, shopping for gifts, going to wonderful parties and the young waiting for the big day when Santa will bring them the special toy.

This is a time for us to remember the wonderful animals that share our lives and bring us joy. Pets can enjoy the holidays if we are careful and not let their curiosity or their sense of smell get them in trouble. We can show our love and thankfulness for the part they play in our lives by giving the gifts that say I care.

Some gifts can be bought, you might want to replace the worn-out and frayed collar and leash, get a new name tag, new food or water bowls and this would be a good time to throw out the old litter box and get a brand new one. What about a new orthopedic mattress bed for your older pet, or replace the bird’s rusting cage with a roomier clean one. What about a new kitty condo? We don’t want to forget new toys for them to play with that will entertain and give them exercise. 

Then there are gifts that we can not buy, scheduling time during this busy season to spend time with your animal friend, find moments in your busy schedule to take the dog for a walk or play with the cat.

During this time of year we have the responsibility of protecting them from the many hazards for pets that can be found. The holidays can be stressful for our pets with all the changes in the home and routine. Here are some steps to make sure your pet is happy and secure during this time, eliminating added stress and giving you enjoyment with your pet. 

  • Be sure there is a quiet room for the shy animals to retreat as they can get stressed with the hustle and bustle of holiday guest.
  • Before your light those candles, remember some produce fumes that can be harmful to birds, a wagging tail can easily knock over a burning candle, and a cat could jump on the table and knock over the candle.
  • The simmering pots or decorative bowls might find a curious pet checking it out and they could burn themselves or ingest the liquid.
  • Batteries (loose and in packages) should be kept away as they contain corrosives that can cause ulceration in your animal’s mouth, tongue and gastrointestinal tract if bitten or swallowed.
  • The Christmas tree is a target as the pet might want to chew on the branches (pine needles can be toxic), climb into the tree causing it to fall over or for the “live” trees drink the water that contains commercial preservatives or the water is stagnant and contain bacteria which can cause vomiting and worse.
  • Electrical cords, glass ornaments, ribbons, holly berries can have dangerous side effects if your cat or dog chews or consumes.
  • Don’t use tinsel; it can cut your pet’s intestines. Also can wad up and cause blockage requiring stomach surgery for your canine or feline.
  • Holly, Poinsettia, Chrysanthemums, Amaryllis, Periwinkle, and Mistletoe can be toxic to your pet.
  • Don’t “treat” the pet from the table – it could lead to indigestion, upset tummies, or loose bowels.
  • Alcoholic drinks can cause death, especially smaller animals
  • Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine which can cause serious problems for your pets. 
  • Bones from turkeys, chicken, pork, fish and beef ribs can puncture your pet’s throat, stomach or intestines.
  • Electrical cords, glass ornaments, ribbons, holly berries can have dangerous side effects if your cat or dog chews or consumes.

If you do suspect that your pet has gotten into a poisonous substance, call your veterinarian or the APCC’s emergency hotline 1-888-4-ANI-Help for help.

With your busy schedule you might reduce your stress by hiring a pet sitter to come in to feed, play or walk the dog, or if you have an elderly or special condition pet (diabetic) that needs medicine or insulin shots. This will reduce the stress and enable you to attend the holiday functions with “peace of mind” that your pets are being provided the care you want them to have.

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Pet Sitting is a Serious Job!

November 17, 2010 By 1 Comment

We received our latest copy of Pet Sitter’s World and Patti Moran’s article confirms what Guardian Pet Sitters believes. Pet Sitting is a serious job and one to be done by a professional. Patti Moran’s article talked about several things that happened during the holidays last year requiring pet sitters to go above and beyond. 

The article reminds us that we never know what we will face when providing pet care. She tells us about the pet sitter that arrived at a house to find it smoke filled with cats trapped inside, or the family who was killed in a collision on the way home, and the house that was burglarized.   

We don’t want things to happen but as we quote “life happens to pet sitters”. Being a pet sitter calls for being highly responsible and quick thinking. It is also an emotional job. We bond with the critters we provide care for as though they belong to us. We have an emotional attachment. 

To learn they are ill or worse, died is hard for the pet sitter. It’s like it happened to your own furry or feather friend. 

Because we care for pets in their own environment we take care of a lot of geriatric pets. We know that their time could come while we are caring for them. In our 18 year history, we have twice walked into houses where the dog had passed in its sleep. Not only do we have to deal with our own grief but also think about the family and how to help them through this period of time. 

Then there have been situations where the pets’ final hours were spent with the pet sitter who recognized that the pet needed medical attention and got them to the emergency clinic. Though we don’t have to, pet sitters will be there for the final good-bye when the owner can not be. 

When we sign a contract to care for someone’s pets, we are saying we will go above and beyond for the pet’s welfare. We are available to handle the emergencies, and to do what is needed to provide care to the pets. 

In choosing a pet care provider you want to select a company who has experience and can be there when the unforeseen happens. Though most days our pet visits are routine wouldn’t you want someone who can handle any of the emergencies described above and will be with your pet providing it love and TLC?

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