Where Can You Find the Best Pet Sitters Out There Today? Taking care of our furry friends is always a priority. And when you're at home, you know you're giving your pet the best possible care. But what about when you're away? Some trips are too long for doggie car rides or too stressful for homebody kitties. So, when you enjoy your relaxing getaway, you want to know that your four-legged family members are safe, happy, and cared for with the same love that you show them yourself. That's where professional pet sitters come in.
Poor
PetSitter is a site run by CareGuide that promises to find the next best friend for your furry family member. PetSitter has a customer base of over 1 million individuals who want specialized help in caring for their pets while away. CareGuide got started as a site that offered a place to find care online. It got started in 2013 and added PetSitter a few years ago. Other sites in the CareGuide family include ElderCare, Housekeeper, and Nanny Lane, but PetSitter is the one that focuses 100% on pets.
Sign up and make a job listing to proceed
To find a pet sitter, you just click the red "find a pet sitter now" button on the main page. You'll choose your current country from the US, United Kingdom, and Canada. Next, you'll need to add your email address and name, then create a password to join PetSitter. PetSitter will ask you which pet services you'd like your pet sitter to provide. You can pick from dog walking, pet sitting, pet grooming, overnight care, and boarding, and pet options include dogs, cats, birds, fish, and lizards. Then, PetSitter will generate a listing from the information that you provided that you can post to the site. However, before you can see anything further, you'll be encouraged to subscribe. There is a free option for using PetSitter, but it states that you can only send and receive up to 3 messages per conversation when contacting pet sitters.
Less professional feel than competitors
Once you get to listings in your area, you can see a range of individuals, their pricing, their specialties, and how close they are to your location. We saw 50+ listings for pet sitters in our area for a request that included someone who works with cats and can visit daily due to a cat's condition needing medicine every 12 hours. We were a little disappointed by the overall feel of the listings. While PetSitter offers a range of helpful details, like location, hourly rates, and more, the photos for pet sitters on the platform lack professionalism. Many come across as similar to a dating profile, which may not inspire confidence in their pet sitting skills.
Costs from $8-$20 per hour
While we asked to be shown daily rates, all of the pet sitters we were recommended on PetSitter offered hourly rates instead. These ranged from $8 per hour up to $20 per hour. On top of paying for the pet sitters on PetSitter, the site also offers a premium subscription plan. This costs $36 for one month, or up to $106 for a year. This allows you unlimited messages and calls through the platform to find a pet sitter. Or, if you want your pet sitting jobs to be featured without any ads, you can pay $71 for one month or up to $211.99 per year.
Most security is for the pet sitter
PetSitter's safety information is mostly for individuals who want to offer their pet sitting services rather than for pet owners seeking pet sitters on the platform. Though some of these helpful tips might be good for you too (like setting up an in-person interview before securing a pet sitter's services), there don't appear to be any particular security features in place to protect pet owners (like background checks), compared to other sites we've reviewed.
Recent reviews warn of scams
PetSitter itself doesn't have a page on the Better Business Bureau. Instead, we had to check on PetSitter's parent company, CareGuide. Currently, the news isn't great: CareGuide has a "C+" rating from the BBB. On third-party review sites, PetSitter has its own feedback, but the ratings are abysmally low. The average on Trustpilot is 1.5 stars out of 5. Recent reviews are all claims of scams. Customers paid for pet sitters and didn't get any services and could not find any help when reaching out to customer service. Others have messaged pet sitters on the site and never received any responses. With review after review warning of a "scam" or "shady" practices, you might want to use extreme caution when considering PetSitter (if you don't just avoid it altogether).
Not worth the scams and stress
If you felt iffy while considering the "dating profile" vibe of the pet sitter photos, and made it to the dismal ratings and concerns about scams, you probably feel the same way we do about PetSitter: it's safer to stay away. You don't want to get stuck paying for a sitter you never see, and if it's this hard to get a lead, you'd be better off spending your time securing a more reliable pet sitter elsewhere.
Continued from above...
Taking care of our furry friends is always a priority. And when you're at home, you know you're giving your pet the best possible care. But what about when you're away? Some trips are too long for doggie car rides or too stressful for homebody kitties. So, when you enjoy your relaxing getaway, you want to know that your four-legged family members are safe, happy, and cared for with the same love that you show them yourself. That's where professional pet sitters come in.
Finding a pet sitter these days isn't the same as hoping someone in your neighborhood can stop by and check on Mr. Whiskers. Professional pet sitters are their own growing industry, and there are over 35,000 different pet sitters around the US. According to recent statistics, 99% of all pet sitters independently own their business, so you will be working with one sitter rather than trusting your home to multiple people.
There are many different types of pet sitters out there, including those who have experience with particular kinds of pets. You will often find sitters for common pets like dogs or cats, but there are some specialists for other exotic pets or even farm animals if you've got a few. Some pet sitters have additional training as well, like certifications in animal behavior or first aid. This is especially helpful if you have a pet with a medical condition like feline diabetes or IBD that may require more in-depth care than an average pet.
Hiring a pet sitter should be seamless. That's why there are tons of sites out there that allow professional pet sitters to list their services and make it much easier for you to sift through the list of specialists and fees for pet sitters in your area. Database-style sites are one of the top ways to hire an individual pet sitter that fits your furry family member's needs. This way, you can compare pet sitters side by side, and find the best selection without picking through Google listings or cold-calling numbers you find in ads.
But if you're not sure where you and your pet can find the best fit, don't worry - we've done the digging for you. Here are a few factors that can help you make your final decision:
To help you find the best care so you can enjoy your next vacation worry-free, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the most popular pet sitters available today. This way, you can fly, drive, or sail with the knowledge that your precious four-legged friend is cared for, played with, and not lonely back at home. And you can rest easy knowing your cat, dog, bunny or beyond is safe at home waiting to cuddle you when you get back!
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