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Day 12 of our 15-part series on the life of professional pet sitters.

As we make our way through more and more of these extraordinary tales, it becomes increasingly obvious that the professional pet sitter is so much more than a “one trick pony” (pun intended?).

Truth be told, a true pet care professional must consider the welfare and well being of the animals in her care from a variety of angles.

She must consider the health and the safety from elements inside the home. She must consider the safety from outsiders, including other people, other dogs and other animals.

And she must consider the unknown factors. Like the weather.

Each job we take as a professional care taker could potentially present an entirely unique set of circumstances that we must act upon in a matter of seconds.

The pet parent relies on our good judgement to keep her furry family member protected.

This is why hiring an experienced professional should be your top priority.

In today’s spotlight, Rebecca Kirkland of Whiskers ‘N’ Wags Pet Sitting in Colorado City, TX was put to the test and passed with flying colors!

Day 11 of our ongoing series that shines the spotlight right on the amazing work of an entire industry. See all of our stories from our 15 Professional Pet Sitters Sharing Extraordinary Tales.

On the surface, pet sitting may sound like ‘you come over, walk the dog, play with the cat, and make sure there is enough food and water to go around.’

We know, however, there is a tremendous more responsibility that goes into a successful job well done.

We also know that quite often we are turned to as a life saving resource when a pet parent does not know where else to turn.

It’s the professional pet sitter to the rescue… Always. And don’t you forget it 🙂

Power to the Pet Sitter!

Today’s powerful story is from Tami Truex of Head to Tail Pet Sitting Services in Valpo, IN

This is Day 10 of our spotlight series on 15 Professional Pet Sitters Share Their Favorite ‘Tales’.

If there is one thing I have learned about running my own business, it’s the power in trusting your gut.

Call it intuition, or a feeling, but 99 times out of 99 times, your gut feeling to a choice or decision you need to make will be the absolute correct one.

Too often we get caught up in second guessing what we truly know we should be doing.

Dawn Higgins of Dawn the Pet Nanny LLC in Horsham, PA knows about this first hand.

As you’ll see, something inside her was telling her to make a certain decision, and someone’s life was saved because of it.

Professional pet sitters are extraordinary people who go above and beyond for every living creature in their local community.

Hiring a qualified and trained professional to care for your pet while you are away can be the best decision you can make.

This is Day 9 of our 15-part spotlight series on Professional Pet Sitters!.

So much of what we experience as professional pet sitters is often a double edged sword.

We put our entire heart into caring for each furry client and sadly, the worse part of this career is often dealing with the inevitable; that moment you must say goodbye to a dear friend.

It’s never easy. And there is no way around it.

The best a professional can do is handle it with respect, love, and grace.

Today’s spotlight is the very text book definition on how to be there for the human client when it’s time to allow the furry client to peacefully pass on to Rainbow Bridge.

This is the story of pet sitter Cindy Vet of Pet Buddy Pet Sitting in Decatur, GA.

This is Day 8 of our 15 Professional Pet Sitter Spotlight Series.

I’m not sure I’ve met any professional pet sitter who can say “I wanted to be a pet sitter when I grew up!”

This means, we have all entered this glorious profession leaving behind another career (or two).

That works out extremely well, and in the favor of all parties involved. This allows the professional to have life experience and a wide variety of outside skills and training that could easily be useful in our day-to-day business.

Today’s spotlight is no exception. Say hello to Nancee Marin of An Artful Dogger serving the surrounding areas of San Bernardino County, California.

As a self-proclaimed “Lover. Artist. Musician. Writer. Linguist. Thinker. Sit-down comedienne. Foodie. Cheap chic fashionista. Mad Renaissance woman.”, Nancee is one unique and extraordinary pet care provider.

Here is her story.

This is Day 7 of our spotlight on 15 Professional Pet Sitters.

One of the greatest things I love most about helping pet sitting business owners is the fact that no two are operated quite the same.

The professional pet sitter can choose what services to offer, what specific policies to put in place, and how big she wishes to grow.

At some point in time, the question of “Should I bring on some help?” pops into the mind of the business owner.

And while plenty choose to bring on qualified staff to keep things in line with the overall business goals, many pet sitters remain a one-person show.

This is the story of what it’s like to be a solo pet sitter.

Today’s pet sitter spotlight is on Kristin Watson of Kristin’s K9 & Cat Care serving the Bonham Texas and surrounding areas.

Sure, anyone can have a friend or neighbor pop over to feed their pet when they are out of town.

But that choice undermines the true skill, training, and education the professional pet care provider has.

We are not merely a commodity to be hired with no regard to the person caring for the pet.

A vast majority of pet business owners invest their hearts into every job, and you can’t put a price tag on that.

Tori Lattig of Endless Pawsibilities in Toms River, NJ, is a prime example of what it means to hire a professional.

This is Day 5 of our 15 Professional Pet Sitter Spotlight Series.

One of the most unfortunate statements I hear in our industry is a version of “I went into this business because I don’t like people.”

Or “I’d rather spend my time dealing with the furry clients rather than the human clients.”

While I completely understand the sentiment of that thought, I say it’s unfortunate because no matter what business you are in (including our extraordinary industry) it’s ALL about dealing with the human client first.

It’s also vastly important to form genuine bonds, connections, and strategic partnerships with other various people in your community.

Without the help and support of others, you will most certainly burn out and hit a ceiling in your pet business.

The “secret” to any successful business is forming strong relationships. Period.

As you’ll read in today’s Spotlight from pet business owner Cynthia Lummis Johnson of Copy Cat & Dog Care in Lebanon, Ohio, forming a few strategic relationships helped her raise a great deal of money (and awareness) for a wonderful cause.

This is Day 4 of our 15 Part Series to Spotlight the Professional Pet Sitter.

If there is one thing every pet sitting business owner knows, it’s the great need of ongoing public education of our thriving industry.

To no fault of their own, some pet owners will look to ask a friend, relative or neighbor to check in on their fur baby when leaving town.

In today’s spotlight, Beth Harwell of Dog Walkers & More at Coddle Creek, LLC has experienced first hand the true life saving benefit of hiring a skilled and trained professional pet sitter.

This is Day 3 of our 15-part Professional Pet Sitter Series.

It certainly goes without saying that most pet professionals are kind, caring, and thoughtful people.

The story that follows is from Betheny Green of Paws Pet Care at Home in Louisville, KY, and begins with a seemingly normal lunch with her teenage son.

What transpired from that afternoon is so wildly inspiring that an entire community has been profoundly impacted by the ongoing acts of kindness.

I’ve recently heard a quote that is relevant here and has stuck with me:

“It’s not what you look at, it’s what you see.”

And I’m sure you’ll agree that what Betheny Green saw on that Summer afternoon is something we can all aspire to ‘see.’