Pet sitting involves providing temporary care for someone’s pet at their home. A pet sitter is somebody you hire to take care of your pet while you are away. They can be very useful, especially if you are on vacation or on a business trip. Or if you are ill and cannot take care of your pet yourself, you can use such services as well. They ensure your pet is safe and know how to take care of the animal when it gets ill.
Usually, pet sitters have extensive hands-on experience taking care of animals. While most may not have formal training, tending to animals’ needs and handling all aspects of animal behavior are the responsibilities of a pet sitter. It is therefore important that the people who care for pets have enough experience handling animals to understand their problems or even provide first aid if needed.
A sitter’s responsibility involves more than just staying with the animal. An experienced pet sitter can provide many services to your pet, including feeding the pet, playing with them, cleaning up after the pet, and ensuring the pet takes their medication.
If you are out of your home for a while, you can hire a sitter and leave instructions on your pet’s feeding schedule. An excellent pet sitter should have no problem taking care of your pet’s schedule, including giving them medicine, taking them for walks, and picking up after them when they make a mess.
This article discusses the types of pet sitting arrangements you can consider and why you should hire a sitter. It also outlines how you can draft your thank you note for them and other gifts you can consider giving.
Pet-Sitting Thank-You Note Templates
If you have to use a pet sitter’s services frequently, you may need to write thank you notes. While they may be simple, they still take time to write if you have to write a new one each time. You could use a template to save time. You can edit them to add or remove the information you need.
Below are free, downloadable, and editable templates for your use:
Types of Pet Sitting
You may need a pet sitter for many reasons; maybe you have a sick pet or are going on vacation. Besides providing care to your pet, hiring a sitter allows you to feel comfortable knowing that your pet is safe while you are away. You may also require your pet to get specialized care. Because of the different needs, there are different types of pet sitting arrangements, including:
Daytime visits
For daytime visits, the sitter will visit your home during the day to replenish your pet’s bowl, change their water, walk the pet, or give them their medication. The number of daily visits your sitter makes depends on your animal’s needs.
Overnight pet sitting
Sitters can stay at your home for at least 12 hours. Most sitters stay with your pet through the night, mostly from 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. or 8 am.
Live-in pet sitting
You can hire a sitter to stay at your place for an agreed period. They will take care of your pet the entire time they are at your home. A live-in sitter will effectively cater to your pet’s needs, especially if your pet has separation anxiety or thrives on social interactions. The pet sitter can provide companionship for your pet while you are not at home.
Advantages of Hiring a Sitter for your Pet
You could always request a friend or family member to take care of your pet. However, hiring a sitter is a better option. While it may seem expensive, it is more convenient. Your pet can be at home, which saves you and your pet the time, effort, and discomfort of acclimating to a new environment.
Some of the advantages of hiring a sitter include the following:
Reduced risk of getting sick
Hiring a sitter is a good option because your pet is less likely to get sick if it is at home. You can avoid taking your pet to boarding houses and daycare centers where they might interact with other animals and contract contagious diseases like Bordetella. Bordetella affects a dog’s respiratory system; it might not be fatal, but it may compromise a dog’s immunity, exposing it to more dangerous diseases like chronic bronchitis.
Ensures a familiar environment
A change in environment always affects an animal’s behavior and routine, especially if it is frequent. By letting your pet stay at home, you can establish and maintain a comfortable routine for you and your pet.
Minimal changes
As a pet owner, you should ensure little to no disruption of your pet’s schedule. Pets often experience anxiety when their schedule is disrupted or when they constantly move from one place to another. If you hire a pet sitter, you can ensure your pet is comfortable in familiar surroundings and follows the routine it is used to.
Overcomes separation anxiety
Some pets can develop separation anxiety when their owners leave them for extended periods. This anxiety can be eased by hiring a sitter who can care for your pet’s needs. Further, the familiar and comfortable home environment can help your pet feel more at ease compared to a daycare.
Increased communication
You can request that your sitter give you an update on your pet’s condition while you are away. This is important if you have a pet with specific needs. You may find it challenging to get these updates if you leave your pet at a daycare or boarding house. Because the attendant takes care of more than one animal, they may not give your pet the attention they deserve.
Customizable services
You can instruct your pet sitter to provide specific services, especially if your pet is sick, old, or fussy. Your sitter could walk your dog more often, especially if it is active and energetic. You can also request that the sitter administer your pet’s medicine and help you maintain its dietary requirements.
Help socialize your pet
Your pet will probably interact with people and animals, especially on walks or visits to the veterinarian. Making them learn to socialize with humans is essential and helps overcome stranger anxiety. Hiring a sitter is one of the best ways to do this. Your pet can get used to others while still being in a safe environment.
Cost-effective
Pet sitters might generally be more cost effective than daycares or boarding houses. You can also negotiate a better price with them if your pet does not require intensive care. Furthermore, hiring a sitter is more convenient because it saves you the hassle of taking the animal to an animal care facility.
Provides flexibility
A pet sitter is more flexible than other animal care options because they can provide personalized care. They can adjust to your pet’s needs whenever needed, as they are looking after only one animal at a time. This would be more difficult in a pet daycare with a more structured routine.
How to Write a Thank-You Note for a Pet Sitter: 5 Easy Steps
While you might already be paying for their services, it is still good practice to thank your sitter with a formal note to express your appreciation. Expressing appreciation and gratitude is not only courteous but will also positively impact your professional relationship when you need their services next time.
If you do not know where to begin, you can use the steps mentioned below to write a good appreciation note:
Step 1: Mention the date
You should begin your note by indicating the date. The date is important information documenting when the correspondence was sent. This is especially important for correspondence that may be kept for future reference.
For example:
“March 16, 2021.”
Step 2: Greet the recipient
While this note is not a formal document, you should still begin by greeting the recipient. It makes it more personal, which is one of the objectives of writing it.
For example:
“Dear Therese”
Step 3: Express your gratitude
You should appreciate the sitter by thanking them for their services. You can mention in general what the sitter did. It shows that you recognize the sitter’s efforts, especially for services that are not the duties of a sitter, such as collecting your mail.
For example:
“I am very grateful you agreed to take care of my cat. You did an excellent job; I do not think anyone else could have done it better.”
Step 4: List the things the pet sitter did for your pet
Once you have expressed your gratitude, you should mention specific actions the sitter took that you are grateful for. Mentioning them explicitly will be motivating for the sitter, and they will feel that their work has received recognition.
For example:
“I am happy that you gave my dog its medication on time; he seems very healthy and happy, and I think it is because of your care.”
Step 5: Concluding with regards
You should end the letter with an appropriate salutation. If you are not very close with the sitter, you can use “sincerely,” but if the sitter is your friend, you can conclude with “yours truly.”
For example:
“Sincerely,
Mary Michelle”
Pet-Sitting Thank-You Note Sample
May 11, 2018
Dear Jane,
Please accept my appreciation for caring for my precious Linda for the night. She is healthy and playful today and looks much better than she did yesterday. Because of your dedication, I can see her limp has reduced and she can move around the house more. Thank you for giving her medication and physical therapy. I will contact you in the future as well whenever I need help with Linda.
Sincerely,
Abe Ruth
Gifts You Can Send With Your Thank You Note
You may think your thank you note is adequate, but if the sitter has been extraordinarily skilled with the animal or has helped you in a special way, you might want to include a small gift as a token of your appreciation as well. This combination makes your sitter feel truly appreciated.
The following are some of the gifts you can send with your note:
Cash
You can give your sitter a percentage of their fee as a tip. Cash gifts are always appreciated.
Personalized mug
Mugs are good gifts because they can be customized with pretty or funny pictures. You can also print a beautiful design onto the mug yourself. If you can design one, a mug would be a thoughtful gift.
Pet sitting supplies
It is likely that your pet sitter owns a pet-sitting service or has a pet of their own. You could buy them general supplies they can use for their own pets or businesses.
Conclusion
A thank you note is supposed to make your pet sitter feel appreciated. While you have already paid them for their service, expressing your appreciation through a note and a gift is still courteous. Your note can help you create a good working relationship with your sitter. It will encourage them to accept your request in the future. Your note should be personalized, so you should address the sitter by their name. If there are specific activities that you are thankful for, you should mention them and the impact they had on your pet.