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[/one_fourth][three_fourths_last] Knowing the right questions to ask when checking references for a pet sitter can make or break your experience with the pet sitter you hire. My sister-in-law, who doesn’t live locally to me, recently asked for help finding a pet sitter for her sweet two pups, Buddy and Bruno. After following the steps in my previous articles on How Do I Find A Pet Sitter and What To Look For When Hiring A Pet Sitter, I asked my sister-in-law if I could call the references we were given for the two different pet sitting businesses we contacted in her area. I thought who better to know what questions should I ask when checking references for a pet sitter than a professional pet sitter with over a decade of experience. [/three_fourths_last]
Check out my top 12 list of what questions should I ask when checking references for a pet sitter.
- What kind of pets do you have?
- What kind of services do you use when you hire them to care for your pets?
- Did they meet you with you for a complimentary consultation before you hired them?
- Did they have you complete a detailed intake form on caring for your pets and home?
- Were your pets and your home as expected upon your return?
- Did they have a backup plan in the event of a personal emergency or illness making it so they couldn’t come to your pet sitting visits or overnights?
- How many times have you hired them?
- When was the last time they cared for your pets?
- What do you like about them the most?
- Have you ever had any negative experiences when working with them?
- Do they send you updates on your pets when you are away?
- Would you refer them to care for your best friend’s pets?
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[/one_fourth][three_fourths_last] I truly believe if you ask all of the above questions to a minimum of 3 to 4 different clients, you will be able to make a well informed decision on whether you would like to hire the pet sitter. Based on the calls I made asking the above questions I was able to weed out the pet sitter I didn’t want my sister-in-law to use for Buddy and Bruno and to confirm which one to move forward with in setting up a complimentary consultation.
Do you have suggestions for other questions to add to our list? [/three_fourths_last]