Sit, stay! Simple tricks to make life easier for your pet sitter: Video

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For pet owners, leaving your house overnight means one thing: you need a pet sitter. Getting your home and pet prepared for the house guest will make things easier for the sitter. Plus, it can remove a lot of the searching and guesswork that can come when caring for someone else’s pet. 

Whether you’re hiring someone or recruiting help from family or friends to care for your animal, you can do some simple things so everyone is comfortable and ready to tackle anything. 

Watch this video for 5 essential steps to prepare your home for a pet sitter.

Pet essentials

Start by consolidating everything your pet will need while you're gone. Having everything in one, easy-to-find spot means your sitter doesn't have to search for it.

Create a “pet basket” and include items like: 

• Stain remover. 
• Treats.
• Food and food scoopers.
• Leash and poop bags.
• Favorite toys. 
• Towels or rags that can be used to clean the pet and/or their messes.  

You might also consider preportioning your pet's meals. This is especially helpful if your pet is being looked after outside your home. Fill and label food containers or resealable plastic bags.  

Aside from having the essentials, a detailed schedule is a must for any pet sitter. There are a couple of ways you can do this:

• Make a digital calendar of your pet’s daily routine and share it with your pet sitter. This makes it easy to see that breakfast is one scoop of food at 7 AM, your pet’s daily walk is at 4 PM, followed by one scoop of food for dinner at 5 PM. 
• Write a detailed schedule and print it out. Make sure to include important contact details, like the phone number and address of your pet's vet, as well as general information like their favorite activities, weird quirks, commands and any do’s or don’ts.

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Find a pet sitter

When it comes to our pets, we want them to be happy and as stress-free as possible when they’re not in our care. There are many ways to find a reliable pet sitter to care for your furry friend. 

Ask your friends or family if they are willing and able to care for your pet. If you don't have the budget to pay them, consider leaving a small token of appreciation like a handwritten note with a gift card for their favorite coffee shop.

Sites like Rover, Wag!, and Care.com can help you connect with pet sitters in your area. You can scroll through a list of people and find the one that works best for your schedule and budget. Plus, you can read the reviews to see what other pet owners have said about the sitter.

You can also crowdsource the question and see what people in your area use by asking for recommendations in your city’s subreddit.