Have you ever returned home from a trip and wondered if your pet sitter really did all that you paid him for? There is a lot of trust in hiring someone to come into your house while you are away and take care of your best friend. Here are five signs that your pet sitter may not be doing their job correctly.
#1 – Personality Change
You come home to your normally friendly and social dog that is now showing great distress, is hiding and/or withdrawing. Note: If this is the first time you have ever left your dog, this could be signs of separation anxiety, not proof your pet sitter did something wrong. If you have left your dog before, with no problems, then it may be the sitter; if not, talk to a vet or professional dog trainer about the possibility of separation anxiety.
#2 – Left Outside
If your dog only utilizes your backyard for supervised visits, but you come home to large holes from digging or destroyed plants, your dog may have been left outside most of the time. Again, this is based on past history of that not happening. A dog can dig a hole in a few minutes and it’s not necessarily from being left outside all day. However, you know your dog and if you are concerned, asked your sitter questions and your neighbors.
#3 – Left Inside
Conversely, if you have a house-trained dog that always goes outside and you come home to soil marks on the floor, either cleaned or undetected by the pet sitter, she may have left your dog inside all day and never took him outside. Again, you have to base this on your dog and past experience and ask questions.
#4 – Unused Food or Medications
Food portions or medications that have not been dispensed properly and/or there is more remaining than should be. This can be tricky. Your dog may not have wanted to eat while you were away, for example. Or, just because the food it all gone, doesn’t mean your dog got it – she could have fed it to her own dog, or just thrown it out. Use your own good judgment and ask questions.
#5 – No Communication
Your pet sitter should give you updates on your dog while you are gone and a final update on your return. If you have had limited to no communication with the dog sitter while you’re away and/or no final update, there may be a reason for that. Obviously, this depends on whether you were somewhere were you couldn’t get updates (For example you may not be reachable on a cruise or hiking in the mountains). The bottom line is your pet sitter should have stuck to whatever agreement you made before leaving. If she didn’t, she didn’t do her job properly.
Related: TrustedHouse Sitters Reviewed – Let trusted pet sitters watch your pup in your own home while you’ travel!
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