4 places to find a pet sitter online

Summer is coming, and that means pet parents will be taking vacations and enjoying the season of sunshine.

Many hotels, restaurants and airlines are happy to accommodate pets, but our four-legged friends can’t always join in on the fun. What’s a pet parent to do?

Here are four resources to help you choose the perfect pet sitter:

DogVacay

Pet parents can take a vacation without feeling guilty about leaving their dog behind by using DogVacay. There are more than 20,000 insured animal lovers across Canada and the U.S. that use DogVacay. Scheduling and booking a reservation for your pet is easy, simply create an account, enter in your zip code and browse hundreds of local pet sitters in your area. Pets will love staying with a sitter for the personalized attention and most importantly, there are no cages, unlike at the kennel. And, pet sitters that use DogVacay offer affordable rates, many up to 50 percent off what a standard kennel would charge. The sitters are qualified and each pet caretaker is required to pass through a screening process, which includes interviews, video trainings and reference checks.

Rover

Rover is the largest network of dog lovers for hire. Instead of putting up your pooch in a kennel, with Rover, your pet stays with a trusted local sitter. Each stay that’s booked includes insurance 24/7 support and photo updates sent directly from the sitter and your fur kid. Pet parents can also choose to have the pet sitter stay in their home environment which can help to keep puppies and doggies calm and stress-free while mom and dad are away. Each sitter has a profile that includes rates, experience, certifications and details about the sitter’s home including if there are other dogs sharing the space and if the yard is fenced or not. The profile of each sitter also includes a bio of the sitter and his or her own fur babies, photos of other pet’s stays and reviews from pet parents.

NAPPS

The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) is a trusted resource that pet parents can use to find caretakers for their animals. The NAPPS website offers helpful information and resources for both pet parents and professional pet sitters. Pet parents can use the directory to locate a qualified pet sitter by entering in details like the city where care is needed and what types of animals need care. And, pet parents can search through caretakers who offer specific services like grooming, training, daily walks, there’s even an option for pets with special needs. NAPPS encourages pet parents to set up an initial meeting with the potential pet sitter to make sure that the pup and sitter make friends. Locations like the dog park or a dog-friendly cafe make great first meeting spots.

Care.com

While most people recognize Care.com as a resource for finding caretakers for children or seniors, the website also specializes in providing care for your four-legged family members. Pet parents can become members of Care.com, sign up for an account, create a job and check out the profiles of qualified pet sitters. Once a caregiver responds to your job listing you can move forward with hiring process by conducting a quick interview and checking their references. Pet parents can even request background checks via the site. The average dog care rate on Care.com is just $10, which makes this resource a trusted and an affordable option.

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