Paw Pals Pet Sitting

Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in Northern VA

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Benefits Of Having ​A​ ​PetTech​ Certified Pet Sitter

March 28, 2022 by Mary Telesz

pet sitter rewarding a dogOur top priority at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the safety of your pets. We take great pride in our pet safety education and require that our employees hold certifications in both pet first aid and CPR. This safety-first approach is one of the most significant advantages of hiring a professional pet sitter to look after your dogs when you’re out of town. With the introduction of technology-based pet-sitting apps, almost anyone can claim to be a “pet sitter” or “dog walker.” However, 99 percent of the sitters on these apps are not trained in pet first aid or CPR. While these pet-sitting apps may appear to be convenient, pet owners should be aware of their risks.

Entrust Your Pets With The Best

When you entrust your pets to a professional pet sitter from Paw Pals Pet Sitting, you can trust that they have received the required training to deal with common pet emergencies such as:

  • Diarrhea and vomiting
  • Spinal injuries and fractures
  • Bloat
  • Urinary tract infections and obstructions in cats
  • Problems with urination and defecation
  • Appetite loss
  • Pets who are sedentary
  • Emergencies involving body temperature
  • Hypothermia and heat stroke
  • Treatment for fever and shock
  • Control of bleeding
  • Lameness in both dogs and cats
  • Burn treatment
  • Reactions due to allergies
  • Issues with the lungs
  • CPR and resuscitation for pets, if necessary

Process Of Extensive Vetting

certified pet sitter playing with catPaw Pals Pet Sitting is a professional pet sitting company passionate about providing the best care for your pets. We put our hearts and souls into our company, taking time to carefully hand-select each staff member so that we can guarantee our team’s pet care providers are among the best. Something becomes extremely clear when you go through some of our sitter profiles on our website. We adore animals! Every member of our team lives with a number of furry family members. Many of our pet sitters prefer to volunteer for local rescue organizations in their spare time. In addition to our pet sitting services, we also offer the services of pet supply pick-up, pet transportation, and pet waste removal.

Our sitters don’t view pet sitting as a gig job to supplement their income. They genuinely love and adore working with animals, and they are sensitive to our customers’ needs. Our lengthy hiring process involves a detailed employment application, a phone interview, and an in-person interview. We look for sitters who are kind, reliable, and knowledgeable about animals.

While some pet sitting services, claim to have a rigorous employee verification process, this is not always the case. Signing up as a pet sitter on these apps is relatively simple – new pet sitters can expect to be available for hire after a mere 24 hours. They do not undergo an exhaustive interview process to verify their level of experience, and the apps do not provide them with pet safety training. Pet owners who hire off these apps find themselves with a sitter who lacks the competence and experience of sitters who work for a professional pet sitting service.

Training On The Job

pet sitters receiving trainingWhen we hire a new pet sitter to join our team, we provide them with one-on-one training and guide them through our exhaustive employee manual. Our training program equips our sitters with the comprehensive knowledge to safely care for your pets. We maintain meticulous safety protocols to ensure that our sitters both meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.

Many pet care apps are essentially software firms that provide a platform where anyone can sign up to care for dogs. They do not provide their sitters with professional training. Anyone with a smartphone can create a profile on these sites and become a “pet sitter” overnight – even if they have no prior pet sitting experience or pet-related expertise. A simple Google search reveals many a cautionary tale about missing or wounded pets at the hands of inexperienced pet sitters. Certain apps do offer some experienced or trained pet care providers, but most of their pet sitters are people with little to no experience. Is that a risk you’re willing to take with your pet?

Why Choose A PetTech Certified Pet Sitter?

Choosing a PetTech certified pet sitter is the best decision you can make for your furry family members. Should an emergency or medical issue arise, it is critical to have an experienced pet sitter who will promptly address your pet’s needs. Accidents happen, and when you hire a pet sitter who always has your pet’s safety in mind, you can relax knowing that your pet is in the best possible hands while you are away from home. If you want to hire an experienced pet sitter, please don’t hesitate to contact our team of professionals at Paw Pals Pet Sitting for more information and pricing options!

Filed Under: Pet Sitting

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Certifications & Associations

PetTech-logo

PUPS-logo

Kennel Pro

Best of NOVA award 2022

Best of NOVA award 2021

Best of NOVA award 2020

Northern Virginia Magazine - Best Pet Care 2019 Award

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Office Location

Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

professional dog walking software

Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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