Paw Pals Pet Sitting

Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in Northern VA

(703) 345-1695
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Questions To Ask When Finding Professional Pet Sitters

January 4, 2021 by Mary Telesz

professional pet sitters strolls as she is pet sitting the dog with the leash she is holdingWhen a pet owner has to leave a pet in the hands of someone else, a professional pet sitters is often the best choice. Many owners try to save money by asking a friend or family member to help out. This is not always the best choice for anyone, especially your pet. When you want to hire a pro, be sure you get someone you know you can depend on.

Questions To Ask When Interviewing A Prospective Professional Pet Sitters

Many professional pet-sitting services, such as Paw Pals, provide a wide variety of pet-sitting services both in-home and out-of-home for dogs, cats, and other small pets around Northern Virginia. When you are interviewing a professional pet sitters, go with the person who makes you feel comfortable. You can know that you are getting someone you can trust by getting clear answers to the following questions.

What Services Can You Provide?

At a minimum, the pet sitter should feed your pet at agreed upon times each day, provide fresh water and clean any pet messes daily. Additional services may include medicine administration, grooming, vet appointments, petting and play time. Your pet may or may not need those services.

One of the most important questions is whether the pet sitter will come to your home and stay overnight, if needed, or whether you will leave your pet with the pet sitter. If your pet can stay in its own environment and on its regular schedule, it will be less stressed during your absence.

Premier pet-sitting services like Paw Pals have professionals who come to your home to give your pets all of the attention, exercise, food and supplies they need. They offer a good variety of services during their stays, also. Paw Pals professional pet sitters also offer house sitting and garden watering services so your home is cared for while you’re away. If an emergency arises (sitter becomes suddenly ill, car troubles, etc.), a back-up Paw Pals sitter is always available. In the event of inclement weather, a Paw Pals sitter will be happy to make contingency plans with you before you leave. Your pet will be cared for no matter what.

What Is Your Pet-Sitting Experience?

You want to know if this sitter has any experience taking care of other people’s pets. This may be an obvious question, but you should use it to engage in conversation about the extent of the sitter’s experience. If you have a pet with behavior or health problems, you probably want an experienced sitter who is willing and able to take your pet to the vet should a pet emergency arise.

Are You Licensed and Insured?

Accidents can happen. You need to make sure you and your property are protected if anything happens while you are gone. You also want to be sure you have a sitter who is responsible enough to have complied with local laws pertaining to pet-sitting services.
Paw Pals sitters are licensed, bonded, and fully insured.

Do You Have Any Formal Training In Pet First Aid?

If you decide to hire a professional pet sitter, be sure to find out what kind of training they have regarding pet first aid. In many states, professional pet sitters must undergo a first aid training program and keep up with continuing education.

Paw Pals professional sitters are 100% PetTech certified in Pet CPR and first aid.

Do You Work With Pet Behavior?

professional pet sitters walks the dog she is pet sitting in the parkYour pet may benefit from a pro who has been trained in pet behavior. Someone with that background is better positioned to read and understand your pet’s behavior and respond appropriately before a problem escalates. Many of the professional pet sitters at Paw Pals have such training.

Can You Provide References?

The sitter should be willing to provide two or three references who can attest to the sitter’s reliability and performance. Be sure to call the references and talk to them about their experiences with the sitter. If the sitter has a website, look at the reviews.

Paw Pals has a list of references that can be provided upon request. Paw Pals is also proud to publish its reviews on its website.

Will We Have a Signed Agreement?

A signed agreement embodies what services the sitter’s fee covers and how much time the sitter will spend in your home with your pet. Many professional pet-sitting services provide a written service contract that specifies the fees to be charged and the services to be provided.

Paw Pals pet sitters always explain what services are available in advance, discuss what services the pet owner needs, and agree upon a fee. That agreement is carefully memorialized in a signed agreement.

Get In Touch With Professionals Pet Sitters At Paw Pals For More Information

pet sitter who is pet sitting the dog crouching takes a breakBefore you hire a professional pet sitter for your pet, contact Paw Pals to discuss your pet’s needs. They are available to explain their services and answer your questions.

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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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

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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 – 22151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
5.0
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
5.0
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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