Pets and Your Home Exchange - More!
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the pros and cons of agreeing to care for your exchange partner’s pets. I pointed out that while caring for their cats is not generally too much of a tie, dogs are a different proposition. All dogs need to be allowed out to take care of business a minimum of three or four times a day.
In my earlier post I suggested that the owning exchange partner could arrange to have his/her dog kenneled for just a limited time should the guests in the house wish to travel away for a full day or overnight. However, I’ve now come up with a much better alternative. Pet sitters.
A professional pet sitter can arrange to visit your home during any period of time when your guests may wish to travel further afield. A professional pet sitter is often licensed, always insured and will charge anything between $12 (£6) - $20 (£10) per visit. An extremely good deal.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to talk with a lady who has been a pet sitter for 10+ years. She is dedicated to her business, to her clients and most especially to the animals she cares for.
It had never crossed my mind to suggest integrating the services of a pet sitter, but it really makes sense, and allows both home swap parties to enjoy the best of both worlds. Your pets can remain in their familiar home surroundings yet your exchange partners need never feel tied to the house.
The one further suggestion I would make, is for the visiting partners to let the home owner know the dates and times when they plan to travel away. As the pet sitter I spoke with pointed out to me, during the summer months and over holiday periods she is often booked solid several weeks in advance.
Pet sitters usually leave business cards in veterinarians offices. You can also search for those local to you on the following web sites:
Plus you can always check your local Yellow Pages, or Google the term “pet sitter”.
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