In the 18 years I have been providing pet sitter services to pet lovers in Perth I have occasionally been asked
“Is it safe to leave my pets at home while I am away”
My response to this is a resounding “Yes”. But you don’t have to rely solely on my word. Just click on this link to see what many others who have used a pet sitter also have to say.
Using a pet sitter is safe for your pets
These happy pet owners have discovered that the service provided by a pet sitter fulfills all requirements for their pets’ care in terms of both physical and psychological well being. This is because our pets are happiest in their own environment. I elaborate further on this in another article, for more you can click on this link to read how pet home care stacks up against using kennels and catteries to board your pets while you are away. In fact, having a pet sitter visiting the home daily has also proven on occasions to be safest for your home.
Using a pet sitter is safe for your home
I can remember one owner being terribly relieved that their pet sitter was able to avert serious damage occurring to their home after a mains water pipe burst in their back yard.
It was just a routine day with Pet Friends carers across the northern suburbs visiting and feeding and walking pets whilst their owners were away. Suzie was at the home of 2 cats and 2 rabbits which she was feeding in the owners’ absence. In this case, the cats lived outdoors and were to be fed in the front carport area and the rabbits hutch was in a front courtyard. Gardens were on automatic retic. There was no necessity to go into the back yard. However, Pet Friends pet carers are trained to conduct routine checks of homes we visit and to be observant of anything unusual, eg. parcels/papers left, doors, windows tampered with or broken, retic dug up or not working, pool turning green, holes being dug, etc.
On this day, Suzie noticed something very disturbing whilst doing her usual routine check around the home. There was water coming up through the pavers near the laundry. She reported this immediately. I advised her to turn the water off at the mains until I arrived, around 20 minutes later. By this time, when I turned the water on to check it, it was bubbling rapidly through the pavers and, if not turned off immediately, threatened to flood the home. The owner was contacted, and a plumber arranged and the issue was resolved with no damage. There could have been very serious consequences and costs had the owners used pet boarding and had no one visiting to check on their home.
On another occasion, a pet sitter noticed flames licking up from under the pavers near a hot water system. Apparently there was a leak in one of the pipes near the system and the gas had risen high enough to be ignited by the pilot light. Again, this would have been disastrous for the home owners had it gone undetected…they were overseas for 3 weeks and chose to have their 3 dogs cared for at their home instead of in a kennel. The owners were notified, a gas plumber called out, and disaster averted.
luckily these incidents are few and far between. But it is far better that someone is visiting your home to notice and have them dealt with than not at all.
Give yourself peace of mind when next you go away and leave your home and pets in safe hands. Click on this link to see how a pet sitter can help you.