Part of that philosophy meant that it was really important that we were able to understand our customers pet care routine and follow that exactly. I know I have different routines for feeding the dogs in a certain order, I like them to go out around a similar time and I also want to know they got their normal cuddles and love.

So by focusing on being the expert in following your pet care routine we have 1000’s of extremely happy pets and customers. Customers that just want the same love and care for their pets that we have for ours.

What Makes Pet Sitters Ireland Different To Other Pet Care Companies?

We believe so much in this Industry that when we opened our door we created our own Professional Pet Sitting and Dog Walking standard, and we strongly believe that this should be the benchmark for all companies that want to offer the same services.

Because we are so committed to the Industry, and the welfare of animals in general, we believe that when a Pet Professional is caring for your pets they should receive the following as an absolute minimum.

These are things which Pet Sitters Ireland and all the franchise family adhere to daily.

• Animals lovers and owners
• Online Booking and Payment Facility
• GPS Tracking Of Visits
• Pet Care Journal and Profiling System
• Back Up and Support

Because we’re pet owners just like you! And THAT’S been the key to becoming Ireland’s Favourite Pet Sitters.

Just like you, we’re the type of pet owner who really needs to know their pet is well taken care of.

We couldn’t leave our pets with just anyone!

So much that before we started Pet Sitters Ireland, we found ourselves going on fewer and fewer trips.

Going away for the day less often.

Because we didn’t feel that the dog walking and pet sitting services available at the time were RELIABLE enough or even pet-focused enough. To put it simply, we weren’t convinced they CARED enough!

And that’s not to say they were uncaring people, more that their businesses weren’t set up to provide the reliable, personal care we needed and our pets (and your pets) deserve.

When we started Pet Sitters Ireland, we knew that of course we wanted it to be friendly and caring, and also we wanted it to be an established professional service you can rely on.

So we put everything we had into it and 10 years later here we are!

We’re Kate and Michael and we love our pets and are so delighted to have become Ireland’s Favourite Pet Sitters!

With pet care professionals throughout Ireland, we can promise to be there for your pets when you need us. We provide individual quotes to make sure you and your pet receive everything they need from our services as well as a meet and greet before we get started to make sure you’re completely comfortable with us taking care of your beloved pet(s). And did we mention we love pets? Every one of our pet care professionals truly cares about your pet. Over our 10 years in business we’ve developed systems that help our business run like clockwork so you and your pets can always rely on us. Last year we won The Irish Franchise Association’s The One to Watch Franchise of the Year 2019. And in 2020 we were awarded Best In Home Pet Care Service Provider for 2020.

And you’ll often catch us in local and national press and even on TV and radio, usually in relation to our annual Nose of Tralee Competition, celebrating the pets of Ireland. We are really passionate about raising the standard of all pet care in Ireland. We want the industry to grow and be one that pet owners can trust in. So we knew that a certification was needed and as there is nothing in the industry we created our own standards and certification that we, and anyone that represents us, adheres to.

It’s something that makes us better and want to continue to improve. And as a pet owner is gives you confidence that we take our role in your pet’s life very seriously and want the best for them.

We also offer you 24-hour online booking and payment, and pretty much 24-hour phone support – unless of course we are sleeping!

It’s important to us that we don’t make work for you when you use our service, but instead, you go away safe in the knowledge your pets are getting spoilt by us and come home to happy pets at home.

This Pet Sitting Standard ensures that:

• You have peace of mind visits are being completed
• Your pets are getting the standard of care you want them to
• You have someone to raise any concerns with at any time

This means if you are using a Professional Pet Sitter In Ireland they adhere to the following:

Educated Pet Sitters & Dog Walkers

All our Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers follow our best practices when it comes to
caring for your pets. We follow systems and procedures to make sure that your pet
gets the same level of care that you give them.

Our online Pet Care profiling system means that you can be assured that we know
what you want us to do on a daily basis and that level of service is maintained.
We take great pride in following your exact instructions 100% of the time, to
ensure you and your pet(s) have the best experience we can provide. If we are
guessing about what you want us to do then we have not done our job properly.

GPS Tracking

Pet Sitting and Dog Walking services should be tracked online, for the safety of
both the pet and the pet sitter. We know where everyone who works for us is
when they are delivering services. We can tell if jobs have been completed and the
time they started and ended.

We offer complete transparency in the length of visits and walks, and can tell you
when your visits were completed daily.

There should be no need for you to worry if your dog is getting walked for the
correct amount of time or if you cat is fed at the correct time of day, your pet care
journal will show you the time(s) of our visit each day.

Personal Support and Back Up

Pet owners want to know that they can contact someone about their pet care at
any time of the day. They don’t want to be travelling away wondering whether a
visit has been completed or not.

This is why personal support is key when using a Pet Sitter or Dog Walker. Having
only one phone number/person to speak with is not enough. If something happens to that person and you are lying on a beach in Florida then who is going to feed your pets? Back up is a key element of this service that every company has to
offer.

Knowing who that backup person before you travel away is important. You don’t
want a friend of a friend stepping in to take care of your pets. The backup should
also be a representative of the company you are trusting the care of your pets
with.

Pet Care Journal and Photos After Every Visit

Every pet owner should receive automatic notification of services being completed
after every visit. There should be no need for you to chase your Pet Sitter down for an update every time you use them.

Pictures are a vital part of our service when taking care of your pets. We want you
to be able to see happy and contented pets in our care.

Why Are These Standards Important For You?

You need to protect the well being of your pets and our belief is that without these
standards being met then that well being cannot be guaranteed.

Prior to using the services of a Pet Sitter / Dog Walker it’s important to take the time to organise your free Meet and Greet. A Meet and Greet is where your Pet Sitter comes to visit you and gets to know you and your pets.

Whether you are organising a Pet Sitter for while you are on holiday, or you are booking a Dog Walker, both you and your pets need to meet with them to make sure it’s a good match.

There of a number of reasons why a Meet and Greet is important:

1. So we can get to know you and your pets.
When you travel away and leave your pets in the care of a Pet Sitter you want to feel confident that your pets are happy with your Pet Sitter. So it is important for us to spend time with you and your pets before you leave.

We know that if your pets are happy, and you can see them enjoying time with their Pet Sitter, then you will feel much more confident in the services and the experience your pets will have while you are away.

2. To make sure that it is a good match for your pets.
We want you to be happy with the person we send to meet you and your pets. We want you to see that your pets love the Pet Sitter and that they are confident in carrying out your pet care instructions.

We know that sometimes you might not take to people, so if you feel that your Pet Sitter is not a good match for you then that’s no problem. We will work with you until we match you with the right Pet Sitter.

We want you to travel away happy and confident that you have the perfect Pet Sitter for your pets.

3. To allow us to fully understand your pet care routine.
We need to know exactly how you want us to care for your pets.

What do you want us to feed them?
Where do you feed them?
How often do you feed them?
Where do you put the empty tins/packets of food?
We also need to know where you walk your dog? Is there a dog on the street that they don’t like that we need to avoid? Are there places you want us to avoid with your dog?

4. To understand your pet’s environment
Everybody has different routines for their pets. Your dog might sleep in his bed during the day and then sleep on your bed at night.

Maybe your cat hides from people and won’t want to be bothered with us while we are there. Perhaps they are outdoors most of the time and will only want to be let in at night for food.

It’s important we know what they like to do so we can make sure their routine doesn’t change while you are way. The more detail you can give us the better the experience everyone will have.

5. So we can answer any questions you have.
When you meet with us this is your opportunity to ask lots of questions about the services we offer and make sure you are happy with everything before you go away.

We want you to feel comfortable and be confident in our services, so that you can travel away and enjoy your trip knowing we are there for your pets.

When customers are calling to book Pet Sitting and Dog Walking services for the first time one of the questions that they ask is who will be my Pet Sitter.

It’s natural that you would want to know who was coming to take care of your pets and into your home – I know I would.

How do we select the right Pet Sitter for you and your pets?

1. Everyone who work for Pet Sitters Ireland starts out by filling out an application. It’s important that we find

out about the people that are potentially going to represent Pet Sitters Ireland.

2. Once the application is accepted and we have positions to fill in an area we then start interviewing.

3. If an applicant is successful at Interview then any references will be checked.

What happens before you schedule the services of a Pet Sitter?

1. Once you have decided to use our services we will send your Pet Sitter around to meet you and your pets. This is your chance to check out the person and make sure they are a good match. We know that we like them, and would be happy for them to take care of our pets, but it’s important that you feel the same. It’s also a chance for you to run through your pets daily routine and the things that you want us to to. Even things like when do you put your bins out, where do you want us to put the post.

2. If you are not happy with the person you meet, for any reason, then you can call the office and we will send you someone else. We realise that sometimes you just don’t take to someone, and that’s fine, we want you to travel away feeling 100% comfortable that you have the perfect Pet Sitter.

3. Once you are happy with the Pet Sitter they will be your primary Pet Sitter and Dog Walker. In the event of an emergency, and your Pet Sitter cannot make your visits, will we advise you of your secondary Pet Sitter and you can arrange to meet them as well. We offer complete peace of mind by having back up Pet Sitters in place.

What are the benefits of Hiring a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Company with a team of Pet Sitters?

1. If you are hiring one person to take care of your pet and they get sick or can’t provide services when you need them – what do you do? We always have Pet Sitters available to take care of your pet. You will never receive a call or text to say we can’t visit your pets. It’s our standard to complete 100% of all visits.

2. If your Pet Sitter is not doing things exactly the way you want – do you want to have that awkward conversation with them – or would you rather have someone deal with that for you? We monitor the performance of all our Pet Sitters and Dog Walker to make sure that they follow your instructions and report back to you via the daily journal.

3. What if you are out of the country – you will need someone to check on your Pet Sitter and make sure your visits are being completed. We have an online scheduling system to monitor visits daily. You will never need to worry if a visit is completed or not – that’s our job!

When Pet Owners leave their pets they don’t just worry about their pets they also worry about the security of their homes. Will people realise they are not home and try to break in? Will they return home to an unexpected leak that has flooded the house or a broken heating system that has resulted in cold pets?

When you use our services you can rest assured we take precautions to ensure your home is more secure while you are away and that your pets are happy.

1. Turn the lights on and off
Drive or take a stroll down the street in the evening and look at the houses. You probably just assume that there’s someone home when you see a lit house and no one home when the house is dark. A house that is dark all day and night or lit 24 hours a day is a sure sign that no one’s home.

Turning lights off during the day and on in the evening will give your home a lived in look and that’s just what your professional pet sitter will do.

2. Pick up the post
Overflowing post can alert neighbours and those of unsavoury character that you’re not home. We pick up the post and put it in a secure place in your home to ensure that none of it gets lost and to give the appearance that someone is home like normal.

This means you can check through your post at your leisure once you are home.

3. Bring in the bins
Bins left outside after rubbish pickup provides pretty solid clues that no one is home. We will bring in your bins and put them out again just in time for pickup to give an appearance that someone is home.

It’s very annoying if you miss bin collection days and then have a build up of rubbish with nowhere to put it – we can make sure bin collections aren’t missed.

4. Take immediate action in an emergency
Imagine returning to a flooded home. Fortunately, we can take immediate action, starting with contacting you immediately, when the unexpected occurs, which will help minimize the risk of long term damage to your home.

We also take emergency contact details so if we can’t get hold of you we can contact them instead.

5. Be discreet
But, all of those precautions become meaningless if you do not have a pet sitter who remains discreet at all times. Pet Sitters Ireland’s pet sitters never wear uniforms nor do they display signs on their vehicles. Discretion is key to ensuring your pets’ and your home’s security.

We will provide you with a discreet and professional service – which leaves you and your pets happy.

At Pet Sitters Ireland we look after all types of animals as part of our Pet Sitting Services. So whether you have cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits, horses, parrots, snakes, spiders, lizards we can take care of them.

Over our 10 years in business we’ve developed systems that help our business run like clockwork so you and your pets can always rely on us. We won the Irish Franchise Association’s The One to Watch Franchise of the Year 2019. And we were awarded Best In Home Pet Care Service Provider for 2020.

When people come to Pet Sitters Ireland to use our services we know that they truly love their pets and want the best care for them that is possible. As with any new service though people can be a little nervous and want to know who the sitter will be and how they will know that they have been to take care of their pets.

It’s a very good question and one that we love to answer because I know if someone was coming to take care of my pets, then I would want to know exactly the same thing.

Why Did We Start Pet Sitters Ireland?

Just to give you a little background, we started Pet Sitters Ireland to fill a need that we had for someone to take care of our pets when we travelled away from home. I hated putting my pets in kennels and we didn’t have family close by that we could ask to take care of them.

So we started our own Pet Sitting company, which has quickly grown to be a Nationwide service for Pet Lovers across Ireland who are looking for the same in home pet care experience that we wanted.

How Do You know You Can Trust A Pet Sitter?

When we started Pet Sitters Ireland we conducted a survey with Pet Owners that showed that people who were likely to use our service were mostly concerned that the Pet Sitter was an animal lover and pet owner themselves.

Things like home security were important to them, but they mostly wanted to know what the person would love their pet like they do.

Therefore all of our Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers go through an interview process and are reference checked before they represent Pet Sitters Ireland and take care of your pets.

Garda Vetting is not something that a Pet Sitter is able to get as it is reserved for people working with children or vulnerable people

“Garda Vetting is conducted in respect of any person who is carrying out work or activity, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of the person having access to, or contact with, children or vulnerable persons.” (Source: https://vetting.garda.ie/VettingProcedure/WhatIsVetting)

Finally, you get your chance to meet the Sitter and make your own mind up on the Meet and Greet. This is where you meet your Pet Sitter, get to know them and see how they interact with your pets.

If at this stage you don’t feel that it’s a good match then we can arrange for a different Pet Sitter to meet with you.

What Quality Control Measures Are In Place?

1. Meet and Greet
Every client that uses Pet Sitters Ireland has the chance to meet their Pet Sitter before they use our services at the Meet and Greet. This is a chance for you to make sure you are happy with the person we have sent.

You get to see how they interact with you and your pet, if they can handle your dog on a walk, and whether you feel in general that they are the right person for you.

You get the final decision on whether the Pet Sitter is the right person for you.

2. Pet Care Journals

Every time we visit your pet we take pictures on them and send them to you via the pet care journal. We also let you know that your pets are safe and your home is secure at the same time.

These journals give you the peace of mind that your pets are ok and you get to see them in person via the cute pictures.

3. GPS Check In/Out

We GPS track all of our pet care visits so that we know when our Sitters arrive at each job and when they leave.

There are a couple of reasons for this:

We can monitor jobs are taking place at the correct time
We know that our sitters are safe throughout the day

4. Office Staff Monitoring Jobs

Throughout the day we monitor that jobs are in progress at the right time and they are being completed as requested. We are also in contact with Pet Sitters and Dog Walker throughout the day to ensure all jobs are being carried out in accordance with your requirements.

5. 24/7 Availability

This isn’t something that we do as a hobby, this is a full-time professional business where we are servicing pet lovers 24/7 365 days per week.

If you need us then we are here for you all of the time.

We are reading more and more about dogs being stolen in Ireland. Every time I check Facebook there seems to be more reports of animals being taken from their own home. So, as a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking company it is important for us to have policies on how we take care of your dog when we are out walking it.

It’s important that you are confident that your Dog Walker has a policy in place to ensure the safety of your dog.

How Do We Keep Your Dog Safe On A Dog Walk

1. We never let dogs off the lead.

People ask all the time if we let dogs off the lead for a run about and our answer is always no. Unless you have your own secure and fenced garden for us to throw a ball with them then we always keep them on the lead. There are a number of reasons for this which we discussed in a recent article about why we don’t do off lead walks– and dog theft is a big part of that.

2. We don’t post pictures on Facebook of where we walk your dog.

We don’t want to let people know where we are with your dog each day. Not only for home security but also in case there are people looking for particular dogs to steal.

3. We don’t socialise your dog on walks.

It is important for dogs to be socialised with other dogs – but it’s not something that we actively do on our dog walks. We prefer to focus our attention on your dog and not be distracted by other dogs or their owners. We want your dog to get their full walk in a safe and fun environment. You also might not want people to know you are using the services of a Dog Walker.

4. We never walk dogs in groups.

All of our walks are done on a one-on-one basis. We don’t want your dog to share their walk with someone else’s dog – nor do we want to make ourselves a target of potential dog theft. Too many dogs and you may be distracted and one could get lost or stolen.

5. We never talk about your dog.

We would never discuss the details of your dog – their breed, pedigree etc with anyone. We don’t want to alert people to where your dog lives and make them a target of dog theft. All our records are kept on our secure online booking system, so every detail about your dog is safe and secure.

Here at Pet Sitters Ireland we get asked this question all the time. Dog owners are out at work all day and want to know if we can come and walk their dog for them while they are at work.

Having a dog walker to help at times when you are busy can be a real blessing. It can give you peace of mind knowing that you favourite pooch is getting out for some exercise during the day and getting that all important toilet break.