Saving Lives is Just Part of The Professional Pet Sitters Job

March 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Euless, TX (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) --- March 5, 2011 began National Professional Pet Sitting Week and stories surged the internet stressing the importance of hiring a professional pet sitter. Though neighbors may have a love for pets and get along great with your animals, they may not always be the best choice for pet care. As these pet care providers show, a professional pet sitter should go above and beyond for your pets.
   Jason Hoffman, owner of 203 Pet Service in Fairfield, Connecticut, has always been a friend of animals. His website boasts that when he was three he somehow tamed the neighborhood ‘mean’ dog. Later in life Hoffman became a volunteer firefighter, and was then a vet tech for many years before opening his pet service company.
   At the first service stop for a new client, Hoffman discovered an odd feeling in the air. He removed the dogs from the home, and called the fire department. A deadly level of carbon monoxide had filled the home from a broken furnace. Hoffman then contacted the proper companies to fix the problem before the owners returned home. Further, Hoffman cared for the dogs until the home was safe to return. The Fire Lieutenant said if he hadn’t paid particular attention to the dogs, they would have died within hours.
   Jan Brown, owner of Jan’s Pet Sitting in Foster City, California, is a 12.5 year veteran of the pet sitting industry. As a Pet CPR / 1st aid instructor, she has taught numerous pet owners and professionals what to do in a time of emergency.
At a first visit in the client’s home while they were on vacation, there was “vomit and diarrhea all over the room,” Brown said. After searching the house for the dogs and the cause, she saw a torn box of snail bait poison that was out of place. She quickly took the necessary medical steps and then brought the dogs to the vet clinic. She knew what she had to do. She made calls to the owners and the vet on the way to the vet she knew could service the dogs at that time. The vet was thankful she had brought them in, as the extra time in calling multiple vets before going may have been lethal. Brown considers herself a professional pet sitter. It’s the ability to recognize situations and take control for the pet’s best interest, Brown said. “Knowing whether a dog is lethargic because she’s tired or there’s a more pressing emergency at hand,” says Brown. Brown acted in time to save the dog’s lives.
Paul Franklin, a spokesperson for the Association of Pet Sitting Excellence, describes professional sitters as “a dedicated group of educated people, in both home and pet care. When choosing a pet sitter, they should be insured, have a vast background with pets, and be able to provide you with multiple references.”  
Sitters are much more than life savers, they often become respected family members to many homes. Miranda Murdock, of My Pet’s Buddy in Shreveport, LA, was so well respected by her client she was written into his will. She was to continue caring for the owners cats in the owner’s home until a good home could be found. Shortly after his passing, a pipe burst in the client’s home and Murdock was to the rescue. She saved the home and the pets from many inches of water that had gushed in overnight.
Being two older cats, the client knew if they went to a shelter, the cats could be put to sleep. Where most people would have given the cats to a shelter after the owner’s death, Murdock understood the connection the previous owner had with his pets, she cared for his pets, and was respectful of his wishes. Like most professional pet sitters, Murdock did what was in the client’s and the pet’s best interest. At the owner’s request, Murdock searched until she found the right home. It just so happened to be about 75 miles from the owner’s home.
In a recent APSE interview, Bella Vasta, owner of Bella’s House and Pet Sitting in Scottsdale, AZ phrases it well when she said “We start off as strangers to a client, but often end up closer than family… we’re not neighbors, we’re people who are here for your pets with the knowledge and training it takes to make your pet’s life the best it can be.”

To find a network of professional pet sitters and to read more of their experiences, visit http://www.petsittingexcellence.com/super-hero-sitters. There you can find videos, articles, and more in-depth interviews with the above and many other professional sitters in your area.

About APSE:
The Association of Pet Sitting Excellence connects pet sitters and pet owners, empowering them to work together to create an optimum lifestyle for themselves and their pets. Its goal is to use technology, social media, customer service, and human resource expertise in order to assist pet care professionals in reaching their goals. Their unique methodology is quickly placing them to become the largest and most-recognized international pet sitting association in the world. To learn more or to contact, visit http://www.petsittingexcellence.com.