Investigate Your Pet Sitter

What kind of crazy person doesn’t research an Asheville pet sitter who’s going to be living in their home, supposedly caring for their pets?? A crazy busy person! Just because pet sitters are EVERYWHERE nowadays, don’t assume we’re all alike.

I meet new clients all the time who’ve had bad experiences with pet sitters in the Asheville area. First of all, when you meet a potential pet sitter, don’t assume they’re a good person just because you are. Con artists are really, really good at, ahem, conning us. I’m not knocking gut instinct, but I only trust mine implicitly when it’s telling me something is very, very wrong.

So when things seem OK, I follow up that feeling with some good, cold, hard research. Therefore, please, do a Google search on a potential Asheville pet sitter. You may want to look elsewhere if a police mugshot comes up as a result.

And don’t just ask for pet sitting references, check them. Many, many people don’t take the time to actually contact references and ensure they’re not the pet sitter’s family or friends, for example. In one case, a potential pet sitter pretended to be a reference by speaking in a false baritone! So make sure these references exist and sound sane, and, hey, you can Google search them, too.

Don’t feel guilty; this is your home and furry family we’re talking about.

No matter how busy you are, it’s imperative to research someone you’re trusting to care for your furry family and home! (Not that your home is necessarily furry—although you never know in Asheville.)

Ensure They’re Bonded and Insured

Many insurance companies now offer specific petsitters insurance and bonding. For example, Asheville Home & Pet Care (AHPC) is bonded and insured under the broadest, most comprehensive policy available with Pet Sitters Associates. 

So ask your Asheville pet sitter to prove they’re bonded and insured. AHPC provides its Certificate of Insurance and Bonding on demand.

By the way, a service such as Rover.com provides only limited coverage.

A License to Petsit?

We’d love to say AHPC is licensed, bonded and insured, because it has such a lovely ring to it, but in North Carolina, there is no “petsitting” license. Also, North Carolina doesn’t charge sales tax on petsitting services.

However, such laws vary from state to state, so be sure to research your state’s laws.

Now, a North Carolina pet “boarder” is different. So an Asheville pet sitter who opens her home to other people’s pets requires a state boarding-kennel license, and that service is taxed. And “pet taxis” or other pet transporters actually need a federal license, from the United States Department of Agriculture. Who knew??

Hey, check out AHPC’s pet sitting rates right now!

MORE TIPS TO COME…