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There are many reasons to select an in-home pet
sitting service when you can’t be home with your pets. One of the most important advantages of using a pet sitter is
also the most obvious — your pet’s state of mind. A stressed-out pet is an unhappy, unhealthy pet — possibly
refusing to eat or drink, developing elimination problems (diarrhea, constipation, urinary tract infection), engaging in bad
habits (chewing himself, destroying bedding), etc.
Your pet’s most basic activities —
eating, sleeping and eliminating — can be seriously disrupted by the trauma of being left in an unfamiliar place surrounded
by other, unfamiliar pets. But a professional, in-home pet sitting service like Shannon's Pet-Sitting can help ensure your pet’s mental, emotional and physical well-being.
Things Done Their Way
Pets are creatures of habit. They will always be more comfortable when their routines
can be maintained. Especially when it comes to feeding and treats. For instance, both you and your pet might prefer that it
be you giving treats at the times she’s used to. But a close second to that is having a pet sitter who knows the drill
— like where treats are kept and how to shake the box to give your pet a thrill. And since she’s at home, your
pet can also do her usual thing — running to her bed and snuggling up with a rawhide, hiding a biscuit under the sofa
cushion for later, or bounding to the windowsill to suck on a tasty morsel. Allowing your pet to stick to simple routines
like this can help keep her from focusing too much on stressors, like the fact that the treats aren’t coming from your
own hand.
It's Their Turf!
Animals are almost always territorial, and a lot of that revolves around their keen sense of
smell. Allowing a pet to go outside to eliminate seems a simple enough task — something any boarding facility ensures.
But allowing a pet to go outside through his door, to his yard or on a walk through his neighborhood is much less disruptive
to his mental state. In fact, many dogs — large and small — find a shared yard, which most kennels use for an
elimination area, so unappealing and uncomfortable that they would rather hold it! And cats would certainly prefer not to
have their litter box inches from where they must eat and sleep. This is due, in large part, to the way familiar surroundings
smell to animals. The scent of another animal — of the same species or not — that’s too close for comfort
can have a negative impact on your pet’s psyche … especially when it comes to eliminating — which is a key
way pets leave scent markers to establish their territories.
Whether it’s the overall stress of the experience, the strangeness of a new location
or just the smells in the air of a kennel, the simple act of eliminating can become complicated when your pet is not in familiar
territory. Why make it necessary for him to “go” where he feels out of his element?
Silence can be golden!
Even if your pet loves the sound of his own voice, he may not love to have his voice joined
by 30 others, all within the confines of a kennel’s walls. Walk through your typical boarding kennel, and you’ll
hear an almost incessant barrage of barking, meowing, whining and howling. Imagine being a “guest” there and trying
to sleep through that noise! While there are many reasons pets bark, meow, whine and howl, often it’s an indication
that they’re under stress, anxious or worked up.
Some pets board well, resting quietly while they wait their turn to be walked, cleaned and fed.
But many pets vocalize their discomfort, and it only takes one to ruin it for everyone. If 10 dogs are kenneled next to and
across from each other, and 9 of them would prefer quiet calm, the one that insists on letting his caretakers know that she
wants some attention by non-stop barking can greatly increase the level of anxiety in the others. (And you can imagine how
that can make a cat in the next room feel!) At home, your pet is much more likely to have fewer stressors, including noise
from other pets she doesn’t know, and she is much more likely to be able to get adequate rest and remain in a happy,
calm state of mind.
Professional, Reliable & Commited
A professional pet sitter understands that their primary job is to take care of your pet
the way you would. Spending ample time with and caring for your pet is not viewed as an inconvenience to a pet sitter the
way it might be by someone who’s doing you a favor — like a friend, relative or neighbor. Professional pet sitters
take pride in and enjoy their work, so they’re committed to following your instructions and giving individual attention
and affection to your pets while you’re away.
Shannon's Pet-Sitting takes seriously that your pet’s life is in my hands.
Your pet’s comfort and well-being is the utmost priority for a professional service. Your neighbor might have circumstances
crop up that make it impossible for him or her to let your pet out or feed him one evening (and potentially not think much
of it), but a professional pet sitting service makes your pet the priority — so you know the best possible job is being
done for your pet, no matter what. And that means you can rest easy and have just as much peace of mind as your pet while
you’re away.
Shannon's Pet-Sitting
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