When should pet sitters speak up about potential safety issues?

When should pet sitters speak up about potential safety issues?

I started a pet sitting business in 2008, and since then I have helped hundreds of others start their own businesses through my ebook and consulting services.

In this post:

• – When should pet sitters speak up about potential safety issues in the pet’s day-to-day life?
• – How should the pet sitter bring it up?

One woman recently asked a really good question about when pet sitters should speak up about day-to-day things that could be causing the pet harm. For example, if the client’s dog is eating grapes off a vine in the yard, should you tell the client grapes are toxic to dogs? Or, should you let it go if the dog is not in immediate danger? And if you do bring it up, how should you go about it?

I’ll let you know what I think, and then I’d like to hear from the rest of you – whether you are a pet sitter or whether you are a pet owner in general. When would you want your pet sitter to say something?

When should pet sitters speak up about potential safety issues?

My opinion is that the pet sitter should always bring up any potential safety issues, no matter how minor. Then, the actual dog or cat owner can decided what to do with the information.

So if we use the example where the dog has been eating grapes, I would bring it up to the owner casually by saying something like, “I noticed Buddy tries to eat grapes in the back yard. Since grapes can be toxic to dogs, would you like me to keep him on a leash while in the yard?”

This gives the owner the opportunity to respond either way. She could say, “Oh, don’t worry about it. He eats them all the time, and he’s fine.” In that case, I would let it go unless the dog seems to be eating massive quantities of grapes. Or, she could say, “Oh, I didn’t know grapes were bad for dogs. Yes, please keep him on a leash.”

Obviously, this is quite different than accusing the person of being a bad pet owner. You are presenting her with the information and letting her decide what to do with that information. Except for a few rare cases, I trust the pet owner to be the best advocate for her own pet.

More serious issues – when should pet sitters speak up?

Of course, sometimes the issue will be a little more urgent.

For example, sometimes I care for dogs that live in the garage when their owners are out of town. Normally, keeping a dog in the garage is a non-issue, however there have been a few days where I believed it was going to be too hot for the dog. In those cases, I simply contacted the owners and said something like, “It’s going to be 95 degrees today. What would you like me to do to make sure Sam is OK?”

Again, this brings up the issue without attacking the dog owner or making him feel bad. It gives him the opportunity to come up with a solution, possibly letting the dog indoors during the middle of the day or taking the dog swimming.

In my experience, the owners have always seemed thankful for my concern. Then we work together to come up with the best solution.

If for some reason the pet owner is offended by your concern, it’s not personal. Perhaps that particular client is not the right match for you, and that’s OK. We are not all perfect for each other.

What if you can’t reach the pet’s owner?

Sooner or later, an issue might come up and the pet’s owner is unreachable. Perhaps she is camping somewhere without cell service, or maybe she is traveling on another continent. Maybe she’s just not answering her phone or checking email. In those cases, it’s up to you as the pet sitter to make the most appropriate decision for the pet.

In those cases, I try to put myself in the pet owner’s shoes and imagine what I would want someone to do for my own pet.

For example, maybe the owner has specifically asked you to leave the dog in the backyard during the day because she has severe separation anxiety when left in the house. However, on the third day, you notice the dog has started digging under the fence in an attempt to get out of the yard. If you can’t reach the dog’s owner, you would have to make the best decision for the dog based on what you know.

The best solution might be to start leaving the dog indoors in a crate. Or, maybe the best solution is to pile something heavy over the hole the dog has started digging. It’s all going to depend on the specific dog and the specific situation. How big is this dog? What do you have to work with? Does the dog even have a crate? Does the dog do OK in the house at night? Could you leave some Kong-type toys for the dog to work on?

Often, the best solution involves checking on the pet more often than you had originally scheduled. Maybe you visit the pet five times that day instead of three so you can provide more interaction and exercise. Or, maybe you stick with three visits, but you stay with the dog a little longer than usual.

So, what do the rest of you think?

If you’re a pet sitter, when do you bring up certain safety issues?

Check back each Wednesday for posts related to starting your own dog walking, dog running or pet sitting business. For more information, check out my ebook on how to start a pet sitting business.