You book your summer holidays well in advance……why not for your pets too?

 

Here at Finchley Dog Walker, I am often amazed as to how “last minute” people seem to leave holiday care for their pets.  Just recently I had a pet owner phone me up and inform me that they were planning on going away for half term (which was in a week’s time) and that they needed their pet taking care of in their absence.

This is the time of year people are booking summer holidays and this should also be the time of year that you start looking for your pets holiday care, to avoid disappointment, or ending up with substandard holiday care (there is a reason why they are not busy during prime holiday dates).

During busy holiday periods, I see an enormous surge in demand for pet care, be it caring for your pets in your home, drop-in visits, pet sitting or dog walking. Booking early gives you the best opportunity to find a responsible pet sitter who will be able to fit in with your dates. It also allows enough time for you to meet your pet carer, and to ensure that they are a good fit for you and to get on well with your pet.

The other problem we see a lot of during the summer is “pop up” dog walkers and pet sitters who appear during the summer when the weather is nice, when they see an opportunity to make a few extra pounds, taking advantage of the fact that pet owners need holiday care for their pets.  However, they very often lack experience and knowledge and leave pets for large amounts of time whilst they do their “day job”.  The other downside means they don’t have the appropriate insurance cover in place.

The number of stories we hear from new and returning clients after a bad boarding experience elsewhere has dramatically increased over the last 6 months, as more and more people turn to boarding to increase their income, often running this business around their day job and in two cases we have heard of, going on holiday whilst pets were in their care, leaving a pet sitter to pop in once a day.

Hiring a professional pet sitter will give you peace of mind while you are on holiday, and you will be sure that they will actually turn up to care for your pets when they say they will.

Please choose your dog walker/house sitter wisely and please try and book holiday care in advance.