How much to pay the pet sitter?

[luckystar112]

FI and I fly out to Jamaica a week from today!
Then in August we make a trip to Virginia.

And................we''re broke. We usually board our dogs, but at $18 per dog/per day, it gets sooooo expensive. My mom suggested that we find a kid in the neighborhood to pet sit for us. Lo and behold, there are like 10 teens all offering their services!

We would like the person to

1. Come in and let our dogs outside in the morning.
2. Make sure their water and food bowls are full.
3. Stop by once or twice in the afternoon to check on them/play with them/see if they need more water or food.
4. Let them in at night.

My first question is....Is this cruel? I''m worried about our dogs being out most of the day, but I guess it''s not THAT abnormal as they pretty much love it outside. As long as they have plenty of water and someone stops by it should be okay, right?

Second question....how much is appropriate to pay for such a service?

.........or should we just suck it up and board them?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[monarch64]

How long will you be gone, or I guess how many days will you be requiring pet-sitting services? I would think ~$30/day would be appropriate for a teen without much experience. That's an easy $150-$200 for the 5 days-week you'll be gone...and with teens you can offer to serve as a reference for their future job searches if they do a good job.

ETA: I don't think it's cruel *as long as* the dogs cannot possibly get out by digging under the fence or some random person (cableguy, whoever) accidentally leaving your gate open (it has happened to us before). and also that they have access to shelter from the sun or stormy weather, etc.

 

[luckystar112]

hmmph. Well since boarding the dogs will amount to $36 a day....
Yikes!!!! I was thinking more like $10-$15 a day! lol. I''ve obviously never done this before.

We will be gone 8 days...a monday to monday.

 

[iheartscience]

I''m not a dog person, so I don''t know if dogs are okay to be left alone that long, but as far as payment, I would imagine that $20/day would be a good amount for a teenager who lives in the neighborhood. I would make sure that the teenager is going to actually spend time with the dogs, though-I''m sure your dogs will be lonely without you and they''ll need some pets!

 

[musey]

When I was a teenager, I took care of our neighbor's diabetic cat for 10 days. It involved injections at specific times (I think 3 times daily--and it HAD to be at the exact right time), taking care of the litter, checking the food. Interaction-wise, it's not as demanding as multiple dogs... but I think the shots made it a relatively demanding pet-sitting job.

He gave me $10/day, and I thought that was a pretty sweet deal.

I wouldn't now, mind you...

I s'pose you could think of it in terms of minimum wage. Figure out how much time they'd be spending and multiply it by 7 and change.

FWIW, I have friends that offer to pet-sit our pup for free, just 'cuz they like dogs and wish they could have one. But he's very small and really easy.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/16/2008 10:42:38 PM
Author: luckystar112
hmmph. Well since boarding the dogs will amount to $36 a day....
Yikes!!!! I was thinking more like $10-$15 a day! lol. I''ve obviously never done this before.

We will be gone 8 days...a monday to monday.

Well, are we talking about teens who are of driving age, or 13-15 year olds who don''t really need gas money? I think $20 would be fine per day if you''re thinking of hiring say, a 14 year old who is just looking to make some extra cash. I think $30 would be more appropriate for a 16 year old who is wanting to put gas in her/his parents'' car so they can drive to their other job or the mall or whatever.

What are you willing to part with as far as a lump sum? $100? $150? $200? I would think about basing your daily rate on that, I think.

 

[Kaleigh]

I use a professional pet sitter, and have for the past 10 years. She gives me peace of mind while I am away, and her price is worth that. I just don''t know that I could trust teenagers to come and take care of my dogs. They might leave them out in the heat, or forget?? It''s not something I would risk. I am sure there are many concientious teens out there, not dissing them. Just for me, I don''t love going away and leaving them, so have to be 1000% comfortable with who I leave them with.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/16/2008 11:16:47 PM
Author: Kaleigh
I use a professional pet sitter, and have for the past 10 years. She gives me peace of mind while I am away, and her price is worth that. I just don''t know that I could trust teenagers to come and take care of my dogs. They might leave them out in the heat, or forget?? It''s not something I would risk. I am sure there are many concientious teens out there, not dissing them. Just for me, I don''t love going away and leaving them, so have to be 1000% comfortable with who I leave them with.

I wholeheartedly agree with kaleigh re. trusting teens for that long. If I were you, I would at least want to know the parents and make sure that these were trustworthy young adults who had a parent to remind them that their duty was very important... If you don''t have a relationship or rapport with parents of the potential teen pet-sitter, I would probably suck it up and board them as you''ve done in the past. Too much at stake, and you don''t want to spend your vacation worrying over whether your pets are being well-taken care of if there is any question.

 

[diamondfan]

If you trust them, maybe. However, it could be hot out, and these kids might not be that responsible. I just would be worried. If it were overnight I would be willing to try them, but it seems a bit risky to me. These are live animals. What if they forget? Or one of the gets ill for some reason? If I were at work and wanted someone to come in once a day to walk them/play/check on them, fine, but it seems like a long time and could be problematic. Why have worries on your trip?

My kennel charges 30.00 per night per dog, so your kennel sounds pretty reasonable. Where do you live?

 

[Dee*Jay]

We used to take the monsters to a boarding kennel to the tune of $40 PER DAY PER DOG. I didn't mind paying the $$$ but I did mind that every time they came home they had some sort of health issue that they caught from another dog. Now our dog walker stays with them here at our house for $50 day and belive me that is a very reasonable amount of $$$ to achieve comfort that the dogs are in good hands. I do have to say though this is the downtown of a major metro area so things do cost more here potentially that in other places.

I would make sure to leave a list of phone numbers in case of some sort of emergency (the vet, the number where you'll be at, another responsible person that you trust to make decisions if you can't be reached) and also make sure you're comfortable that the teens parents will be available and willing to step in in case there is an emergency (dog gets loose, a trip to the emergency vet clininc is needed, etc.).

Personally I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my dogs alone as much as you're proposing, but you say that they are outside and alone a lot now so maybe it is OK. Would it be possible for one of the teenagers to actually stay at your house so the dogs got more companionship though? (Although this might raise a whole host of other issues -- can you say par-tay! -- depending on the kid.)

 

[trillionaire]

I used to pet sit growing up, and was paid $10 a day. If you ask someone who''s unemployed, and not THAT old, that will probably be fine. Also, you can tack on an extra $10-15 dollars and they will be THRILLED.

Also, you can try looking for petsitters on craigslist. I found my pet sitter there. She had references, and did rescue and re-homing. Only charges me $10 a day and is fabulous! Others charged $20, but my dog would have been running around with other dogs on acres of land all day, which is great! She LOVES going to the pet sitter!

 

[movie zombie]

will this person be able to take your dogs to the vet if the need arises? will this person be able to ascertain that your dogs need to be seen by a professional? will this person be able to look for your dogs should they get out? will they spend time playing with the dogs? it really is more than just leaving fresh water and food for them.

things to think about......

we pay a lot more that $30 per day for our cats when we''re gone but then our cats require meds and monitoring.

movie zombie

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Hi Luckystar,

For a good idea of the going rates for an adult pet sitter, I'd check out craigslist.org for your city and enter "dog sitter" in the search field. You'll find a large variety of posters, from businesses who proudly advertise being licensed/bonded to teenagers who write about their love of animals.

Here in Los Angeles, a quick search revealed that the going rate for a 45 minute visit one time a day from a licensed/bonded is $20, and overnight stays average about $50/night. Obviously, you need to look in your area to see the going rate.

(BTW, Musey and Trillionaire, your posts made me reminisce. When I was a kid in the late 80s, our neighbors paid me a whopping one dollar a day to baby sit their cats! I loved those kitties and would have done it for free, but looking back at how this was in an upscale coastal bedroom community in a posh area, in retrospect I can't help but wonder if all the adults there made their millions by being really really cheap! LOL!)

f-d-l

 

[wishful]

I do petsitting/housesitting and I charge 40 to 50 dollars a day BUT I stay at the house and take care of whatever else needs to be taken care of (watering plants, phone messages, getting the mail, trash day etc). And my rate is for however many animals there are (horses might be extra). I think that most people have the same viewpoint as Kaleigh, where they want to know someone is home at their house with their pet each night and making the home look lived in.

Some of the animals I care for are elderly and need meds both morning and night.
Each situation is different. But if you want somoeone to come and stay at your house then that is probably a ballpark of what to expect to pay.

Many pet sitting services offer a lower price to just stop by a couple of times a day to feed water, walk and give some playtime. And that being their business they may be more reliable than teenagers.

 

[ursulawrite]

Date: 6/17/2008 12:23:12 PM
Author: wishful
I do petsitting/housesitting and I charge 40 to 50 dollars a day BUT I stay at the house and take care of whatever else needs to be taken care of (watering plants, phone messages, getting the mail, trash day etc). And my rate is for however many animals there are (horses might be extra). I think that most people have the same viewpoint as Kaleigh, where they want to know someone is home at their house with their pet each night and making the home look lived in.

Some of the animals I care for are elderly and need meds both morning and night.
Each situation is different. But if you want somoeone to come and stay at your house then that is probably a ballpark of what to expect to pay.

Many pet sitting services offer a lower price to just stop by a couple of times a day to feed water, walk and give some playtime. And that being their business they may be more reliable than teenagers.

I have a similar arrangement (except our sitter is $80 a day, it being Mahattan). Doggie daycare here runs at $50-$60 a night, but I''d rather have a more personalised service. And my dog *loves* the sitter. Perhaps you could call your vet and ask if they have a tech who''d be interested?

I would only use a teenager if I knew that the parents were going to be involved at some level. When I was a child, I charged 50p per walk, and walked three neighbourhood dogs--at once--at the age of nine. How times have changed!

 

[purrfectpear]

There is no way I''d leave my pet outside for 8 hours or so. Besides the possibility of them digging their way out or someone opening the gate, there is also the very real possibility of abuse and/or dog napping.

 

[gailrmv]

How hot is it where you live? Will the dogs have access to shelter if it rains?

I'm pretty anxious in general. I live in a hot climate and my dogs don't spend much time outside. I would not consider this arrangement myself. I'd be too worried about something going wrong - the stakes are just too high. I'd either use an adult professional pet sitter, a trusted friend, or a kennel. I would also have planned my dog boarding arrangements much sooner than the week before.

If you do decide to go this route, which I recommend against, please speak with the parents and check references (does the teen mow lawns, babysit, etc, and can someone vouch for his/her reliability)? I'd also write up a "contract" outlining exactly what needs to be done and when, and ask the teen (and perhaps their parents) to sign. I would only consider a teen who had plenty of experience with animals (either caring for their own dog and/or pet sitting others.)

I used to dog sit for my mom's friend's dog when I was in high school. I was very responsible and cared a lot about the pets, and things still came up that I felt uncomfortable with (example: the time they did not leave the spare key where they said they would and I had to essentially break in to feed their pets. The time when the dog seemed sick but they did not leave me instructions or the vet's name.) I think they paid me $5 or $10 a day but this was over 10 years ago. Plus, I loved dogs and didn't have one of my own so I probably would have done it for free.

I just would not hire a teen (or any nonprofessional pet sitter) without having developed some sort of relationship with them over time, so that I knew I could trust them. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the way I see it!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I have nothing new to add, I think it comes down to:

1. How long you'll be gone
2. The climate you live in (based on the breed of dog)

If you're going to be gone for more than 4 days, I'd board them. Or if the the temp is going to be hotter than 80 or 85 degrees (unless he's furry--our dog would literally die in 80-degree heat), I'd board them.

Pet Sitters International (http://www.petsit.com/) is a group of certified pet sitters who will come to your home multiple times per day or board your dog in their home...you may just want to see if there are any in your area and what they charge. Even if you don't use a certified pet sitter, at least it will give you some competitive rates in the area--I'd probably give a neighborhood teenager about half of the going rate for a certified pet sitter? I don't know.

When we travel we have our dog stay at our doggy daycare sitter's house--he's already familiar with her family, her house, her dogs, the dogs that come to daycare and he absolutely loves her and she's fantastic (she's not a pushover, which I love). Anyway, it's about $60/night which can get steep on long trips, but knowing he's happy and with somebody we love and trust makes us enjoy our vacations more--it's like our dog is on vacation, too. Sometimes peace of mind is totally worth it.

Do you have any relatives in the family that can dog sit for you? Or keep them at their house?

I really like the idea of just offering a lump sum, that way you don't have to worry about the cost per day. If there is a local high school kid that you really trust, I think $150 or more would be very appealing!

 

[luckystar112]

Date: 6/17/2008 2:16:30 PM
Author: TanDogMom
How hot is it where you live? Will the dogs have access to shelter if it rains?

I''m pretty anxious in general. I live in a hot climate and my dogs don''t spend much time outside. I would not consider this arrangement myself. I''d be too worried about something going wrong - the stakes are just too high. I''d either use an adult professional pet sitter, a trusted friend, or a kennel. I would also have planned my dog boarding arrangements much sooner than the week before.

If you do decide to go this route, which I recommend against, please speak with the parents and check references (does the teen mow lawns, babysit, etc, and can someone vouch for his/her reliability)? I''d also write up a ''contract'' outlining exactly what needs to be done and when, and ask the teen (and perhaps their parents) to sign. I would only consider a teen who had plenty of experience with animals (either caring for their own dog and/or pet sitting others.)

I used to dog sit for my mom''s friend''s dog when I was in high school. I was very responsible and cared a lot about the pets, and things still came up that I felt uncomfortable with (example: the time they did not leave the spare key where they said they would and I had to essentially break in to feed their pets. The time when the dog seemed sick but they did not leave me instructions or the vet''s name.) I think they paid me $5 or $10 a day but this was over 10 years ago. Plus, I loved dogs and didn''t have one of my own so I probably would have done it for free.

I just would not hire a teen (or any nonprofessional pet sitter) without having developed some sort of relationship with them over time, so that I knew I could trust them. I know that''s not what you want to hear, but that''s the way I see it!

I didn''t wait until the last minute. My dogs have been reserved at their normal boarding place, our vet''s office, for the last two months. But we were thinking that it might be nice to save money and nicer for the dogs if they just stayed here if we could find someone responsible to stop by a few times a day to check on them. The idea that maybe we could do someting else instead, however, is coming rather late.

We always feel bad when we board them. Our vet''s office is very small and located in a strip center. I know that it is a great place for them to be if there is an emergency, and the staff is extremely nice and caring, but I think they just stay in a crate for most of the day and are only let out for pee breaks or for an hour of activity in the small patch of grass behind the building. So, I thought to myself...."hey...this is expensive, our dogs are active, why not have someone come here?"

The other place we used to board our dogs is the pet hotel at petsmart. Except, they charge for evvverything. Do your dog''s require a certain brand of food? charge. Do you want us to pet them? charge. Do they get fed more than once a day? charge. Do you want to let them outside for an hour? charge.

There are places with big green pastures and lots of amenities, but they are more than double our vet''s boarding charge.


We live in Houston, which is extremely hot. But my dogs practically live outside. I can''t get them to come in. They don''t live out there, but they''d rather be out there than in the house for some reason. We usually bring them in if we''re going somewhere or if we''re going to bed (I''m not one of those people who got a dog just so I could chain it in my backyard and bring it food once a day). We do have a patio where they like to lay in the shade. They hate the rain, which could be a problem. But it doesn''t rain under the patio.


I should probably mention that we also have two cats.

Our neighbor across the street watches them when we''re gone. He comes by and makes sure they have food and water, litter box is clean, etc. But we''ve never asked him to look after the dog''s before. I''m sure he wouldn''t mind. But he goes to bed really early (like 7pm) because he leaves for work in the very early AM. So I worry about our dogs having to go to the bathroom after he is already in bed. But, he gets home from work at around 3pm, which could be a plus.

I''m just thinking aloud now.........

Perhaps we could get him to watch the dogs along with the cats (we''ll pay him).

Before he leaves for work, he could let our dogs outside. We''ll put food and a massive water container out there.
Our dogs will miss out on MOST of the heat, since it will be early.
When he gets home around 3pm, he could let them back in. We''ll buy a gate for our kitchen, and he could put them in there. Cold floor, food and water set up.
Then at night we could have him (or our other adult friend who said he''d help out) stop by and let them outside one more time before bringing them in for the night.

I think that sounds like it could work, right?

 

[movie zombie]

so this neighbor who isn''t around during the day is going to be able to monitor the dogs? and be able to get them to a vet in case of emergency?

board the dogs, continue the cat arrangement with the neighbor or get a real petsitter in. you have enough animals to warrant it.

movie zombie

 

[luckystar112]

No need to get testy.
Wow...why do I fee like Michelle Duggar all of a sudden?


His wife is a SAHM.
and we have another adult friend who works nights who has already said he'd stop by.

I'm going to look into it.
I'm also going to go to our other neighbor (who is right next door), and ask her if her kids (who are about 13 or 14) may be interested in stopping by too.

 

[Person24]

I pay a friend of mine $20 a day to watch my dog. Granted she is a friend...soo maybe if she wasn''t it would be more? I thought I was being pretty fair.

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 6/17/2008 2:49:55 PM
Author: luckystar112

Date: 6/17/2008 2:16:30 PM

Author: TanDogMom

How hot is it where you live? Will the dogs have access to shelter if it rains?


I'm pretty anxious in general. I live in a hot climate and my dogs don't spend much time outside. I would not consider this arrangement myself. I'd be too worried about something going wrong - the stakes are just too high. I'd either use an adult professional pet sitter, a trusted friend, or a kennel. I would also have planned my dog boarding arrangements much sooner than the week before.



If you do decide to go this route, which I recommend against, please speak with the parents and check references (does the teen mow lawns, babysit, etc, and can someone vouch for his/her reliability)? I'd also write up a 'contract' outlining exactly what needs to be done and when, and ask the teen (and perhaps their parents) to sign. I would only consider a teen who had plenty of experience with animals (either caring for their own dog and/or pet sitting others.)


I used to dog sit for my mom's friend's dog when I was in high school. I was very responsible and cared a lot about the pets, and things still came up that I felt uncomfortable with (example: the time they did not leave the spare key where they said they would and I had to essentially break in to feed their pets. The time when the dog seemed sick but they did not leave me instructions or the vet's name.) I think they paid me $5 or $10 a day but this was over 10 years ago. Plus, I loved dogs and didn't have one of my own so I probably would have done it for free.


I just would not hire a teen (or any nonprofessional pet sitter) without having developed some sort of relationship with them over time, so that I knew I could trust them. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the way I see it!

I didn't wait until the last minute. My dogs have been reserved at their normal boarding place, our vet's office, for the last two months. But we were thinking that it might be nice to save money and nicer for the dogs if they just stayed here if we could find someone responsible to stop by a few times a day to check on them. The idea that maybe we could do someting else instead, however, is coming rather late.


We always feel bad when we board them. Our vet's office is very small and located in a strip center. I know that it is a great place for them to be if there is an emergency, and the staff is extremely nice and caring, but I think they just stay in a crate for most of the day and are only let out for pee breaks or for an hour of activity in the small patch of grass behind the building. So, I thought to myself....'hey...this is expensive, our dogs are active, why not have someone come here?'


The other place we used to board our dogs is the pet hotel at petsmart. Except, they charge for evvverything. Do your dog's require a certain brand of food? charge. Do you want us to pet them? charge. Do they get fed more than once a day? charge. Do you want to let them outside for an hour? charge.

There are places with big green pastures and lots of amenities, but they are more than double our vet's boarding charge.



We live in Houston, which is extremely hot. But my dogs practically live outside. I can't get them to come in. They don't live out there, but they'd rather be out there than in the house for some reason. We usually bring them in if we're going somewhere or if we're going to bed (I'm not one of those people who got a dog just so I could chain it in my backyard and bring it food once a day). We do have a patio where they like to lay in the shade. They hate the rain, which could be a problem. But it doesn't rain under the patio.



I should probably mention that we also have two cats.

Our neighbor across the street watches them when we're gone. He comes by and makes sure they have food and water, litter box is clean, etc. But we've never asked him to look after the dog's before. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. But he goes to bed really early (like 7pm) because he leaves for work in the very early AM. So I worry about our dogs having to go to the bathroom after he is already in bed. But, he gets home from work at around 3pm, which could be a plus.


I'm just thinking aloud now.........


Perhaps we could get him to watch the dogs along with the cats (we'll pay him).


Before he leaves for work, he could let our dogs outside. We'll put food and a massive water container out there.

Our dogs will miss out on MOST of the heat, since it will be early.

When he gets home around 3pm, he could let them back in. We'll buy a gate for our kitchen, and he could put them in there. Cold floor, food and water set up.

Then at night we could have him (or our other adult friend who said he'd help out) stop by and let them outside one more time before bringing them in for the night.


I think that sounds like it could work, right?

Hmm, it sounds like your situation is quite different from mine then. My dogs hate being outside! Glad to know you have a backup reservation just in case.
I hate boarding mine too. We used to board at the vet and I hated that they stayed in a cage most of the day. We now board at another place which is $22/day/dog where they play outside under supervision a lot of the day. I think it's better, but we do really think twice before traveling anymore. The pet sitters that come to your house several times every day would end up being too expensive for me. I've thought about asking my good friend who loves dogs if she would house sit sometime. I thought I'd pay her around what the kennel costs me, or maybe a little less but stock the fridge for her, rent some movies for her, etc. I haven't asked her though b/c I don't want her to feel obligated to say yes if she doesn't really want to.

If your neighbor would watch the dogs, maybe hire a neighborhood kid to let them out for a later bathroom break? Then you are primarily depending on an adult for the most important stuff and a kid for something less vital in case he/she forgets.

 

[luckystar112]

Date: 6/17/2008 4:03:36 PM
Author: TanDogMom



Hmm, it sounds like your situation is quite different from mine then. My dogs hate being outside! Glad to know you have a backup reservation just in case.
I hate boarding mine too. We used to board at the vet and I hated that they stayed in a cage most of the day. We now board at another place which is $22/day/dog where they play outside under supervision a lot of the day. I think it's better, but we do really think twice before traveling anymore. The pet sitters that come to your house several times every day would end up being too expensive for me. I've thought about asking my good friend who loves dogs if she would house sit sometime. I thought I'd pay her around what the kennel costs me, or maybe a little less but stock the fridge for her, rent some movies for her, etc. I haven't asked her though b/c I don't want her to feel obligated to say yes if she doesn't really want to.

If your neighbor would watch the dogs, maybe hire a neighborhood kid to let them out for a later bathroom break? Then you are primarily depending on an adult for the most important stuff and a kid for something less vital in case he/she forgets.

I KNOW! FI has two good friends in the area who live are single and live in apartments. The other day we hung out with one of them and I asked if he'd be interested in doing that. He didn't say no, but he didn't say yes either. That was the friend that said he'd stop by every night.

I haven't asked the other guy yet, but FI pretty much said he didn't like that idea of anyone staying over because he was afraid they'd crank the A/C. I'm like, "just tell them not to crank the A/C!" Hard, huh? He'd rather not have them stay over than ask them not to crank the A/C....it's bewildering.

I don't know why he wouldn't want to stay here if we stocked the fridge. The guy doesn't even have cable. We have cable, internet, a backyard with a TV on the patio, lots of fun things! lol. I think if I was offered to house/pet sit for someone I would do it because it would like a mini vacation. But I guess I'm weird like that...some people just like their own beds.

The more I think about it...I really don't think it's smart to trust a kid in the neighborhood, no matter the age (actually, the older the scarier!

) I do trust our neighbor's kids though, as the mom is a teacher and off for the summer. She's right there. We share an alley with her! I'm going to stop by there later tonight. Hopefully they won't be vacationing the same week.

 

[dianne]

I don''t know if you will find this helpful, but I have a local pet-sitter that actually keeps the dogs at her home. I have a Shih Tzu and a Pomeranian. She charges $15/day for first dog, then $7/day for second dog. After 5 days you get a free day, too. She is a breeder and is a stickler for all dogs coming to her home be up to date on shots (and she wants copies from the vet, too) and in the summer months wants them on some type of flea protection. Dogs stay inside and are let out several tims a day into a fenced back yard. She administers any medications as needed and she also grooms, which is very convenient,too. She''s wonderful and I consider myself lucky to have someone like her available to me. Good luck!

 

[zoebartlett]

I think if you can find someone you know and trust to do a great job of taking care of your pets, it might be worth it to have someone check in on them. I wouldn''t just ask a random neighbor though. I used to do that all the time for neighbors I knew well, and it was great.

When we go on our honeymoon, we''re going to board our cats at a great kennel that provides doggy day care and boards both dogs and cats. We live in a condo, and we had thought of asking a neighbor to check in on them (feed them, make sure they have water, and play with them), but we just don''t feel comfortable asking someone we don''t know well to do this. I''d feel funny having them in our place. Plus, one of our cats needs medicine 2x a day, and we feel better asking the kennel to dispense it (it''s just pills).

It''s more money to board the cats but we know there''s someone there 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week. They charge $25 per day ($15 for one cat and $10 for an additional one).

Oooh, I had a thought. What about calling your vet for recommedations? Our vet told us recently that he has vet techs that offer to drop in once or twice a day on their animals if their owners are away. The girl that was recommended to me charges $20 per visit, so $40 if we wanted her drop by twice a day. That''s too expensive for us, but it might be worth asking your vet about.

I also like the idea of coming up with a round number to pay, if you do choose a neighbor. You could also make cookies or buy a souveneir from your honeymoon as part of the payment.

Sorry for the long, rambling post...

 

[scarleta]

luckystar: You want the best for your pets.I would really check out some reference as to the kids who are to look after your pets.Its easy for you to deal with your pets and you may think that it would be easy for the kids to look after them.YOur pets are your pets and may not behave the same way when you are away.
I wish you luck with finding a good person and just spend some time with your pets in the presence of the potential pet sitters.Check few out.Sometimes its worth to pay extra to get very good care.I do hope it works out and I wish I could help you out..

 

[cnspotts]

My experiences say to use a professional pet sitter.

Generally I''ll use my regular Vet down the street, my dogs (3 large) love it there but like others have said one of them always come back with a cough, skinny and stressed out. He''s extremely active when he''s at "camp" and it ends up costing me an extra few hundred plus the cost of boarding them. It''s expensive when you total that and the cost of boarding another small animal (cat, ferret or whatever we have) but even with that we still have pets at home that need care.


Would I trust a local kid with all my babies....NO. Dogs, maybe. Rare snakes, NO.

I guess it comes down to how you feel about your pets. My dogs are fine left outside all day but I put a pool out there with them and change their water on alternating days. They sleep in the house. I''m still extremely fearful that someone might steal them (I padlock their pens). Inside I have 3 aquariums (salt & fresh water), frogs, turtles, lizards and snakes which are tons of care for a novice. And I''m afraid that someone will accidently leave an opening for my snakes to crawl out of and disappear forever....and thats a ton of "bling" gone, NWIM?.

A girlfriend stayed with them last year and this year. Last year was fine but it was a week. This year it was for two and she was pretty freaked out when we got back with personal issues and animal overload.

Next year we''ll get a prefessional pet sitter for our trip to Bonaire.

 

[Rhea]

I pet sit for a couple of families in the neighborhood when I was in my teens. I usually collected the mail, watered house plants, and came by 1-3 times a day to check on their pet depending on what kind of pet it was. I think I earned between $10-20/day depending on the work required.

I know that there is a professional service that works in my area that I''ve used a couple of times for my cat. It''s much cheaper than boarding the cat and it keeps her in her own surroundings. You may want to check for a similar service in your area.

 

[bee*]

I''m not sure if I''d trust teens to mind my pets. If your neighbours can''t mind them, I''d probably put them in boarding. Would there be any friends that could mind them for you?