For our first Talk Back Tuesday here I have decided to bounce off a recent topic posted by Theresa at the PetSitUSA blog – lisencing for pet sitters. Apparently there is a “university” that is claiming to offer an accreditation license program for pet sitters. As Theresa points out in her article there is currently no license that is required to start your own pet sitting business.
Pet Sitters International does offer an accreditation program which educates about pet health, insurance issues, pet care for specific breeds, and business practices. However, this is a voluntary program aimed at advancing the knowledge of pet sitters and can be used by a pet sitter as a marketing tool to set themselves apart from other pet sitters.
For this Talk Back Tuesday I have 2 questions for you :
As a pet business owner or pet owner – do you believe that a license should be required for new pet sitters?
If a licensing program was put in place what classes or tests do you believe should be part of the curriculum?
Please post your comments below!
We are a rapidly growing (yes, even with the recession!!) pet care company in the San Francisco Bay Area. Part of the reason for much of our success through the years has been finding the right walkers and sitters to work with.
I can’t speak enough about hands on experience! I have found through trial and error that contractors that work with us must have a lot of personal situations – through work or at home – to have applied working with animals. I often will interview a newly “accredited” pet sitter for example, who has not been in the field long enough to work with different types of dogs, but yet did not demonstrate the pragmatic skills necessary to dealing with spontaneous situations, etc.
Thanks for your great website and blog!
Thanks so much for your comment Beth. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have also found that the best sitters are those with plenty of hands on experience working with pets. Pet Techs, people who volunteer for pet rescues, groomers, breeders, and people who have many years experience caring for their own pets.
I noticed from your website that you are selling your business. Are you getting out of pet sitting – or moving on to start another business?
We are selling our business http://www.petcarebusinessforsale.com
because we want to take our kids to learn other languages and cultures abroad. Believe me, sometimes I wonder if I’m crazy as we love pet care and have had great success, but our kids will only be young once!
This license through this particular university which I believe is a vocational school would not impress me. If they said they were offering a course, yes, that would be fine as long as the new pet sitter gains some experience or apprenticeship. We are a self-governing profession. I definitely look for hands on experience whenever I am hiring. Shelter volunteers, dog trainers, those with pet sitting experience already, and rescue workers make up my team so far. This experience along with good references and passing a background check if I don’t know them personally seems to work for me so far.