Going Out of Town? Make Sure Your Pet’s Information Is Ready Before You Leave
Updated: 3 days ago
Getting ready for a trip usually means making lists. Pack the suitcase. Check the flight. Take care of things around the house.
If you’re leaving a dog or cat in the care of a pet sitter, there’s one more important thing to do before you leave: make sure your pet’s information is current.
At The Pawfessionals, much of the information we need to care for your pets is maintained in your Client Portal. Instead of starting from scratch every time you travel, your pet’s care instructions and important household information are already available to our team.
But things change.
Food changes. Medications change. Routines change. Access instructions change. And sometimes a small detail that doesn’t seem particularly important at home becomes very important to the person caring for your pet while you’re away.
A few minutes spent reviewing your information before a trip can help everything go much more smoothly.
Your Pet Sitter Shouldn’t Have to Guess
Even if we’ve cared for your pets many times before, we don’t want to assume everything is exactly the same as it was during our last visit.
Maybe your dog now eats a different amount of food.
Perhaps your cat recently started taking medication.
Maybe you’ve changed veterinarians, moved the food bowls, installed a new alarm system, or noticed that your dog has become uncomfortable around other dogs.
Those are things we need to know.
Good pet sitting is about maintaining the routine your pet already knows as closely as possible. Current information helps us do that.
Review Your Client Portal Before You Leave
Before your trip, take a few minutes to review the information in your Pawfessionals Client Portal.
Pay particular attention to anything that may have changed, including:
Feeding amounts and schedules
Medications and administration instructions
Veterinary information
Emergency contacts
Home or building access instructions
Alarm and security information
Locations of food, leashes, litter and other supplies
Your pet’s normal routine
Behavioral or health changes
Any special instructions that apply to this particular trip
There’s no need to rewrite information that’s already correct. We simply want to make sure the information available to your pet sitter reflects what’s happening in your pet’s life today.
Don’t Forget the Little Things
Some of the most helpful information isn’t medical or logistical at all.
It’s the information that helps us understand your pet as an individual.
Does your cat disappear under the bed whenever someone comes through the door?
Does your dog refuse breakfast unless a little water is mixed into the food?
Has your cat discovered a new favorite hiding place in the back of a closet?
Has your normally social dog recently started becoming nervous when another dog approaches during a walk?
Tell us.
Those little details can make a big difference when we’re caring for your pet.
Professional pet sitting isn’t simply filling a food bowl and checking off a list. It’s getting to know the animal we’re caring for and recognizing what’s normal for them.
Make Sure We Can Get In
Access is easy to overlook until something doesn’t work.
Before leaving town, make sure the access information in your Client Portal is current and that the method we’ve arranged for entering your home will remain available throughout your service.
This can be especially important for clients living in apartments, condominiums, high-rises and senior living communities.
Building procedures change. Door codes change. Key fobs stop working. Concierge policies get updated.
A small access issue can become a much bigger problem when you’re hundreds or thousands of miles away.
If anything has changed since our last visit, please let us know before you leave.
Check Food, Medication and Supplies
Before your first scheduled visit, make sure there’s enough of everything your pet will need for the entire time you’re away.
That includes food, treats, medications, litter, waste bags and any other supplies that are part of your pet’s normal care.
We recommend having a little extra on hand as well.
If your pet takes medication, check the actual quantity remaining rather than assuming there’s enough in the bottle.
Travel doesn’t always go according to plan. Flights are delayed, weather interferes, and sometimes a three-day trip becomes a four-day trip.
Having extra food, medication and essential supplies gives everyone a little more flexibility if your return is unexpectedly delayed.
Tell Us What’s Changed Since Our Last Visit
If something has happened recently with your pet, let us know.
Maybe your dog recently visited the veterinarian. Your cat isn’t eating quite as much as usual. Your pet is recovering from an injury. There’s a new medication. Or you’ve noticed a change in behavior.
Even if it seems minor, we’d rather know about it.
We’re spending time with your pet while you’re away. Knowing what was happening before you left gives us valuable context if we notice something different during one of our visits.
Keep an Eye on Your Client Portal While You’re Away
Communication is an important part of professional pet sitting.
Our primary method of communicating with clients is through the conversation feed in the Client Portal.
When The Pawfessionals sends you a message through the portal, that message is also delivered to you by text message and email. This makes it much easier to stay connected without having to continually log in and check for new messages.
Before leaving town, make sure the mobile phone number and email address associated with your account are current.
Most trips are pleasantly uneventful. But occasionally we may have a question, notice something about your pet that we want to bring to your attention, or need to contact you about an unexpected situation.
Keeping an eye out for messages from The Pawfessionals allows us to communicate with you quickly when necessary.
If you’ll be traveling somewhere with limited phone or internet access, make sure we have appropriate emergency contact information before you leave.
You’ll Hear From Us, Too
Communication shouldn’t be one-sided.
Following scheduled visits, Pawfessionals clients receive updates so you can know how things are going back home.
It’s one of the benefits of using professional pet care. You shouldn’t have to spend your vacation wondering whether your pet has eaten, gone outside, taken medication, or received the care you scheduled.
You can enjoy your trip knowing someone is looking after things at home.
When You Get Home, Please Tell Us
There’s one final step that’s especially important.
Please let us know you’ve returned home and your pets are back in your care.
When the final scheduled pet-sitting visit is complete, we don’t simply assume your flight landed on time and you made it home as planned.
Flights get delayed. Connections are missed. Cars break down. Weather changes travel plans.
Until we know you’ve returned, there’s still an animal depending on someone for food, water, medication and care.
That’s why The Pawfessionals asks clients to confirm their return after pet-sitting service. It gives us a clear handoff of responsibility and helps ensure that a pet is never unintentionally left without care.
It’s a simple message, but an important one.
A Few Minutes of Preparation Can Make a Big Difference
Preparing for professional pet sitting shouldn’t add stress to preparing for your trip.
That’s one of the reasons we use the Client Portal.
If your pet and household information is current, we can access your home, there are plenty of supplies available, and you’ve told us about any recent changes, you’ve handled the most important things.
Then you can focus on your trip.
And we’ll focus on your pets.
Planning a Trip?
For more than 20 years, The Pawfessionals Dog Walkers & Pet Sitters has helped Dallas pet owners care for their dogs and cats when they can’t be there themselves.
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Our Pet Sitting services allow pets to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own home while receiving care based on their individual routines.
Already a Pawfessionals client? Take a moment to review your information in the Client Portal before your next trip.
New to The Pawfessionals? Visit our Pet Sitting page to learn more about our in-home pet care, or Contact Us to get started.
