A Question Everyone Should Ask their Pet Sitter or Dog Walker
“Do you advertise your services on your cars?”
It’s a simple question with big implications. Most pet sitting clients are away from home when their pet sitter or dog walker visits their pets. That’s why they hire a professional, in-home pet sitter to care for their pets and their home.
Our sister company, Poopie Patrol, advertises its pet waste removal services on its trucks so we know the value of having a rolling billboard on the streets where thousands of potential customers see it every day. But the pet sitting business is different. You’re not just advertising your services. You’re also advertising the fact that your clients are most likely not home.
It’s well known that porch pirates follow delivery trucks to see where they drop off a package so they can swoop in and snatch it. Burglars can do the same thing if they see a pet sitter or dog walker in a car with signs advertising that’s what they do.
A burglar can simply see where they go, wait for them to leave after their visit is complete and then force their way into the home—or come back later that night—knowing it’s almost certainly unoccupied. If you have a dog and the dog walker takes it for a walk, they’ll even have the opportunity to see what type of dog it is. If it’s a large dog, they might be deterred but, if it’s a small dog, you might become a target. If the pet sitter doesn’t take a dog for a walk, they can assume there’s a good chance the only occupants in the house are a cat, bird or some exotic animal that’s almost certainly caged. Or, maybe there’s no pets in the house and the pet sitter is just doing a house check while the owner is away. Either way, you could become a prime target.
And, if an intruder gains access—either through a door forced open or a window broken and raised to allow access—they may not bother to close it, allowing your pets to escape. You can replace your belongings, but you can never replace a beloved pet.
At On Call Pet Sitters, we take the safety and security of your pets and your home very seriously. In addition to caring for your pets, we also bring in your mail, newspapers, door hangers left by marketers and packages left by delivery services. We can also switch out lights and blinds as directed to give your house a lived-in appearance.
Sure, we’d love to have rolling billboards complete with our company name, logo, website and phone number on our pet sitter’s cars but the safety and security of your pets and home is far more important.
So, when you make your next pet sitting or dog walking reservation, be sure to ask your pet sitter, “Do you advertise your services on your cars?”