The Top 5 Deal Breakers of Pet Sitting

​As with every profession or career path, there are pros and cons to pet sitting.  Spending over 15 years (I swear that makes me sound older than I am) staying in people's homes with their pets is such a rewarding, and underrated "job".  Up until leaving my corporate job in December 2014, pet sitting was mainly just my side-hustle business all of those years after college.  It gave my life purpose and meaning outside the corporate office.  People LOVE their pets so to be a trusted caretaker of them is an important role.  Being a pet sitter also allowed my “only child” dog, Jiminey to tag-along on all of my pet sits during his short 10 year life.  It was fun for him and it made me feel less guilty for not getting him a sister or brother.

Living in Austin the past few years, there are potential clients around every corner.  Gaining clients is nearly effortless.  I am never sales-y so when others discover what I do for a living I find they are very curious about it and ask tons of questions. I could write - I am writing - a book about all of my fabulous and not-so-fabulous experiences.  There are some times when I have to focus on the other aspects of pet sitting because lets face it, there are many factors that can make or break the whole deal too:

1. Pets.  Pets are the most important factor in pet sitting. If your pet is cranky or aggressive I am not the pet sitter for you; I have been bitten three times in my career and I figure I better quit my dog-whisperer pipe-dream while I still have my face/hands/legs intact.  Are your pets cool or are they assholes?  Believe it or not, mutts have proven to be some of the very best clients I've had.
2. Wifi. Internet is a must. It is 2015 afterall.
3. Bed.  If you are going to hire me, or any pet sitter, make sure you have a comfortable bed for them (and your pets) to sleep in. Doesn't matter if it is your bed or a guest bed - a good mattress and quality bedding goes a long way!  I have slept in some fantastic beds.  In fact, I count on the fact that you'll have a better bed than I do!
4. Noise Level.  I need peace & quiet (ok so maybe I am old).  Do you live ten feet from the train tracks or next to a frat house?  Can you see or hear the highway from your patio?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then you may need to equip your space with one of these.  
5. Neighborhood.  It is always a nice perk when one lives in a great safe area. It is a bonus if I can walk somewhere nearby and not have to deal with the impossible (Austin parking). That said, I am just as, if not more, fond of outskirts like Dripping Springs or places with more nature/land around.  It is always nice to escape the city hustle bustle.

Those are the top five factors, and mostly in order. Nothing too extraordinary.  There are certainly other factors like home security, creepy neighbors, shower water pressure (um, have you seen my hair?), temp control and my filtered water obsession that can come into play but I digress. Perhaps those topics can be saved for later posts.