Pet Sitters as First Responders - the Increasing Challenges for Pet Sitters in 2021
Celebrating professional pet sitters as true heroes in these crazy times!
Today pet sitting around the world is more challenging than ever when you consider the following:
Covid
Riots in large cities
Political unrest in various forms
Hurricanes
Fires
Floods
Earthquakes
Increasing tension in communities over various issues ( masks in school, defunding police, levels of covid rising and falling, to vax or not to vax, etc...)
Difficulties hiring
Potential terror attacks
Rising crime rate in various places
More people on edge
Increase in mental health issues and suicides
Thousands of unknown people entering through our southern border and being dropped off in neighborhoods across the USA
I could go on and on.........
In 2021 pet sitters have to have emergency preparation plans for each client they serve. They need a game plan. They have to stop and think about how the world is right now and how it can affect their business operations in a flash, and you know what? They are up for it!
Am I saying anything that is untrue? Above, I've listed just some of the issues facing our communities today. Pet sitters are in the thick of things - morning, noon, and night. They are driving around communities in all sorts of weather and through various challenges to get to pets.
Turn on the news and every day things don't seem to get worse - they are actually getting worse.
Afghanistan might be half a world away, but now terrorist organizations can much more easily assault our nation and we never know when or where something might happen. Pet sitters take note of these things.
Call me an alarmist, but I know that life can change in an instant. A pet can get very sick, a roadblock can impede your travel to a client's home, a hurricane can cause you to evacuate pets, a sudden tornado can take you on a rescue mission to find a lost pet, a change in covid or terror alert status can change or stop all of our lives in an instant.
Good pet sitters are up for the challenge because they've prepared.
Through it all, pet sitters remain dedicated to their clients and are ready to handle the crises that come their way with common sense, compassion, and creativity.
Pet sitters are "good shepherds" who lay down their lives for their flock. I imagine some of you might question this analogy but any good pet sitter worth his or her salt cares for their clients' pets as if they were their own and sometimes that includes brave measures. Not stupid measures. I didn't say that, but brave, calculated measures, to keep pets safe.
Pet sitters jump in to help rescue organizations rescue pets in times of crisis.
Pet sitters must be ready to rush in, as in the case of the current issue of Hurricane Ida, happening as I write this blog, and relocate pets in their care out of harm's way before the storm hits while protecting themselves as well. By the time this post is up a few days from now, pet sitters will have helped to save, house, and relocate pets in their care.
Pet sitters must be ever vigilant - watching local and national news and weather.
We are living in strange times and the work pet sitters do is often unseen and quiet, but they plug along each day doing their daily rounds - mild-mannered people, unassuming with their jeans and t-shirts on, but underneath their Clark Kent exterior, they are little Supermen and Superwomen in disguise.
A pet sitter's schedule can change each day. Their routes change so they must be aware of road blockages or trouble spots in order to get themselves to their clients on time.
Pet sitters use their first aid skills to get pets to Vet offices as needed. They secure homes, rescue pets, calm anxious clients who are away and assure them that their pets are safe.
I am passionate about professional pet sitting and the value pet sitters provide for their clients. There are so many variables and nuances to the field, as in any field.
Pet sitting is tons of fun but the responsibilities are also great because clients leave their precious pets and their homes in their care.
I applaud all pet sitters who are reading this blog. You are heroes. Maybe you never thought of your "job" that way, but that is what you are. Because of you, your clients can go away with peace of mind that their pets are well cared for by you - NO MATTER WHAT.
So, pet sitters - put on your Superman or Superwoman underwear - put on a big proud smile - and go walk that dog! Go clean that litter box! Go give that medication! The pets in your care, and your clients, know that at any moment you will step out and be a hero for their pets and homes while they are away.
Thank you for being a first responder in our crazy upside-down world!
Blessings,
Linda