The Complete Guide to Choosing a Pet Sitter in 2025

TL;DR

Choosing a pet sitter requires more than glancing at a star rating. Verify their identity and experience, read reviews for specifics rather than generalities, always do a meet-and-greet, ask direct questions about their setup and emergency plans, and trust your instincts if something feels off. The right sitter is someone your pet is comfortable with and you trust completely.

Why Getting This Right Matters

Your pet cannot interview their sitter. They cannot read reviews, check references, or negotiate boundaries. That responsibility falls entirely on you, and the stakes are high. A great sitter becomes a trusted part of your pet's life — someone they are genuinely happy to see. A poor sitter creates stress, anxiety, and in worst-case scenarios, genuine risk to your pet's safety.

This guide is designed to be methodical. It will take you from initial search to confident booking, covering every step in between.

Step 1: Define What You Actually Need

Before you start browsing profiles, get clear on your requirements. Different services suit different situations:

Dog boarding: your dog stays in the sitter's home, ideal for overnight care and holidays
House sitting: the sitter stays in your home, best for pets that are stressed by new environments or multi-pet households
Dog walking: regular walks during the day while you are at work
Drop-in visits: short check-ins for feeding, medication, and companionship
Doggy daycare: daytime care in the sitter's home while you work

Each service type requires different qualities in a sitter. A great dog walker needs physical fitness and lead-handling skills. A house sitter needs to be trustworthy in your home for extended periods. A boarding sitter needs a suitable home environment. Start by knowing exactly what service you need.

Step 2: Verification — What to Check

Identity Verification

On any reputable platform, sitters should have verified their identity. This typically involves:

Photo ID verification: the sitter has submitted government-issued identification that has been checked against their profile photo
Address verification: the sitter's listed address has been confirmed
Phone number verification: a working phone number is linked to their account

On The Pet Sitter, sitter verification is a core part of the onboarding process. We believe that pet owners deserve to know that the person they are entrusting their pet to is who they claim to be.

Experience and Qualifications

Look for sitters who provide specific details about their experience:

Years of pet care experience: not just pet ownership, but active caring for other people's pets
Relevant qualifications: pet first aid, animal behaviour certification, veterinary nursing background
Specific breed or species experience: a sitter who specialises in cats is a better choice for your cat than a generalist who mostly boards dogs
Professional memberships: membership in pet care associations or networks signals commitment to the profession

Background Checks

Some platforms offer or require background checks for sitters. While no single check guarantees character, a sitter who has voluntarily undergone a background check is demonstrating willingness to be scrutinised.

Ask the sitter directly if they have completed any form of background screening, and ask the platform what their vetting process involves.

Step 3: Reading Reviews Properly

Beyond the Star Rating

A 4.9-star average tells you almost nothing by itself. What matters is the content of the reviews and the patterns within them.

Look for these positive signals:

Reviews that mention specific actions: "She gave Rex his arthritis medication at exactly 7am and 7pm"
Comments about communication: "She sent us three photo updates every day without us asking"
Notes on how the sitter handled challenges: "When Bella refused to eat on the first day, she tried warming the food and hand-feeding, which worked"
Evidence of personalised care: "She learned that Coco likes to sleep on the couch and set up a blanket for her"

Watch for these warning signs:

All reviews are very short and generic: "Great!", "Would recommend!", "5 stars!"
No reviews in the last several months (the sitter may have become inactive)
Reviews from what appear to be friends or family rather than genuine clients
A pattern of excuses in sitter responses to negative feedback

The Weight of Volume

A sitter with 60 reviews at 4.7 stars is generally more trustworthy than a sitter with 4 reviews at 5.0 stars. Volume smooths out anomalies. A handful of reviews could all be from friends. Sixty reviews from diverse clients over many months represent a genuine track record.

Repeat Clients

Pay particular attention to reviews that mention return bookings: "This is our fourth time booking with Sarah." Repeat clients are the strongest possible endorsement. They have used the sitter, evaluated the experience, and chosen to come back.

Step 4: The Meet-and-Greet

The meet-and-greet is not optional. It is the single most important step in choosing a sitter, and any sitter who resists or refuses one should be eliminated from consideration immediately.

What to Observe

During the meet-and-greet, pay attention to:

How the sitter greets your pet: do they let the animal approach on their own terms, or do they rush in with hands and faces? A sitter who understands animal behaviour will be patient and let your pet set the pace.
The sitter's body language: are they relaxed and confident around your pet, or nervous and uncertain?
Your pet's reaction: does your dog warm up to the sitter? Does your cat come out of hiding? Animals are excellent judges of character.
The environment (for boarding): is the home clean, secure, and suitable? Is the yard fenced? Are there hazards?
Other animals: if the sitter has their own pets, how do they interact with your pet? Is there tension or curiosity?

What to Discuss

Use the meet-and-greet to cover:

Your pet's full routine: feeding schedule, walk times, sleep habits, medications, quirks
Emergency protocols: which vet will they use? Do they have transport? What is the plan for after-hours emergencies?
Communication expectations: how often will they send updates? In what format?
House rules (for boarding): where will your pet sleep? Are they allowed on furniture? Will the sitter's dogs and your dog be supervised together?
Cancellation policy: what happens if you need to cancel? What if the sitter needs to cancel?

Step 5: Questions to Ask Every Sitter

Here are direct questions that every sitter should be able to answer clearly:

How many other pets will be in your care during my booking? The answer should be a specific number, not "it varies."
What is your daily routine with guest pets? Listen for structure: walks at these times, meals at these times, rest periods, and play periods.
What do you do if a pet has a medical emergency? The answer should include a named vet clinic, transport plan, and understanding of your pet's existing health conditions.
Can I see where my pet will sleep? For boarding sitters, this is non-negotiable. If they hesitate, that tells you something.
What experience do you have with my pet's breed or species? Breed-specific knowledge matters. A sitter experienced with Greyhounds understands they need soft bedding and gentle handling. A sitter experienced with Bengals knows they need stimulation and secure windows.
What is your approach when a pet is not settling? A quality sitter has strategies: low-key presence, familiar items from home, short walks to burn off nervous energy, patience.
Will you send regular updates? The answer should be an enthusiastic yes, not a reluctant "if you want."

Step 6: Red Flags That Should End the Conversation

They Want to Skip the Meet-and-Greet

There is no scenario where this is acceptable for overnight care. None. Move on.

They Cannot Describe Their Emergency Plan

A sitter who stumbles over what they would do in a medical emergency has not thought about it. Your pet's safety depends on them having a plan before something happens.

They Take Too Many Animals at Once

If a sitter is boarding four guest dogs plus their own two dogs, they are running an unlicensed facility, not a home boarding service. Individual attention becomes impossible at scale.

They Seem More Interested in the Money Than the Animal

A sitter who asks about booking dates and payment before asking about your pet has their priorities reversed. The first questions from a quality sitter should be about your animal — their name, their temperament, their needs.

Their Home Is Not Pet-Safe

During the meet-and-greet, look for exposed chemicals, unfenced swimming pools, broken fencing, heavy traffic on the street outside, and unsecured gates. If the environment makes you uneasy, trust that instinct.

They Are Dismissive of Your Concerns

If you raise a concern and the sitter brushes it off — "Oh, dogs always settle, do not worry" — that is a problem. A professional sitter takes every owner's concern seriously, even if they have heard it a hundred times before.

Step 7: Trust Your Instincts

After all the research, reviews, questions, and observations, your gut feeling matters. If everything looks right on paper but something feels wrong in person, do not book. If the sitter seemed distracted during the meet-and-greet, if your pet was unusually anxious, if the home did not feel right — listen to that.

Equally, if a sitter does not have the highest review count or the fanciest profile but your pet took to them immediately and you felt genuine warmth and competence, that matters more than metrics.

Finding Your Sitter on The Pet Sitter

On The Pet Sitter, every sitter profile includes verified identity, detailed bios, photos of their space, reviews from real bookings, and clear service offerings with transparent pricing. Sitters keep 100% of their earnings because we charge 0% commission — which means sitters are not inflating their rates to cover platform fees, and you get genuine value.

Browse sitters in your area, read their profiles carefully, arrange a meet-and-greet, and find the right person for your pet. You can also check our become a sitter page to understand the standards we hold our sitters to.

FAQ

How many sitters should I meet before choosing one?

For your first time, meeting two to three sitters gives you a useful basis for comparison. You will quickly develop a sense of what good looks like — and what does not. After your first booking, most pet owners stick with one trusted sitter and only look for alternatives when availability is a problem.

Should I choose a sitter with their own pets?

A sitter with their own pets often has deeper animal care experience and a home that is already set up for animals. However, compatibility between their pets and yours matters. During the meet-and-greet, observe how the animals interact. If there is tension, choose a different sitter — no matter how experienced they are.

What if I need a sitter at short notice?

Short-notice bookings are harder because the best sitters are often booked in advance. On The Pet Sitter, you can search for sitters with current availability and message several at once. Be upfront about the timing, and provide as much information about your pet as possible in the first message to speed up the process.

How important are qualifications versus experience?

Both matter, but experience with real animals typically outweighs formal qualifications. A sitter with ten years of hands-on dog boarding experience and no certificate may be more capable than a recently certified pet carer with six months of experience. Look for the combination of practical experience and a genuine understanding of animal behaviour.

Can I use different sitters for different pets?

Absolutely. If you have a dog and a cat, using a dog-specialist boarder for your dog and an in-home cat sitter for your cat is a perfectly valid approach. Each pet gets care from someone who understands their species-specific needs. It is more logistics to manage, but the quality of care can be significantly better than one generalist sitter handling both.