Hi!

I’m so happy that you made smart decision to download our special report, “5 Tips to

Hiring a Good Great Pet Sitter.”

The 5 tips covered in this report will prove to be immensely valuable as you go through

the process of hiring a pet sitter or dog walker. The responsibility of caring for another’s

pets and their homes is a HUGE one. You must be sure that the person you trust is

honest, reliable, dependable, mature, organized, diligent, and conscientious and of course

warm and loving. This is not an easy task, but if you take the advice outlined in this

report, you’ll be much more likely to start a favorable, long-term partnership with an

experienced, reputable and dependable individual and/or company.

I wish you the best of luck in finding the right pet lover to care for your awesome dogs.

Best of luck!

Andrea

Andrea Fenner is the owner of Walkies and the owner of The Cat Peeps She is the author of The WALKIES

Potty Training E-Book and How To Start your Dog off Right (for a healthy, happy well-behaved life) and is

also an active contributor to ASPCA.

Andrea is devoted to providing her Philadelphia with the best that dog walking and pet care has to offer

and training both the 2 legged and 4 legged to live in harmony from the first day their new addition arrives.

Andrea attended Villanova University for Biology, Temple University for English and graduated from Pratt

Institute and received her degree in Graphic Design. She is a certified yoga instructor, and a devoted Yoga

Practicioner. She currently resides along the river with her husband Tim, and is a proud stepmother to

Sebastian who attends The University of the Arts. Tim and Andrea are also the proud parents of a Boxer

named Boss, a Dogue de Bordeaux named Lasagna and a beautiful rescue Sheltie, Tippi Hedron.

Why You Should Listen to Me

Do you mind if I give you a little background? After all, you may not know the first thing

about why you should even listen to me...

I remember I was just 7 years old, after sledding with my friend, a lost Bassett Hound

followed me home, not before I wrapped her in my scarf of course. I immediately bonded

with her and showered her with the love, care and attention I knew she needed, just as I

always did with our own Golden Retriever (we ALWAYS had Goldens) Brandon.

Although I was 5 and most certainly thought she was mine forever, sure enough my

parents had called her owners to come pick her up. I was devastated, but happy I made a

new friend named “Biscuit” and was invited to visit any time I wanted…which of course

I did! I felt like I just had to make sure she was always doing ok! To this day, no matter

what animal I come across, I feel the same way.

While that story is just a fond childhood memory, it really is a description of what my life

has become! After graduating from Pratt Institute, I moved back to Philadelphia, with a

degree in Graphic Design, ready to work, and write children's stories for the rest of my

life. The job market was tough, and I ended up taking a job with ESPN. Working for the

X Games, I managed the office and was the designer for all Athlete related materials.

When the X-games left Philadelphia, so did my desire to be a graphic designer.

Since 2002, I’ve grown my business exponentially. How did I do it? I put myself in the

shoes of the pet owners. I wanted to create a business that gave my clients the true peace

of mind that I would want when I needed to leave my dogs at home. My clients are not

only loyal customers; they are raving fans! Everything I do on the business end is for

them. I want to provide them with peace of mind that their pets and homes are safe and

sound. Our clients know that when they leave their pets that they are in the BEST

possible hands. I have created the Walkies Client Contentment System, which is a 10-

step plan that I follow to ensure that my clients are their beloved pets receive the best

possible care and overall experience.

After years of success, I am grateful every single day for growing this business and

having such awesome peeps and dogs to work wit and care for. My job rules and I am SO

lucky.

Enjoy your Special Report! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in

touch.

5 Tips to Hiring a Good Great Pet Sitter

Do you find it embarrassing at this point calling your neighbor to babysit your dog while

you fly across country to that meeting that can make your career?

Worse, do you feel awful and guilt ridden shuffling your best pal to your “friend’s friend”

house that you only have trust because your favors with your neighbor have run out (to

the point you cancel your trip)?

Do you work super hard and carry tons of guilt, worry and panic about either having to

leave work to walk your dog, or stay at work while your dog is home all day alone?

If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, it sounds like you need to hire a dog

walker and pet care provider...but before you do read these tips below to make sure you

hire the right one!

1. Choose the Professional Pet Sitting Service rather than a

One Man Show

Even though they may be slightly more expensive, trust me, it's worth the reliability, trust

and coverage. Professional Pet Sitting Services have experience, insurance and a client

base of references that can all give you peace of mind. These services have stood the test

of time, have already gone through the growing pains of a new business and have ironed

out any wrinkles of customer dis-satisfaction. These services also have multiple sitters on

staff so should your regular or "assigned" sitter get sick or have an emergency, your pets

are covered. NOTE ON SITTERS OR WALKERS: Go with a service that places you

with one sitter, and one back-up sitter. It's not good for your pet or home to have a

service that sends multiple sitters. Always make sure they are insured.

The PROS of working with a well-established company:

SAFETY: They’ve had experience in the industry and therefore have learned

what systems need to be put in place for the safety of the pets and of the client’s

homes.

LONGEVITY: Well-established businesses are more likely to be around for a

long while, which provides the pet owners with the ability to establish a long-term

and trusted relationship.

A CON of working with a well-established company:

May be MORE EXPENSIVE: Well-established, reputable companies that

provide a high-level of pet care and service have earned the right to charge more

for their services. So, you may have to shell out a little more to use these services.

In my opinion, the extra cost is worth the peace of mind and security. You can

probably save some money by contracting the neighborhood kid for a fraction of

the cost, but are you certain that he or she is going to show-up and if they do are

they taking the best possible care of your home and your pets? I’m going to

venture a guess…probably not. I’m sorry! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but

after having been in business so long, I’ve heard too many horror stories. In the

end it’s your decision, but I think you get what you pay for.

2. A Website is Key

In this day and age there is no reason that a reputable and professional service doesn't

have a website, in fact, in my opinion it's unacceptable. A website is a sign that the

business owner takes their business seriously, has invested in their business and wants to

be authentic and upfront an honest about who they are. A good website should have

services and rates, sitters and/or walkers and some testimonials at the very least.

3. ALWAYS meet the sitter OR walker BEFORE you hire them and let

them in your home alone

A registration meeting or meet and greet allows you to get to know your assigned sitter

and their service. Be sure they perform the following tasks: introduce themselves to you

and your pet, pick up keys, confirm pertinent information about you and your pet (e.g. vet

information, emergency contact, special requests, etc.), and answer any additional

questions you may have. And of course give lots of hugs and kisses to your pet! A

professional service will provide you with a list of questions about your pet, pet's routine,

any instructions for your home and vet information, at the very least. You want someone

to have as much information as possible since they will be acting as a "stand in" for you.

Your sitter should treat your pet and home the way you would. If a sitter or walker shows

up aloof and cold, chances are that's how they will be with your pet. Trust your gut...if

you EVER feel uneasy go with someone else. Always feel free to ask for references...it's

your right to know the person in your home.

In my opinion, it’s ALWAYS appropriate to ask the owner their “vetting” process for

their business. We run background checks on all of our sitters and walkers.

When I started building my business, I contracted a lot of college students. I quickly

learned that hiring a college kid is no better than asking the neighborhood kid down the

street. College kids did not have a great sense of responsibility. Don’t get me wrong, I did

have a few wonderful college-aged pet sitters, but as a whole, I decided that the

demographic was not the best choice to represent my company; I only wanted the best for

my clients.

For the safety of my clients I started running background checks on anyone that I was

considering becoming a member of our team. Oh my goodness! I am I happy I did this!

You think if someone looks put-together and presents him or herself in a professional

manner and they provide glowing references, that they are a sure good fit. WRONG!!!!

The stuff that comes up in these background checks would blow your hair back. My

suggestion to you would be to make sure of the fact that any company you hire runs full

background checks on their staff members. If you decide to hire a solo-act business, I

would suggest that you ask them to submit you a background check. Trust me on this!

You will be so happy you took the extra step.

The Walkies Screening Process:

1. We conduct a face-to-face interviews

2. We then conduct a full criminal background check on applicants in

consideration.

3. We call all professional references.

4. We conduct a detailed orientation with each sitter.

5. We contract the sitters on a trial-basis and run ongoing evaluations to ensure

that our clients are 100% satisfied and that the sitter is living up to Walkies’

standards.

6. After they are accepted to the Walkies team, each sitter is required to receive

their Pet First Aid and CPR Certification.

We solicit ongoing feedback on all sitters to make certain that they are living up to the

standards of Walkies.

4. Say "NO" to a pack walker

If you want your dog to be socialized, send them to daycare once or twice a week...it only

cost a little more per day, and will ensure the safety of your dog and your wallet. Not

only are pack walks unfair to your dog when what they are missing is human love and

interaction, more importantly it is a potentially dangerous situation for them and other

dogs to be in. When dogs are in a pack, all it takes is for 2 of them to have an altercation,

and the rest of the pack decides who is right and ALL gang up on one. In this case, there

is one walker, 2 hands and multiple dogs fighting which clearly is a terrible formula, not

to mention if their insurance covers pack walks and ALL of the vet bills accrued. The

only pack that should be walked is the one that lives your home together.

5. Appreciate your dog walker or pet sitter!

Don't treat your dog walker or pet sitter like "help." Be grateful for them. They love your

pets and take care of your home when you are unable to, and for not very much money

when you think about what the job responsibility actually is. You trust them with your

"baby," your home and all of your possessions...treat them well, pay them on time and tip

them at Christmas.