Here’s a question for you pet sitters . . .
When you have a scheduled visit to see a clients’ pets do you call it:
a pet sitting visit?
OR
a sit?
I prefer the term “pet sitting visit” over “sit” and I’ll tell you why.
Using the term “sit” to refer to your visits, might lead some to believe you go to a client’s house and spend most of your time sitting. For most pet sitters, that couldn’t be farther from the truth! And, in fact, they’re insulted when people think they go to a client’s house, park their butt on the couch and wait for the time to pass. There’s much more to a pet sitting visit than sitting.
On the other hand, when a client hears the term “pet sitting visit” it’s more descriptive, and brings to mind an entirely different picture. Rather than being about sitting, it’s about visiting. And after all, as a pet sitter you’re responsible for the pets emotional needs as well as the physical ones – things that can be addressed by visiting. So, when you use the term “pet sitting visit” people are likely to get a vision of their pet sitter interacting (visiting!) with their pets, which is much more accurate.
Since most of the time clients don’t actually see you do your job, you want to give them the most accurate picture of what you do – and using the right terms helps. It’s a very subtle distinction, but can make a difference in how people view what you do.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I pet sit, i.e., I actually stay at the home day and night, taking care of the home and animal(s) while the owner is away. Pet sit visit is a much more accurate term for people who just visit to walk, feed, administer medicine, etc.
The name of my company is Paw Pals Pet Service but I am listed on the web as pawpalspetsitting and it amazes me how many people call thinking I am a boarding service. When I explain I take as many trips as needed to their home but do not stay all day, they don’t call back. People sometimes do not think we petsitters are qualified, insured, and a legitimate business that has other clients other than them to consider. A pet sitter is a far better option for a pet or pets left home all day than putting the pet in a boarding facility. I vote to changing the name “pet sitting” to “pet care provider” to help potential clients with their decision to hire help for their beloved pets.
It’s so true that clients don’t have an accurate picture of what we do – unless we tell them! I always ask my sitters to leave complete notes, including the “chores”. That way they know we washed bowls, cleaned the feeding area, swept the litter area, etc. in addition to walk and playtime.
I personally say “pet sitting visit”. It’s a visit where a lot goes on!
I agree with you, Therese. In addition to being a pet sitter, I’m also a writer and editor, and I believe words have much more power than we usually give them credit for. I call mine just “visits” when communicating with clients or describing my service to strangers. For overnight services, I call that house and pet sitting or house sitting. For care in my home, I call it boarding. Some people might think we’re splitting hairs, but being precise avoids confusion and helps educate people as to just what a pet sitter does.
I just signed up two clients over Christmas who had never used a pet sitter before. They were very surprised to learn I bring in the mail and newspaper, put out the garbage and recycling on the appropriate day, sweep up any tracked in debris that happened on my watch, and clean up potty accidents in the house. They almost couldn’t believe those peripheral services came with pet sitting. I explained that my goal is to keep their home looking as lived in as possible, along with caring for their pets.
Is anyone besides me surprised to find that there are still many pet parents who don’t know pet sitting exists? I’ve had calls from folks looking for a place to drop off pets who expressed surprise when I explained to them what I do. I do, however, love their reaction when they learn about this new option for them and their pets.