What to Do When You're Dog Sitting for Family

From LoveToKnow Dogs

If you have ever ended up dog-sitting for family or friends, this tip from pet expert Wendy Nan Rees will help you plan things so everything goes smoothly.

Why You Can't Say No

This week’s tip is very timely in my life. Although I have been writing these tips for almost three years, this is one I really have not touched upon at all. Now as I am faced with this problem, I know this tip needs to be shared.

I want to make it clear that when I use the word “family,” this could mean your best friends or your own family. When you love your family, it seems you try to almost do anything you can for them. This is why I bring friends into my scope of the word "family" for this tip. To many of us, our friends are our family and they are the people who we will help in any way we can.

It can be very hard to say no to your family when they ask you to dog-sit because:

You have a very close bond.
They are always there for you.
You are very well skilled in this one area.
It is wonderful to give back to the ones you love so dearly.
You never want to put your dog/dogs into a kennel. If you do your family this favor, they will owe you one.
They took care of your dog last summer and now it is your turn; the problem is you went away for three days and they have gone away for two weeks.

So, you say yes. Now you've gone and done it! Your home is overflowing dogs. Oh, what to do?

Yours, Mine and Ours

The saying goes something like “Yours, Mine and Ours”. Okay, now what? I have been asking my sister to let me help her for two years, so I was out of my mind happy when she did a test run two weeks ago by leaving her dog with me. On Wednesday of this week she said “Okay, here is Gomez.”, and “Great training keep up the good job!” I have Gomez because my sister is moving from one house to another. She's not even going on a trip - just moving. However, the new home does not have the proper fencing up yet, and she does not want anything to happen to Gomez.

My sister's kids would like to have their Tata Wendy teach Gomez a trick that my dog Senny does called his “Bang!” trick. After he hears the word “Bang!” Senny goes down and rolls over to play dead. I am thinking, "How long do I have Gomez? That took us a long time to teach Senny!"

I am over the moon to finally be able to help my sister, and I am also very lucky that my soon to be ex-husband has Senny so I have the room for Gomez. However, should you find yourself in this type of situation or see this coming, stop. Overcrowding could lead to some real problems. I see this now in my case, although I am happy to help my sister for however long Gomez will be with me. Yet, I can clearly see how this situation could turn south very fast. Especially with no ground rules set up.

What to Do When You're Dog-Sitting for Family

Here is what you both need to do:

Create a plan that is going to work both ways for both parties. This way you both know in advance what to expect. You need to know what type of trip or move to set up for, as well as how long you'll be expected to care for your furry guest. This way you can truly judge whether you'll have the time available to properly care for him.

Next, make sure you know who the dog’s veterinarian is. If you have to go to the vet, how will the bill be paid? My sister and I use the same vet. She has a credit card on file for Gomez and has permission for only her assistant and myself to use it.

Also, do the dogs need to be groomed during the stay with you? If the answer is yes, how many times will they need to be groomed, and how will that bill be paid?

Unless your canine guests' food is delivered in it's original package, you need to know which brand of food the dogs are being fed in case you run out and need more. Which kind of treats or chew bones do they get? How many should they have per day and how often should you offer them?

Exercise and daily walks need to be addressed. If you're taking care of a large dog, like a Boxer, he will have different exercise needs than a smaller dog and will usually need a bit of time to burn off excess energy. A lap dog may only need to take a nice stroll to relives himself.

You need to have every detail worked out in advance because only with careful planning will this ever work. By doing your homework in advance, you can guarantee your relationship will last another season.