Having to leave your pet behind when you travel often means choosing between pet sitting or pet boarding. Both options help to ensure that your pet is taken care of while you’re gone, but there are some important differences between them.
The main difference between pet boarding and pet sitting is that the pet sitter comes to your home to give care and attention. With dog boarding, the pet is brought to the kennel and will stay on the property until the owner returns to pick them up.
The most obvious benefit to having a dog sitter or cat sitter come to your home is just that, your best friend gets to remain in his/her home where he or she is most comfortable, and their routine isn’t changed drastically.
Pet sitters come at specified times to complete tasks such as feeding, watering, cleaning litter boxes, dog walking or letting your dog out, administering medications (if needed), and most importantly – playing & cuddling and providing lots of love and care!
Studies have shown that cats and dogs are happier and calmer when staying at-home in a familiar environment. Additionally, their daily routines can go uninterrupted, the risk of illness exposure is minimized, and there’s no travel trauma for your fur babies. Some dogs and most cats do not like to travel in the car. Senior dogs and cats are especially at risk for overdue stress with boarding.
You can have the pet sitter act as a house sitter as well. They can do things like bring in the mail, bring in the paper, water the plants, alter the lights to make your house look lived in and give you that peace of mind.
Pet sitting is also convenient. If you have someone coming to your home, you don’t have to transport your pet anywhere. That eliminates the stress associated with pet travel and keeps one more item off your to-do list.
When you hire a pet sitter the following risks are eliminated.
- Your pet could pick up a contagious illness or parasite. Whether it’s a jumping flea that carries bacteria from cage to cage, or a nasty airborne illness like canine distemper, the crowded conditions at a boarding facility increase your pet’s risk of exposure to parasites and/or contagious viruses. It only takes a single dog (or cat) to spread a serious illness to your furry friend. Other than going for walks, in-home pet sitting eliminates this risk by keeping your pet in their own environment, where there’s no prolonged exposure to animals who might be sick or contagious.
- Your pet could be injured by another animal. The animals at boarding facilities are often stressed and fearful, especially when they first arrive, which increases the risk of aggressive behavior. Without intense supervision, cats and dogs can lash out defensively, scratching or biting each other in the process.
- Your pet could be under stress and traumatized. Many pet parents fail to realize this, but a pet will most likely go through a lot of stress when suddenly thrown into a new environment to live in. Pets can also show signs of stress when at home and their owners are away, but it tends to be less severe when they are in the familiar surroundings of their own homes.
So, which is Better – Boarding or Sitting?
To me the obvious choice is pet sitting. It is as close to a normal environment for the pets as possible and is also great insurance against crime. It is my personal choice for my pets.
Kelly’s Kritters Dog Walking & Pet Sitting, LLC provides experienced, loving cat sitting, pet sitting, dog walking, and dog sitting in Wake Forest, Rolesville and North Raleigh. We also provide care for lizards, rabbits, mice, hamsters, hedgehogs, snakes, turtles, and many other types of pets! To learn more about the pet sitting services we offer, or to start scheduling an appointment, call us today at 630-244-5639
