Red Flags in the Petsitting Hiring Process

Before you turn over your house keys and furry/scaly/feathery bundles of joy, you'll want to do everything in your power to make sure you're hiring a reliable, responsible petsitter.

Since stalking is generally frowned upon and thus not a very good option for achieving this goal, Sittercity has an alternative: a list of red flags to help guide you through the hiring process.

If your potential petsitter does any of these things, make note that these actions could have larger implications if you decide to hire her.

LATE TO THE INTERVIEW

If your petsitter can't get it together enough to be on time for her interview, is she really someone you want to trust to care for your pet? Probably not. Sure, it's understandable that traffic is out of her control and important things come up unexpectedly at the last minute. But if this is the case, you'll want a sitter who is responsible enough to call you to let you know what's going on. No phone call + no-show = not a responsible sitter. Next!

SEEMS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND YOUR PET

When the petsitter comes to your home for the interview, watch how she interacts with your pet. Cringing, nervousness and/or apathy are simply not standout characteristics of a good petsitter. She should look and feel at ease, adjusting her approach based on your pet's personality. If you have a hyper, happy puppy, does she get down to his level for an energetic hello? If you have an older, timid dog, does the petsitter gingerly extend her hand for the pet to sniff before she touches him? Pay very close attention to this these things, including your pet's reaction to the sitter and her approach.

GIVES A ONE-SIDED INTERVIEW

Okay, chatty, if you're the one doing all the talking during the interview, you'll never learn if the petsitter will be a good match for your pet. Once you scale it back a bit, if the sitter still isn't talking, it could mean one of three things. One, she may just be shy. Otherwise her silence could mean that, two, she's ill prepared or, three, she's just not that into her job - both bad signs. If she can't prepare for the interview, you can't be sure that she'll be able to prepare for your pet. And if she's not into her job, Fido may end up gnawing the leg of the coffee table out of boredom or hunger. Not a pleasant sight to come home to.

DOESN'T HAVE VERIFIABLE REFERENCES

Whether the reference is a teacher, employer, parent or neighborhood family who has used the petsitter's services, make sure you can reach these people and verify how they know the sitter. If the reference appears constantly busy and can never take your calls, this could be a sign that he is uncomfortable vouching for the sitter and is using his schedule to avoid the discussion (kind of like high school, isn't it?). If you do reach the reference, use your gut to determine if anything seems off, as a sitter could have a friend posing as a reputable reference who will tell you exactly what you want to hear. More on checking references.

PUTS OFF MEETING YOUR PET

If your trip isn't for, say, another two months, it may seem reasonable for the petsitter to want to hold off on meeting your pet. You get it, she's busy too. The problem here is that the petsitter may come in just before you are scheduled to leave and might not mesh well with your pet. Before you know it, that sitter bolts from your house faster than Fido can chew through your new Dior sandals, leaving you sitter-less and super stressed. This is why you should never hire a sitter and promise her the job without her meeting your pet first.

SLOW TO RETURN DOCUMENTS

No matter what kind of form you may give your petsitter to sign or fill out (whether its a service agreement, a feedback form, a don't-touch-my-stuff contract), if she is slow to return those documents, it could imply that she is too forgetful or too busy to do so promptly. You don't want this type of person forgetting to come change the litter box or getting so involved with something else that she can't find the time to feed the fish. As with all of these instances, proceed with caution.