Include instructions about your home, such as alarm codes, water turn-off, circuit breakers, your landlord’s name and phone number, and the names of anyone else who may be in your home during your absence. Let your neighbor or landlord know that you’ll have a pet sitter, and provide them with your pet sitter’s contact information in case of emergency.
Leave a set of keys, even if you have a keypad. Sometimes keypad batteries die, and there’s no way to open the outside door without a key. As a backup, leave a key with a neighbor.
Remove any potentially harmful objects out of your pets’ reach, like plants, trash, or cleaning supplies. Stressed pets may exhibit behaviors they wouldn’t normally exhibit if you were home. Consider blocking your dogs in one room, or crating them for their safety.
If your pet sitter will be staying in your home, make sure you provide instructions about where to sleep, how to work your television, how to operate the heat/air conditioning, if the doors and window should be locked, which bathroom to use, and whether you’re comfortable having other guests in your home.
Provide clean linens, toilet paper, and be clear about whether or not the sitter can eat the food in your refrigerator and pantry.
Keep cleaning supplies in an obvious location (but somewhere your dog can’t reach) in the event your dog has an accident or creates a mess.
Prepping your house for a pet sitter helps to ensure that your dog will get the best possible care, and it is also a great way to make your pet sitter feel appreciated.
