Pet Sitters Ease Owners’ Job Stress
As a physician, Jackie Weisbein often gets hung up at the hospital. She used to stress about it, worrying that her 2-year-old Great Dane, Lambchop, was home waiting to be taken on a walk.
Weisbein says it is impossible to tell anyone at work she has to get home for her dog. “Animals don’t have the same pull of a child at home with a baby-sitter that needs to be relieved.”
For workers like Weisbein, pets are a big part of their lives. It’s the balance issue many fear raising with the boss. Traveling on a moment’s notice, working extended hours and an unexpected deadline can send a pet owner frantically searching for back up care.
Today, 63 percent of households own a pet, up from 56 percent two decades ago, and most consider their pet like a child or other family member. The trend is giving way to a budding industry of pet sitters, dog walkers and doggie day cares aimed at helping workers hold jobs and keep Fido cared for and happy. Two national professional associations, Pet Sitters International and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters have a combined membership of more than 8,400.
Cat owners use sitters for feeding, playing and changing the litter box. Dog owners use them for walking and feeding and some use full-time dog day care, complete with play groups, snacks, leash walks and rest time. And of course, there’s boarding for overnight needs and taxi service to take pets to the vet or groomer.
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Photo by Marsha Halper.
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