Guides
Service standards in a pet sitting business, and how to verify them
Service standards in a pet sitting business come down to the visit checklist, the written report, and the client follow-up call that verifies both.
What to take away
- A standard is only real if a sitter can follow it on a wet Tuesday with a dog pulling toward the door.
- Write the visit as a sequencearrive, secure, feed, water, walk, clean, medicate only as the owner's vet directs, lock up, report.
- Every visit ends with a written report the client can read that night, not a text that says "all good."
- Track three numbers monthlyvisits completed as booked, report sent on time, and repeat bookings.
- Confirm insurance, permits and recordkeeping rules with the authority that sets them, not with another sitter.
A pet sitting standard is a description of one visit, written plainly enough that two different sitters would do the same thing.
Start with the visit itself. A 30-minute drop-in has a fixed shape. Park and note the time, then enter and secure the door. Greet and count the animals, then refresh water. Feed to the owner's written amount, then walk or let out. Clean litter or accidents, then check for anything off. Lock up, then log the visit.
What the price includes, and what insurance must cover
A quoted price for a drop-in should state the time on site, travel between clients, the written report, and the insurance that covers the visit. If any of those are missing, the standard is not fully funded.
Overnight stays are a separate product: the sitter sleeps on site and remains responsible for the animals through the night. Price that against the hours you cannot take other work.
Insurance is the line most new operators get wrong. General liability covers your business. Care, custody and control covers the animals in your hands. A business owner's policy often bundles both. Ask your broker which one responds when a dog is injured on your watch, and get the answer in writing.
The visit standard, point by point
- Arrivallog the time you enter, not the time you park.
- Animalscount them against the booking before anything else.
- Waterrefresh every bowl, note which animal drank.
- Foodthe owner's written amount and brand, no substitutions.
- Walk or yard timeroute, duration, and any reactive-dog handling.
- Cleaninglitter, accidents, food spills, water bowls.
- Homedoors locked, windows as found, alarm reset if armed.
- Reportsent the same day, with a photo where the client wants one.
Sample visit report
m. m. Animals: Biscuit (dog), Miso (cat). Both present. Water: Both bowls refreshed. Miso drank. Food: Biscuit 1 cup dry, no substitutions. Miso half can wet. Walk: 20 minutes, usual route, no reactions. Cleaning: Litter scooped, one accident by door cleaned. Home: Back door locked, alarm reset. Note: Biscuit limping on right front leg after walk. m.
The report is the product clients actually judge you on. A photo and two sentences at 9 p.m. beats a paragraph the next morning.
Visit Standard Checklist
- Arrivallog time you enter
- Animalscount against booking
- Waterrefresh every bowl
- Foodowner's amount and brand
- Walkroute, duration, reactive handling
- Cleaninglitter, accidents, spills
- Homedoors locked, alarm reset
- Reportsent same day with photo
Checks to make before committing
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics describes animal care and service work as handling, feeding, cleaning and recordkeeping, and notes the physical demands and injury risk. Check that your written standard names each of those tasks.
Three Verification Sources
BLS
- Covers
- Job duties, injury risk
- Use for
- Writing the standard
- Type
- Occupational reference
CDC
- Covers
- Hygiene, disease spread
- Use for
- Handwashing and handling
- Type
- Public health guidance
IRS
- Covers
- Income and expense records
- Use for
- Visit reports and invoices
- Type
- Recordkeeping guidance
The CDC's Healthy Pets, Healthy People guidance covers hygiene and disease spread between animals and people. Check that your standard includes handwashing and cleaning steps that match it.
The IRS recordkeeping guidance sets out what a small business should keep to show income and expenses. Check that your visit reports and invoices capture the records it describes.
Worked example
A sitter covers eight drop-ins a day across one city. Travel between clients averages 12 minutes. At a typical $25 per visit and 40 visits a week, gross is $1,000. Subtract fuel, insurance and software of about $150, and count 20 hours on site, 8 hours travel and 5 hours admin. The real hourly rate is about $26.
If travel eats more than a quarter of the booked day, the schedule is the problem, not the price. Reroute clients by neighbourhood before raising rates.
Common questions
What belongs in a visit report?
Time in and out, what the animal ate and drank, whether it toileted, the walk route, and anything unusual. One photo if the client asked for one. Keep it under five lines so it gets written every time.
How do I verify a sitter is following the standard?
Spot-check reports against the booking log for a week. If the times match the schedule and the notes name the animal, the standard is being followed. If not, the standard is too long to use on a phone. As a client, ask for the last three visit reports and check that the times match the appointments you booked.
Do I need a permit to walk dogs?
It depends where you are. Toronto, for example, licenses dog walkers under Municipal Code Chapter 349. In the United States, the route is usually municipal animal services or, in some states, the state department of agriculture. Check your own municipality's animal services page, because the requirement and the fee vary by city.
Which rules apply to client data?
In Canada, PIPEDA governs how private-sector businesses handle personal information. Store client addresses, alarm codes and vet details only where you need them, and delete them when the client leaves.
