When dog owners are away at work or on vacation, one of their priorities is to make sure that their dog is well cared for. The American Kennel Club provides a helpful checklist of everything you should leave with your dog-sitter so you can have a stress-free time away:
—Maintain the same routine. Keeping your dog on the usual schedule while you’re away will help make the transition easier and even prevent accidents. Give the sitter a detailed breakdown of when to walk and feed the dog.
—Enforce the house rules. Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean your pet gets to break the rules. Make sure your sitter knows what your dog is and isn’t allowed to do in the house.
—Leave emergency contact information. Make sure there’s a backup person the sitter can call if you’re unreachable. Don’t forget to include your emergency vet contact in the event your dog gets sick or injured. If you’re going on vacation, leave the name and number of your hotel as well as your itinerary.
—Create a list of medications and conditions. The sitter should know of any medical conditions or allergies to report in case they need to reach your dog’s vet for assistance.
—Leave a credit card and authorization letter. Leave this information with your vet in case he needs to charge an emergency vet visit while you’re away. Include a signed letter stating that you give permission for the vet’s office to use your card for your pet’s care.
—Prepare your dog and your home. Make sure all cleaning products, insect and weed killers, rat poison and medicines are out of your dog’s reach. Also repair any holes in your fence and secure all gates.
—Leave extra food and supplies at home. If you’re going on vacation, make sure you have enough food, medications, doggie bags and other supplies on hand for the sitter in case your return is delayed.