MightyRecruiterA pet sitter is responsible for caring for pets when their owners are not available. A sitter may groom, feed and exercise pets. Pet sitters may work based upon a set schedule or provide services on a periodic basis when the owner is unable to do so. Some sitters may also offer training services.
As you create a pet sitter job description, you want to emphasize that a pet sitter must be familiar with and able to work with pets of all kinds. They should be trustworthy because they may be given access to customers’ homes. Sitters should also be physically able to exercise and care for pets.
A pet sitter needs to have a great love for animals, along with being friendly and possessing customer service skills. Look at the following example to help you get an idea of how to construct your own pet sitter job description.
Pet Sitter Job Summary
Do you love animals? You may be perfect for our current pet sitter job opening. We are looking for someone who wants to help owners provide the highest level of care for their pets when they can’t do it themselves. You should have experience working with animals and knowledgeable about the general needs of dogs, cats and small rodents. You will be responsible for offering general care for a range of animals, along with walking and cleaning up after dogs of every breed and size. You should love the outdoors and enjoy playing with pets who are energetic. Our pet sitting service strives to provide high-level care while offering our employees a flexible schedule and great benefits, which include health care, bonuses and paid vacations.
Job Responsibilities
- Clean up after, groom, exercise and provide care for cats, dogs and small rodents, includes dog walking services and litter box and cage cleaning
- Observe outdoor and indoor play to ensure safety of the pet
- Feed and provide water based upon client instructions, which may be very detailed and must be followed exactly as given
- Meet with potential clients to secure business, advertise services provided and explain the details of how pet sitting works
- Report any injuries or illnesses to manager as soon as possible, along with completing an injury/illness form to turn in as soon as manager is on-site
- Respect clients’ homes and personal property when on-site offering pet sitting services, includes cleaning up any pet messes
- Provide additional customer service as requested by clients, which may include picking up mail, watering plants and opening and closing blinds or curtains
- Check and follow schedule provided by the main office and report any conflicts or issues to manager as soon as possible but at least 24 hours in advance of scheduled sitting appointment
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Must love animals
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a reliable vehicle and valid driver’s license
- Pass criminal background check
- Ability to work varying schedules
Preferred:
- Previous experience working with animals, especially large dog breeds
- Ability to work overnight hours, weekends and holidays
Pet Sitter Job Responsibilities
An accurate list of job responsibilities will do a lot for your pet sitter job description. When done well, the job responsibilities section can communicate the shape of the role in a way that funnels well-suited candidates your way, while helping less appropriate jobseekers save themselves and you from wasting their time with an application.
Be sure to pare down your list to 6-8 core items for maximum impact; save less central pet sitter job responsibilities to explain during later parts of the hiring process. This is a great place to establish the types of animals that your new hire will care for.
If you’re having trouble getting started on your pet sitter job description, consider modeling your responsibilities on the following examples:
- Travel to customers’ homes and visit with their cats, dogs, birds or other pets
- Feed and water pets according to customer instructions regarding preparation, quantity and time of day
- Exercise pets with leashed walks and/or play
- Administer supplements and/or medications to pets in food or otherwise
- Collect and dispose of pet waste (cleaning/refreshing kitty litter for cats, changing cage paper for birds, picking up waste on walks with dogs, etc.)
- Document pet care with dates, times and services rendered in a neat and professional manner
Pet Sitter Job Specifications
The job qualifications and skills section of a pet sitter job description may be difficult to put together. Experience can be a muddy subject when it comes to pet sitting, and education generally isn’t required.
So what does belong in a great set of pet sitter job specifications? Some experience is needed, of course. Consider whether you’d accept sporadic care for relatives’ or roommates’ pets or a history of pet ownership or other indirect types of experiences with animals. Then clearly lay out your minimum requirements. Often pet sitters must have a personal vehicle— it may be a good idea to include this in your specifications if that is the case. You may also wish to specify availability requirements. Other than that, consider what “soft skills” or attributes you’d like to see in candidates: reliability, love of animals, and a detail-oriented nature are all common desired qualities in pet sitters.
Here are some examples you can tweak to fit the specific role of your own pet sitter job description:
- Must passionately care for animals of all types
- Must demonstrate history of reliability; must also pass a basic background check
- Experience in pet care required (pet ownership and previous pet sitting experience are both acceptable); experience with both dogs and cats preferred
- Must be available weekends and holidays as needed
- Required ability to follow detailed instructions to the letter
- Must have access to reliable transportation for home visits
