How to Choose a Pet Sitter or Dog Walker in Washington, DC

Start with what your pet actually needs

A midday walk for a young dog in a Brookland rowhouse is a different job from a week of overnight care for two cats in an Edgewood apartment. Before you compare anyone, write down what you need: walks, drop-in visits, overnight stays, medication, or a mix. Note the days and times too, because walkers often plan routes around set hours.

Then check that the person or company serves your street. Danny's Pet Care works mainly in Woodridge, Brookland and Edgewood and in Mount Rainier, MD, and asks you to call or email to confirm your address. Our service areas page lists the neighborhoods. Distance matters most for daily walks and for emergencies, when a sitter may need to get back to your home quickly.

If you are still weighing a professional against a neighbor or relative, our post on when dog sitting is a better choice than asking friends or family covers that choice. This guide assumes you have decided to hire someone and want to check them well.

Check the business: license, insurance and background checks

DC Code § 47-2851.02 says a person doing business in the District shall maintain a basic business license. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) lists Pet Services as one of the activities in its General Business license category. You can check whether a business has an active license with DLCP's license verification search, by business name, license number or address. The same code section says a person employed by a license holder does not need a separate license, so look up the company rather than each walker.

Pet Sitters International (PSI), a professional association for pet sitters, suggests asking whether a company is insured and bonded and asking for proof of coverage. In practice, that means asking for a certificate of insurance and reading what it lists. Our guide to what bonded and insured mean explains the terms and what a certificate does and does not prove.

PSI also suggests asking for proof of a recent criminal background check. It notes that some places restrict sharing background checks, especially for staff, but a company should be able to tell you what type of check it uses and which screening company runs it.

Danny's Pet Care says its sitters are insured and background-checked. Ask us, or any sitter you are considering, for the proof and the details described above.

Read reviews with care, then call a reference

Reviews help, but the Federal Trade Commission warns that you should not assume you can spot a fake review just by looking. The FTC's advice on online reviews suggests looking at a variety of sources, checking how recent the reviews are, watching for a burst of reviews in a short time, and being wary of a reviewer who seems to have created an account just to post one review.

Read for specifics rather than stars. A useful review names the walker, describes a routine, or mentions how the company handled a schedule change or a problem. You can read what clients say about us on our testimonials page and apply the same test there.

PSI says professional sitters should be able to provide client references on request. A short call with a current client can tell you what reviews rarely do: whether visits happen on time, how updates arrive, and what happened the one time something went wrong.

Get the plan in writing

PSI recommends a written services agreement that spells out the services, the dates and the time spent with your pets, along with contact information, company policies and your pets' care needs. Before you sign, make sure the paperwork, or at least your conversation, covers these points:

• Emergencies and your vet. Who the sitter calls first, and whether you have given written consent for them to take your pet to your vet. PSI points sitters to a veterinary authorization form that tells your vet your pet is in the sitter's care.
• Backup coverage. What happens if your regular sitter is sick or has an accident. PSI calls an emergency backup plan a must for pet-sitting businesses and says clients should know what it is.
• Updates. How you will hear about each visit: a text, photos, or a note left at home.
• Keys and access. How keys or codes are stored, labeled and returned. Our guide to keys, lockboxes and smart locks covers the options.
• Rates and cancellations. Prices and cancellation rules in writing, so nothing comes as a surprise.

Use the meet-and-greet to test the fit

A first meeting in your home is the clearest test. PSI describes it as a chance for the sitter to meet you, interact with your pet and go over services and business policies. Watch how the sitter greets your pet, whether they ask good questions, and whether the person you meet is the person who will actually visit.

Every new Danny's Pet Care client books a meet-and-greet through our application form before visits are scheduled, and completes a Client Contract and a Petsitting Form from our forms page. The Petsitting Form asks for your vet's details and your consent for us to take your pet to your vet in an emergency. Our list of questions to ask at a meet-and-greet explains what to ask and why each answer matters, and the first-week checklist covers what to watch once visits start.

When a sitter or walker is not the right answer

Some pets need something else first. A pet that needs close medical monitoring, such as frequent checks after surgery, may be safer boarding at a vet hospital, so ask your vet. A dog that has bitten or seriously threatened people may need a vet visit and a qualified trainer or veterinary behaviorist before any sitter takes them on. Danny's Pet Care asks that dogs for in-home pet sitting be well behaved with people.

For a single short check on a calm cat, a trusted neighbor may be enough. And if a sitter cannot show a license, proof of insurance or a clear emergency plan, it is fine to keep looking. When you are ready, review our services or contact us to ask about your street and schedule.