When you hire a professional pet sitter, you’re trusting someone with more than the care of your pets. You’re also trusting them with access to your home while you’re away. It’s important to consider home security during pet sitting to ensure peace of mind.
That’s a responsibility we take seriously.
Home security during pet sitting starts from the moment we arrange your pet’s care and continues through the final visit. While our primary focus is keeping your pets safe, comfortable and happy, we’re also paying attention to the home they live in.
Here are some of the ways we help protect your home while you’re away.
Protecting Your Home During Pet Sitting Visits
Keys, door codes and other home-access information are treated as private information.
We don’t label keys with identifying information that could easily connect them to your home, and access information is never shared with anyone who isn’t authorized to provide your pet’s care.
If you use a keypad or smart lock, we’ll follow the access instructions you provide and make sure the door is properly secured each time we leave.
Before walking away, we check it.
Because when you’re responsible for someone else’s home, assuming the door locked isn’t good enough.
Doors and Windows Stay Secure
Pets have an uncanny ability to make us question whether we really closed that door. 😂
During each visit, we’re mindful of exterior doors and other access points we use. Doors are closed and secured behind us, and we follow any specific instructions you’ve provided regarding locks, gates or other areas of your property.
We’re especially careful when entering and leaving homes with pets who may try to slip through an open door.
Keeping your pet safely inside the home is an important part of keeping the home secure, too.
We Help Your Home Look Lived In
An obviously empty home can attract unwanted attention.
Pet sitting visits naturally create activity at your house throughout the day. Depending on your instructions and the length of your trip, we can also rotate lights, open or close blinds, bring in mail and packages, and take care of other small tasks that help your home maintain its normal appearance.
These aren’t substitutes for a home-security system, but they can help avoid some of the obvious signs that nobody is home.
Packages and Mail Don’t Have to Pile Up
Few things advertise an empty house quite like several packages sitting untouched on the porch.
If a package has been delivered, we can bring it inside during our scheduled visit when it’s safe and practical to do so. Mail can also be brought in at your request.
It’s a small part of pet sitting, but one that can give you one less thing to worry about while you’re away.
Home Security Means Noticing When Something Is Wrong
Professional pet sitting involves observation – and not just observation of your pets.
We notice things.
Maybe there’s water somewhere it shouldn’t be. A door that doesn’t look right. A strange smell. A power outage. A thermostat displaying an unexpected temperature. Or something else that has changed since our previous visit.
We can’t prevent every household emergency, of course. But having someone regularly entering your home means there’s a chance for a problem to be noticed much sooner than if the house were completely unattended.
If something seems wrong, we’ll contact you and follow your emergency instructions.
Your Home Isn’t a Shared Workspace
Another important part of home security during pet sitting is knowing exactly who has access to the house while you’re away.
Before your booking, we need to know if anyone else will be entering the home during the pet-sitting period, such as family members, friends, cleaners, contractors or other service providers.
This matters for several reasons.
If we arrive to find a door unlocked, an item moved or something unusual in the home, we need to know whether another authorized person has been there. More importantly, clearly defined access helps protect your pets, your property and everyone involved in their care.
For that reason, we don’t share pet-sitting responsibilities in situations where other people will be staying overnight or frequently coming and going during the booking.
Clear expectations about who will be entering the home help everyone stay safer.
We Don’t Advertise That You’re Away
Those adorable photos you receive from your pet sitter don’t need to announce to the world that your house is currently empty.
We respect your privacy while you’re traveling and don’t publicly share details about your trip, your schedule or how long you’ll be gone.
If photos or videos of your pets are used on our social media, we don’t share information that would compromise the security of your home.
Your pet may be Instagram-worthy.
Your travel itinerary isn’t. 😉
Regular Updates Give You Peace of Mind
After visits, you’ll receive an update about your pets so you know how they’re doing.
Those updates also give you confirmation that someone has been at the house and that things appeared normal during the visit.
If something unusual happens, you’ll hear from us rather than discovering it when you return home.
That communication is an important part of professional pet care – and one of the biggest differences between simply asking someone to “stop by” and hiring a professional who understands the responsibility involved.
Pet Sitting Security Starts Before You Leave
You can help us protect your home, too.
Before your trip, make sure we have current access instructions and emergency contacts. Let us know about any doors or locks that can be tricky, alarm systems we need to know about, expected contractors or visitors, and anything unusual happening around the property.
And please tell us before your trip if someone else will need access to the home during your booking.
The more accurate information we have, the better prepared we are to care for both your pets and your home.
Professional Pet Sitting Is About More Than Feeding the Pets
Pet sitting may look simple from the outside: arrive, feed the pets, scoop the litter box, take the dog outside and send a cute picture.
There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes.
We’re watching your pet’s behavior. We’re noticing whether they’re eating and drinking normally. We’re administering medications when needed. We’re keeping their environment clean and comfortable.
And we’re making sure the home is secure before we leave.
Home security during pet sitting is just one part of the responsibility you place in our hands, and it’s one we don’t take lightly.
Looking for Professional Pet Care in Lancaster, NY?
Comfort Zone Critter Care provides professional in-home pet sitting for pets in Lancaster, NY, allowing them to remain in the comfort of their own home while you’re away.
Your pets receive individualized care in their familiar environment, while you have the reassurance of knowing that a professional is regularly checking on them and your home.
Planning a trip? Contact us to learn more about our in-home pet sitting services and schedule your required meet & greet before your first booking.
