Hiring a professional pet sitter also has many other advantages vs. having a friend or neighbor watch your pet while you're away. We will make sure your pet(s) are safe, comfortable, and HAPPY. We at Cindy's Pet Services, LLC love what we do, and our clients often tell us they can tell a difference in their pet's happy and relaxed behavior when they return home, it's like they were never gone.  Once you use a professional pet sitting service you won't board again. You can read all about what our pet sitting service does entail HERE. 

We do check mail, get paper, retrieve any packages you may get, clean up any pet accidents that may occur, rotate lights, adjust curtains and/or blinds, put trash/recycle at the road and bring it back up, water any plants that need attention, and give your home that "lived in look" while you are away. 
Your Pet(s) and Home are in good reliable care while using our services.

Q. What types of animals for you care for?
A.  We care for most animals, as long as they do not pose a danger to us.  We have experience caring for dogs, cats, birds, fish, gerbils, iguanas, ferrets, hamsters, rabbits, skunks, and many other species.  We do not care for horses, goats, pigs or other farm animals as I don't have anyone on staff with that experience I will refer you to someone that specializes in that service nor do we care for snakes that need to be fed live animals. 

We do NOT care for any animals with a history of biting, fighting or attacking people.   If they are not friendly towards us on the consult we will not be able to do any pet sitting for you.

Q. How does the pet sitting service work?
A. We come out and do a FREE initial consultation - you can read about that process HERE.  Once you are an established client with us we are always just a phone call, text or email away.   We can do last minute visit request, ongoing weekly mid-day walks (NOTE: it's a popular service and if we are not able to accommodate you we will refer you to another qualified professional) we can also do live-in pet care and overnight stays in your home.

Q. What are mid-day breaks and how would my pet(s) benefit from them?
A. Many pet owners work full time jobs, and cannot get home to let their pet outside during the day. It also provides dog owners the opportunity to go out with friends after work without returning home first. Crated dogs or puppies get time to stretch their legs and break up the boredom of a long day, and it also helps with house training. High energy pets may need a mid-day break to help them be more relaxed at night when their owners return home.   Mid-day visits are done between 11am - 3pm and are the only service we perform that we offer discounts.   If you use us at least 3 times a week on an ongoing basic we give you a price break of $14 per visit.  This is for regular weekly clients, and again it is a popular service, we stay pretty booked. 

Q. Will your board my pet?
A. Cindy's Pet Services, LLC is not a licensed boarding service, in that we cannot take your pets to our home.  We provide loving pet care right in your own home, this provides comfort and security to you and your pet.

If you are looking to board your pet in someone's home I do recommend Sally McCall - 919-786-9138.  She lives on Dartmouth St at North Hills and she keeps dogs under 30lbs in her home.   She is a stay at home Mom and a great lady, I know her well, you will love her doggie room, they will live in luxury.

Q. What will it cost me?
A.  I am sure that is the first question that comes to your mind, I don't blame you....   I tell people honestly, it's not cheaper to use a pet sitter with 1 dog but it is cheaper if you have a multi-pet household.  

For cats since they require just 1 visit a day (unless they are on medicine that requires twice a day visits) it's about the same as a boarding facility.  Our standard rate is $17 per visit for up to 2 Animals.  Please review our rates they are very competitive, but isn't the peace of mind of your pet(s) and home being cared for while you are gone and them being happy on their own normal routine priceless.... Not to mention you can come home from your trip with your pet(s) waiting HAPPILY for you and not have to wait till the next day to get them if you arrive home after normal business hours, most facilities close for pick-up at 6pm and are closed on Sundays.

Q. How long are the visits and how will I know you were there?
A. Normal vacation pet sitting visits are 30minutes in length, on the Holidays it is at least 20minutes.  We leave daily log notes and give you little notes on how your pet(s) acted.   We always do visit and always act as if there are hidden cameras or neighbors watching us, we take good care of your pets and pride ourselves in the quality of service we do provide you and your pet(s).

Q. How many visits a day do you provide?
A. That is your decision. For dogs, we recommend a minimum of two (2) visits per day. Most people request 3 visits a day for smaller or older dogs.  It really depends on your dog's needs.   Our earliest visit time is 7:30AM and our latest time is 9:30PM, visit before or after that are charged a $5 extra per visit fee.

For cats and other animals, we do a minimum of one (1) visit per day. We will not skip days, my policy is that we have to see any animal in our care once every 24hours.  Anything could happen in the time we don’t see your pet(s) such as their claws can get hung in something, their collar caught on something, they can lock themselves in rooms, get trapped behind or in things not to mention they could get diarrhea, sudden UTI's, become deathly ill, etc…..  I know these are worse case scenarios but it happens, anything could happen to your home and something minor could turn into something major in 48hours.  We as professional pet sitters are always concerned about the safety and well being of any pet(s) in our care.  We have to be sure there is plenty of food, fresh water and a clean litter box for cats as we all know they like a clean bathroom daily.  

Q. How do I prepare for my pet sitter to come?
A.  - Make sure you leave enough food, treats, litter, paper towels, a dog towel for
         rainy days and poop bags just in case your not able to return when planed.
      - Leave out detailed instructions for all medications.
      - Put ID/microchip tags on all pets and their current rabies tag
      - Leave out favorite toys out for pet to play with or a new toy we can give them
      - Put potentially dangerous plants or decorations out of your pets reach  
    Click HERE to read a list of FOOD and PLANTS your pets should NEVER have
      - Shut off all rooms or areas where pets are not allowed, some people put a  
       baby gate, stools or large mats on furniture they don't want their pets on.
      - Leave porch lights on if your sitter will be coming after dark, inside lights on 
      timers are a great thing, your sitter will also rotate which lights are to be left on
      - Leave your sitter information on how you can be contacted or if you can’t be
     contacted then the phone number of someone who can make decisions on your
     behalf, this should be in the paperwork you filled out with us on our consult but
     it never hurts to leave it again or add someone else to it.
      - Set the thermostat to keep the house comfortable for the pet during your
      absence, if your sitter thinks it's too hot or cold, they will adjust it.
      - If you have preferred maintenance companies leave there numbers as well, in
      case of emergency.   If you rent leave your landlord's contact information.

Q. Are you licensed, bonded and insured?
A.  YES to all 3!!!   1)  We have a privilege license with the city of Raleigh, that is
all that is required of me to operate this type of service based business. 
2) I am bonded thru Travelers Casualty & Surety Company of America up to $10,000.   3) I do carry the maximum limits of general liability insurance of
2 Million Dollars thru Business Insurers of the Carolinas, so you are protected.  Don't be fooled by those that claim to be insured and bonded but carry minimum amounts or have expired policies, do ask to see them, I carry my proof with me on every consult.     *NOTE: Being bonded or having insurance does not guarantee the quality of service. My own reputation is the best guarantee of quality and we do provide references on my consult with you and you can see the comments on my site on my Happy Clients page.

Q. Who are the people coming into my home?
A.  Rest assured you will meet your sitter before pet care is preformed.  That is what the initial consultation is for.  I (Cindy Golden, owner) or Erin French (my assistant manager) go on the consults with your sitter or do the job ourselves. So you will meet me or Erin and/or your sitter.

All of our sitters have gone through extensive reference and history checks, criminal background check and are committed to providing the best care for your pet and home while you are away as well as leaving your home neat and tidy when you return.  They are covered under my bond and insurance.

If some kind of emergency comes up with your assigned sitter, either Erin or I will take over their pet sitting assignments personally.  All of our sitters have gone thru training by me, and have been educated well on different scenarios that could come up while pet sitting PLUS they can call or text me at anytime and they know this, I am always able to answer any questions they may have.  They are also Certified in Pet First Aid and CPR thru the American Red Cross, it's a wonderful course that all sitters working with me will partake in.  

Q. Will I have the same sitter each time?
A.  Yes, I prefer to offer your visits to the same pet sitter each time,
however, if that sitter is not available for some reason, I am their back up. Illness, schedule conflicts, family emergencies, car troubles, etc. are never your concern when you work with us; a pet sitter's personal crisis will never become your issue to solve, rest assured all of this is handled by me.   

If your assigned sitter has left my company you will get assigned a new sitter and we will schedule a time to come out and meet you.  Your new sitter will interact with your pet(s) and see where things are and ask any questions.

Q. Can we have our family or friends check in on the pets while we are away?
A. If there should be anyone other than us in your house. We need to be fully aware of this before contract date. You should make your neighbors, family members, and friends aware that we are pet sitting in order to avoid any complications or misunderstandings.  Please do not have them feed your pets, we do leave logs and would appreciate a note from them that they were there in case anything is moved or different we know why. 

Q. Can I give my sitter gratuity?
A. Absolutely! Tips are never expected, but greatly appreciated! You may give tips directly to your sitter, or if you prefer you may pay it through the company. 100% of tips go directly to your assigned sitter.

Q. Do you provide references?
A. Yes, references are given to you on the consult, each sitter has their own list of client references.  If you want to be added to your sitters reference list please call or email me and let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to read our FAQ Page
please read our Policies as well that should answer
any questions not covered here.

E-Mail Me
Cindy@CindyTheSitter.com