Heather Quinn, Sitter Stay

Heather Quinn, Sitter Stay, Sanford, NC

"Prior to becoming a pet sitter I was a stay-at-home mom home schooling my two daughters. I’d been out of the workforce for roughly 15 years while raising my children and really needed to get back to work. My oldest daughter left for college and her sister was able to spend time at different home schooling functions therefore leaving me time to work. The thought of re-entering the workforce was a bit daunting – I mean, my resume could state that I knew all my parts of speech in the form of a rap and could do Algebra 1 like a pro.

However, there was a niche in there, pet-sitting. I had previously volunteered with a local animal rescue and served on their board, volunteered at animal control, and fostered for a national pet rescue group. Why not put that knowledge to work? I know! I’ll become a pet-sitter.

My first step was to build a website – it’s amazing what you learn to do when teaching your children. I then joined PSI and purchased insurance. I had every intention of advertising at this point but my website was up less than a week and I had three bookings.

My first “real” client had a beagle with fear aggression issues. She tried using neighbors but it just wasn’t working out and she couldn’t kennel her for fear of traumatizing the dog. My previous experience with doggie issues made me feel pretty comfortable that I could handle this situation. The first day there, I let Buttercup out of her kennel and the first thing she did is bite me on the back of the leg. Fortunately, she was missing all of her front teeth! Things got smoother from that point on and her family was so excited they finally found a way to travel and keep the dogs happy at the same time.

Since that first sit I’ve been inclined to take on other tough cases – the female rottie who didn’t like strangers (that one took 3 free get to know me visits and I still prayed she wouldn’t eat me), to the boston terrier who bit the previous pet-sitter and resigned his family to, “Never being able to travel again.” I’m still working with the boston to overcome his fear issues but it warmed my heart when I got a, “Yippee!” from his mommy that I was willing to work with him. Being able to offer this service to people who might not otherwise be able to travel is wonderful. They also know their fur baby is safe with someone who will love them as much as they do.

Its now been 7 months since I first started pet sitting. Yes, I’m a newbie! However, I have no doubt I have found my calling. And while I do occasionally sing to my charges, I’m not required to rap."

-as submitted by Heather Quinn