Pet Sitters International Announces Top Finalists for 2011 Pet Sitter of the Year™ Award

Pet Sitters International (PSI) has officially closed nominations for its 2011 Pet Sitter of the Year™ Award and selected the top-five finalists. First awarded by PSI in 1995, the Pet Sitter of the Year designation is the industry’s highest honor.

PSI congratulates the following top-five finalists who will move forward to the next round of judging for the 2011 award:

· Kelly Moore, Kitty Kare Pet Sitting Services, LaGrange Park, Ill.

· Jordan Di Marco, Dogma Catma Pet Sitting, Boulder, Colo.

· Jill Delzer, Ally McPets Pet Sitting, Redondo Beach, Calif.

· Kimberly Boyd, Canine Cuddle Care LLC, Alpharetta, Ga.

· Vanessa Sorace, Zoo Sitters, LLC, Cape May Court House, N.J.

PSI’s Pet Sitter of the Year embodies the heart and soul of the professional pet-sitting industry and serves as an example to the industry and pet-owning public.

“Simply being nominated for this prestigious award is an honor and a testament to how much these professionals are appreciated by their clients,” said Patti Moran, PSI president. “These finalists represent the ‘cream of the crop’ in the pet-sitting industry and are shining examples of this profession’s importance.”

These five finalists move on to the next phase of the judging process and the winner will be selected by a committee including David Pearsall, vice president of Business Insurers of the Carolinas; Arden Moore, pet expert and founder of Fourleggedlife.com; Denise Quashie, founder of Barkworld Expo; and Scott Black, PSI’s 2010 Pet Sitter of the Year recipient.

Nominations for the award are received from professional pet-sitters’ clients, pet-care peers and pet professionals, such as veterinarians. This year, more than 500 nominations were submitted. Judges evaluate nominations based on adherence to PSI’s Standards of Excellence, degree of professionalism, and contributions to the pet-care industry and their communities.

The 2011 award is sponsored by Business Insurers of the Carolinas.

The Pet Sitter of the Year will be announced in January 2012. The winner, along with the other four finalists, will be recognized at PSI’s 2012 Quest for Excellence Convention next September in Austin, Texas.

For more information about PSI, pet sitting as a profession or to local a PSI pet sitter in your area, visit PSI’s Web site at www.petsit.com or call (336) 983-9222, ext 1.