Quality Pet Care

"Excellence" isn't just a word at Pet Sitters International. It's our way of doing business.

Founded in 1994 as the first international association for professional pet sitters, Pet Sitters International is proud of the standards it has established in the industry. Patti Moran created the company with three key principles:

Professional Excellence
Outstanding Service
High Quality Standards

Now, 17 years later, these core beliefs are still the heart of the way PSI does business. As a result, the association has grown into the world's largest organization for professional pet sitters. PSI members provide in-home pet care, pet education and other pet-care services on more than 18.5 million pet-sitting visits every year.

PSI prides itself on maintaining long-term, interactive relationships with our ever-expanding network of members and the pet owners they serve.

Maintaining PSI's Recommended Quality Standards is the single-most important tie that binds a pet owner to a quality caregiver. These fundamental guidelines are the criteria that set apart and identify pet sitters as dedicated professionals.

PSI’s Recommended Quality Standards for Excellence in Pet Sitting

The mission of Pet Sitters International is to foster excellence and continuous learning in the pet-sitting profession by providing the best education and tools of the trade. Our Recommended Quality Standards for Excellence in Pet Sitting reflect the values that exemplify industry leaders.

These practices set the benchmark for professional pet sitters and serve as a set of guidelines for every PSI member to use in decisions that affect business ethics, procedures and professionalism. Professionals earn the pet-owning public’s trust and loyalty by consistently using these practices:

Best Business Practices

The pet-sitting business provides references, screens pet sitters adequately, and, upon request, provides proof of clean criminal history of all they assign to enter the homes of pet owners.
The pet-sitting business provides initial and ongoing training for its sitters and/or establishes standards that its independent contractors must meet to qualify for pet-sitting assignments.

The sitter:

maintains current and adequate bonding and liability insurance.
visits the client’s home before the first pet-sitting assignment to meet the pets and obtain/record detailed information about specific needs.
provides materials or online access to descriptions of services and fees.
utilizes a legally compliant, written service contract to clarify services, fees, visit schedule, time allocated per visit and all other agreements, thereby establishing clear expectations in advance for both parties.
takes precautions to make sure a client’s absence from home is not detectable because of careless actions or disclosures by the sitter.
has systems in place to ensure the security of home keys in his or her possession.
confirms client’s return and has pre-agreed arrangements for continued care in the event that the client is delayed or detained by emergency.
has a contingency plan for pet care in case of inclement weather or personal illness.
solicits service feedback from clients and responds appropriately.
responds to client inquiries and complaints promptly.
has a veterinarian on call for emergency service.
is courteous, interested and well-educated in the disciplines of pet sitting.

Animal Care & Stewardship

The sitter:

learns as much as possible about the routines, behaviors and needs of animals in his or her care.
has adequate experience in caring for pets and is knowledgeable in pet first aid to best protect their safety and well being.
understands and upholds local ordinances and laws applicable to animals in their service areas.

Ethical Conduct

The sitter:

exhibits courtesy and professionalism in all dealings with customers, staff and industry colleagues to positively represent the pet sitter and the pet-sitting industry.
conducts business with honesty and integrity and observes all federal, state and local laws pertaining to business operations.
refrains from criticizing competitors and voices concerns to industry associates in a respectful manner.
demonstrates ethical standards in all business transactions.