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Published March 23, 2020

As leaders at federal, state and local levels take difficult, but necessary, action to safeguard the population from the current COVID-19 pandemic, Pet Sitters International (PSI)—the world’s largest educational association for professional pet-sitting and dog-walking businesses—urges leaders to consider the vital role professional pet sitters play for pets and the pet-owning members of your communities.

Specifically, PSI asks that any “shelter in place” or similar order clearly deem pet sitters and dog walkers as “essential workers,” enabling them to continue to offer necessary services and be excluded from any mandatory business closures.

According to the 2019-2020 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 67 percent of American households (84.9 million) own at least one pet. Ninety-five percent of pet owners consider their pets to be part of the family. The more than 5,000 member businesses of PSI collectively perform more than 19 million pet-sitting visits annually.

Because of this, it is vital that professional pet-sitting and dog-walking businesses continue to be able to offer services, particularly because they service clients who may include:

• Travelers unable to return as scheduled with pets alone at home in need of care
• Elderly and/or immunocompromised pet owners who can no longer safely walk their dogs or provide other needed pet care
• Hospitalized pet owners with pets at home in need of care
• Medical professionals, first responders and other essential workers who need care for their pets as they work extended hours during this pandemic

We commend leaders for the important measures that have already been taken to ensure citizens’ safety and ask that any measures also allow for the continuation of pet-sitting and dog-walking services. This will help to ensure the well-being of pets in the community, as well as to ensure the availability of needed pet-care services for other essential workers who will need these services for their pets, now more than ever.

If you have any questions or need additional information, PSI and its pet-sitting members are available to provide additional details and resources to assist in ensuring their pet-care services remain an available option during this time.

Sincerely,

Pet Sitters International

Note: PSI encourages members and others supporting our industry being deemed “essential workers” to indicate their support of this letter by commenting below in this format:

Your Business Name (or name, if not a business), City, State.