Professional Pet Sitters Week: When It Is & How It’s Celebrated
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National Professional Pet Sitters Week usually falls during the first full week in March. This week, professional pet sitters are recognized and celebrated for their necessary job. Without them, many people would be unable to take vacations, visit family, or go on work trips (or they would be forced to leave their animals in less-than-capable hands when they had to).
Pet sitters don’t only take dogs on walks and fill up food bowls. They provide love and care for pets while their humans are away. While this job is commonly thought of as something teens do to earn a bit of extra cash, tons of professional pet sitters can handle dogs with disabilities, medications, and more complicated situations. In larger cities, being a pet sitter can be a full-time job.
This week honors professional pet sitters and informs pet parents on the benefits of using a professional pet sitter when they need one. It also encourages entrepreneurs to consider pet sitting as a viable career. You’ll find many pet-sitting companies advertising during this week.
This annual celebration has been going on for 29 years. While professional pet sitting may seem new to some, the week-long celebration isn’t.
How Did Professional Pet Sitters Week Start?
This annual celebration started in 1995 when Pet Sitters International introduced it. It’s an annual celebration to help encourage pet lovers to become professional pet sitters and provide an advertising opportunity for those with existing businesses. More and more pet owners are utilizing the services of pet sitters today. However, pet sitters weren’t always received as professionals.
The first pet sitter started her business in 1983. Patti J. Moran saw a niche she could fill. However, insurance companies and the general public weren’t initially enthused with her career. Despite this, she wrote the first guide to pet sitting in 1987.
A few years later, Pet Sitters International was born. This company seeks to provide resources for pet sitters and improve public opinion regarding pet sitting. One year later, the company founded Professional Pet Sitters week.
Why Is Pet Sitting Important?
For several reasons, pet sitting is considered important enough to dedicate a whole week to it. For instance, over 17 million pet-sitting assignments occur each year internationally. Most assignments include multiple pets. The pet-sitting industry brings in over $400 million a year.
Pet sitting provides personalized services for dogs that can’t be kept in a normal kennel situation. For instance, very old and young pets often don’t do well in a kennel. Similarly, pets requiring medication or special health considerations often need the special care pet sitting provides.
Final Thoughts
National Professional Pet Sitters Week seeks to honor professional pet sitters and occurs the first full week in March every year. This occupation isn’t that old, but it didn’t start on a very good foot. Pet sitting wasn’t considered a viable job for many decades, despite the industry bringing in over $400 million. Pet Sitters International sought to change how pet sitting is seen through education, which includes a special week set aside for pet sitters.
Often, this week involves pet sitters advertising their businesses and Pet Sitters International providing free training for those interested in the profession. If you have a pet sitter, now would be a great opportunity to show them some extra appreciation.
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Featured Image Credit: Chendongshan, Shutterstock
