Frequently Asked Questions

Pet Sitting Questions
Click on any question to see the answer below.

• What areas do you serve?
• How should I prepare for a pre-service interview?
• How should I prepare for each pet sitting visit?
• What types of animals do you provide care for?
• What's the purpose of a pre-service interview?
• Do you care for the pets in your home (boarding) or in my home?
• Do you provide overnight pet sitting visits in my home?
• Do you have a back-up pet sitter in case you are on vacation or ill?
• Do you charge by the number of animals?
• How far in advance do I need to reserve pet sitting service?
• Other people will be checking on my pets too, is that ok?

Animal Communication Questions
Click on any question to see the answer below.

• How does animal communication work?
• Do you diagnose or treat health problems?
• Is this like what the pet psychics on TV do?
• How does a consultation work?
• What can I expect from a consultation?
• When should I use animal communication?
• What is your success rate? Are there guarantees that you will fix a behavior problem?
• Do you have to be in the same room with the animal you are communicating with?
• Can I learn to communicate with animals?
• Do you communicate with animals who have passed on?

Pet Sitting Questions and Answers

• What areas do you serve?
  Pet sitting services are available in the cities of Bellevue, Newcastle, and Renton, Washington. Neighborhoods served include: Somerset, Newport Hills, China Creek, Milepost, Olympus, May Creek, Highlands at Newcastle, Renton Highlands, Kennydale, Summerwind and The Orchards. Service is not available north of I-90 or in the Fairwood area of Renton. Zipcode areas served are: 98006, 98056 and 98059.
  
  
• How should I prepare for a pre-service interview?
  It is helpful to have the following information ready for the pre-service interview:
  
  • Phone numbers where you can be reached while you are away;
  • Your general departure time and arrival times;
  • Other emergency contacts and phone numbers;
  • Veterinarian name, address and phone number;
  • Animal medication information if applicable;
  • A duplicate house key for the pet sitter. Garage door openers are not recommended, since they do not work during power outages. If you have a new key made, please make sure it works.

You may also want to have your list ready of things you want to let the pet sitter know and/or to ask the pet sitter.

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• How should I prepare for each pet sitting visit?
  
  • Be sure to have the following pet supplies on hand: extra food and water, extra cat litter, plastic bags for sanitary disposal of pet feces and scooping litter boxes, extra paper towels and cleaning supplies to clean up indoor accidents.
  • As much as possible, have all the pet care supplies in one visible area such as the kitchen or laundry room. This includes: food, treats, utensils, can opener, medications, leash, toys, litter scoop, broom and dustpan, plastic bags, towels (for dogs going outside on rainy days), paper towels, cleaning supplies and watering can for plants.
  • Have an adequate supply of your pet's medicines on hand, if applicable.
  • Make sure all doors and windows are securely locked before leaving.
  • Make sure exterior lighting is working for the security of the home and pets and the safety of the pet sitter. This is especially important during the darker winter months. If the pet sitter will be taking the pet into the back yard, make sure the back yard lighting is working as well.
  • Consider using lights on timers on interior lights.
  • Prune any bushes near doors and windows. These may be used as hiding places for burglars.
  • Inform neighbors of your absence and that a pet sitter will be visiting your home.
  • Take your pet sitter's phone number with you.

• What types of animals do you provide care for?
  I provide pet sitting services for most household pets including cats, dogs, birds, fish, guinea pigs and rabbits. I do not provide service for reptiles, mice or rats.
  
  
• Do you care for the pets in your home (boarding) or in my home?
  Pet sitting visits are provided in your home in the pet's familiar environment. One to three visits are provided per day, depending on the needs of the pet. Boarding services are not available.
  
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• Do you provide overnight pet sitting visits in my home?
  Overnight visits are not available. You can schedule one to three visits per day, depending on your pet's needs. Pet sitting visit hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week.
  
  
• Do you have a back-up pet sitter in case you are on vacation or ill?
  Yes, I work with several other pet sitters who are available provide service to service to my clients when I'm not available. Clients receive advance notice of my vacation schedule.
  
  
• Do you charge by the number of animals?
  No. Fees are determined by the time it takes to provide the service. A regular pet sitting visit is 30-40 minutes. This amount of time is adequate for most visits. Additional time may be needed if there are more than three pets, for services provided outside of the regular route area, administering medication to temperamental pets, watering a large number of plants, cleaning cages, or for other time consuming services requested by the client.
  
  
• How far in advance do I need to reserve pet sitting service?
  It's a good idea to make your pet sitting reservations as far in advance as possible. This is especially true for peak times such as major holidays, school breaks and the summer months. During non-peak times, a minimum of five days is recommended for new clients. This allows time for me to meet with you prior to the first pet sitting appointment. Established clients may call less than five days in advance, as no pre-service appointment is needed. Last minute reservations for established clients will be accommodated as the pet sitting schedule allows. Whenever possible pet sitting will be provided for established clients with emergency situations (i.e. leave town for family emergency).
  
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• What's the purpose of a pre-service interview?
  A pre-service interview is done prior to the first pet sitting assignment so I can meet you and your pets, get detailed information about caring for them and pick up a key to your home. During this visit you decide how often you would like your sitter to visit each day you're away and what services you want done.
  
  
• Other people will be checking on my pets too, is that ok?
  If other people will also be checking on your pets, help avoid confusion by making it clear what the pet sitter is responsible for and what other people will be entrusted to do. Give the name and phone number of the other caretaker to the pet sitter during the pre-service interview.

Animal Communication Questions and Answers

• How does animal communication work?
  Animal communication is a conversation with your animal companion. I tune into your animal intuitively and converse with her/him through thoughts, mental pictures, emotional feelings and physical sensations.
  
  When I begin a communication with an animal, I tune into her/him intuitively from my office using his or her photo/description and address. I begin each session by becoming very quiet and relaxed. I picture the animal and contact the animal, let them know I am contacting them on behalf of their person, and ask if he/she is willing to talk with me. I spend a few minutes sitting with the animal to get to know them a bit and then start with your questions. I spend about 30 minutes conversing with each animal, depending on the number of questions.
  
  Animals communicate with us in a variety of ways - body language, barks, meows, chirps, and whinnies, and through mental pictures, thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. Most of my communication with animals has been through mental pictures and thoughts, with some feelings and physical sensations. For example, one dog I talked to was very sad and I felt a great sadness in my heart when I talked with him. One cat I talked with had arthritis in her left shoulder and I felt pain in my left shoulder when I talked with her.
  
  We all have the ability to communicate intuitively with animals. We have not been encouraged to use or develop this ability. Most people with animals have experienced intuitive communication (also known as telepathic communication), but may not be aware of it. They may think it was their thought - time to walk the dog - when often it was actually the dog that sent that thought to them.
  
  If you have ever been thinking of a good friend that you haven't talked to in awhile and "all of the sudden" the phone rings and it is the same friend you were just thinking of, you have experienced intuitive communication. You and your friend were "on the same wave length" and tuned into each other's energy.
  
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• Do you diagnose or treat health problems?
  I am not a veterinarian. I do not diagnose or treat medical issues, offer medical advice, or prescribe medications. I refer clients to qualified veterinarians for diagnosis and treatment of illness. What I can do is talk to your animal and ask her how she is feeling, what helps her feel better, what makes her feel worse, what the discomfort or pain feels like, and what the intensity of the discomfort or pain is. Having this information can help you work with your veterinarian to make decisions about her care. Animal communication is not a substitute for veterinarian care.
  
  
• Is this like what the pet psychics on TV do?
  Yes, my work is very similar to the work of some of the pet psychics seen on television, but I do not consider myself a pet psychic. I am an animal communicator. I tune into the energy of an animal intuitively and have a direct two-way conversation with the animal, based on the questions and messages that you have given to me to relay to your animal companion. Also, the pet psychics on television are working with the animal in person. I connect and communicate with my animal clients through "long distance" communication sessions from my office.
  
  
• How does a consultation work?
  Consultations are done in three steps:
  
  • I talk with you to find out what questions you have for your animal companion and to get a description or photo of her or him.
  • I communicate with the animal. This is not done over the phone, but is done "long distance" from my office.
  • We set a time for you to call me so I can relay my conversation with your animal companion to you.
    

• When should I use animal communication?
  Animal communication helps strengthen the bond between people and animals by helping people understand their animals better. People use animal communication to talk with their animals about a wide range of topics:
  
  • Behavior problems;
  • Health issues;
  • Relationships between animals in a multi-animal household;
  • Adding a new person or animal to the household;
  • Preparing for an animal's death;
  • Talking to an animal who has passed on;
  • Wanting to know what would make their animals happier;
  • Any other questions you have for your animal.

• What is your success rate? Are there guarantees that you will fix a behavior problem?
  My accuracy rate is 80-90%. As an animal communicator, my role is not to "fix" a behavior issue. My role is to be the interpreter between you and your animal and to provide information, resources, and tools to you that you can use to work with your animal to address the behavior problem. By talking with your animal, I receive answers to your questions about her behavior, and relay to you what she thinks she needs to change the behavior. With your animal's perspective on the issue, you will have insight from her regarding what you can do to work with her to change the behavior. There may be changes you need to make to her home environment or to your interactions with her in order to help her improve her behavior. In addition, I will provide suggestions, tools, resources and referrals that may be helpful to you in addressing the behavior issue. Finally, I guide you toward learning how to use animal communication yourself, so that you can begin to communicate with your animal on a day-to-day basis.
  
  
• Do you have to be in the same room with the animal you are communicating with?
  No. Every animal has their own unique energy. I communicate with animals by intuitively tuning into their energy and have a two-way conversation with them using thoughts, mental pictures, feelings and physical sensations. I can do that from anywhere. My consultations are done from my office using an animal's photo or a good physical description. I have clients who live across the country from me.
  
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• Can I learn to communicate with animals?
  Yes! You already have the ability to communicate with animals intuitively. It is a matter of rediscovering that part of yourself and awakening your intuition. Intuition is very subtle and we often hear an inner "voice" or have a "knowing," but dismiss it. We often hear our animals talking to us, yet think it is our own thought, because we aren't sure that animals can communicate with us. They can! And they are communicating with you on a regular basis. For example, our animal companions my remind us to feed them, give them a treat, walk them and play with them. My cats also remind me to do things for myself like slow down and take a break or lock the door at night. Your animal companions long for you to hear them and understand them better. Developing your intuitive skills with your animals is one of the best gifts you can give to them and yourself. Developing our intuitive communication skills is something we all can do. It takes patience and practice to develop it. During an animal consultation session, I talk with my clients about how to begin to develop your intuitive skills. Learning animal communication will strengthen and enhance your relationship with your animal family members in ways that you have never imagined!
  
  
• Do you communicate with animals who have passed on?
  Yes, I do communicate with animals who are now in spirit. Communicating with animals in spirit works the same way as communicating with animals living on earth. I tune into their energy, let them know that I am contacting them on behalf of their person and ask if they are willing to talk with me. Many people find it very comforting to talk with their animal after they have passed on to find out how their transition went, to ask questions they may have about their animal's death or just to find out how their animal is doing.
  
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