Pet sitting catches on in the area

By VANESSA MCCRAY
vmccray@record-eagle.com

March 17, 2008 04:00 am

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TRAVERSE CITY -- It's a dog's life for Sherry McAdams.

And cats, chickens, birds and fish, too.

McAdams operates the pet sitting business Tails-A-Wag'n and offers in-home animal care while pet owners are away. The Leelanau County entrepreneur has about 50 clients in Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau and on Traverse City's west side.

"It is kind of a referral-by-mouth business. You are coming into their house, and they don't know who you are," McAdams said.

She typically charges $12 per visit to take care of one or two pets. She might come several times a day and stay about 20 minutes each time while an owner is away on vacation. McAdams follows the pets' routines "exactly," including feeding, playing, walking, cleaning and giving any medications. She'll also stop by to take dogs on a mid-day walk when their owners are stuck at work.

Pet sitting has become so commonplace, a local group of critter companions formed to provide support and referrals. The Pet Sitters Network North consists of about seven pet professionals in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. Boasting business names like Furry Godmother and In-Home Hugs, these pet care providers focus on being "reliable" and "trustworthy," said network member Marsha Wheaton of Traverse City.

"It was really, really important to me to get to know some of the other pet sitters in the area so that I could feel comfortable recommending them," said Wheaton, who operates the full-time Dog Mom at Your Service! with a client base of 165 people, or about 300 pets.

There's more to pet sitting than being good with animals.

McAdams is insured through a Wisconsin-based association of pet sitters and completed an American Red Cross course in first aid for pets. That taught her how to set a bone, give animal CPR and check for a pulse. The instruction came in handy once when McAdams had to remove a tick from a dog.

She also learned how to deal with dogs that might not be friendly at first. Her tip: Walk into the house and ignore the dog until it's ready to come to her.

Some animals are shy, the only evidence of their existence a daily depleted food bowl.

"I actually sit for some cats I've never met. I've only seen their picture," said McAdams, who has several cats of her own and carries a tote bag decorated with pictures of collies, labs and boxers.

McAdams decided to open a pet sitting business about three years ago. She was burned out from a dozen years in foster care and wanted to transform her occasional pet sitting for friends into a career. She consulted with another sitter, designed brochures and distributed them at area grocery stores and laundromats, and advertised the service in local newspapers.

"And it started to catch on," she said.

In December, a particularly busy month, she had only one day off. Her schedule is flexible, but she can start at 7 a.m. and visit animals until 10 p.m. When sitting for vacationing clients, McAdams also offers to bring in the mail, water plants and put out the trash.

Jill Gwillim left her family of pets in the sitter's care for weekends away and a longer period of up to 10 days. Gwillim raises a breed of terrier, and the puppies require frequent care.

An in-home pet sitter provides assurance to Gwillim that her animals are being fed and reduces stress the pets might suffer going to a kennel, she said. McAdams also keeps a diary that tracks the animals' diet and behaviors.

"It helps you keep your routine," said Gwillim.

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