We came to pet sit a dog, a cat, and a bird in Annapolis. A surprise bonus was Momma Dove giving birth in her back porch nest during our stay. Indoor AND outdoor animals to watch on this sit! If you’ve never tried pet sitting, I would highly recommend it. You get to meet new furry (and feathered) friends, visit new places, and all through a reliable service, Trusted Housesitters, that we have used for years!

The birds flying through the forest we overlooked were very entertaining. The aggressive bluebird attacked the squirrels who dared trying to get to their birdfeeders. Also, I spied a movement on the forest floor, and it turned out to be a large, quite fast turtle. Thom even saw a fox lurking in the back yard. Quite different from our urban home and that is why we love to pet sit. New experiences! I’m sure the dove family was glad when we left so they could enjoy their new baby in peace. You just never know what you’ll encounter when you pet sit!

From a charming Seattle neighborhood to a farm in Idaho to a month in the London burbs, we have pet sit chickens, a canary, horses/donkeys, all kinds of dogs, and always aloof cats. While it is bittersweet to leave after you have bonded with the pets, it’s satisfying to know you kept someone’s beloved furry/feathered family safe and happy while they were away. Plus, you get to experience a new place. Even though we had stayed in Annapolis before, on this stay we had time to check out some new places like the most awesome vinyl store, Third Eye, and an Irish pub with live music, Galway Bay. We even saw a double rainbow when we went on a sunset cruise from the downtown Annapolis harbor. It poured as we were getting onto the boat but, as they say in Hawaii, “no rain, no rainbows”!

Every time we travel home from a sit, we have a new list of what we should have brought with us. We have been lucky to only have good experiences in homes but no home can have everything you are used to having so we have learned to pack accordingly and purchase after arriving if necessary. Here’s just a few items to add to your basic packing list so you are ready to pet sit:

1. Bug spray and anti-itch cream-we live in an urban home, but we so enjoyed sitting on the back deck of our latest sit and watching the birds and forest animals. However, the mosquitos were loving my husband’s blood way too much.
2. Food/condiments/spices-most pet sit owners will tell you to help yourself to what they have in the kitchen pantry, but, if you want things other than the basic salt/pepper/sugar, bring it if you can. Otherwise, we typically hit the local grocery the first day of a sit to fill in after we check out their kitchen.
3. Power strip-on pet sits, you are usually given their guest room to stay in. As with most bedrooms that aren’t used heavily, sometimes they aren’t outfitted with outlets by each nightstand that you might need for your electronics. So, we bring a power strip with a long cord to use. Nothing worse than having to get out of bed in a new environment to get your phone to see the time in the middle of the night.
4. Nightlight-you’re in a new place, you may want a night light in your bedroom or bathroom so you can get around safely.
5. Shampoo/body wash/etc.-I typically don’t use the owner’s products and bring my own.
6. Pillows/throws-when we drive to a sit, we can bring more stuff. We are picky about our pillows, so we bring one each with us. It makes for more comfortable sleeping. We also bring our travel blankets as we like to lounge on the coach with a throw while we watch tv and not everyone has them in their house.

Here are just a few other tips to remember if you want to try pet sitting:

1. Make sure to know where the cleaning supplies are in case there are pet “accidents”. You need to be ready to clean up as needed. Ditto with paper towels and garbage bags.
2. The pet owner will tell you about the pet’s feeding times and food. Follow their guidelines even if you may think they are restrictive. Not every dog gets a treat after a walk even though our spoiled pup at home does! Do not introduce any new food into the pet’s diet while you are there. It may be tempting to sneak them a pretzel or treat but I wouldn’t recommend it. You don’t know how they will react and you don’t want a pet with a tummy ache.
3. Know where you can walk the pet. In a managed neighborhood, there will be public areas where pets can relieve themselves and other areas which may be off limits. In general, anyone’s lawns other than your own will be off limits and you need to respect that so the owner doesn’t get complaints.
4. Check to see if any outdoor or indoor plants need to be watered while the owner is away. You don’t want them to come home to sad or dead plants.
5. Stay in contact with the owner. If there are any problems, loop them in for advice. Sending pics of their pets is nice too.
6. Most hosts won’t ask you to wash your sheets and towels, but we do it every time. They are coming home with their own dirty laundry, and it is always a nice surprise if they don’t have all their pet sitter’s laundry to do too.

If you want to try pet sitting, use this link to get 25% off your membership at Trusted Housesitters, the company we’ve used for years, both to get sitters and to be sitters. To read about our other pet sits, read my other blog posts here: https://travelswithmelinda.com/category/pet-sitting/

Enjoy the journey!

Sunset cruise from Annapolis harbor!