Episode 65. What You Should Know Before Hiring a Pet Sitter (and SO much more!) with Isabel Alvarez Arata

Who is caring for your pets when you’re traveling? That’s the question today’s guest, Isabel Alvarez Arata, is going to help us answer.

Isabel describes herself an advocate for in-home pet sitting and shares with us everything we should know before hiring a pet sitter.

Though she’s a lifelong animal lover, Isabel never intended on a career in the pet industry. But when she had trouble finding a dog walker for her newly adopted dog Titan, Isabel saw a career changing opportunity and spent the next 15 years running a highly in-demand pet sitting business in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC.

A Dog Mom, Cat Mom, Human Mom and military spouse, Isabel is now a writer, journalist, content creator and creator of the Covered in Pet Hair Podcast. Isabel describes her podcast as a boozy show for pet lovers and every episode features cocktails and games mixed in with her interviews. (You can catch my episode of Covered in Pet Hair here.)

Spending her early years living in Ecuador before moving to Miami, Isabel shares this experience and reflects on how family pets are viewed in the Latin American culture and how that has evolved in the last 30 years.

This interview was recorded shortly after Isabel and her family said goodbye to their 15 ½ year old dog Titan. Isabel describes how her family celebrated Titan’s life and how she prepared her children to say goodbye. (Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was the last interview I recorded with Penny by my side.)

Isabel & I discuss:

Growing up in Ecuador with family pets and guard dogs;
Isabel’s experiences and reflections of how family pets are viewed in the Latin American culture and how that has evolved over the past 30 years;
How adopting a dog at the age of 17 led Isabel to start volunteering;
What Isabel learned that led her to feel a responsibility to share her knowledge and educate those around her;
How adopting her dog, Titan, led Isabel to start her own pet sitting business;
Why Pet Parents should choose in-home pet sitting;
The best resources for finding reliable pet sitters;
Isabel’s thoughts on those apps which claim to be the “Uber of dog walkers”;
The crossover between pet sitting, dog training and behavior management;
Life as a military spouse with multiple pets;
What led Isabel to starting the Covered in Pet Hair podcast;
Talking to children about pet loss;
Celebrating the life of Titan, Isabel’s “right hand dog” for 15 years

5 Things You should know before Hiring a Pet Sitter:

Look for a licensed, insured and bonded professional pet sitter.
Call and speak to the company about their policies. Ask questions.
Be proactive about communicating any special medical or behavioral needs of your pet.
Plan ahead of time. Don’t wait until the last minute to make arrangements for your pets if you’ll be traveling.
Prepare for your pet’s needs ahead of time by keeping items like leashes, bowls, food, etc. in a certain room or area of your house.