Find a Reliable Pet Sitter: 5 Major Pet Sitting Websites Compared

Are you looking to find a dog walker, pet sitter, poop scooping company or other type of pet care professional? There are many ways to find pet sitters, one of the most common being to search pet sitter directories.

There are many pet sitter directories offering listings for available pet sitters and pet sitting companies. All of them are slightly different than the others and some require fees or membership. Trying to decide which pet sitting site to use can seem like a daunting task, especially for newer pet owners who may not know what to look for.

This article compares several major pet sitting websites and breaks down their unique benefits and weaknesses side by side to help pet owners learn their options before choosing a pet sitting website to use for finding a reliable pet sitter.

Pet Sitters International (PSI)
Pet Sitters International provides searchable listings of pet sitters located in the US, Canada and Overseas and free access to contact information. Pet owners can filter their search results according to type of animal and needed services. Care for a pet that is as small as a fish, as large as a farm animal, and as exotic as a peacock can be factored into the pet sitter search. You can select any of 14 distinctive pet services as well, from basic house sitting and dog walking to more specialized pet care such as behavior modification services. Pet owners can also narrow their search results to pet sitters who are bonded, licensed and/or pet first aid certified if those are important factors. The site is also a Mecca of resources on a broad range of pet related topics.

Sitters must pay $65-$140 (varies by geographic location) to obtain a listing in the Pet Sitters directory. While this may be a good indication that any pet service provider listed in the Pet Sitters Directory is serious enough about the business to make such a pricey advertising investment, it does not necessarily guarantee you won't end up with a bad egg. Pet Sitters International makes sure to add a disclaimer on the "Locate a Pet Sitter" search page: "Pet Sitters International... does not inspect or police member businesses."

Pet owners may browse Pet Sitter listings and access full contact details free of charge with no registration required.

Pet Sitters Network
Pet Sitters Network has a clean and organized design and layout that makes it quick and easy to search for a pet sitter or explore other relevant animal and pet care resources. The website appears to be a relatively new pet sitters directory (or otherwise freshly revamped), which does lend to fewer pet sitter listings but it doesn't make the directory seem any less credible than other national or internationally based pet sitter location sites. In fact, Pet Sitters Network is one of the very few pet sitter and pet owner matching sites that does not overtly try to sell you anything.

Pet owners are not required to register or pay a fee to browse the directory and obtain full details and contact information. Pet sitters, as well, can list their company and services in the pet sitters' directory free of charge.

Pet-Sitters.biz
Pet-Sitters.biz comes highly recommended by PetSittersNetwork.com. Judging from the honesty and professionalism that the pet sitters matching service presents, it would not be surprising to discover the 2 websites were managed by the same company. While Pet Sitters Network is more of an objective pet sitters' directory, however, Pet-Sitters.biz is like an internet marketing service for reliable pet sitters.

Pet sitters pay an annual membership fee of $24 to be included in the pet sitter's directory. Pet owners have two options. They can search the directory and contact prospective pet sitters directly (free). Or with a membership (also free) they can keep their contact information private and send pet sitters messages through the Pet-Sitters.biz confidential online messaging system. The free pet owner membership also allows you to take a proactive approach and place your own "pet sitters needed" ad for pet sitters to discover. Once an ad is placed for a pet sitting assignment or for pet care services needed, pet sitters, dog walkers and other pet care service providers can then bid on the position.

Pet-Sitters.biz seems to have a lot of merit and the bidding system makes for less time wasted since you can screen pet sitters according to your personal priorities and weed out the ones that do not meet your needs from the start. It also is more likely to draw in reliable, consistent and committed pet sitters who are serious about the job.

The Pet-Sitters.biz website declares, "Membership is free, but the service is priceless." It does seem that way.

National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS)
Petsitters.org or the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters appears at first glance to be a popular and credible organization for matching pet sitters with pet owners. But look a little closer and the site content raises some instant questions. They boast of their non profit status. NAPPS also promises to provide "resources and tools to its members at no additional cost." Explore a little further, however, and notice that the most desirable resources and tools (such as continued education through conferences and trade shows, certification and credit card processing) actually do apparently cost an additional fee because according to this chart, members only gets an applied discount.

Membership fees are exorbitant. Individual pet service providers must pay $100, professional members pay $500 and NAPPS's fellow "non profit" organizations also pay a whopping $500.

Members do have access to a database for networking purposes and they can also place a listing for their pet services in the NAPPS directory. These and the few other concrete free benefits that come along with a membership to NAPPS may in actuality be worth the financial investment; though it does seem a little hard to believe.

Association of Professional United Pet Sitters (PUPS)
The PUPS website (www.petsits.com) offers pet owners free access to an international directory of pet sitters and dog walkers. The majority of the listings are from pet care professionals in the United States and Canada. The pet sitter's website is professional and straightforward. Dog walkers, pet sitters, poop scooping companies and other pet care professionals can list their services in the PUPS Pet Sitters Directory with a $24 lifetime membership. PUPS members also have access to a ton of tools and business resources to help promote an existing pet care business or to assist startup pet care companies get off to a good start. Pet owners do not have to register to use the PUPS website or browse the Pet Sitters Directory.