Pet Sitter: More Owners Seeking Reliable Care

Pets are now full-fledged family members, and the need for reliable care during work commitments, travel, or vacations is increasingly pronounced. Professional pet sitting services are seeing steady growth in demand in Croatia, where owners are increasingly turning to trained professionals to look after their animals while they are away.

One of the first to venture into this business in Croatia is Saša Španović, a doctor of veterinary medicine and owner of Pets Only. According to Financije.hr, her company has been successfully providing pet care services for ten years, and demand shows no signs of slowing down.

From Dog Walking to Watering Plants

"Pets Only offers dog walking and pet visiting services. We walk dogs, visit cats and other animals in the owner's home, and we also offer dog boarding in our facility, a dog daycare, dog transportation, and plant watering," Španović told Financije.hr.

Starting the company ten years ago was quite a challenge because this line of work didn't exist in Croatia at the time. Nearly a year of research preceded registration on how to even set up a pet sitting and dog walking business. As she notes, finding the first clients wasn't a problem because they were among the pioneers in this field.

"After nearly a year of researching how to start a pet sitting and dog walking company, we managed to register. Then, the first steps were finding clients and employees. Finding clients wasn't a problem since we were among the first, and we quickly gathered a considerable number of clients, and more or less, clients come to us through referrals," added Španović.

Patience, Understanding, and Working with People

As a doctor of veterinary medicine by profession, Španović emphasizes that this knowledge greatly helps her in daily work with various types of pets. However, she also highlights the key traits needed for this job.

"Certainly, a person doing this job must be patient with animals, understand different species, and be able to read their moods and body language. Communication with the owner of the animal is also crucial, i.e., working with people-that's actually the most challenging part; with the pets, we come to an agreement very quickly," she said for Financije.hr.

Individual Approach and Special Needs

Pets Only's services are used by a diverse range of people, from students and retirees to employees in various sectors. Each owner receives terms of service, and pets that aren't candidates for group stays-due to fear or aggression, for example-are not accepted into the group. For such dogs, individual work is available.

"If it's a dog that doesn't go into the group but works individually with the sitter, and if it cooperates with the 'sitter,' of course we'll accept it and dedicate ourselves to it. For owners of such dogs, if they aren't already working with a trainer, we recommend trainers," said Španović.

For animals with chronic conditions, she stresses the importance of precise information from the owner about the diagnosis and therapy. Her veterinary background makes caring for sick pets easier. In the company's facility, dogs roam freely without cages and choose where to settle themselves.

The Biggest Challenge Isn't Animals, It's People

Španović also spoke openly with Financije.hr about the risks that come with this job. Although it may seem idyllic, caring for other people's pets carries responsibility for unexpected situations.

"The biggest challenge is working with people. Then there are other situations you have to be prepared for. One of them is that the dog you're walking might be attacked by another dog, the dogs might get into a fight, the animal you're caring for might get sick, or, God forbid, die. These are all risks of this job," she said.

Despite all the challenges, demand for pet sitting doesn't wane, and Španović is pleased to note that more and more people are deciding to open their own businesses in this field because, as she says, there's always work.