The Christmas and school holidays are almost here and you’ve booked your holiday, but who’s going to look after your beloved pet while you are away?
Sitter Guide is a new Australian online service, created to take the stress out of finding suitable care for all your pets. Like an Airbnb for pets, it connects pet owners with pet sitters through its website. Membership is free, and sitters and pet owners are automatically covered by free insurance, ID checks and 24/7 support.
CEO and Founder, Daevid Richards, says people consider their pets to be part of the family and they don’t necessarily want to leave them in a kennel when they go away.
“We offer a sharing economy, personalised, cost effective and flexible alternative to retail day care and pet kennels,” says Daevid. “Much like Airbnb offers travellers an alternative to staying in a hotel, Sitter Guide offers pet owners an alternative to kennels when they are away. We cater for all pets great and small and not just for those with paws, i.e. dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents and ferrets, plus reptiles, fish, birds, horses and ponies – the whole menagerie!”
PLAY AND PAY
Sitter Guide provides freedom and opportunity for both pet owners and pet sitters. Pet owners can relax knowing that their pet is being cared for by a local, trusted pet lover and pet sitters get paid to play with pets.
There are a range of services including:
- Boarding – Pets stay at the sitter’s home for longer visits over 24 hours.
- House Sitting – Sitters stay at the pet’s home for longer visits over 24 hours.
- Day / Night Care – Pets go to a sitter’s home for short visits under 24 hours.
- Drop-in Visits – Sitters go to the pet’s home for short visits under 24 hours.
- Market Place – Pet sitter services that can run for approximately one hour or less at either the pet’s or the sitter’s home. Pet walking, grooming, training and even driver pick-up and drop-off services are available.
PETS ARE BIG BUSINESS IN AUSTRALIA
Australian households are estimated to have spent more than $12.2 billion on pet products and services in 2016, up 42% since 2013. Around 5.7 million households (i.e. 62% of all households) have at least one pet, with more than 24 million pets in Australia*. Almost two in five households have a dog (38%) and almost three in 10 households have a cat (29 per cent) giving Australia one of the highest domestic animal ownership rates in the world.
*According to Animal Medicines Australia’s ‘Pet Ownership in Australia 2016 Report’
Whether you have a pet with paws or claws that barks, meows, neighs or squawks, there’s a carer for you through Sitter Guide.
To find out more about Sitter Guide, please check out the website
About Sitter Guide
Sitter Guide is like Airbnb for pets, connecting pet owners with pet sitters through its website. Time-poor pet parents join Sitter Guide for free, then simply search the national online network of local, trusted and insured pet sitters and walkers who will treat their pet like family, ensuring their wellbeing.
Sitter Guide is Australia’s first online marketplace catering for all pets great and small, not just those with paws. Offering a personalised, cost effective alternative to retail day care and pet kennels, Sitter Guide provides freedom and opportunity for both pet sitters and pet owners.
MEDIA RELEASE 24/11/2017
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