Photo courtesy Critter Sitters
Sarah Hossier, left, and Samantha Moses are co-owners of Critter Sitters of Lexington.
While you’re sitting down to turkey on Thanksgiving Day or sunning on a beach during vacation, Samantha Moses and Sarah Hoosier are working their hardest. The co-owners of Critter Sitters of Lexington are in their 13th year of caring for dogs, cats, fish, chickens and all sorts of other pets while their people are at work or on the road.
“We’re ready for 16 hour days [during the holidays],” said Moses, who estimates the company currently has 1,000 active clients.
Founded in 1984, Critter Sitters was Lexington’s first pet-sitting service. Moses and Hoosier are the company's third ownership team. Moses started her career in sales and marketing, while Hoosier had been pet sitting on her own for years. The two partnered to purchase Critter Sitters from the company’s previous owner, who was stretched thin from the constant demand.
The company offers dog walking as well as pet-sitting, which can include medication administration, transport to a vet or groomer, as well as designated time for play and cuddles — all documented in a detailed visit sheet left for the owner’s review. Pet-sitting clients may also choose to have their mail brought in, lights turned on and off and plants watered to keep up the appearance someone is at home.
“[Pet-sitting] is peace of mind,” said Hoosier. “Most people don’t want to leave out 10 bowls of food and hope their cat gets through a week, they want to keep the normal half cup a day at seven in the morning.”
"Pet-sitting is peace of mind." —Sarah Hoosier
On the surface, Moses said pet-sitting sounds easy, but it goes well beyond a walk and a scoop of food in a pet’s dish. It’s the job of each of the six daily dog walkers and four pet sitters to not only know what type of food each pet needs, but exactly where a dog’s leash hangs up after his walk, where to put packages and mail (up high, so inquisitive pets won’t try to open it) and which bowl the cat prefers to drink from (because some will refuse to use a dish in the wrong place). Each house has a file with detailed instructions.
Then there’s the in-home element. Pets are generally happier if they can wait out a vacation at home rather than in a kennel — plus Moses and Hoosier say most kennels refuse to take cats — however some people worry about letting strangers in. To help allay these concerns, all Critter Sitters employees are insured, GPS tracked every five minutes and check in with texts and photos at each visit.
“We’ve never had an issue,” Moses said. “The reward is the pets. All these little faces are looking at you and you know they need you. You think, ‘If I wasn’t here for these pets they’d be in a kennel or by themselves.’”
Critter Sitters is currently taking bookings for holiday pet-sitting and additional services. Visit Crittersittersoflexington.com for more information.