What is a Meet & Greet?

  Posted on December 11, 2017  by Professional Pet Dog Sitter  No comments

When a pet dog owner has an initial meeting with a prospective pet dog sitter this is commonly called a “Meet & Greet” session. This allows both the pet sitter and dog owner to determine if the person is the right fit…and the selection is confirmed by the pets!

Unless a pet owner/pet parent is shopping for sitters, this session is also the intake consultation. The session duration lasts about an hour. The daily schedule, pet routines and preferences are discussed. Diet, exercise, play, sleeping routines and other aspects are covered.

In the past property permission and veterinary release forms were submitted and signed electronically and vaulted. Today we collect that information onsite during the Meet & Greet.

Since DGinPG is a professional service, we charge for Meet & Greet sessions and discourage appointment requests from those with no intention of booking.

The strategy also serves to help get everyone to know one another while gathering important information onsite putting both dog owners and dog(s) at ease while also assisting the sitter to become familiar with pet household specifics.

Emergency contacts, emergency shut-offs for utilities and other information is collected as well. Intake sessions will identify both regular veterinary and emergency veterinary clinics and set limits on spending for emergency care, if needed.

If agreeable, the first service is scheduled and both the key and payment for service is collected to secure the booking. Owners sign the property permission and veterinary release form prior to departure to validate the service agreement.

After this session, additional communication is usually handled via email. Clients who book regularly generally leave a key on file but we also encourage pet-sitter specific lock-boxes as an option. Properties using electronic access are encouraged to provide emergency key vaults to prevent lock outs in case of power failure or disaster.

We know people want to make sure they are getting someone trustworthy and we want to make sure it is a good fit for all. If the initial meeting is not a fit, we are happy to make suggestions to other service providers in the area.