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There’s great truth to the statement, “There’s strength in numbers.” Pet sitting can be lonely. And whether you are just starting your pet-sitting business or are a pet-care veteran, you have questions—and there’s no one better to help answer your questions and share in your daily challenges and joys than a fellow pet sitter.

PSI members have a network of more than 6,000 fellow PSI members and pet-sitting business owners, and PSI is always looking for ways to help our members connect with one another. From PSI’s annual conference to the private Facebook chat group, PSI is always seeking out new avenues to allow our members to find support, advice and new ideas from fellow pet sitters.

PSI’s Pet Sitter Spotlight series has that same goal. Each month, we’ll feature a different PSI member. The blog post will help you get to “know” this pet sitter and provide you with some tips and advice for your own pet-sitting business. You can view past Pet Sitter Spotlights here.

PSI members, if you are interested in being considered for a PSI Pet Sitter Spotlight, send an email to meghannevans@petsit.com.

Meet Mary Davis, owner of Mary’s Critter Sitter in Niceville, Florida.

Note: Mary Davis has been a PSI member since 1994, the year the association was founded. Over the next year and half as PSI approaches its 25^th business anniversary, we’ll be sharing stories in the magazine and on our website from members who have been with PSI since the beginning.

For Mary Davis, pet sitting started off as a hobby—something she did for friends and family. She was a certified dental assistant and office manager for many years.

But when she was pregnant with her second child, she knew she wanted to stay home; however, she also wanted another source of income to contribute to the family.

Her sister-in-law told her about a professional pet sitter she hired, so Mary called the pet sitter to learn more about the service. The woman told Mary about Patti Moran’s book, Pet Sitting for Profit, and the rest is history.

Mary started her pet-sitting business, Mary’s Critter Sitter, in October of 1991 and joined Pet Sitters International in 1994, the year the association was founded.

“Initially people were like, ‘You do what? People pay you to do that?’ Mary recalls. “And I said, ‘Yes, people love their pets.’”

Mary’s Critter Sitter now has about 300 active clients in the Niceville, Florida, area.

Like other businesses that have been around for a long time, Mary says, “We just have a strong work ethic and we just do what we say, when we said we’re going to do it.”

Networking with vets

Initially, Mary thought pet sitting would just be a part-time job. After the Christmas rush, work died down, but then came spring break and business took off.

Her primary avenues for gaining clients were word of mouth and veterinarian recommendations. All of the veterinarians in Mary’s area happened to be patients of the dental office she had worked for, so they knew her. She told them about her pet-sitting business.

“They were a little skeptical at the time, because in this small area pet sitting was not a thing,” Mary recalls.

Also, the vet offices offered kenneling services, but as time went on, she thinks they realized that kenneling wasn’t for all pets. They started referring clients to her and continue to do so. Every holiday season, Mary takes breakfast to their offices and thanks them for all of their referrals.

“I have a really great working relationship with all the vets,” Mary says.

Mary also initially advertised in a small local paper and sponsored the sports teams her children played on. After her boys grew up, she then sponsored girls’ soccer and other teams. Today, she has a website and relies on word of mouth.

Finding more pet sitters

When Mary’s business reached the three-year mark, she realized she had to find people to help her do the work or she would have to find something else to do.

Mary pet sits nearly every day unless she is out of town, and four ICs also cover assignments. Her area has a large retirement population, so she visits several senior citizens’ homes each day to administer medication to their pets.

She finds ICs primarily by word of mouth and from vet offices. She tries to find vet techs, and Mary says she has also been blessed between church and the like to find people she has known for many years to help. A few teachers have also completed pet-sitting assignments for her business on holidays and weekends. She says teachers are great, because they are very organized.

Mary has helped other people in her general area start their own pet-sitting services, and she tells them that for many, two to three years is the breaking point. They either keep going with the business, or they are too tired.

“I always try to advise them you have to have someone help you or you won’t last,” Mary explains.

She is glad to talk to anyone starting a pet-sitting service, saying there is “plenty of business to go around.” Mary says her service may not be the right fit for someone, and she totally understands that.

Mary offers some tips for pet sitters looking to establish a healthy work-life balance: “You have to definitely take care of yourself as far as rest. It took me a little while to figure that out. Also, I try to exercise regularly.” She also keeps food in her car and tries to choose healthy options as much as possible.

Sharing important lessons

In addition to offering pet-sitting and dog-walking services, Mary’s Critter Sitter offers transportation to and from pet-service providers like the vet or groomer. There are doggy day cares and a reputable kennel that Mary will recommend if pet sitting is not a good fit or clients want a playdate, and she also gets referrals—for example, when the day care/kennel gets filled up or there is a pet that is not able to run in a pack.

Mary explains, “I always believe you should be willing to work with whomever, even if they’re competition, because sometimes you need each other.”

Another lesson Mary learned over the years was to shrink her service area. She did this after realizing that she and her sitters were stretching themselves thin and spending a lot of time driving.

She also emphasizes the importance of being flexible—and available—as a pet sitter. She has had clients call her when there was a death in the family and they needed to leave town immediately. If there is a death in the family and the pet owner has to go out of town, Mary will do three visits for no charge. This is not something she advertises on her website, but she always offers it.

“I just feel like it’s the right thing to do,” Mary says.

When it comes to pet-sitting visits, Mary says the safety of the animals is her biggest concern. For example, she trains her sitters to never open the door fully when entering a home. Crack the door in case an animal is right at the door.

Another primary concern is the home itself and the surroundings. Are the air conditioner, heating system, refrigerator, swimming pool, etc., working properly? She said they always try to contact owners if something is amiss and have discovered household issues that have saved their clients a lot of money.

Thriving in a growing industry

The pet-sitting industry has certainly changed since Mary first started her business.

“I think it’s just evolved for the better, because everybody knows about us now,” Mary says.

In the early days, people always asked, “What do you do?” Now potential clients who move to the area call her business to secure care and don’t want to know about the service—they are already familiar with what professional pet sitting entails.

But though the industry and business practices have evolved in many ways, there is one long-standing practice that Mary sticks to—she chooses only to speak to clients on the phone. She doesn’t communicate via email or text (unless there is no other option).

People just don’t talk anymore, Mary says, and she likes clients to hear their voices. A lot of people thank her for that. Still, there are some clients who think she’s crazy when she says she prefers not texting.

“I say, ‘I’m old fashioned. I like to talk to you,’” Mary explains with a laugh.

Mary always hoped that professional pet sitting would be a long-lasting endeavor, because when Mary starts something, she likes to stick with it. Her desire was for the business to bring in enough for her to contribute to the family income, but still be home with her children.

“I’m very thankful that I have been able to (pet sit) this long,” Mary says.