Silly thing to help with the labeling, I have found the heavy duty post-it notes are amazing and stick well to even wood.
They work great for ‘use this hay’ or ‘Dobbin’s grain is in here’ temporary signs.
I have used them to label light switches so the switches that I do not want to have turned off do not accidentally get turned off in the attempt to find a certain switch.
Coming from the perspective of a Farm/house/animal sitter I have been doing this for 7 years now. I have done large animals (cows, horses, llammas, Alpacas) all the way down to fish and watering plants. I have seen many things but what most of my clients all had in common was feed Dobbie twice a day and water him it’s pretty simple. I cringe when people tell me it’s “simple” because I always end up getting roped into “extras” when the price I gave them was twice a day food and water. I concocted a first time Word Document for everyone that asks me what my rates are I send them the sheet to fill out and then I quote based on everything that is expected of me. I work a 9-5 M-F as well as this so I have to know exactly how early I should be getting up to take care of all the things expected of me. Also having the house sitter come for an afternoon or morning feeding is always ideal so they can see exactly where everything goes.
Will I stay at the house? Does the pool need maintenance? Do the animals sleep in bed with you or are the crates the best option when the owner is out of town. Does the client have doggy doors? I am in the north DFW area and am usually booked for the holidays by October 1st for houses that I am staying at but occasionally I will pick up weekend work if it’s simple watering cows or horses that are fed in run ins and it’s not extra stall cleaning. So for example I charge $60/day for a client that had 2 horses and 2 dogs and I stayed at her house. In the summer very simple horses lived out in seperate paddocks feed and hay twice a day and dogs twice a day with doggie door everyone had auto waterers. she was upfront and told me that it would be the same price for both winter and summer months so in winter horses are in, stalls, blankets, weather checks, extra hay. On the flip side of that I take care of 8 horses that live out and I do not stay at that house it is about 20 minutes of travel 2x day and they are charged $85/day. If it is a competent and professional house sitter you will pay for their expertise as well as care
I do find that being able to communicate with the owner from day 1 when they leave is important I like to send picture updates and tell them Dobbie is doing great and if I have any additional questions I usually try to ask within the first 24 hours of the start of job. I will say it is imperative for you to have an open account with your vet or farrier should Dobbie start to not feel well and I need to call them. Tell them your travel dates and give them the house sitters name. I have played many a phone tag trying to get a vet out for a farm sitting job when a horse started showing signs of pneumonia. Make a list for your house sitter of what Dobbies name is with vet and farrier maybe they only know them as their registered names.
I loved having a checklist to work off of in the barn and in the home. Large bullet points and clear instructions. If more than 2 horses need special supplements try and pre-mix them otherwise be very clear Dobbie must have this supplement or he will die (you know be a little dramatic so the sitter knows not to forget it) Cash for emergencies and I appreciate payment up front especially if I am not staying at the house so I can cover my gas and any other expenses.
I think you got some great info and should be able to find a competent person by using vet farrier or even some of the bigger barns may be helpful in knowing someone who is great around the animals and could possibly help. Good Luck!
Yep, very much agree on the bullet points. I also bold the animal names throughout the document, so it’s easy to scan through and see that something in particular is called out for a specific critter.
This is morbid, but I would let them know your plan for emergencies up to and including euth. If there is someone who is able to make these decisions for you - a friend locally or your vet him/herself - make sure this is clear as well.
ETA: I leave both my regular vet info AND emergency vet info for my house sitter, as well as the location of the nearest 24-hour pet hospital.
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