Sitter attends to pets while owners away

So, you are going away for a few days. It would be simpler if your dog and cat and parakeet could stay behind, but you are worried that could be a problem.

Even if your home menagerie is not as large or as varied as that, just one pet that is unhappy about being deposited at a kennel and is miserable during its stay away from home can complicate the briefest getaway.

Here’s a solution: South Hill Pet Sitting, a service begun by Don Brush about a year ago, can simplify the absence of pet owners from their homes. And their pets can remain in familiar surroundings.

Brush’s Web site has a slogan that makes it plain: “There’s no place like your home for your pet.”

With Brush’s service, pet owners can be worry-free. Brush will make an appropriate number of visits to the home, as determined by the owner, to feed the pet, administer any medicine and provide outside breaks plus playtime and exercise.

Brush says he also can bring in mail and newspapers, take out the trash, water plants and adjust lights and window shades to give the home a lived-in look.

Depending on the client’s desires, Brush will make one, two or three visits to the home daily.

He notes that with the independence of cats (and their litter boxes), one visit daily or a visit every other day can be appropriate. The same applies if the client’s home has a doggy door.

The name of Brush’s service is something of a misnomer. In addition to serving customers on the South Hill, he will serve pet owners as far north as Wellesley Avenue, as far east as Freya Street and as far west as U.S. Highway 195. His Web site has a link that illustrates his service area.

Brush’s background includes two years as a veterinary technician and some time in a registered nursing program.

He is willing to care for almost any animal – but only if he is the best option for the pet and the client.

He says cats are the easiest to care for while birds are the most difficult. Tending to birds involves cleaning cages and preparing meals. And there is concern about birds’ susceptiveness to disease.

“There’s a lot more to it,” he said.

So far, Brush says, his pet service is doing well. He has around “70 to 80 clients, and at least half of those are steady repeat business,” he said.

His busiest times have been the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, Brush says, adding that April was his busiest month.

“I had only two days off the whole month,” he said.

With new clients, Brush schedules an appointment to meet at the client’s home to get acquainted with the pets, learn their needs and care requirements and obtain home security and maintenance information. He also picks up a house key and a 50 percent deposit that he asks of new clients.

“Then my assignment is scheduled, and they are ready for worry-free travel,” Brush said.

While customers are away, he can provide e-mail or phone reports if they wish, as well as a final written report when they return. Brush’s basic fees: three visits per day, $35 a day; two visits, $28; or one visit, $20.

For potential customers, Brush offers an informative Web site: www.southhillpetsitting.com.

“I put a lot of time into that,” he said.