Giving someone your house key is an act of trust. Giving them your house key and your dog while you're a hundred miles away is a bigger one. Most people find their dog sitter the same way they find a plumber: Google, read a few reviews, pick the one that seems okay. But a dog sitter isn't a plumber. They're living in your home, responsible for the living creature you care about most, and the consequences of getting it wrong are considerably higher than a dripping tap.
I'm a professional dog sitter in Taunton, and I've been on both sides of this: as the person being vetted, and as a dog owner who's had to find care for my own two, Athena and Apollo. This guide is a practical walk through the process: where to look, what to ask, what to check, and how to know when you've found the right person. I've previously written about the differences between sitting, boarding, and kennels. If you haven't decided which type of care you need, start there. And the vetting principles in my guide to choosing a dog walker apply equally here.
If you're looking for in-home sitting or pet sitting in Taunton, I offer dog sitting across the town and surrounding villages. But whether it's me or someone else, the questions below will help you find the right person.
1. Where to look: beyond the first Google result
The first page of Google for "dog sitter Taunton" is a starting point, but it's not the whole picture. Don't rely on search results alone — use all the vetting steps below regardless of where you found the sitter. So widen your search.
Ask your vet. Veterinary practices keep lists of local pet-care professionals, and they have no incentive to recommend someone unreliable because they deal with the fallout. Ask in Taunton dog-owner Facebook groups; the recommendations there come with context, not just star ratings. Ask other dog owners you meet at Vivary Park or Longrun Meadow. A sitter who's been personally recommended by someone you've actually spoken to is worth ten anonymous Google reviews.
2. What to ask at first contact
Your first message to a potential sitter (whether it's email, phone, or a contact form) is a filter. A professional sitter's response tells you a lot before you've even got to the meet and greet. They should reply within a reasonable timeframe (a day or two, not a week). Their reply should be specific to what you asked, not a generic copy-paste. And they should suggest a meet and greet themselves; a sitter who's happy to book without meeting your dog first is not a sitter you want.
In that first exchange, ask: Are you insured, and can I see the certificate? Are you DBS checked? How many other dogs or commitments do you have during the period I need? What does a typical day of sitting look like with you? The answers should be clear, direct, and offered without hesitation.
3. The meet and greet: what to observe
The meet and greet is where most of the real vetting happens. It should take at least half an hour and ideally happen in your home (the environment the sitter will be staying in). A sitter who suggests meeting in a café or park rather than your home is missing the point.
Watch how they interact with your dog. Do they crouch down to the dog's level or stand over them? Do they wait for the dog to approach or push into the dog's space? Do they ask about your dog's likes, dislikes, routines, triggers, and medical history? A good sitter asks more questions than you do. They're building a picture of what your dog needs, because their job is to slot into your dog's life, not to impose their own.
Watch your dog's reaction too. A dog who's relaxed, curious, and willing to engage with the sitter is giving you useful information. A dog who hides, avoids, or can't settle is also giving you useful information. Listen to both.
4. Insurance, DBS, and qualifications: what they actually mean
I covered this in detail in the dog walker vetting guide, and the same principles apply to sitters. Public liability insurance is non-negotiable; ask to see the certificate and check the cover level and expiry date. A DBS check is a baseline, not a guarantee of character, but a professional will have one and be happy to show it. And qualifications (an animal behaviour degree, canine first aid certification, professional body membership) are voluntary signals that the sitter takes their work seriously. There's no licence required for a sitter who stays in your own home, and no legal requirement for insurance or a DBS check — so for in-home sitting, these voluntary markers are the only external proof of professionalism you have. (Home boarding and kennels, by contrast, are licensed by the local council.)
5. References: how to check them properly
A sitter should be able to give you contact details for two or three recent clients who've agreed to be references. When you call those references, ask specific questions, not just "were they good?" Ask: Did they send updates while you were away? How did your dog seem when you came home? Was the house as you left it? Did anything unexpected come up, and how did the sitter handle it? Would you book them again?
Vague answers are a red flag. "Yeah, they were fine" is very different from "They sent me a photo every morning with a note about how the night went, the house was spotless, and our dog was so relaxed when we got back she barely looked up from her bed." You want the second kind.
6. Trial runs: the single most useful step
Before booking a sitter for your two-week holiday, book them for one evening. Go out for dinner. Come home and see how everything is. This tells you more than any reference or certificate: it tells you how your dog actually responds, how the sitter communicates during a real sit, and how the house looks when you walk back in. It also gives your dog a low-stakes introduction to the arrangement; the sitter becomes someone familiar rather than a stranger who appears the day you leave for the airport.
Most professional sitters expect and welcome a trial run. If a sitter resists the idea, that's useful information too.
7. What information to leave: the "dog manual"
A good sitter will ask for this. Even if they don't, leave one. A single A4 page or a shared digital document covering:
Feeding: what, how much, when, any allergies or sensitivities. Walking: where, how long, on-lead or off-lead rules, any dogs or places to avoid. Medical: vet name and address, insurance details, any medication with exact dosage and timing. Routine: when your dog normally eats, walks, and sleeps. Quirks: scared of the hoover, hates the postman, will eat socks if left within reach, needs a light left on at night. Emergency contacts: you, a local friend or family member, and your vet's out-of-hours number.
The quirks section is the one that makes the biggest difference. Every dog has them. Telling the sitter in advance turns something that might alarm them ("why is the dog barking at the letterbox?") into something they're prepared for ("the postman arrives at 10:30, the dog will bark for two minutes, then it's fine").
8. Home security: keys, alarms, neighbours
Practical logistics matter, and they're easy to overlook until the day before you leave. How will you get a key to the sitter? (A key safe is more secure than hiding one under a plant pot.) What's the alarm code, and is there a specific sequence for setting it? Should you let the neighbours know someone will be staying? (Generally yes; it avoids a well-meaning neighbour calling the police because they saw a stranger in your house.)
Also agree what "leaving the house" means. If the sitter goes out for a few hours during the day, is that fine with you and your dog? What's the maximum time your dog can be left? Spell it out. Assumptions are where things go wrong.
9. What to do if something goes wrong
Even with the best vetting and the most thorough preparation, things can go sideways. The sitter gets ill. Your dog gets ill. The boiler breaks. Agree upfront what the escalation path is. Who's the backup contact if the sitter can't continue? Does the sitter have professional backup arrangements (another insured sitter who can step in)? What's your preference if your dog needs a vet: call you first or just go?
Having these conversations before you leave isn't pessimistic. It's practical. It means that if something happens, everyone knows what to do without a flurry of panicked long-distance phone calls.
10. Why a professional sitter is different from a favour from a friend
A friend or family member staying with your dog is kind, well-meaning, and free. It can also go wrong in ways that are awkward to recover from. They may not recognise the early signs of bloat or a grass-seed abscess. They may not know that the "guilty" look your dog has after shredding a cushion is actually appeasement behaviour. They may decide to let your dog off-lead somewhere you never would, because "he seemed fine."
A professional sitter is exactly that: a professional. They're insured. They've handled emergencies. They know dog body language, first aid, and de-escalation. They'll follow your instructions, not improvise. And if something does go wrong, there's a professional relationship to work through it, not an awkward family conversation.
That doesn't mean you should never use friends or family. It means you should go in with your eyes open about the difference.
Practical Tips for First-Time Sitter Users
Book earlier than you think you need to. The best sitters in Taunton book up for summer holidays and Christmas months ahead. If you're reading this in September and thinking about Christmas, start now.
Leave more food than you think you need. Flight delays, road closures, last-minute plan changes; having a buffer of a few extra days' food costs almost nothing and eliminates a real source of stress.
Do a video call while you're away. A five-minute FaceTime or WhatsApp video call mid-trip lets you see your dog's body language for yourself. A relaxed dog on a video call is worth more than any number of text updates.
Trust your gut on the way out the door. If something feels off as you're leaving, it probably is. A professional sitter won't mind you checking in. A sitter who makes you feel bad for asking how things are going is a red flag.
Want a sitter who treats your dog like their own?
Hi, I'm Emma, the dog walker, sitter, and trainer behind Dogs and Fairy Tails, based in Taunton. I offer in-home dog sitting across Taunton and the surrounding villages. Your dog stays in their own home, with their own routine, while I stay with them. I'm BSc Animal Behaviour qualified, fully insured, DBS checked, and I compete at Crufts in Heelwork to Music and Agility. Whether it's one night or two weeks, you'll get daily updates, a calm and happy dog, and a home you'll barely be able to tell I was in.
Book a free meet and greet and we'll talk through what your dog needs. Or if you'd like to know more about me first, here's the about page.