20 questions with a pet sitter

During the trip, her schnauzer mix, Chewbacca, went missing.

"I was scared," Nelson recalled. "I made my phone calls here and got him put on some websites."

Twenty-four hours later, Nelson's friend found Chewbacca sitting on the deck waiting for him to return home from work.

Nelson, who grew up with dogs, now runs her own professional pet sitting business, Imperial Petcare. She cares for a variety of pets, including dogs, cats, fish and lizards, in clients' homes.

"I always tell everyone I'm living my dream, finally," Nelson said as she held her gray guinea pig, Lenny, in her right hand. Her left arm was around her mother's 9-month-old German shepherd, Tank, appropriately named for his hulking size. Her children Ayla, 11, and Ian, 9, who sometimes accompany her on the job, tended to Chewbacca and Yoda, another guinea pig, while Morgan, a Vizsla, paced across the living room floor.

1. How long have you been pet sitting?

About 2 1/2 years.

2. Why did you get into pet sitting?

I worked at numerous boarding kennels in town. I see that people love to come and get their dogs on a Sunday. This way when people come home, their pets are already there. They don't have to wait an extra day.

3. Do you go to the pet’s home or do they come to yours?

I go to their home.

4. What does pet sitting consist of?

Sometimes I take them for walks. We go out and play in the yard. Yesterday, I was taking care of two Weimaraners and they love kids, so my daughter came with me and she played fetch with them in the yard for 20 minutes. I do everything the owners do in a day.

5. How many clients can you have at one time?

When it's just me, I can do four.

6. Why hire a pet sitter?

We're more personable. We come into your house. It makes your animals feel at home. They're not going to a busy kennel where there's 30 other dogs barking.

7. What do you think a pet sitter can offer the animal that a kennel or a pet resort can’t?

I know all my clients on a first name basis. I take care of a lot of dogs with medication. It's very easy at bigger facilities to mess that up. We just take the time for each individual house.

8. Why do you think pet sitting is growing in popularity?

People see what goes on behind the scenes. There's a lot of cameras in kennels now and they see what happens. They just feel safer with animals at home in their own environment.

9. What kinds of clients do you have?

Mostly dogs. I do have some small animals. I take care of lizards, even fish. I have a house where I have to take care of their oscars. I have a house where it's just two Maine Coon cats.

10. What qualities make someone a good pet sitter?

I was born and raised with dogs. I'm a third generation dog person. We show dogs. I just love dogs. You have to love what you do.

11. Do you have to receive any type of special training?

I helped my sister who's a professional dog handler for the last 30 years. I'm also a dog trainer. I took dog training classes.

12. Sometimes animals run away and get lost when their humans are out of town. What advice would you give to family members who might be asked to pet sit?

You have to be careful, especially if you take your animals to somebody else's house. They're not used to that; and they want to get home.

13. Is it easier to watch pets or children?

Pets. I was a day care teacher for 10 years and a nanny. I will take pets any day over children.

14. What can a customer expect to pay a pet sitter?

It depends on how many times a day I go there, if I do an overnight. I have some houses that I do two times a day or three times a day. This one I'm doing now is four times a day because they have a handicapped dog who's in a wheelchair. It just depends on the circumstances.

15. How many hours do you typically spend with a pet?

It's about an hour and a half a day. A 20-minute visit three times a day is what most people pay for and I'm always there at least 30 minutes at a time. I have one house where I actually spend the night. I do exactly what (the owners) do. I sleep in their room so their dogs can sleep in their bed. I get up at the exact times they do and walk them.

16. How can the pet’s owner help the pet sitter?

Detailed instructions. If (the pet) gets medication they need to be very specific in writing everything down.

17. What type of animals do you enjoy pet sitting the most?

Probably the big luggy dogs. I'm a big dog person. I have a few Noah's Hope foster people that have six to 11 dogs. I do enjoy the little ankle-biter mill rescues that they have. I really do like the Maine Coon cats just because they're cool cats.

18. Do you introduce yourself to the animals before you take them on as a client?

I do a free meet-and-greet with each new customer. I learn all about their medication, all about their food, how many times they go out, whether or not they can go for a walk. Not everybody gets along with every animal. I had a boxer one time -- she just didn't like me. Obviously I wasn't going to pet sit there. I recommended where to take her.

19. What kinds of instructions do you require that an owner provide you?

All their (pet's) medications. Any daily routine that they have. Whether or not they're aggressive with their other, I call them, "siblings" with food. Medication is always the scariest one. I have a diabetic dog I take care of. Each and every time I have to give him insulin, I ask, "What's his insulin dose?," because it does change.

20. What kinds of behaviors have you encountered while pet sitting?

My pugs that I have right now for 10 days, you could tell the older one was sad that Mom and Dad left, but after a couple days they get used to you. Sometimes they don't eat good at first.

For more information, contact Nelson at (712) 281-0962 or visit Imperial Petcare's Facebook page.