Little Elm Dog Walker | How To Hire A Dog Walker or Pet Sitter
Looking for a Dog Walker in Little Elm, Texas? We can help.
Little Elm is on Farm Road 720 and an arm of Lewisville Lake, twelve miles southeast of Denton in extreme east central Denton County. It was established in 1844 by Kit King on the banks of Little Elm Creek. The county’s first post office was located in King’s house in 1852. King’s Crossing at that time was used by the stagecoach from Preston Bend to Bird’s Fort. The first store in Little Elm began operations in 1859. In 1866 Henry Hill built a store a mile east of the present site, and the post office moved to the new location and changed its name to Hilltown. In 1900 Little Elm had a population of 194, and in the 1930s it had 120 residents and six businesses. It had 200 residents and five businesses during the 1950s. Thereafter the community’s population and businesses grew steadily because of road development in the county that made it more accessible to both Denton and Dallas, and because of its location near Lewisville Lake. In 1966 it reported 300 residents; by 1976 it had 363 and had incorporated. Little Elm had a population of 1,168 and thirteen businesses in 1989, and in 1990 its population was 1,255. By 2000 the population reached 3,646 with 127 businesses.
When deciding who to hire to watch your pets, it’s important to be cautious of who you give that responsibility to. While most people who work as pet sitters love cats and dogs, even some of the most well-intentioned people don’t have the skills or experience to correctly care for pets.
That’s why, in our opinion, we want to caution against using services that hire their sitters as independent contractors. Apps like Wag and Rover register their dog walkers as independent contractors, which means they are not employees of the company. They may not receive the same level of training or supervision as employees of locally-based companies. The unfortunate fact is that, according to several well published new stories, some people have horrific experiences with independent contractors that don’t give a level of care on par with reasonable expectations.
When you work with Grand Paws Pet Sitter, you’ll know that our sitters are employees we have personally vet and trust. We’re all local to the area, and our goal is that our sitters build a relationship with you and your pets, so that you’ll know that you can count on them to keep your pets safe and comfortable.
The truth is, when you hire someone to take care of your pets while you’re away, there’s no reason to leave the quality of the pet care up to chance. The only guarantee you get from an independent contractor is that you will pay them for something they may or may not do, at varying levels of quality and professionalism. While there are plenty of quality contractors that work for these types of services, there is no telling exactly what quality of service you will get. A quick read of our reviews will tell you all you need to know about what to expect from Grand Paws Pet Sitter and Dog Walkers.
Our promise to you is that our Little Elm Dog walkers and pet sitters know what they are doing, and that they love taking care of pets. We chose our employees because they share the same passion for pet care we do. We know that each of our employees have the skills and the dedication they need to make us proud to wear the Grand Paws name.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many of these independent contracting services don’t offer any sort of in person customer support or response if the sitter does a bad job. At a local company with employees, you’ll deal with people face to face, and in situations where questions arise, we’re here to discuss it and make it right.
One story we heard of recently was of a family that hired a young woman with positive review on a pet sitting app. They asked her to stay with the dog for 5 days and paid her several hundred dollars. Unfortunately, she frequently left their dog alone at home to go walk other dogs through the app without letting them know. She also bothered the neighbors by arguing loudly with someone outside. At the end of the experience the dog’s owners were totally unhappy and had no recourse other than to leave a negative review, because there was no person in a supervising role they could talk to (and no refund).
Another one was even worse. A man hired a dog walker to watch his dog for the day while he went to negotiate a contract, and the dog walker told him the dog had escaped. It was even worse when the man realized the walker had waited about an hour before letting him know. Ultimately, the owner was able to find his dog, but only after a terrifying experience that put the dog in danger.
Even if the contractors you get are excellent and do the job to the best of their ability, the app may still treat them unfairly. It’s not uncommon to hear of contractors getting their accounts penalized and suspended for accepting tips or extra work from customers. So the best way to reward Little Elm dog walkers is by working with a company like Grand Paws, which stands behind its employees, holding them to the highest standard.
Regardless of whatever decision you make as to who cares for your pets, we want to make sure you understand the risks of working with contractors. It’s our goal to make you and your pets as safe and happy as possible, so we feel it’s important to let you know why we believe we offer an excellent solution compared to other available options.
Whether you contact us or another company to watch your pets in Little Elm, just remember that different companies have different standards for their employees, and before you make a decision to trust someone with your pet, we recommend learning what those standards are. Call and talk with us to learn about how we vet our employees and care for your home and pets. We think our Little Elm Texas dog walkers are the best in the area.
Our standards are that each of our employees are mature, professional, and responsible. They all live in the areas they serve, and have pets of their own. We prepare our sitters to know how to respond in case of emergencies. Finally, each employee undergoes a background check before we hire them.
We encourage you to call or email us with any questions, and we’d love to meet you and your pets! Call us for all your Little Elm Dog Walker Needs & Pet Sitting Too!