Pet Sitting Client Intake Form Template

A good pet sitting intake form is not just a way to collect names and phone numbers. It is how a sitter learns what happens inside the home when the owner is away: medication, feeding routines, litter boxes, alarms, keys, plants, mail, vet contacts, and the small details that make a visit safe. Use this template as a working draft before you turn the process into a booking flow.

Quick checklist: what the intake form should collect

What the intake form should collect

• Client name, phone number, email, home address, and preferred emergency contact.
• Pet names, species, ages, temperament notes, feeding instructions, medication instructions, vet contact, and rabies or vaccination details where relevant.
• Home access: key location, lockbox code, alarm code, gate code, parking notes, concierge instructions, and whether cameras are present.
• Visit scope: drop-ins, overnights, plants, mail, trash bins, litter boxes, crates, walks, and what is outside the service.

How to use it professionally

• Send the intake before the meet-and-greet so the conversation can focus on clarifying details instead of discovering everything from scratch.
• Review high-risk items out loud: medications, escape risks, leash reactivity, alarm systems, and emergency vet authorization.
• Keep one source of truth. If the owner texts a change later, move that change into the client notes instead of relying on memory.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Making the client intake form too vague. If the client can read it three different ways, it will not protect the sitter's time when plans change.
• Keeping important details only in text messages. Texts are fine for quick updates, but final care instructions should live somewhere stable.
• Forgetting home-access backups. A lockbox code, concierge instruction, or spare key plan should be confirmed before the client leaves.
• Treating overnights like longer drop-ins. Overnights create different expectations around cameras, sleeping arrangements, arrivals, departures, and house rules.
• Not connecting the policy to pricing. If the service includes extra responsibility, admin time, travel, or holiday availability, the rate should reflect that.

How this fits into your booking process

A template is only useful if it becomes part of the way the business runs. Keep the client-facing version simple enough to understand, then keep the internal notes detailed enough that you can complete the booking without digging through old texts. For pet sitting, that usually means one place for dates and prices, one place for pet and home notes, and one place for policies the client has already seen.

When you revise the process, look for the questions clients ask repeatedly. If every new client asks when payment is due, where updates will arrive, what happens if they come home early, or whether you bring in mail, the answer belongs in the article, the booking confirmation, or the client notes. The cleaner the process is before the booking starts, the easier it is to charge professionally and avoid awkward conversations later.

This is also where consistency builds trust. Clients do not need a complicated packet; they need the same answer in every place they see your business. If your article, booking page, confirmation email, and final instructions all match, the service feels organized before you ever arrive at the home.

What to do after you adapt it

Once the language matches your business, connect it to pricing. A cancellation policy, overnight agreement, or intake form changes the real value of the booking because it defines what you are responsible for. Before you share it with clients, run your numbers and make sure the rate covers the time, travel, admin work, insurance, taxes, and the responsibility of caring for pets inside someone else's home.

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