Pet Sitting Meet-and-Greet Checklist

A pet sitting meet-and-greet has a different job than a quick dog walking intro. The sitter is often entering the home alone while the client is away, so the checklist needs to cover trust, access, routines, medication, emergency plans, and what counts as a finished visit. The goal is not to sound formal. The goal is to leave with fewer assumptions.

Quick checklist: before the visit

Before the visit

• Ask the client to complete a basic intake form first so the meet-and-greet has structure.
• Confirm who will be present, where to park, whether other pets or family members will be home, and how long the meeting should take.
• Bring a short list of questions instead of trying to remember everything while pets, keys, and alarms are being explained.

During the meet-and-greet

• Walk through every door, gate, lockbox, alarm, elevator, garage, and parking instruction the sitter may need.
• Watch the owner demonstrate feeding, medication, litter, crates, harnesses, gates, and anything the pet may resist.
• Confirm update expectations: photo updates, visit notes, timing windows, emergency contact order, and what the sitter should do if something looks wrong.
• Name boundaries clearly: rooms off limits, guests, cameras, sleeping arrangements for overnights, and tasks that are outside pet sitting.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Making the meet-and-greet checklist 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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