Barkley Square Pets Joins Pet Care Professionals in International Celebration

Contributed by Shaye Ennis

Barkley Square Pets encourages pet owners and pet lovers alike to celebrate Professional Pet Sitters Week, March 3-9, 2013. This international week of recognition seeks to educate pet owners about the advantages of in-home pet care, as well as to encourage the public to explore professional pet sitting as a viable and rewarding career opportunity.

Professional Pet Sitters Week (PPSW) was introduced by Pet Sitters International (PSI) in 1995. PSI is the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters. 

“Barkley Square continually strives to provide the best quality service to our pet-owning clients and is excited to celebrate this week that recognizes the pet-sitting industry on a  global scale,” says Kristina Robertson, CEO of Barkley Square Pets.

There are now more households with dogs (43 million) than children (38 million); and the need for pet-care services is at an all-time high.

“Professional pet sitting has become an important service industry in the past 15 years.  Many professional pet sitters put in long hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year, so they can provide personal in-home care for pets of all kinds,” says Patti Moran, president of PSI.  “These businesses owners and their staffs truly deserve recognition for the optimal pet care and tireless efforts they provide year-round.

Since 1994 PSI’s membership has grown to more 7,000 independent professional pet-sitting businesses that service more than 740,000 pet-owning households each year.

Barkley Square Pets has been a member of PSI since 1998 and offers services to pet owners in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

For pet owners, at-home pet sitting provides a unique alternative to boarding facilities or having to rely on family and neighbors care for their pets. Pet sitting goes beyond simply feeding and checking on pets. Professional pet-sitting services often include dog walking, care of special needs pets, pet transportation services and pooper-scooper services, in addition to basic pet care.

Robertson invites anyone interested in learning more about the advantages of hiring a professional pet sitter to visit the Barkley Square Pets Web site at www.BarkleySquare.com.  To learn more about PPSW and how you can participate, visit the PSI Web site, www.petsit.com.