Pet Sitter Instructions Template

What this template is for

Pet sitter instructions turn everything a sitter needs to know — the feeding times, the walk route, the treats allowed, who to call — into one page the sitter can follow without texting you every hour. The goal is a handoff that works even when the sitter has never met your pet. This template gives you three scenes to adapt. The daily care scene lays out the routine by time of day — morning feeding and walk, midday, afternoon play, evening dinner, night walk — with portions and extras written as placeholders. The contacts and house rules scene holds the people to reach — owner, vet, neighbor or backup — and the rules that keep the pet and home safe, from no human food to where the first-aid kit lives. The handoff and emergencies scene covers the handoff checklist and what to do when something goes wrong, with the emergency order written down: note symptoms, call the vet, then the owner, then the backup. Every card is replaceable, so you can fill in your own schedule, contacts, and rules. This template covers the schedule and handoff; it deliberately leaves medication doses blank for your vet's instructions and does not give veterinary advice. Write the handoff for someone who does not know the pet or the home: exact routines, quantities, locations, access instructions, normal behavior, warning signs, and who to contact. Test every phone number and key before leaving, date the instructions, and remove outdated notes so urgent information is easy to find.

When to use this template

• Leave a complete care brief for a sitter — feeding, walks, play, and treats by time of day.
• List the contacts and house rules in one place — owner, vet, backup, and what to avoid.
• Write the handoff checklist and the emergency order so a problem does not become a panic.
• Hand the same instructions to a neighbor, a friend, or a professional sitter without repeating yourself.
• Update the sheet when routines change — a new diet, a new walk route, a new medication.
• Give the sitter a page they can follow even if they have never met the pet.

How to use it

1. 1Write the daily routine first: feeding times and portions, walks, play, and treats — as placeholders you fill in.
2. 2List the contacts: owner, vet (including after-hours), and a neighbor or backup with keys.
3. 3Write the house rules: what the pet cannot eat, doors that must stay shut, and safety notes.
4. 4Add the handoff checklist — food left, keys, timers, mail — so nothing is missed.
5. 5Write the emergency order: note symptoms, call the vet, then the owner, then the backup.
6. 6Leave medication dosing blank for your vet's instructions, and review the sheet before each stay.

Quick example

Related resources

How it compares to similar tools

Common mistakes to avoid

• No vet contact or after-hours number

  A sitter who cannot reach the vet in an emergency has no route. Include the vet and after-hours contact in the contacts scene.

• Medication written as a guess

  Dosing guessed from memory is dangerous. Leave medication quantities blank for the vet's written instructions, and tell the sitter where those are.

• No house rules

  Without rules, a sitter may feed human food or leave a door open without knowing why it matters. Write the no-list and the safety notes.

• Emergency order not written

  In a panic, the sitter may call the wrong person first. Write the order: note symptoms, call the vet, then the owner, then the backup.

• Sheet never updated

  A stale sheet with old routines or contacts is worse than none. Review it before every stay and update what changed.

Frequently asked questions