Do you tip a pet sitter?

[7rider]

So...

I've had rabbits as a house pet consistently since 1992.
In all that time, I have NEVER had to hire a pet sitter.
I've left them on their own for a weekend, had friends house sit while we were gone, I've taken the rabbit(s) with us on our trip, I've had a neighbor's kid watch them, or I've sent them off to a friend who fosters with a local rescue group (cost: volunteer work at some future time).
But now my guy is elderly (11 - which is ancient for a rabbit), and he's more than a little set in his ways. He makes it plain that he does not like to be uprooted from his home and carted off to live in a stranger's house for a week or long weekend with a bunch of other stinkin' rabbits (as much as we try to tell him that "Camping with Aunt Susan is FUN!" - he doesn't buy it any more! ).
So a neighbor and friend has started a dog-walking/pet-sitting service. We intend to have her watch and feed our rabbit, Noah, twice a day while we're gone. Cost is "per visit", in the neighborhood of $10-15 each. I guess a small price to pay for nearly 20 years of pet ownership.
But....after all is said and done....should I tip her? Throw in an extra $10 or something for a job well-done (presuming, it IS well done??)?
Thoughts? Is tipping a normal thing? I don't know the etiquette here.
Thanks.

[indysteel]

When I first starting using a pet sitter, it didn't occur to me to tip. Somewhere along the way, I started doing it. My sitter's visits for two cats (well, now we're down to one, but I haven't used the sitter since then) cost $15, and I tip her $3 on top of that. So, 20 percent. For as much peace of mind as I get from knowing she cares for my pets, I figure it's a worthy expense.

[JennK13]

I typically dont, as we dont use "professionals" from a company who arent taking the whole pay; we have a handful of people we rotate using, some friends and some people we found on craigslist. I have a gal that comes to our house once or twice a week to walk our dog midday when we cant get home at lunch from work, or on the weekends if we're gone all day riding or skiing. Routinely, I just pay her the fee, but I do give her bonuses or gifts at Christmas and usually midyear, and if I have to call her last minute for something I leave her an extra tip. If we're out of town on vacation and return late ot have to drop our dog off super early, I tip for my inconvenience to them.

[divingbiker]

My pet sitter walks my dogs every day and I pay her very well, so I don't generally tip except at Christmas and when she goes beyond the call of duty. (Like on this trip, I'm not getting home until late in the evening so I threw in extra since she's feeding them dinner.)

If it's a one shot deal, I'd probably tip the amount you suggested just to make sure she'd be willing to make time for me the next time I needed her.

[badger]

When I went away for 3 weeks in May, I advertised my place rent free in exchange for pet sitting. Considering the going rate for rent around this hood is in the $1200/mo range, I literally had to interview people for the "job".

A young couple fit the bill, and they kept my place clean and nothing was broken or stolen. And most importantly, the cats were alive and well, so I gave the couple a $20 Starbucks card when I came home. I felt maybe I should've given them more, but hey, I saved them $900 in rent so I think it was a pretty sweet deal for them.


And going off on tangent a bit, but I hate the concept of tipping, especially in restaurants where the waitstaff give poor service and still feel entitled to a tip. What's most insulting is when they automatically charge a specified amount of tip to your bill - sorry, but tips should be earned, not expected.

[Thorn]

I don't tip, but then I pay above the usual fee...well, I guess that means I tip

My cat sitter is awesome. Nothing less describes her. My cats are not people cats, they're old and they're cranky. When other people -- nice people, who like cats and treat my house and cats well -- sit for the cats, the cats are basket cases for a week after we come back.

With my sitter, on the other hand, when we get home the cats are more like, "Oh, you're home? Is the sitter coming back?" I swear they like her more than me.

So....long story short, I've given the sitter several pay raises over the years from the fee she quoted. She's worth every penny I've paid her over the years.

[roadie gal]

The only time I've tipped was when we were planning a one month trip to Australia and the "friend" who'd been saying for months that she would house sit bailed at the last minute. We found a woman who was recommended by our dog breeder who agreed to come for 2 weeks on short notice. I paid her almost double what she'd asked. (The other 2 weeks were covered by the son of a friend. I paid him well, too.) I figured it was cheaper than canceling our trip, and I really appreciated her being there.