Holiday pet care demand soars as options dry up before Christmas

As New Zealanders map out their Christmas and New Year travel, many pet owners are finding themselves in a late scramble for animal care.

A growing number are discovering that pet care services - including pet sitting, home visits and boarding - are already at capacity for the holiday period.

Several sitters said their calendars filled months ago, with some clients booking as far as six months in advance.

Summer Wong, a full-time pet sitter and dog walker in central Auckland, said demand had surged this season.

The two-week stretch from 20 December to 6 January was almost completely booked, she said, yet new requests for Christmas and New Year care continued to arrive every day.

"Christmas is usually the busiest time of the year," she said. "Many families travel abroad or leave Auckland."

Wong said some clients had contacted her as early as six months ahead to secure holiday dates.

"If you only start looking for a pet sitter in November, most sitters probably are already fully booked," she said.

"Demand is huge, and I've had to turn down many clients because their dates overlap."

Betty Wang, who lives in West Auckland and began offering pet-boarding services last year, said she was also fully booked for Christmas.

Wang runs the business on an 8000-square-metre farm in Kumeu, giving dogs plenty of room to roam and play.

She said the spacious setting was one reason demand for her service kept increasing.

Christmas and the summer school holidays were her busiest periods, she said.

This year, seven large dogs and three small dogs had already secured their "seven-day Christmas holidays" at the farm, she said.

"We have four large outdoor play areas and an indoor space of more than 200 square metres for the dogs to play," she said.

"There's also a dog dormitory of about 50 square metres, with nine single rooms for large dogs and two living rooms for small dogs," she said.

"It's not even Christmas yet, but we're almost fully booked."

Wang said she worked closely with another family who helped to care for the animals to ensure each dog received proper attention.

She was also considering expanding the farm's facilities to keep up with the surge in demand.

Pet care required considerable patience, she said, from engaging the dogs in play to preparing meals, taking them on walks and helping them settle at night.

Although Christmas kept her busy from morning to evening, she was glad to make the dogs comfortable.

She said maintaining a safe boarding environment remained a top priority to protect every animal in her care.

Brittany Anderson, founder of Pet Sitting New Zealand, an online platform and association for pet sitters across the country, said demand surged every Christmas, especially for pet boarding services.

"Usually, the majority of people are looking for pet sitters that are willing to come into their homes and care for their pets," she said.

"But at Christmas time, you'll often get people being a bit more open to the pets going into the pet sitters' homes, as people scatter to try and find a solution for them."

Anderson said prices varied widely, with less experienced sitters charging about $20 a day and more experienced sitters charging up to $100.

The average, she said, came in at around $50 a day.

She said the economic downturn and rising living costs had also impacted the market, with some households turning to free pet-sitting arrangements offered by international travellers passing through New Zealand - a trend she did not encourage.

Anderson said New Zealand didn't have a formal pet‑sitter licence system that laid out standards for the entire industry.

Pet Sitting New Zealand maintained its own code of conduct for members, outlining professional expectations that included the Animal Welfare Act, duty of care and safety management for sitters.

These, she said, were factors pet owners should weigh carefully when choosing someone to look after their animals.

"They need to consider their pets' needs and the value a professional sitter provides compared with a free option," she said.

"Pet owners should ask sitters whether they follow the pet-care code, because it really is important."

While demand for pet care surged over the holidays, the SPCA encouraged owners to research boarding facilities carefully to ensure they could provide what it described as a "good life" in which animals experienced positive welfare and their physical, health and behavioural needs were met.

The organisation also recommended choosing accredited or certified boarding establishments and visiting the facility in advance, so owners could assess conditions before leaving their animals.

For people running or setting up an animal-boarding business, some district councils, including Wellington City Council, require a certificate of registration.

A spokesperson for Wellington City Council said registration rules applied to doggy daycares, boarding kennels and catteries, and were designed to ensure facilities met standards under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

These included proper cleaning procedures, disease management, recordkeeping and general animal care.

"Facilities must be registered if they care for four or more dogs at any one time, either during the day or overnight, and receive payment for their services," the spokesperson said. "This requirement also applies to in-home daycare operations.

"For people pet-sitting on a voluntary basis, for example looking after a friend's dog while they are on holiday, there is no requirement for registration under the bylaw or responsibilities beyond those expected of a responsible pet owner."

The spokesperson said while there was no formal limit on the number of animals a facility might take care of in Wellington, the council assessed whether appropriate staff-to-dog ratios were in place to ensure adequate supervision and care.

All facilities were required to comply with the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and met relevant standards for animal health, safety and wellbeing.

Adrian Wilson, compliance manager for Auckland Council, said the council did not operate a register for dog-boarding facilities or similar operations.

However, a resource consent may be needed depending on the type of activity, the location - such as rural or urban - the size of the property and the number of dogs being housed.

Wilson said any consent issued would include conditions limiting the number of animals allowed on site and managing noise levels.

He said anyone planning to set up or run a dog-walking, pet-care or boarding operation could contact the council for advice before starting.

Wilson also reminded commercial dog walkers of upcoming changes to Auckland's dog-walking rules.

"From 1 January, anyone walking more than four dogs at once must register with the council for approval and follow set rules," Wilson said.

"The maximum number of dogs you will be allowed to walk at one time is 12."