 Bur-dee here. I tell ya, being social director is exhausting but I have something important to say. Today I would like to talk about bonding, insurance and licensing. Often when hunting for a pet sitter you see “licensed, bonded and insured.” However, a lot of people don’t know what this means at all, and will dismiss quality pet care because it is not prominently featured. A very good explanation of the bonding and insurance process can be found here. As your social director, I am here to explain what is and is not needed for your sitter. Licensing Some businesses and trades require professional licenses. Hiring a plumber? Definitely. Looking for someone to add a room onto your house? Absolutely. Do you need a doctor, lawyer, veterinarian or hair stylist? You betcha. Pet sitting has no professional license requirement. So licensed may mean a business license, and that really means little to a client from a protection standpoint. Clients should be asking about experience and training. At Kamp Ham, my mom is trained in pet first aid and CPR. She has had a lot of time training and showing me and my pug family; as you can see from her About Us page, some of us were champions. So we really do know pups at Kamp Ham. Bonding This one is a bit stickier. Contrary to what many clients think, bonding is not for their benefit at all. According to one bonding company, "A bond protects the employer from dishonest acts (theft) caused by an employee or Independent Contractor of the employer. It does absolutely nothing for the pet sitting client." The sitter would have to file the claim, and in order to be paid out, the employee would have to be arrested, tried and convicted. Once again, bonds do not protect the client, at all. They protect the employer from paying for damages caused by dishonest employees A bond for a sole proprietorship (like Kamp Ham) is totally worthless to you and to us. We would never jeopardize our good name stealing from clients, and we do not have outside employees. It is not necessary though some get it for marketing purposes. Insurance Insurance, on the other hand, is a good thing. If a pipe breaks in your home, your homeowner’s or renter insurance takes care of it even if someone else is watching your house. If something happens to your car, your auto insurance protects you and it. For our house sitter/pet sitting in your own home clients, your homeowner's insurance would handle most things because the sitter has your permission to be in the home. Since my mom has been tending to the finest homes in Houston for years, she has liability insurance policies in place. The premises of Kamp Ham are insured for our in-home care. References References are a great (sometimes the best) way to gauge quality and reliability of a pet or house sitter. At Kamp Ham, we have plenty of happy kampers, and will gladly give you contact information of current and past clients (with their permission) so you can hear it straight from them. Hope this clears things up for all you potential kampers out there. Contact Kamp Ham if you have any questions or want to book your day kamp or sleepover kamp. I can’t wait to meet you. Till next time, Bur-dee out! XOXO,
Bur-dee Welcome and a how-dee from me, Bur-dee. I am your social director at Kamp Ham, where you can make yourself at home. I am always on the hunt for the magic door. Some days I hear it is in my toy box, and others it is in my bed. Watch for my memos....and when you come stay with us, we can search for the door together.... 
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Burd's Words
Howdy, I am Bur-dee, your camp social director. Burd Words is where I will fill you in on the latest scoop at Kamp Ham. Archives
July 2024
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