Safety tips
Community Tails is a directory. We don’t employ, vet, background-check or book sitters, so it’s up to owners and sitters to do their own homework. Here’s what we recommend.
Meet first
- Schedule a meet-and-greet before any booking, ideally at your home with your pet.
- Watch how the sitter and your pet interact. Go with your gut, and your pet’s reaction.
- Walk through routines, feeding, medication, house rules and where supplies live.
- For a longer stay, consider a short trial visit first.
Check references
- Ask for two or three references from recent clients and actually call them.
- Badges on a profile (background check, Pet CPR, insurance) are shared by the sitter. Community Tails doesn’t verify them, so ask to see the certificate, policy or report.
- Look at reviews and profiles the sitter links to elsewhere.
Use a written agreement
- Put dates, services, visit times, rates and payment method in writing.
- Include an emergency contact and your vet’s details, plus a spending limit for emergencies.
- Agree on how keys or door codes are handed over and returned.
- Decide on update frequency (photos, texts) and cancellation terms.
Sitters: look after yourself too
- Meet owners before accepting, and share your plans with someone you know.
- Ask for full pet health and behavior history up front.
- Agree on payment terms before the first visit.
Report a profile
If a profile looks fake, misleading or inappropriate, or something went wrong, email us at hello@communitytails.com with a link to the profile and what happened. We review every report and may remove profiles that break our terms.
In an emergency, call 911. For a pet poison emergency, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or contact your vet.