Pet Sitting & Boarding in Victoria

Ask about insurance, licensing where it applies, how many animals they take, their emergency-vet plan, whether dogs are ever left unsupervised, vaccination requirements, and ask for references or reviews. A meet-and-greet before booking is standard.

A professional sitter or boarder has your vet's details, written authority to seek treatment up to an agreed limit, insurance, and an emergency contact plan. Confirm all of this in writing before you travel — verbal assurances aren't enough.

It varies. Some countries license home boarding, daycare and commercial kennels with inspections and star ratings; elsewhere it's unregulated and insurance plus references are the trust signal. Always check what applies where you live before assuming a sitter is vetted.

Doggy daycare is a per-day rate, kennel/boarding is per night, and in-home overnight sitting costs the most because the sitter stays with or visits your pet. Prices rise for larger dogs, multiple pets, holidays and special-needs animals.

Reputable boarders require up-to-date core vaccinations and usually kennel cough (bordetella) for dogs, with proof before arrival. If a facility doesn't ask for vaccination records, that's a red flag about the health of the other animals there.

Kennels house your pet in a licensed facility with other animals; home boarding places them in a sitter's own home; a live-in or drop-in sitter keeps your pet in your house. Anxious, elderly or unsocial pets usually do better at home; sociable dogs often enjoy a good kennel or daycare.

It's less stressful for many pets and keeps them in a familiar environment, but 'safer' depends on the person — an insured, referenced in-home sitter beats a poor kennel, and a well-run licensed kennel beats an unvetted stranger. Judge the individual, not just the format.

Kennel boarding typically runs AUD 40-85 a night, in-home overnight sitting AUD 60-150, and daycare AUD 35-70 a day, with holiday premiums.