The pandemic outbreak has made everyone anxious about living in big cities like Mumbai and Delhi which are the hotbeds of the virus right now. Many professionals and families have thus moved away to stay with their parents who are located in smaller cities. As a lot of people moved away in a hurry, many ended up leaving their pets behind under the househelp’s supervision or neighbours hoping they will feed the pet and take care of them but things don’t work out as perfectly. Even if the pet is fed,  the poor animals have been locked and stranded with no one to look after them. 

To avoid such situations, here are 3 most effective tips to help you find different solutions to make your getaway not so tragic for the pets;

1. Find someone trustworthy to do the job:  Leaving a pet behind is almost like leaving your own child behind. In such cases, it is always better to look for someone you know will be careful and alert at all times to care for your pet. 

Family and friends: This is always the first priority for most, as the pet is acquainted with those people. But with the current situation, it is better to ask them first rather than assuming they’ll take your pet in.
Neighbours with pets: It is always a good choice to hand your pet over to trusted neighbours who have pets as they know how to handle pets and you can return the favour at some future date. As they already have a pet, they’d know the importance of timelines and deliverables required in pet-care. This way, your pet will get proper attention. 
Pet sitter/house visits: If you are sure that your pet can stay alone at nights and for long spans during the day, then you can opt for a pet sitter or someone who would visit the house to check on your pet every second or alternate day. They can fill them up with fresh water, snacks and spend some time with the pets until the next visit. Finding someone who loves pets and paying them per house visit would be the best thing to do as you can follow-up on the service without feeling awkward. 

2. Plan a meet and greet before you leave:If you plan on choosing any of the above options, try to take your pet to meet the people who’d be looking after the animal while you are gone. This way, the pet would pick up the scent of the person in your presence, knowing that the individual or the family can be trusted with. Not just that, you too can be assured of the way the individual is in taking care of the animal and what kind of approach they’d have towards your pet. 

3. Make notes: Mark out all the things that your pet needs, the medical history if any and the schedules the caregiver needs to follow. Try and be as simple as possible so that the caregiver doesn’t have to call you up every single time something comes up and they don’t know the way to get through. Even if you plan on keeping your pet with friends or people with pets, make sure you give them the details as every pet functions and follows a different routine. 

4.Pet boarding houses: As a last resort, you can choose to put your pet in a boarding house that takes pet for a few days or week while you are away.  Visit them once before dropping your pet to know the hygiene conditions and how they run the place.