Can I leave my dog with my maid or domestic help?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Yes, for short absences, if your helper is comfortable with dogs, your dog knows and trusts them, and you leave a written plan for feeding, walks, medicines and emergencies. Feeding alone is not enough, though: a dog left alone for most of the day and all night needs more company, walks and someone who can get it to a vet.
For longer trips, an anxious or unwell dog, or a flat-faced dog in summer, plan care that covers the nights too: someone staying in the home, or boarding where people are around.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Is domestic help enough for my dog?
It depends on the dog, the trip and the helper.
If A calm adult dog, a trip of a day or two, and a helper who already walks it
Often fine, with a written plan, a second contact who has a key, and daily updates. RSPCA (England and Wales)
If Your helper comes for an hour or two and leaves
Your dog is alone for the rest of the day and all night. PDSA advises no dog be left alone for more than about four hours at a time; add a walker or sitter. PDSA
If Your dog has separation anxiety
Not enough. An anxious dog needs someone with it for most of the day and night. Separation anxiety in dogs RSPCA
If Your dog is a puppy, a senior, on medicines or unwell
Choose someone confident with dog care who can spot signs of illness and take the dog to a vet. Special-needs care RSPCA (England and Wales)
If Your helper is nervous of dogs or the dog is wary of them
Do not leave them together. Fear on either side leads to bites and escapes. RSPCA NSW
What should I leave for my domestic help?
Write it down. Spoken instructions are forgotten by day two.
- Meals: the food, how much, what time, where the bowl goes and the treats allowed. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Walks: times, length, route, lead and harness, other dogs to avoid and the toilet spot. In summer, early morning and late evening only. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Medicines: what, when and where they are kept, exactly as your vet prescribed. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Your vet's name and phone, their out-of-hours service, and the nearest 24-hour vet. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Emergency contacts: you, a second person with a key, and a neighbour. American Kennel Club
- House notes: keys, locks, gas, water, inverter, gate and lift rules, and where supplies are kept. American Kennel Club
- The vaccination card, or a photo of it, where it can be found in a hurry. Animal Welfare Board of India
- What normal looks like for your dog, and what to call you about: not eating, vomiting, diarrhoea, limping, heavy panting. PDSA
How does domestic help compare with a pet sitter?
Your helper may be wonderful with your dog. These are the usual gaps to plan around.
| Domestic help | A Petym sitter | |
|---|---|---|
| Knows your dog | Often, which is a real advantage | Meets your dog at a free meet and greet first |
| Nights | Usually goes home | Can stay overnight in your home |
| Emergencies | Depends on the person; agree a plan | Calls you and takes the pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list |
| Pet first aid | Rarely trained | Trained before the first booking |
| Updates | Ask for a daily photo | A daily photo update every day of a booking |
| Identity checks Ministry of Home Affairs (Digital Police Portal, NCRB) | You can request police verification | Identity verified with PAN before listing |
Petym is not taking bookings yet. A city opens when its sitters have passed Petym's checks.
How do I set my helper up to succeed?
Do
- Do a trial: a day out while you are still in town, then a night. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Show them how you put on the harness, the walking route, and where the dog sleeps. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Ask for a photo or a short call every day. American Kennel Club
- For anyone you employ directly, see ID; police verification of domestic help is available through state police services such as Delhi Police's domestic help registration. Delhi Police
- Tell them about society rules: lead in common areas and lifts, and picking up after the dog. Animal Welfare Board of India
Don’t
- Leave the dog alone overnight in a hot flat in summer with no one checking. Animal Welfare Board of India
- Let them walk a strong or reactive dog they cannot hold. American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
- Ask them to give medicines they are unsure about, or human medicines for 'small problems'. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Assume they will call you about a 'small' problem. Say clearly that you want to know. PDSA
Who is responsible if something goes wrong?
You remain the dog's owner. The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 make the owner of a pet dog responsible for its deworming, immunisation and sterilisation, and Petym's dog bite rules page explains that an owner who negligently fails to guard against probable danger from an animal can be punished under section 291 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Make sure whoever walks your dog can control it, keeps it on a lead in common areas, and knows what to do if it bites or is bitten.
Tell your helper what to do in an emergency, and give them the means: the vet's number, a carrier or lead, and money or a payment arrangement for a cab. In an emergency a Petym sitter will call you and take your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
How long can I leave my dog with just a maid visiting?
- If your helper visits once or twice a day, your dog is alone the rest of the time. PDSA advises that no dog should be left alone for more than about four hours at a time, so for a full day or a night away, add a dog walker, a drop-in visit or someone staying in the home.
Should I pay my domestic help extra to look after my dog?
- Caring for a dog is extra work: walks, feeding, cleaning and responsibility in an emergency. Agree the duties and any payment clearly with your helper before you leave. Petym does not suggest rates; this is between you and them.
Can my maid walk my dog?
- Yes, if your dog walks well on a lead and your helper is confident and strong enough to hold it near street dogs and traffic. Do a few walks together first. A reactive or very strong dog needs someone experienced.
Is it safe to give my house keys to a helper while I travel?
- Many owners already do. If you hire someone directly, see their ID and consider police verification through your state police. Leave a second key with someone you trust, and read Petym's guide to handing over house keys safely.
What if my dog gets sick while I am away?
- Leave your vet's number, the nearest 24-hour vet and clear instructions to call you for any change in eating, vomiting, diarrhoea, limping or heavy panting. Agree in advance how the helper will get the dog to the vet and how the bill will be paid.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- RSPCA (England and Wales): Pet sitting (opens in a new tab)
- PDSA: Separation anxiety in dogs (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA: Dog companionship (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA NSW: Happy Healthy Puppies (2026) (opens in a new tab)
- American Kennel Club: How to select a pet sitter (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Circular and guidelines for pet owners (1 June 2020) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 15 sourcesShow fewer
- PDSA: Emergency care for pets (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Home Affairs (Digital Police Portal, NCRB): Digital Police Portal: citizen services, including verification requests for servants and employees (opens in a new tab)
- Delhi Police: Citizen services: domestic help and tenant registration, police clearance certificate, character verification report (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines on pet and street dogs, their care-givers, and residents' welfare and apartment owners' associations (26 February 2015) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Request to ensure care and protection of animals from direct heat during extreme hot weather (4 May 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: Position statement on humane dog training (2021) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Toxicoses from human analgesics in animals (full review July 2024, updated May 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site): Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: G.S.R. 193(E), 10 March 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: text with the corresponding section table of the repealed IPC (opens in a new tab)