"Client" and "Owner" are interchangeable for the purposes of these guidelines and refer to the same individual.

"CACVT member" is the Pet Sitter or Relief Technician in question for the purposes of these guidelines.

NOTE: you must be a current CACVT member in order to be on the relief technician or pet sitting list/s. 

When a CACVT member first requests to join either list, and then yearly thereafter, the following will occur:

• Submit proper contact information from CACVT member
• Agreement Form verifying that he/she read the statements and will abide by CACVT's guidelines. This is to be signed and returned (by physical mail only, e-mail is not acceptable) to the CACVT office before the member will be posted on the site.
• Click here for a PDF letter and agreement form for relief technicians (to fill out and send into the office).
• Click here for a PDF letter and agreement form for pet sitters (to fill out and send into the office).
• It is up to the CACVT member to verify that his/her information has been properly posted.
• The CACVT member shall contact the CACVT office to update information or to be removed from the posting.

General Statement

The following statement is posted on the CACVT website on the List of Pet Sitters and the List of Relief Technicians:

As a benefit to our members, CACVT provides a list of individuals who offer their services as pet sitters. However, CACVT does not endorse, is not responsible for, and will not indemnify any individuals on this list. It is up to the employing individuals to do any background checks or check references.

A certified veterinary technician (CVT) is a person who has graduated from an AVMA-accredited program in veterinary technology and has passed a national exam under Colorado guidelines. CVTs in Colorado are also required to maintain continuing education hours.

The people listed (in alphabetical order) are members in good standing of CACVT. Therefore, the association requests that any inappropriate conduct be reported to CACVT so it can be taken under advisement.

Expectations of CACVT:You are independent and therefore any negotiations or contracts are between you and the owner of the animal or hospital. However, by having your name on this list, you are also being a representative of CACVT. Therefore we expect a certain level of professional conduct in exchange for the complimentary advertising.

Professionalism includes, but is not limited to:

• Professional messages for answering machines or cell phones
• Returning phone calls in a timely manner
• Showing up on time
• Being dressed appropriately
• Showing respect to the client (pet owner or veterinarian/staff) and animals
• Following client/owner instructions
• Contract with client/owner for each job

Complaint Policy
The CACVT Ethics Committee will be the oversight committee for all evaluation processes. They will be informed of all activity. If there are any questions or disputes within the Committee, then the Executive Board will be asked to intervene.

(1) Formal, written complaint sent from the client to the office.
1st formal complaint: The CACVT member will be sent a written notification of the exact charges from the client and will have opportunity to refute the charges (within one week it must be send to office via certified mail). All complaints and refutes will then be forwarded to the Ethics Committee for evaluation. If the complaint is found to be valid by the CACVT Ethics Committee, one strike will go against the CACVT member's record. The CACVT member will be informed of all outcomes in a timely manner.

2nd formal complaint (by either the same client or a different client):
The CACVT member will be sent a written notification of the exact charges from the client and will have opportunity to refute the charges (within one week the refutation must be sent to office via certified mail). All complaints and refutes will then be forwarded to the Ethics Committee for evaluation. If the complaint is found to be valid by the CACVT Ethics Committee, the CACVT member will be immediately and permanently removed from the list.

Note: If a CACVT member is permanently removed from the list, he/she will not be allowed back on the list. CACVT is not saying that he/she cannot continue to be a Pet Sitter or a Relief Technician (thus we are not stopping the CACVT member from earning a living); CACVT is merely saying that we will not post the CACVT member's name on our lists (considered a member-in-good-standing benefit). CACVT will not post who has been removed because of disciplinary actions; we will just not post that person's name again on any CACVT list.

(2) Informal phone complaint from client to CACVT office (no formal written complaint)
CACVT will inform the client that we cannot do anything without a formal complaint. If the client doesn't make a formal complaint, then CACVT can only notify the CACVT member that an anonymous complaint was phoned in and he/she might want to consider carefully how to handle the business activities. However, no other action will be taken. A copy of the telephone transcript will be available to the CACVT member - noting a disclaimer that there may be human error in recording the message.

(3) Yearly checks
If the Administrator, upon doing his/her yearly check, hears an inappropriate answering machine or anything considered unprofessional, the Administrator will inform the CACVT member of this and give the member a chance to correct it. If it is not corrected in a given amount of time, the Administrator will contact the Ethics Committee and they will determine the best course of action. If it is considered to violate any of the CACVT expectations, then the CACVT member will be removed from the list. The CACVT member will be able to be listed again in the future if said inappropriate behavior is corrected.

(4) Time frame for reply
During the yearly checks, the Administrator will give the CACVT member a certain amount of time to reply to his/her message. If the CACVT member does not reply within the allotted time, the Administrator will immediately remove the CACVT member from the list. If the CACVT member wishes to return to the list, he/she may do so but with the understanding that an expectation has been violated If the CACVT member no longer wishes to be on the list, he/she must contact the CACVT office immediately to be removed. The CACVT member must also update any information with the CACVT office. The List of Pet Sitters and List of Relief Technicians is posted on the website for review.

Other General Information:

Comments from the State Board of Veterinary Medicine concerning Pet Sitting:

If pet sitters are doing things that constitute the practice of veterinary medicine, then they must be under direct supervision, which implies supervision at the same location. If they are doing things that don't constitute the practice of veterinary medicine, they can do it anywhere. Their lawyer will have to tell them whether or not something constitutes the practice. The State Board does not give legal interpretations or advice.

CACVT recommends that you are protected:

If you are treating an animal, CACVT recommends verification of the owner’s valid veterinary-client-patient relationship and a current treatment plan. Another recommendation is to have in writing, permission from the owner to take the animal to a veterinarian for treatment if, in your best judgment, this is the proper course of action, and that the owner will cover the bill.

Also, remember that technicians cannot initiate treatment. If the owner asks you to “look at something,” you must use your best judgment to assure that you are not diagnosing.

If you have any questions, please contact the CACVT office. Common sense usually will go a long way in covering yourself as a pet sitter.