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pet sitting

pet sitting

1 3.0
Looking after someone's pet at their home while the owner is away
  • noun
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  • Check out her new ebook on how to start a pet-sitting business.
  • pet sitting business
  • pet sitting services

Examples

  • Let neighbors know if someone will be house- or pet-sitting so they don't call 911 inadvertently.

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  • What's wrong with the pet sitting?

  • She also owns the pet sitting business, Run That Mutt.

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  • Use this time to handle prepping emergencies and getting your ducks in a row, turning off the paper, arranging for pet sitting, washing clothes you plan to take, etc.

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  • With a wider network of people who live nearby, you'll also find that it's easier to have someone pet-sit while you're in Europe (something very difficult for me to arrange where I live).

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  • While the owners were on vacation, she offered her pet sitting services to care for their dog and cat.

  • Many people are opting for pet sitting instead of kennels because it allows pets to stay in their familiar environment.

  • He started a successful pet sitting business, looking after various animals while their owners are away.

How Intensive

animal husbandry
  • Specialized
2 4.2
pet sitting
1 3.0

Surface Forms

pet sitting singular
pet sittings plural

Morphology

pet + sit

The meaning is directly compositional: 'pet' (animal) + 'sitting' (looking after, as in 'babysitting') yields 'looking after a pet'. The '-sitting' pattern is productive and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents and the caregiving sense of 'sit' will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun pet sitting comes from the simple image of someone staying in a pet owner's home and sitting with the pet while the owner is away. So pet sitting means looking after a pet in its home while the owner is away.