When dog owners are away at work or on vacation, one of their priorities is to make sure that their dog is well cared for while they’re away. This usually means putting them in the care of a pet sitter.

The American Kennel Club provides a helpful checklist of everything you should leave with your pet sitter so you can have a stress-free time apart from your dog:

- Maintain the same routine: Keeping your dog on the usual schedule while you’re away will help make the transition easier and even prevent accidents.

- Enforce the house rules: Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean your pet gets to break the rules.

- Leave emergency contact information: Make sure there’s a backup person the sitter can call if you’re unreachable. Don’t forget to include your emergency vet contact.

- Create a list of medications and conditions: The sitter should know of any medical conditions or allergies to report in case they need to reach your dog’s vet for assistance.

- Maintain extra food and supplies at home: If you’re going on vacation, make sure you have enough food, medications, doggie bags and other supplies on hand for the sitter in case your return is delayed.