Calling All Anxious Pet Owners: Who Looks After Your Pet While You Are Away?

by Barbara Yakimchuk

Calling All Anxious Pet Owners: Who Looks After Your Pet While You Are Away?

8 Oct 2026

Photo: Brooke Cagle

Dubai doesn't just attract travellers. It turns you into one. With an airport hub this good, a flight every three months stops being a plan and becomes a habit. Which is exactly where any dog or cat dreams hit turbulence.

We wanted a dog. Badly. But every time we pictured the family heading to the airport, the same question showed up: who would look after our pet? A friend we would feel guilty asking for the third time? A stranger we had never met?

Pet sitting sounds like the obvious answer — until you realise it means handing your keys and your pet to someone you barely know. And suddenly, you have questions. So we did what anxious future dog parents do: we went looking for answers. We spoke to Pawland co-founder Kejal, and to one of the sitters who has actually done the job, to find out what really happens after you hand over the keys.

Is your pet going to hate you for leaving?

Let's get the uncomfortable part out of the way: yes, your pet misses you. Scientists have checked that more than once. But rather than turn this into an essay on just how badly, here are two studies that make the point pretty well:

Dogs know when you have been gone for a while. Researchers Rehn and Keeling left dogs home alone for 30 minutes, two hours and four hours. While their owners were gone, the dogs mostly napped. But the reunion told a different story: after two and four hours, the dogs greeted their owners more intensely, sought more physical contact and wagged their tails more. Your dog may not own a watch, but apparently they know when you have been gone for a while.
Cats aren't quite as cool about it as they pretend. A 2020 study of 223 cats found that around 13% showed at least one sign associated with separation-related problems, from excessive meowing and restlessness to low mood and trips to the wrong corner of the apartment. So much for the whole “cats don't care” theory.

But before the guilt takes over, here is the good news. Missing you doesn't mean your pet can't feel safe with someone else. Research on dogs and cats shows they can build real bonds with people beyond their owners. Your pet will absolutely notice that you are gone, but a familiar routine, plenty of positive attention and a sitter they trust can make the whole thing feel far less tragic for them than it does in your head.

And if the research hasn't completely silenced the anxious voice in your head, there is some reassurance from the other side of the door too. We asked a Pawland sitter who has looked after dozens of cats what those first hours and days without their owners actually look like — and how long it usually takes for everyone to settle in.

Pets cope with their owner's absence in different ways. Some adjust quite easily within a day or so, while others may become noticeably anxious or behave out of character. Having a sitter around provides care and company, but it doesn't always completely ease the stress of missing a particular person.
What helps most is keeping feeding and walking times familiar, leaving their usual things around and keeping interactions calm. Cats, in particular, are often more comfortable staying at home rather than going into boarding. And while they are adjusting, it is important to let them decide how much contact they want: don't pull them out of hiding or pick them up if they don't want to be held.
— Karina, pet sitter

Photo: Beyza Yurtkuran

What should you actually check before trusting someone with your pet?

Okay, hopefully we have calmed you down a little. Now for the part you can actually control: making sure you are leaving your pet in the right hands. So, what should be on your checklist?

Talk to the sitter first. Ask about their experience and whether they have looked after pets with a similar temperament, age or medical needs. And don't shy away from the worst-case scenarios. What happens if the sitter has an emergency? What if your pet suddenly gets sick? Knowing there is already a plan B — and ideally a plan C — makes it much easier to leave.

Our first priority is always the pet. We maintain backup sitter options so that if a sitter has an unexpected emergency or cancellation, we can step in and arrange an alternative rather than leaving the pet parent without support. We also have partnerships with veterinary clinics and pet-taxi providers, which allows us to respond quickly if a pet becomes unwell or requires medical attention.
— Kejal, co-founder of the Pawland

Mention everything that feels obvious to you, because chances are it won't be obvious to someone meeting your pet for the first time: feeding times, number of walks, medications and favourite hiding spots. Every pet has its own routine, and pet-care specialists generally recommend keeping it as familiar as possible while you are away. The fewer things that suddenly change — from mealtimes and walks to bedtime — the easier the transition can be.
If possible, make the first meeting happen while you are still there. Drop your pet off yourself or welcome the sitter while you are still at home. It gives your pet a chance to meet this new person with you around.
Know exactly what you are booking. “Pet sitting” can mean very different things — an overnight stay, for example, doesn't always mean someone is there 24/7. So if your pet doesn't do well alone, check how much time the sitter will actually spend with them and exactly what the service includes.

If your pet has any particular behavioural traits or triggers, make sure you tell the sitter. The more they know in advance, the easier it is to keep your pet safe and comfortable.
Be specific: explain when they might bite or scratch, what makes them anxious and what usually calms them down. Perhaps they dislike having their food bowl touched, fear their harness, react to other animals or become nervous around loud voices. For dogs, mention how they behave around other dogs, street cats and cars.
And be honest about it. The more the sitter knows, the better they can prepare and make sure your pet feels safe.
— Karina, pet sitter

The reassuring part? Pawland started with exactly the same worry

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours tried Pawland, a Dubai pet-sitting service co-founded by Kejal. The experience was so good it got us talking. And guess what? The whole business started with the exact same worry we have just been talking about.

Kejal and her business partner had tried some of Dubai's well-known pet daycares, but their own pets simply didn't do well in that environment. What bothered them just as much was everything they didn't know once they left: what their pets were doing, how they were feeling and whether they were actually okay.

We weren't receiving regular updates, and as pet parents, that lack of communication and transparency was very unsettling. The idea for Pawland came up quite organically during a coffee-table conversation between the two couples.
We started discussing what we would want from a pet-care service if we were the customers ourselves — something built around trust, transparency, personalised care and, most importantly, the wellbeing of the pet.
— Kejal, co-founder of the Pawland

So when they eventually built the service they wished they had had themselves, trust naturally became one of its foundations. And that starts with deciding who gets to become a Pawland sitter in the first place.

When selecting our sitters, we look for people who are passionate about pets and who will treat the animals in their care as more than just a job. We collect and verify their documentation, and our team personally interviews candidates before they become part of the Pawland network.
— Kejal, co-founder of the Pawland

Bonus: a quick Q&A with Pawland's co-founder

The story behind the business is one thing. But there are a few small and fun questions that every pet parent wonders about and that rarely get a straight answer in the right place. So we asked them, and kept the answers short.

— Cats or dogs: who is keeping you busier?

— Cats, actually. They make up a bigger share of our bookings at the moment. We expected dogs to keep us busier when we started, so seeing just how strong the demand from cat parents is has been quite interesting.

— For someone considering Pawland for the first time, what should they expect to pay?

— Prices start from 99 AED per day, with the final cost depending on the pet, the type of care and how long the service is needed for.

Editorial note: I requested a quote for seven days of dog sitting at the sitter’s home. The final price was 1,050 AED, excluding VAT, although prices may vary depending on the specifics of the request.

— You must have encountered some unusual pets over the years. Who has been your most unexpected guest so far?

— We have had quite a few unexpected guests over the years. Monkeys, sugar gliders and rats are definitely high on the list.

— Has there been a request that genuinely caught you off guard?

— There was one booking with 14 cats at the same time! And that is exactly what the team loves about Pawland: no two pets or bookings are ever quite the same.