It wasn't long ago when pet owners relied on neighbors, friends and family to care for their animals while off on a vacation or an extended trip away from home.

But more and more pet owners are turning to professional animal sitters to tend to their precious pets. And the number of pet sitters has grown dramatically over the years as the demand for their services has increased.

Pet Sitters International, one of the nation's largest pet-sitter organizations, lists more than 7,400 members, seven on O'ahu. The local Yellow Pages lists about a dozen pet sitters, an increase from just three 10 years ago. Many rely on word-of-mouth referrals rather than advertising.

"It's a growing business," said Eric Ako, executive vice president of the Hawai'i Veterinary Medical Association. "From a behavioral standpoint, for the sake of the pet, we feel that pets are most comfortable at home" rather than being sent to a kennel or veterinarian's office.

Ako said many owners are asking vets for recommendations because they are considering a pet sitter. He said pet owners should start looking for a sitter long before they go on their trip.

"For one thing, these places are booked way in advance. You almost have to make a reservation the year before, kind of like getting married," veterinarian Ako said.

GROWING BUSINESS

Nadine Webb started Cuddle Time more than 11 years ago and didn't think it would become a full-time business. But Webb, one of the pioneers in Hawai'i's pet-sitting business, has seen her client list grow from 20 in 1996 to nearly 90, which she said is more than enough because she is a sole proprietor.

"I thought about taking other pet sitters on and expanding my businesses, but I talked to my really good clients and most of them said they would want me or not travel at all," Webb said.

But keeping clients satisfied takes a lot of work. Webb's day sometimes starts at 4 a.m., ends at 11 at night, and she often works seven days a week.

As part of her workday, Webb will feed, walk, bathe and give medicine to an animal. She'll also do housework, water plants, take out the trash and sometimes sleep over with an animal.

"It is a lot of enjoyment and I really like being my own boss," said Webb, who declined to reveal revenues or rates, which she said were "reasonable."

"I feel like I've been really blessed with the clients that I've had over the years. They're just wonderful people, and all of their pets have been so good to me, too," she said.

BOOKED YEAR AHEAD

Vera Higashi has operated Pets Companion Service Hawai'i for eight years and began with one client. But through word of mouth, her business has grown to the point where she is "usually booked for the whole year."

Higashi said she has one pet owner who relies on her service so much that he pays for her to fly to San Francisco to watch his dogs. The family used Higashi while they lived in Hawai'i.

Higashi also works long hours and drives more than 100 miles a day to sit with animals. She rarely takes vacation and said she often feels guilty because she spends more time with other people's pets than with her own.

"You can call me not only a professional pet sitter, but a professional gypsy," she laughed.

But it's dedicated people like Webb and Higashi whom pet owners rely on.

Freelance writer Leslie Hayashi hired Webb to care for her cockatiel before it died a year ago. Hayashi said it's difficult to find someone to sit with a bird because they require more care than a dog or cat.

Hayashi said she got Webb's name from a veterinarian and was not disappointed.

"The last time we used her it was about $75 a day and we were willing to pay it," Hayashi said. "It shores up the cost of a trip, but when you have an animal that's like a family member, you're not going to quibble over that, and it's worth every bit of it for the piece of mind."

Hayashi said Webb wasn't just a sitter, she was also a companion to her bird.

"She kept a daily diary of what the animal did. She would describe what he said, what time he woke up and what activities they did together. So you come home and you have this entire recap of what went on. It's like having a kid in preschool."

SITTER LOYALTY

Carol Sato said finding a good pet sitter is like looking for a good baby sitter, and it's difficult to go with anyone else. In fact, Sato said, she usually plans her family vacations around the schedule of Webb's.

"We'll tell her what dates we'd like to go away, and then she'll tell us whether she can or can't watch Lady," Sato said of her pet dog. "We wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone else coming in, so we do try to give her as much notice as we can."

Even when the Sato family is at home, Webb is hired to walk Lady at least three times a week.

"Lady is so attached to her that if Lady doesn't see her for more than two or three days, she goes into this slump, a depression," Sato said.

Erin Gerwig owns Dog Walker Etc. and runs one of the few pet-sitting companies that has employees. Gerwig started the company in 2001 and quickly realized she would need help.

"The demand just got so large that I either had to stop accepting clients or branch out," Gerwig said.

She said her 15 employees are independent contractors who work on a per-job basis. Gerwig's workers are spread across the island, which helps to serve Dog Walker's nearly 400 clients.

Gerwig said business is brisk and said her annual gross revenues are "more than $100,000," compared with the $20,000 she made in her first year.

With the growth of the industry, Ako warned consumers that they need to be careful when selecting a pet sitter. He said the industry is not regulated so good sources of referrals are veterinarians and people who have used pet sitters.

Ako said owners and their pets should meet with a prospective sitter and make a surprise visit on a sitter at work. He said hiring a bad sitter or placing a pet in a kennel or at a vet's office can have a negative affect on an animal.

"We are seeing an increase in psychological problems. Statistically, more dogs are put to sleep due to behavior problems than disease," he said.

Hayashi agreed that it's important that a pet owner trust the sitter.

"You're literally turning your house and a living thing over to somebody," Hayashi said.