What is a 'Safety Plan'?

Laura's answer is excellent.

I would add one thing: I ordered a few dog tags that say, "Help! I'm lost! Call my dogsitter at xxxxx." A piece of tape on the back has the dog's arrival and departure date. All guests wear this tag in addition to their own during their stay.

God forbid that a guest should ever get away, but it feels like one more layer of protection - just in case.

Your plan may be a little different for each dog you watch, but it should generally consist of how you will keep your guest, yourself, and other members of your household (human and animal) safe during a stay. It all starts with the meet and greet, making sure that you and the client are a good fit for each other in the first place.

During a stay, a safety plan may include (but not be limited to):

1. Making sure the guest is wearing properly fitted equipment that is in good repair and has ID tags with current information.

2. Having secure entrances and exits to prevent escape, and a protocol in place for opening doors (like always having the dog leashed prior to opening a door to leave, and not taking it off again until the door shuts behind you when you return, using gates, kennels, etc).

3. Providing adequate supervision of all animals in your care and providing a safe space for them when you leave or are unable to supervise.

4. Having the ability to separate dogs in your care as needed for their health and safety.

5. Following instructions from the owners and notifying them ASAP if you need to make changes to their dog's care plan.

There are lots of other things that I'm missing, or that would apply depending on your situation.