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In this episode of Built Local Podcast, Clay talks with Savannah Westwood, founder of The Savvy Sitter Pet Sitting & Dog Walking in the Orlando, Florida area. With ten years in business, Savannah brings deep experience in pet care, staff training, client communication, and the major shifts in the pet industry before and after COVID.
She shares how she stumbled into pet sitting, built her reputation through referrals and consistent Google reviews, and grew a professional-level team serving Winter Garden, Windermere, and Horizon West.
Clay and Savannah cover the differences between hobbyist sitters and true professionals, pandemic pet trends, rising client expectations, certifications, meet-and-greets, safety protocols, and why overnights are declining in the industry.
Savannah also explains how she used Review Harvest to jump from ~150 reviews to over 214, and why Google reviews remain one of the strongest growth levers for local pet care businesses.
Whether you're a pet sitter, pet waste removal operator, dog walker, or local service provider, this episode offers clear insights and best practices from someone who has built a respected, in-demand brand.
Website: https://thesavvysitter.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSavvySitter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesavvysitter/
🔥 What This Episode Covers
• How Savannah transitioned from professional organizing into pet sitting
• Why the industry moved from hobbyist gigs to professional standards
• Pandemic pets & shifting client expectations
• Meet-and-greets, safety checks, and behavior assessments
• Certifications: PSI, NAPPS, CPR, and industry training
• How customers find pet sitters (WOM, Facebook, Google)
• Why overnight sitting is declining
• Scaling to a staff of 8
• Review Harvest results: 150 → 214+ reviews
• Why Google reviews matter
• Advice for new pet sitters
• Building a business on reliability & repeat clients
⏱ Shortened Timestamps
00:00 – Intro to Savannah
00:21 – Business overview & 10-year anniversary
01:06 – Services & locations
01:35 – Origin story
02:29 – From organizing to pet sitting
02:49 – Early growth & referrals
03:03 – Why reviews = digital word-of-mouth
03:40 – When pet sitting became a professional industry
04:04 – Pre- & post-COVID shifts
05:03 – Pandemic pets
06:03 – Certifications
07:23 – Premium pet wellness trends
08:23 – How customers find Savannah
09:43 – Meet-and-greet process
11:11 – Safety & behavior checks
12:44 – What pros notice vs hobbyists
13:07 – Behavioral issues
14:49 – Health & safety signs
15:26 – Timeline of growth
16:57 – Contractors vs employees
17:12 – Sitting vs walking demand
18:51 – How the industry is changing
19:53 – Overnight care challenges
21:01 – Why Savannah reduced overnights
22:09 – Getting reviews pre-Review Harvest
23:11 – Hitting 200 reviews quickly
24:06 – Why reviews matter
25:11 – Favorite part of Review Harvest
26:16 – Advice for new sitters
27:07 – Certifications & credibility
28:03 – Closing thoughts
