Finding the Right Pet-Sitting or Grooming Company?

It could be just me, but I get extremely cautious and weary when I send off my pets to a groomers or pet-sitting company that I've never gone to before. The concept of trusting other people that I don't know to take care of my babies is scary to me but sometimes I just have to do it in order to live a certain life (business outings for a couple days at a time or to give my pet a chance to feel pampered).

I guess for me, I'm just so clingy to my pets and I usually take care of them on a daily basis, but to have someone else take care of them for a bit is almost like giving up time. I guess the best analogy is when you have a newborn and you have to go to work, so you hire a babysitter or you take them to a sitters company for the day 5 days a week. You'd feel alarmed, right? That is exactly how I feel when I do this to my pets!

Does anyone else feel the same way? In addition, when you found a company for grooming or pet-sitting, how did you know that that was the company you were going to choose? How long until you found a company that was worth it for your pet and perhaps even your wallet?

Oh yes -- without a doubt I feel that way! For me, finding the right groomers is almost like finding the right school for your child...you're leaving your pet there, in their care. It's only natural I think to want to ensure they are reliable and trustworthy, with a good reputation.

The best groomer that I have ever come across was actually in Japan. We lived there when my husband was in the military, and the groomers there are just SO professional. I read somewhere that pets outnumber children in Japan, and a lot of people do pay top dollar (or top yen, I guess you could say!) for grooming, toys, outfits and so forth for their pets there. The particular groomer we went to in Japan was so meticulous with their work that they would literally take 3 hours to groom our dog...and when we would go to pick him up there would literally not be a hair out of place, he looked like he could be a dog that was on commercials or in print advertising! Also, they did the cutest thing, they would write a little report card on how your dog was (if they had gained or lost weight since the last visit, how they were when they were being groomed, if there were any issues) and would also take a picture of your pet with a themed background. For instance at summer time the background of the picture was a beach scene, at Christmas there was a Christmas background and they put a striped Christmas scarf around our dogs neck - it was all SO cute and adorable...I miss it!

It sounds like the groomer in Japan went above and beyond the call of duty when grooming your dog, Shih-tzufan !
I have most done my own grooming with my little Chipper; but as he has gotten older, he seems to have a harder time being bathed and clipped. I usually now only clip him in the early summer , so he will be more comfortable in the hot weather. Even though we have air-conditioning, and I always put a special little fan on the floor for Chipper and Tootsie; he still gets too hot with his long Yorkie-style coat when the weather is hot and humid.
I only have small clippers, because I don't need to use them often; so I have been thinking that it might just be easier on Chipper if I take him to a professional groomer who has a good set of clippers and is an expert with the clipping.
He would probably not like having a stranger clipping him; however, the ordeal would be over much faster if I did this, so in the end, he might like that part better.
The worrisome part is the challenge of finding a good groomer to do the job and also be gentle with Chipper, who is eleven years old now, and a lot more delicate than he used to be.

I am still trying to decide which is the best way to go with this; but so far the weather has been wet and cool; so he is not suffering with the heat.

I totally know what you are saying! I ain't about to hand over my Rosie and Coco to just anyone for any length of time. I've heard horror stories from some vet tech friends of mine.
There's someone local to me that has a mobile grooming service that I've heard amazing reviews on and comes highly recommended. I think I'm going to ring her up sometime this month to come pamper my pooches. Here, in my own driveway, under my supervision.

As for as pet-sitting goes, I only trust my own friends and family that already are familiar with my loves and their routines and personalities.

I had never been too wary of groomers until recently when I heard of a dog who died while being groomed at a large retail store. We have used the same groomer many times, but she recently left the store and we are looking for a new one.
I dislike leaving my fur-kids at kennels or doggie resorts because they are alone so much. Instead I use dog-boarding/dog-sitting websites to arrange for my babies to stay with a local family. This way they are together and with a family who loves dogs as much as we do. We've met some nice folks and have been happy with nearly all the sitters we've used. I would recommend a private dog-sitter via one of the 2 sites I use: DogVacay and Rover.