I pet sit for my neighbors when they go out of town. It ends up costing them less money than boarding their dog, and I get over there to give plenty of walks through the day, make sure the dog goes out to the bathroom, give the dog some attention and pets, and feed the dog and make sure he has enough water. The dog is an older dog and very easy-going, so he doesn't require much maintenance, but he sure is happy to get out for his walks and get some attention while he's lonely because his parents are away. He doesn't like readjusting to different places either, so he's more comfortable being at home and having someone he knows visit him than going to a kennel. They probably have other neighbors keeping an eye out to make sure I go over there and take care of the dog, too, just to be sure.
Their house is right next to mine, so if anything were to go wrong at the house, I would see it immediately and be able to do something about it.
I think it's a lot less of a worry for them to have a neighbor to petsit than finding a random stranger.
