The thought of leaving your furry little one at home, or at a shelter, while you head off on a business trip or family getaway is a daunting thought. Pets are not just animals, they are members of your family. Minderz is the new platform that helps you connect with a nearby pet sitter that has been authenticated through the app service.
Minderz functions in a similar method to Uber, connecting those who are looking for sitters for their fur-kids in surrounding areas to Minderz pet-sitters. The organisation was born out of the need to find the perfect sitter for children but after facing challenges surrounding child regulations and requirements, founder Tumi Menyatswe found that there was a niche in needs for pet-sitters in South Africa. Menyatswe told with Business insider, “The initial idea was to provide a reliable service, predominantly for single mothers, to get someone to lend them an extra hand”.
The organisation offers an array of services, petsitting at home, dog-walking, drop in visits during the day and pet boarding. Prices vary from R 99 – R 189 depending on the service. All pet sitters go through a validation process to be ideal candidates. In order to apply to be a pet-sitter, applicants must love animals, have had previous experience, volunteered at an animal shelter and have at least a years experience in pet-sitting.
The current system is manual and after submitting a form indicating your little one’s needs, the team at Minderz is able to provide you a list of candidates that are suitable. Menyatswe told us that the experience allows for thorough checks and gives users the chance to engage with pet-sitters before deciding.
“Once the Minderz team finds you the ideal match, users are able to meet with the options they are provided,” she said.
Minderz has 600 pet-sitters at hand and is based in Cape Town with smaller groups of sitters in Johannesburg and Durban. With the demand increasing for pet-sitters, Minderz is planning to relaunch their site to make it more efficient and user friendly.
Menyatswe went on to say, “We are planning to relaunch at the end of July, Minderz will function similarly to Airbnb – providing an up-to-date bank of profiles to view when choosing the right fit for your furry-friend”. She added, “Instead of searching for rooms, users can indicate what pet-sitting service they require and be given a result of individuals available on the exact dates they provide”.
Contact: 087 551 0636
Website: www.minderz.co.za
Picture: Pexels
