I'm shocked too, but I don't know how to respond when they ask me to pet-sit the next time.

They pet-sit for each other, carry one another’s groceries, and talk not just about the litigation, but their lives.

Whenever people ask me to housesit or pet-sit while they're on vacation I happily take up the offer.

Pet-sit for a pal or walk dogs for an animal shelter.

I didn't end up going--lack of funds and no one around to pet-sit.

Kay offers to pet-sit for a fellow employee and packs a bag to stay there, as a first step in a permanent break with Arnold.

Mr. Abbate will baby-sit or, as he calls it, "pet-sit" just about every other type of living creature.

Shortly after finishing her second novel, "Jamesland" (Knopf, 2003), Ms. Huneven went away one weekend and asked her neighbors to pet-sit.

"I use the whole city, but we have so many good friends right here," she said, explaining that, like neighbors everywhere, they watch out for one another, pet-sit when necessary and borrow the occasional cup of something.

Reba Jackson of Austin, Tex., a part-time entrepreneur and an independent contractor to cellular telephone companies, opened up a business with her husband, Nelson, last year, offering to pet-sit while owners are on vacation.

You can attend an event, you can give a card with wonderful thoughts in it and you can say, "Here's my IOU to help you build a flower bed, paint a room, de-clutter your house, drive your kids, pet-sit, whatever."

Because of Orlando’s location to Disney World, Universal Studios and other theme parks, there are lots of pet-friendly hotels in the immediate area; and the theme parks will pet-sit your dog while you go off and enjoy the rides.

People like Koblenz who are willing to pet-sit register on the site by answering a handful of questions about their experience with animals, what types of animals they could watch, the accommodations and whether they have special skills, such as pet grooming or are able to administer medicines to ailing pets.