Though training your pup to use your bench press ensures a muscular canine, your furry friend will still need a spotter when you're not around. Today's Groupon keeps your pup happily fed and exercised while you're away. For $25, new customers can get $50 worth of professional in-home pet sitting from Critter Sitters, an Atlanta-based animal-care collective offering service 365 days a year. Instead of shuttling furry friends off to foreign kennels or burdening unequipped friends with watchdog duty, this deal provides unparalleled pet care by a seasoned sitter.

One of the area's first companies to provide an alternative to kennel cooping and strange cages, Critter Sitters has assisted more than 30,000 households and more than 50,000 animals annually. The company serves all of metro Atlanta (19 counties) and staffs more than 150 mature and screened sitters ranging in age from 25 to 70 years old. New customers will get an in-home interview with their sitter to introduce pets to their temporary caretakers and to discuss any special needs or care instructions. From emergency services to snuggles, no furball-related request is too furry for Atlanta's largest pet-sitting company.

While you toast marshmallows over a volcano in Guatemala, the sitter will visit your home each day to play with your pet; provide food, water, and exercise; and clean up messes and litter boxes. In addition to taking care of your pet, your sitter will bring the mail inside, water your plants, and strategically open and close blinds to keep your neighbors unaware you've left town. Prices start at $19 per visit for felines and canines. Add $2 per additional cat, and $3 for each dog. Smaller pets will incur the feline charge, and fees for horses, kennels, catteries, and aviaries are negotiable. The site features an easy online calculator to total up the math if you've filled your home with furballs.

Disruption in an animal's environment can result in digestive, sleep, and psychological problems. The guilt from shacking tail-wagging companions in a cold, sterile kennel can put a damper on otherwise leisurely weekend getaways and retreats. All Critter Sitters are also familiar with emergency veterinary clinics in the area, and most are trained to give pills and liquid medications to high-maintenance mutts and meowers. A 24-hour-a-day voicemail system and daily operation make the service valuable for surprise trips or last-minute holiday getaways to allergic relatives' houses.

Reviews

Kudzu users give Critter Sitters a perfect five stars:

• If you need a critter sitter, I encourage you to contact Critter Sitters, Inc. They have been providing animal care for a very, very long time and are professional, reliable, responsible [sic] all the things you want for your animals when you can't be with them. – hrwmn2010
• I was a bit worried about leaving my babies during the holidays but all went well. My dogs were walked and fed right on schedule. No issues at all. – jessicafamu
• They've always been friendly and dependable. I feel good knowing that no matter what happens, my kitties will always be taken care of! – ralutz