"Licensed pet sitters": no such animal

Beware pet sitters who make claims about being "licensed" pet sitters.  Depending upon the wording and emphasis, this is sometimes a deliberately misleading form of self-promotion.  Technically: there is no such thing; a pet sitter may have a business license, but there is no pet sitting license; no one is licensed as a pet sitter per se.  

Neither Washington nor any other state has a pet sitting license.  There is no such license with any legal standing, anywhere.  One clever online group issues pretty certificates via mail order that are made to appear as "licenses", but these are wall decorations.  The only license that pertains to pet sitters is the general business license required of all small businesses in Washington.  

"Bonded and insured" sounds grand, but bonding is unlikely ever to be relevant to any pet sitting situation, and liability insurance has limited application: it is only likely to be important should a pet sitter do major damage to your home or its contents during a visit. 

Many pet-oriented businesses, including some large doggie day cares, do not carry liability insurance because the cost of such insurance greatly exceeds the payout any such business would be likely to make in the event of a court case.  Unfortunately, it is usually still true that if someone causes the demise of your companion animal, your maximum potential damage award in court is limited to the market value of your pet. 

Your best bet is to minimize the likelihood of harm to your pets or your possessions by choosing a pet sitter who is honest, reliable, sane, possessed of a reasonable amount of common sense, and not a drug user or drunk.  There's no way to guarantee any of this, of course, but a background check is a good start-- then, check with your friends, and check your gut reaction.