HMMMM people who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. I NEVER once called you a name. I even apologized to you, I cant say the same for you! I CANNOT believe how I have been attacked on this forum for only posting a question and of course Im going to respond. WE dont have to agree and what you think of me, is none of my business! BEST WISHES AND HAPPY TAILS TO ALL!

Perhaps that is where we differ. I do place a value on my time and that is why I only sit one additional dog at a time. Dogs in my care get around the clock attention and never leave my sight. Clearly you cannot do that with multiple dogs and conducting other employment while being entrusted with other peoples dogs. Clearly what seperates me from you is that you like most sitters put dogs in your yard and leave them unattended with limited attention. I am able to give as much love to others as I do my own dog. From what you have stated about your time and efforts it sounds like your clients are not getting enough for their money. Anybody can have a yard and be a dog lover and pet sit but can you really show enough attention when you are busy doing other things?

You should never assume anything!!! I make no apologies for where I stand on the issue. Best of Luck to all of you! Again you should read my responses more closely, I NEVER said I was unhappy or not meeting my worth, clearly by the responses I received many of you felt the need to validate your own efforts. The lack of support for tipping your dog sitter continues to baffle me. Perhaps we should agree to disagree on the issue. HAPPY TAILS!

HMMMM obviously it must be a regional thing if servers in your area only make $5hr, they make $9hr per minimum wage in California. If you look at and divide my regular rate of $28per night and divide by 24hrs that = only $1.16per hour you do the math. we are all worth more then that.

MY POINT HAS BEEN CLEARLY VALIDATED BY YOUR RESPONSE TO ME.THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOUR HARSH LASHING AND UNSUPPORTIVE COMMENTS. I NEVER STATED I WAS UNHAPPY OR DID NOT RECEIVE TIPS. MY QUESTION WAS PROMPTED BY THE LACK OF SUPPORT FOR TIPS BY SITTERS IN THIS FORUM. REGARDLESS OF YOUR PERSONAL SITUATION, WHY YOU FEEL THE NEED TO OUTLINE WHY YOU THINK YOUR EFFORTS ARE BETTER THEN ANYBODY ELSES OR THAT YOU ARE MORE QUALIFIED BAFFLES ME. WE ARE ALL FREE TO HAVE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AND THE POINT OF THIS FORUM IS TO OPEN QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION WHICH, CLEARLY IT HAS. I WISH YOU AND ALL SITTERS THE BEST OF LUCK IN THEIR ENDEAVORS.

HMMMM Laura, it appears you are doing the same by your response to me. Difference of opinions are always welcome thats why we live in a free country whether we agree or NOT the point is to open the lines of communication for discussion. It appears by the reactions I am receiving that it must be a regional issue in my area of Southern California service professionals always receive a tip for jobs performed good or bad perhaps that is not true in all states.

I have the same issues I think it would be GREAT if we had more direct flexibility in our bookings with Rover. I have some clients that definitely over indulge in my flexibility and I have thought about adding a charge for pick-ups after 6PM or before 7AM. For sure would be beneficial to all to "firm down a drop off and pick up time ahead which can always be adjusted with a quick text or phone call. I usually will ask for a time frame ahead of time which I schedule in my phone and text owners requesting time confirmations to better schedule my time.

Thanks Susan for the response that is exactly the support we should be showing one another. I too use tipping as a way to gauge and retain my preferred clients. I have found that in most cases those that tip tend to have better behaved dogs and are usually a higher caliber client repeat base. HAPPY TAILS TO YOU!

As a sitter, I think this is something that is personal to each situation and pets. I usually discuss and ask how much time per visit each pet owner would like and how much time they spend with tasks at hand. If its just a drop in visit to feed/water I think it would be a reasonable to guess 10-15 minutes but if you would like your animals to have more attention such as walks or playtime anywhere between 30-60 minutes would be reasonable.

I think leaving a nice card or envelope out with the sitters name on it where they can see it is a nice personal touch or an ecard or egiftcard to their email is another nice touch.

MY POINT IS VERY CLEAR, YOU SHOULD AS A SITTER EXPECT A TIP, YOU ARE A SERVICE PROFESSIONAL AND A TIP FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS IS A SIGN OF RESPECT AND APPRECIATION AND THE FACT THAT YOU WOULD NEGATIVELY REBUT OTHERS SITTERS WHO WANT AND NEED TIPS AGAIN SURPRISES ME WHICH IS WHY i ASKED THE QUESTION IN THE FIRST PLACE. PERHAPS ITS A REGIONAL OR AGE DIFFERENCE THAT DIVIDES OUR OPINIONS. THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK, GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for your feedback Laura but I have a few questions why you still dont feel like you are worthy of appreciation. If you have dogs of your own and take them to the groomer, do you tip your groomer?? Do you tip your hair stylist?? A tip is a form of appreciation for a job well done and is a sign of respect NOT entitlement. We should really support one another to show our clients that dog sitting is a legitimate profession and help support tipping as an industry standard.

Sitters, Im very surprised at how short you are all sellling yourselves.

Yes, you should tip your sitter! This is no different then any other service based profession such as Hair Stylist, Manicurist, Groomer, Newscarrier, Car Valet, or Waiter/Waitress. A typical tip would be 15-20% for gratitude. A tip shows respect and appreciation for their trustworthy and professional efforts. I keep my rates low to show how I value my customers but this is my only source of income so anything extra is MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you to all of my current and future clients! HAPPY TAILS!

Sitters, Im very surprised at how short you are all sellling yourselves.

Yes, you should tip your sitter! This is no different then any other service based profession such as Hair Stylist, Manicurist, Groomer, Newscarrier, Car Valet, or Waiter/Waitress. A typical tip would be 15-20% for gratitude. A tip shows respect and appreciation for their trustworthy and professional efforts. I keep my rates low to show how I value my customers but this is my only source of income so anything extra is MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you to all of my current and future clients! HAPPY TAILS!

Yes, you should tip your sitter! This is no different then any other service based profession such as Hair Stylist, Manicurist, Groomer, Newscarrier, Car Valet, or Waiter/Waitress. A typical tip would be 15-20% for gratitude. A tip shows respect and appreciation for their trustworthy and professional efforts. I too love dogs and make this my only source of income so anything extra is MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you to all of my current and future clients!

Yes, you should tip your sitter! This is no different then any other service based profession such as Hair Stylist, Manicurist, Groomer, Newscarrier, Car Valet, or Waiter/Waitress. A typical tip would be 15-20% for gratitude. A tip shows respect and appreciation for their trustworthy and professional efforts. I too love dogs and currently make this my only source of income so anything additional is ALWAYS appreciated! Thank you to all of my current and future clients!

Yes, you should tip your sitter! This is no different then any other service based profession such as Hair Stylist, Manicurist, Groomer, Newscarrier, Car Valet, or Waiter/Waitress. A typical tip would be 15-20% for gratitude. A tip shows respect and appreciation for their trustworthy and professional efforts. Thank you to all of my current and future clients!

Yes, you should tip your sitter! This is no different then any other service based profession such as Hair Stylist, Manicurist, Groomer, Newscarrier, Car Valet, or Waiter/Waitress. A typical tip would be 15-20% for gratitude. A tip shows respect and appreciation for their trustworthy and professional efforts. Thank you to all of my current and future clients!