Advice for being a successful sitter on Rover

Sitter Resources / Growing Your Business

Pet Sitter & Dog Walker Tips for Using Rover Cards

By Rover Staff |

Rover cards are a handy way to let your clients know what happened during your time with their pet. But what’s the best way to use them to drive business and keep your clients happy? We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips.

What Rover Cards Do

You can use a Rover card to record details about walks, drop-ins, and day care visits and share them with your client.

When you fill out a Rover card after a booking, you can include:

  • One or more photos
  • A short message
  • A map of your walk, including the total distance logged
  • The number of potty breaks
  • The number of meal and water breaks

How To Use Rover Cards

1. At the beginning of each walk, day care stay, and drop-in visit, start a Rover card.

Phone showing screen setting up a Rover card

2. Tap the appropriate icon each time a pet pees, poops, eats, or drinks. If you’re going on a walk, the app will create a map for you. Once you’re all set, tap “Stop.”

Phone logging an activity on a Rover card

3. Take a photo and write an optional short note, then tap “Send.” In seconds, your client will see their pet’s Rover Card pop up on their phone.

Phone showing walk distance on the Rover app

Tips for Using Rover Cards

Pets can’t talk to tell their humans what a great job you did—but Rover cards can! They offer clients a window into what their pet’s time with you was like. They’re your chance to showcase the loving care you offer, and a great way to drive repeat business.

Here’s how to make the most of a Rover card:

  1. Start the card right away. In the excitement of greetings, it’s not always easy to remember to start a card. But a punctual timestamp can impress a client. Consider setting a reminder on your phone, either at the scheduled booking time or the care location, and again when the service ends.
  2. Take multiple photos. You don’t need more than one photo to be able to send a card. But pictures of different activities and environments show off the range of enrichment opportunities you offer, whether that’s a walk to the park, a game of fetch in the yard, or a snuggle on the couch.
  3. Log activity in real time. It can be tricky to reconstruct events once a stay is over. If the owner has any questions, you’ll be glad you have a record of their pet’s diet, exercise, and water breaks.
  4. Add a personal note. It doesn’t take much to make a pet parent’s day. A quick caption or a report on a pet’s mood can go a long way to showing that you get their pet.
  5. Review before sending. Rover cards are forever. Once they’re sent, they can’t be edited. Give the card a quick read-through to make sure everything is how you like it.

FAQ About Rover Cards

Do I have to use a Rover card?

Rover cards are a great way to showcase your services—but they’re not required for any bookings except recurring services.

Can I attach a video?

Just photos for now! If you’d like to send a video, you can send it on the app via Rover Messages.

Help, I forgot to close out a Rover card!

Don’t worry—a Rover card that you started will automatically end and send within 24 hours.

Do I have to give the app permissions?

Before you can send a Rover card, you’ll be prompted to give the app the following permissions:

  • Location (while using the app). This makes sure the app can track your walk, even if you lock your screen or use other apps.
  • Precise Location. This helps the app accurately track your walk.
  • Motion & Fitness. This helps preserve your phone’s battery life by only tracking location when your phone is moving.

Getting Help

Having trouble with a Rover card? Get answers in the Help Center, or reach out to Rover’s support team at 888-727-1140. They can’t send a card on your behalf—but they can help you troubleshoot technical issues.