What Is a Pet Sitter and What Do They Do?

• Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.

If your pet doesn’t cope well with change or stress, boarding them at a facility might not be the best choice for their well-being. An in-house pet sitter might be a better fit to keep your pet on their home ground, where they can follow their regular routine.

If you’ve never worked with a professional pet sitter before, we’ll go over the full scope of what they do, how they work, and how to choose the right kind of care for your pets, with tips from Rover professionals!

Animal and Pet Care

Professional pet sitters provide one-on-one care in your pet’s home environment, maintaining your pet’s usual routine with individual attention, explains Kaitlyn Ballard, a Rover pet sitter based in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Most pet sitters concentrate only on acts of everyday pet care, not in-depth upkeep. For example, while the sitter might wipe your dog’s paws before coming back into the house or practice tricks you’ve already taught your pup, they typically won’t bathe dogs or teach them new commands.

Specialized care

Not all dogs and cats fit the “standard” scope of work, especially older pets or those with health conditions.

Before you book a sitter, you should always set up a meet-and-greet to explain the level of care your pet needs and verify that your sitter is up to the task. Special needs or services that often result in an extra charge include:

• Minor grooming (nail trims, fur brushing, ear cleaning)
• Giving medication (pills, inhalers, or shots)
• Mobility support (helping an aging cat onto a favorite perch, carrying a small dog up or down stairs, etc.)
• Behavioral concern (reactivity or food aggression)

Home Care

While a pet sitter’s primary focus is on caring for your animals, some will be happy to help out with minor tasks around the house.

“I look at it as activities to keep their pet engaged,’ says Rachel Pitts, a Rover pet sitter in Winston, Georgia. For example, she once watered a client’s outside plants while letting their dog play in the water. “It made for an enrichment activity for the dog, and I was able to take some really cute pictures for his parents.”

If your home care tasks require the pet sitter to stay for longer than their standard drop-in window or may distract from caring for your pet, a house sitter might be a better fit.

Communication

If you feel nervous while you’re away from your pet, a quick picture of your cat lounging on the sofa or your dog out for a walk can help reassure you that they’re calm and content.

Before you leave, make sure you and the sitter are on the same page about how often you’d like to hear about your pet and how they should contact you to give updates.

If you book a sitter through Rover, you can communicate directly through the app. For drop-in visits and dog walks, your sitter fills out a Rover Card after every visit to track potty breaks, food, and water with at least one photo. For dog walks, your Rover Card will also include a map of the walk route and total distance.

With overnight sitting or house sitting, the sitter can send you written updates and pictures in the Rover app’s message section. Just let them know if you prefer updates daily or every other day.

Chalabala via iStock

What Should You Tell Your Pet Sitter Before You Leave?

Before your sitter arrives, round up all the important info they need to keep your dog or cat’s daily routine as close to normal as possible. After all, some pets can act like they’re sick when their routine is thrown off too much!

Key details you might want to jot down include:

• Feeding schedule and portion instructions
• Preferred treats and how often your pet can have them
• Leashes or harnesses to use for dog walks
• Favorite toys and games and your pet’s preferred playtime
• List of commands your pet responds to, especially those that could help during emergencies, like “come” or “drop it”
• Any of your pet’s quirks, like a tendency to hide in a cabinet or slip their leash
• The location of your pets’ food and portion instructions
• Where to find food bowls, water fountains, litter boxes, treats, and toys

It’s a good idea to make multiple versions of the list in different places, just in case.

Tip: The Rover App allows you to upload care directions directly, but placing a handwritten list on the fridge or by the door is also a great backup.

FAQs About Pet Sitter Responsibilities

How do I find the right pet sitter?

“An experienced and trustworthy sitter is someone who comes prepared, asks questions, and helps lead the conversations,” Ballard says.

Pitts adds that she always brings a notepad with questions about favorite toys, allergies, places not to pet, hiding spots, and more. “I want pet parents to know that I care about details.”

Essentially, you should feel like your sitter truly cares about your pet and is committed to looking after them the way you would!

If the sitter seems listless or disinterested, doesn’t communicate with you promptly, or doesn’t have the experience or endorsements that make you feel secure, keep looking until you find someone who makes you and your pet feel like a priority.

Do pet sitters stay overnight?

Some pet sitters do stay overnight! On Rover, sitters who offer overnight sitting or house-sitting services stay in your house to keep an eye on your place and your pets. Drop-in sitters or dog walkers only stop by during the day.

How do pet sitters handle emergencies?

While you probably don’t want to think about worst-case scenarios, you do want your sitter to be able to get your pet fast help in case of an emergency. Make sure your pet sitter has clear access to:

• Your regular vet’s contact info
• The closest emergency vet’s address and phone number
• An emergency contact, if you can’t answer messages or phone calls right away
• Any of your pet’s allergies or existing health concerns

If you book a sitter through Rover, the Rover Guarantee offers reimbursement for up to $25,000 in emergency vet care for eligible claims.

You can start your search for five-star pet sitters and dog walkers right now on Rover.