What are experiences with no prior Meet & Greet?

I too was once contacted by a pet owner who was traveling to the area for a few days with their family. Their profile did indeed feature a photo and information but I still held a bit of hesitation. After speaking on the phone, I felt much more secure and worry free. The dog was incredibly sweet and it was a great stay.

I didn't do greet and meet for the first two stays. I asked all the information about the dog, what breed, how big, age, house-trained or not, friendly to other pets or not, their rountines, what they like to do... The dogs are really nice and sweet, really good stays. One of the guest rebooked me several times later.

I have my first sit today with a Non M&G client. I went ahead and booked it because it was a Yorkie, and the stay was for about 9 hours. Worst comes to worse as far as getting a long with my cats/behavior I could fence the pup into the kitchen. They were supposed to be here at 10:30am, and they still haven't arrived (12:36 at the time of writing). I can't speak to how the dog is, but I can say that I don't think I will be taking out of town clients again. They are new to the city they are visiting. My client is late because they "underestimated traffic." DC is in the Top Ten for worst traffic in the country, and their lack of preparation has lead me to basically rearrange my schedule twice today because they can't be on time.

I've had good and bad experiences with taking dogs without a M&G. Like many starting out, I didn't do them for my first couple stays. The dogs were friendly and weren't a problem with my dogs (my biggest concern when boarding, since my apartment is small, with limited options for separating the guest dogs from my own), but both proved to be very vocal, which was a problem with my living arrangements. Thankfully that's the worst I've had happen, and they were both short stays. Since then, I have only foregone a M&G for daycare clients, when I've had the ability to keep the new guest apart from my own dogs and the other guest dog without compromising everyone's care if it was necessary.

I have also had a few clients from out of town, and I've done the M&G a couple hours before the stay was supposed to begin. If you have a dog of your own, it's still best to meet them on neutral ground and take everyone for a walk to maximize your chances everyone will get along. And if you meet beforehand, this still gives you a chance to back out if the dog is just not a good match, and put the owner in touch with Rover support to help him link up with another sitter.

I would suggest getting as much information about the dog and owner beforehand. At a minimum get the owner's contact information about where they are staying while in town. A phone call would definitely be in order since you can't meet in person. And make sure that the owner knows to bring food, bedding, meds, etc. for the dog. Hopefully since it's only a weekend stay you will be fine.

My first Rover sit was done without a "Meet and Greet". I will agree that a phone conversation is very important. The first little gal was a cockapoo......a real sweetie. Get a "feel" for the "parents" over the phone.

I had an "emergency" stay with two fabulous dogs. She said she just had to trust me because they had to go out of town. We fell in love with the dogs and they weren't quite ready to go home. But I also had a dog come for a meet & greet that I had to decline. I had my dogs and one other. This dog had some issues and was afraid of absolutely everything. Only after about half an hour did he let me touch him, but only for a second. I had to decline the stay. But my sons do Rover in their apartment so they took him. It was only one night, but they couldn't get close to the dog until almost the end.

Always, ALWAYS go with your gut. In the end, you are responsible for the situation. If it doesn't feel 100% right, don't feel bad if you have to say no. I'd feel a whole lot worse if I had to say, "I'm sorry, but..."

I've booked 3 clients without a prior m&g. The first one went well- the dogs were well behaved (except that one kept marking.). The other didn't. It was a 10lb dog and my 40lb beagle (who gets along with everyone but can be slitely territorial at first) growled and snapped so the client ended up leaving. If I had kept her in a backroom then introduced them on a walk then through a gate then it would have been fine but I completely understand the owners hesitation.

I would say if you have dogs of your own to kennel them/put them in another room when the client comes. I've worked with a lot of dogs and understand that growling when introduced doesn't always mean they won't get along but a lot of owners will get nervous at the sign of any conflict- and then make sure they're available so that if there is an issue even after you introduce them properly, you can let the client know.

In the beginning, I didn't always have a meet & greet first. The results were mixed. Sometimes, even a meet & greet doesn't help accurately predict behavior (some dogs were healthy during meet&greet and encountered medical concerns right the scheduled stay began, some dogs acted differently in absence of owners and around other dogs). However, I now rarely book a reservation without a meet & greet, with one exception: other dog sitter hosts. We share a lot of information before the stay to help ensure it's a good fit for all.