I have a Meet & Greet tomorrow and I just booked the dates this lady wanted. It only over-laps one night but that would give me three dogs (not including my own) which makes me a little nervous. I hate to cancel a Meet & Greet! What would you do?
I usually reserve the spot until the meet and greet in order to avoid this sort of situation but in this case, since the over lap would only be one night, you could still have the meet and greet and see how the dog is, some of them are very easy and do not make a huge difference in the amount of work or management they require so the one night over lapping might not even be an issue. If you think dog might be a little much over your present bookings, politely tell the client that it would be too much for you to handle and refer her to another sitter.
I strongly recommend to follow your gut, know and respect your limitations so if you are not comfortable with the total amount of dogs, simply refuse the booking.
I also hold the date until after the meet and greet. It does help to prevent overbooking. I would cancel though if you have concerns. You want to be safe first.
My "limit" is 4 over nights plus my dog. I also do doggy daycare with 3. I usually end up over booking my repeat customers due to extending stays or drop/pick up overlaps. The pups all know each other from past stays and get along great. But, it can/will be a lot of extra work for you. If you find yourself over booked that may include an upcoming meet & greet, I would still do the meet & greet.
During Meet & Greets, I evaluate if the dog And owner is a good fit. Sometimes one or the other isn't a good fit. It's not just about the dog because some owners could be quite difficult to work with. If the dog isn't a good fit, be upfront and let them know at the meet & greet. At the meet & greet ask if they have or are going to interview other rover hosts. If I accept, when the dog comes and after owner leaves, I do a very slow introduction 1 on 1 with each new pup and ones that are repeats. Then I take them for a walk so the bond and become a pack. Helps me out when a dog needs to extend their stay and creates an overlap. That happens frequently with me.
Unless you want all the dogs, then you'll have to cancel the second M&G. I have done that once or twice where I responded before checking my calendar. I just apologized and gave them my available dates "if their travel plans were flexible."