I was wondering if I am expected to be available all day and all night for dog sitting or if mornings and evenings/overnight would be enough. Can I still go to my day job?
Many pet owners also work full time, and as long as your rates are fair they probably will understand that you have to work as well.
I work a full time job in addition to watching dogs on Rover. I make sure clients know this in the initial message (as well as it being in my profile) and that their dogs will be left alone for up to 4 hours at a time on weekdays (I always come home for a long lunch when I'm dog sitting). I've never had an issue with an owner or dog by not continuously being home.
For what it's worth, I think Kristin C.'s rates are already very low. As long as she is up front and honest with owners about the level of care and supervision she can provide, I think working in addition to Rover is just fine!
It really depends on your arrangements with the owners. You need to be honest with them that you are gone for 8+ hours during the day and ask if their dogs are ok with this. You are not expected to be there 24 hours a day, but I generally try not to be gone more than 3 hours at a time. My guess is that you should dramatically lower your rates because you are not providing as much care or as good of a service as someone who works from home or does Rover full-time so is able to be at the client's house more often.
heh, sorry I didn't give the answer you wanted. Thanks for the down vote. Good luck..
I think the issue is that after Rover takes their cut, the going rate is only $20-$40 per day. (8 hours of minimum wage at a regular job is $58.) No one can live off of what you'd be making without having another job, so it's unreasonable to expect someone to stay there 24/7.
I have my schedule posted on my profile-
I offer both doggy daycare 8:00 am-6:00 pm (Sat-Tues) and 24 hour boarding (All week). Drop off is preferably 8:00 am but can be flexible when needed! We are home Sat, Sun, Mon, & Tues but we do work Wed - Friday (Pups still get a bathroom break at lunch time)
It’s really up to you! The main thing is letting the owner know what’s going on. Imagine the dog having extreme separation anxiety when your gone and come home to a ruined house. I have a full and part time job, Im a full time student and I drive Lyft a few hours a week. I make sure I let the the client know in the meet and greet as well as the first contact becuase I don’t want them to expect me to be home all day and night with their dog. I’m home the majority of the day and I’m never gone for more than a few hours, but still if the client is expecting one thing and you deliver another that’s a 1 Star review. I think it’ll be wise to have a job on top of rover to supplement your income it’s good side cash!