Drop-ins without Meet-and-Greets?

Always do a meet and greet before booking any drop ins, house sitting,boarding,or walks! That way you can address any care instructions up front, you can see how the dog and owner behave, and you can get a key from your client. I do not like for clients to hide keys for me. I either keep a key or have them use a lockbox. The owner shouldn't think a meet and greet is too much trouble; you are a stranger going into their house to care for their pet! It is a red flag if an owner will not do a meet and greet before booking. On the other hand, I understand that emergency situations happen, but if a request is more than 24 hours away, I insist on a meet and greet first.

In addition to what Veronica said, imagine walking into a strange house with a dog that has strong protective instincts. You might not only be able to get near the dog but worse could happen. Much better to visit the dog/house and discuss with the owner just in case. Remember, dogs frequently act differently when the owner is not present,

I'm just curious how it is for people out there that need a doggy day car or overnight care. For example, I would NEVER leave my Lucy with someone I never met and could not see the atmosphere first. How on earth can you love your pet so much and be so trusting to try to drop off your pet with a complete stranger and not know if your dog is going to be ok with the owners dog? Even if I had an emergency, I wouldn't do it. I think part of owning a pet is setting yourself up to have some back up plans for travel and different things that can come up.

My golden rule is to always conduct a meet and greet - no surprises for me!

I prefer meet and greet although I don't like the time without pay part off it. Regular job interviews happen every couple of years. This is much more often. Dogs need to know you with owners present and have thier permission to go with you.

I had one client that was unable to do meet and greet due to short notice of need ( he was a firefighter and didnt know he wouldn't be home until he couldn't go home), I didnt much care for the idea but luckily the dog was friendly. For the first visit, I brought my husband as backup just in case.

I recently hired a sitter to do a drop in for my dogs and we did a meet and greet, my mom and I would have never just let someone come to the house without meeting them first.

I would also insist on a meet and greet before I did a drop in for someone. I wouldn't feel comfortable going to someones home who I had never met before and I would like to meet the dog/s in advance.

Hello, I have been a rover sitter for over two years now and I haven't always done a meet and greet but the options is always available. I understand there are risk walking into a home without a dog knowing you because they can be very protective of their home but it isn't always an option for some pet parents as I have had multiple people contact me the day a stay started with a sitter cancelling or half way thru a stay their current sitter cancelling. It is honestly just how you feel. I am extremely confident in my ability to handle all dogs aggressive or not. I do highly recommend meet and greets tho but like I said it isn't mandatory. Also, if the booking is confirmed I will get paid and take care of their pets and home regardless if I meet them or not.