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How do you go about doing a meet and greet with a new client when you have a guest dog already boarding?

I've been a rover sitter for about 8-9 months, but it took me around 3 months to get my first booking. The few stays I have completed have been good and the owners left positive reviews, i'm receiving a good amount of dog boarding requests for the summer months coming up.

I have my own dog so a meet and greet before booking a stay with me is a MUST, but as i'm not that busy with clients i've managed to avoid booking a meet and greet at the same time I have a dog boarding.

How would I go about this if the new client for example.. says they're only free a certain date, and I have a guest dog then? I prefer all meet and greets for dog boarding or daycare to take place in my house, so that the client can see exactly where their dog will be staying, what kind of services are near by such as parks, emergency vets, and what they're paying for basically so they are not in the dark when dropping them off. Also so I can assess the dogs behaviour when in my house and garden.

I do not crate dogs unless requested by the owner at bedtime, so it wouldn't be fair to shove them in a crate for the duration of the meet and greet, and the same with shutting them in another room. if the dogs aren't going to be boarding at the same time then I don't feel the need introduce them.

Should I try and rearrange it, meet them someplace else, decline the booking altogether..?

5 Answers

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Lisa H.

I actually do Meet & Greets with dogs while I have others I'm boarding. One reason is that it's rare that I don't have a boarder, the other is that this is a way for me to assess how the new dog is going to interact with dogs (I don't have my own). The exception is if I have a dog I'm boarding that is not good with other dogs or if the owner of the dog coming over for the Meet & Greet has indicated their dog is not good with others. In these cases I only meet while I'm not boarding or I can have a safe alternative (i.e. the boarded dog loves the crate and I crate him in my bedroom with the door closed or someone in my household can take the other dog(s) for a walk. When I do have the Meet & Greet with boarders I take every precaution possible, which first and foremost means making sure there is a barrier between the dogs at first. I know that Rover suggests you have dogs meet out on the sidewalk on leashes but not only is this just not realistic sometimes, some dogs are leash aggressive. Here's how I handle it:

Option 1: Have the dogs already boarded in the back yard and let the new dog come in the front and they can see each other through the sliding glass door first. I do this for dogs that are either generally super good with all other dogs.

Option 2: If a dog I'm boarding loves his crate and considers it a safe place I will put the dog I'm boarding in a crate. The crate is in the living area where the new dog and boarded dog can meet with a barrier.

Option 3: I have a gate or barrier that separates the entry area rooms from the main area. The boarded dogs are in the main area and the new dog comes in through the front areas. They can sniff each other through the gate. If I have a dog that can jump the gate or a big dog that can likely jump it I don't use this option.

I have definitely had instances where we stayed in the front area for the Meet & Greet (I can use a side door to take them out back) because dogs that are normally good with others just took a random dislike to the other or one of the dogs needs a really slow introduction. In my experience, owners appreciate that I do the Meet & Greet with other dogs there b/c it allows them to see other dogs in my care. But they also really appreciate the caution I take to ensure the safety of all the dogs. In a couple of cases, even though their dog was a little scared (totally happens) and we never went into the main areas ... (more)

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Walt G.

Book a Stay
Woodbridge, VA

Most sitters will not include a boarding dog in their meet and greets, it makes good sense. You have to crate or put the dog in a room even if that goes against your normal practive or as you noted host the M&G at a neutral location but you should include your dog in the meeting.

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Pam C.

I have had this same situation come up a few times. I am lucky enough to have mud-room off of the kitchen, with a gate, that I use to separate the guest furbaby from the Meet & Greet dogs. I've also, on occasion, blocked them in a bathroom, with the door open so they can see what's going on, but access is restricted by a baby-gate.

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Norma L.

If I have a meet and greet while I have visitors, everyone participates. The exception are the very large, very strong visitors. They get to chill in my bedroom or their crate if they have one. Otherwise, everyone joins the fun and its a great benefit to see how the new dog reacts to all different breeds, sizes, sex, etc. so if you have that dog booked and get another request you'll know if it'll work or not. I pull my car out and we meet/greet in the garage. Enough room and no one can escape its the door down. Then each of mine go into the backyard. Once everyone has met the new dog, the new dog and owners join the others in the back yard (can be let off leash to run and pee and play). Once everyones comfy, we all go inside for the same assessment and see how they do in the house. That's when I find out it they're allowed on furniture, ask other questions (or answer them) and watch the people relax to see their pup will be loved, safe and happy. Only a couple times have I turned a family away for incompatibility -- but that's the VALUE of the meet/greet.

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Cindy & Stephen G.

When I was starting out it wasn't problem scheduling a MnG with no dog on site...the schedule was a light lighter lol. Now, I've got a dog or two here almost every day each month, so more and more of the MnG's I do have another client's dog in my home.

As a single client boarder, I do not allow the dogs of different clients to meet. The closest thing has been a room divider b/c one dog needed to stay a day longer than originally planned, and a new dog came in.

Crating and separating through the use of secure barriers are essential to provide responsible pet care services. I remember not too long ago a sitter who thought confining to her bedroom was sufficient. The dog chewed up the door frame.

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How do you go about doing a meet and greet with a new client when you have a guest dog already boarding?

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