Overnight stays?
[Deleted].
3 Answers
Shauna B., welcome to Rover!
I'm going to avoid the price aspect of this question, as I do not feel qualified to answer it, but in terms of safety, hopefully I can provide an interesting perspective.
Like the folks above have stated, it's not unusual to be asked to stay the night, but if you feel that something is not right, go with your gut. Don't do anything you are uncomfortable doing. This is YOUR business, and you make the rules of what you will or will not do. While it's great being able to care for dogs, it's even better (1) being safe, and (2) feeling safe in the choices you make when you take on the clients and circumstances that you do. Know that if you do not want to do a particular service, there are many other sitters on here who would love to do it, the same way that there are many services you provide that others are unable to.
If you do decide to move forward with that match, make sure you do a meet and greet, in a public place (and even bring a friend along if it will help you feel safe!), so that you can better get to know the dog(s) you will watch and what the expectations of the owners are (e.g., will you sleep on the couch or in the guest bedroom? Are you allowed to use their shower? Can you have a guest over, especially if it will make you feel safer? Should you bring your own food? Can you use their internet/cable?). Then, you might set up a second appointment to meet with them in their home and get a walk through of where everything is.
Remember that Rover encourages all new clients to the site to contact at least three (3) sitters, and go from there. If you do choose not to accept the match, I would recommend letting them know sooner than later, as the first point of contact/response to them will affect items on your profile (for example, it will say "replies within a day" instead of "replies within the hour").
Hope this helps & that you have a great experience with this site!
Staying overnight is not that unusual. There are many people who would interpret a traveling sitter's services as staying in the client's home, not just visiting. Some people want a sitter to stay in their home for many reasons, but the most important may be that their dog has severe separation anxiety and does better in his/her own home. They may also want a housesitter while they're away.
You should not do anything that makes you uncomfortable, nor do you need to provide any explanation other than it is not a service you provide. I would not try to sell your own traveling services as there is no way you could guarantee a different outcome than what happened with the previous sitter.
Hi Shauna - Welcome to Rover! I would suggest that you not do ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable. Many traveling sitters do not stay overnight, and yes they do typically charge extra. Hopefully a traveling sitter will weigh in for you on how much extra. I would check sitter fees in your area - that's the best way to gauge if what you're charging makes sense. If it were me, I would simply write them back and emphasize that you would love to help (but you are not able to stay overnight...you don't need a reason or excuse not to, it's simply not a service you offer) and describe in detail the services you offer - how often you will come to visit their dogs, for how long, and what you will do with them while you're there (take them for a walk, play their favorite games, feed them, give cuddles and pets, doggie massages, etc). Be very reassuring and insist that you will not leave their dogs in a state of stress or their house in disarray and that you'll be there plenty often to make sure they do not have a need to leave any puddles or piles in the house. Also make sure you ask them exactly what time they will return and to let you know if their plans change (you can charge extra if you have to make an additional visit outside of what was agreed upon).
Comments
I have an overnight visit and the owner give me a guest bedroom that has a bunch of junk all over it. Do I still have to stay here or can I refuse since I did not provide adequate room
Hey Shauna - once a question is answered, it's not necessary to delete it. Keeping it here may help others looking for similar information.