Filling out the sitter profile, I noticed we need at least one photo of us walking or playing with a dog, and the meet and greet before securing any commitment needs to have the sitter's dog meet with the owner's dog. What if we owned or cared for dogs in the past but do not own a dog now?
You do not have to own a dog in order to be a Rover sitter or walker. Rover does advise that your profile contain pics of you with dogs, so that potential customers get a sense of your affinity towards dogs. But owning one is NOT a requirement.
The Meet & Greet thing only applies to sitters who board and have their own dog. Rover wants to ensure that, if you have a dog, they meet beforehand. If you don't have a dog, then you are good to go. Have the client and his/her dog over, talk to them, observe the dog in your home, and figure out if this is a situation that works.
Definitely what Karen said! I would just add on that one of the main reasons Rover tells you to put photos of you with dogs is to help you attract clients. There are many sitters on Rover, and if you are a dog owner looking for a sitter, the odds of you picking one with no dog pictures over a sitter with dog pictures is low. I used photos of my previous dogs and of dogs of family and friends, or ones I watched before. Good Luck!
And best not to photoshop a dog in either. I know that sounds crazy but I have seen such a sitter pic on Rover. : \
I do not own a dog and I have had good success with Rover. I have found that many clients would prefer a sitter without dogs because their dog (dogs) don't do well with other dogs. Maybe take a photo with a friend's dog would be helpful.
Find a friend with a pet and ask them to come over for a little photoshoot!