different rates depending on size of dog?
I have in my profile for dog hosting no small dogs however I get requests for jobs. Is it OK to say small dogs case by case and may be charge additional fee?
3 Answers
First off, from your profile, you have checked that you will accept small (1-15 lb) dogs. If that is not your desire, then I suggest you correct your profile and then, perhaps, you won't get requests from owners of small dogs. But that is no guarantee. We all get requests for dogs outside of our parameters. I only host small dogs but regularly get requests for large ones. I turn them down. Rover doesn't have a mechanism for charging based on dog size, only a puppy rate because they may require more attention than an adult dog. Since I don't see how a small adult dog requires additional attention, an owner may perceive your higher rate as unjustifiable. Better to turn the request down and let the owner find a sitter who wants to sit for small dogs.
Edit: You have mixed up your hosting and sitting preferences. I assume you do not want small dogs in your home because you have a boxer and many small dogs have issues with large ones. However, you are willing to travel to homes with small dogs. Just fix your preferences on your profile.
Looking at your responses I would recommend that you set your references to allow small dogs depending on if you are willing to leash the dog, or not to allow them if you are not willing to put in the extra time. You may also consider making some modifications to the fence for extra safety.
Some big dogs are equally a flight risk as small dogs if not more. I also think based on your previous comment that you should get the protection package to get the tracker in case of emergencies, it really is worth the peace of mind (Or look into other tracker systems like TrackR Bravo)
Additional fee might be seem as unjustifiable but you can however raise your price and then you can lower it if any of the customers seem concern and their pets fall in the easy to take care of scale. This might cause you to get less requests so until you get more reviews and repeat customers keep your price low and to keep your reviews high always accept the dog only if you feel comfortable.
Thank you for the input Karen. I view more as a safety issue for the small dog. Meaning I have a fence yard and with big dogs I dont have to worry about crawling underneath or thru an opening etc..
Comments
From your photos, I see what you mean by openings in the fence. I wouldn't leave a small dog alone outside if there were a possibility it could get through a fence. As for digging, only certain breeds do that. I once had a mini rat terrier stay with me (cutest little guy) but he would go into a frenzy in my yard and I was afraid he might burrow under the fence. Better you don't host the little guys.
Yes I don't leave any dog alone unless I host them before. I have a small dog now and I take him put on his leash when he needs to go out. So I took your advice I remove small dog from my profile.
Since the rat terrier wasn't a "walking" dog, I had to put a leash on him as well just to use the backyard for pottying. Some dogs I can just let out and they'll run down the stairs, lift their leg a couple of times and run back up. Not this one. I just didn't feel safe leaving him on his own.