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Why doesn't Rover require all dog sitters to be trained in pet first aid?

I was very surprised to see the sheer number of pet sitters advertising their services, with no experience or training in pet first aid. 'Grew up with dogs' and 'loves dogs' does not make a sitter equipped to deal with emergency scenarios- what if my dog chokes on it's meal, or a treat/toy? What if my dog is injured during play or during a walk and needs to be safely restrained and transported to the vet? What if they get into something in the sitter's home or on a walk and begin to show signs of poisoning? These are very real scenarios that a person you are hiring to look after your pet should be ready and capable of handling. I understand that Rover offers a 24-hr help line to their sitters, however that would not be as helpful in a practical setting.

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I'm a pet sitter, and I understand your concern completely. I would be concerned too. I can speak for myself in that I have owned and cared for dogs long enough that I know when it's a situation I can't handle. IMHO, pet first aid is something that really SHOULD be known by pet sitters.

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Jill, you make a n umber of very good and relevant points. However, the people on this platform do not work for Rover. They are all independent. Rover makes it very clear in its Terms of Service that it transfers the responsibility for determining the suitability and qualifications of the sitter to you, the customer, and vice versa since Rover does nothing, absolutely nothing, to vet the people purporting to be customers on this site.

As it states in Section 2.2, "Rover does not provide pet care services." It goes on:

We make no representations or warranties about the quality of boarding, pet sitting, dog walking, house sitting, or other services provided by Service Providers (“Pet Care Services”), or about your interactions and dealings with users. Service Providers listed on Rover are not under the direction or control of Rover, and Service Providers determine in their own discretion how to provide Pet Care Services. Though we provide general guidance on our Site to Service Providers about safety and pet care and to Pet Owners about selecting and engaging Service Providers, Rover does not employ, recommend or endorse Service Providers or Pet Owners, and, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we will not be responsible or liable for the performance or conduct of Service Providers or Pet Owners, whether online or offline. We conduct an initial review of Service Provider profiles and we facilitate Background Checks or Identification Verifications (each as described in Section 10, below) on Service Providers conducted by a third party, but, except where explicitly specified in the Rover Service (and then only to the extent specified), do not otherwise screen Service Providers or Pet Owners. You should exercise caution and use your independent judgment before engaging a Service Provider, providing Pet Care Services, or otherwise interacting with users via the Rover Service. Pet Owners and Service Providers are solely responsible for making decisions that are in the best interests of themselves and their pets. For example, each user of the Rover Service is responsible for keeping current his or her own pet’s vaccinations, and we will have no liability for anyone’s failure to vaccinate his or her pet.

https://www.rover.com/terms/tos/