I recently accepted a boarding request for a client’s two dogs. This lady will be dropping off her dogs at my house and her son will be picking them up. It wasn’t until after I accepted that she told me this. This is my first time boarding so I’m quite cautious, do other sitters always do meet and greets?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
Especially since you have multiple pets of your own. I always require a M&G prior to accepting any booking because I need to make sure our pets get along and I want to see how they behave in my home. A dog who walks in and starts marking all over my furniture, for example, is not going to stay with me.
In the case of two dogs who have never been boarded, if this booking is for a lengthy stay, I might propose doing a test run first of say one night or a doggy day care of one day, just to see how they acclimate to you and your home environment.
M&Gs are highly advisable. I can't tell you the number of sitters posting her with horror stories and the one common reason is that they never met the dog or owner before the stay. If there is still time, have the M&G and really discuss their boarding needs. Also be sure that you have an emergency contact in case the dogs need to be picked up earlier.
Is there no way to be paid for a M&G?
I would also agree, Meet and Greets are a must! Clients may tell you how great and wonderful their dogs are. And although I do always want to give every client the benefit of doubt. You never know how the dogs are going to behave outside of their own home.
I highly recommend doing a meet and greet before accepting any boarding requests. This allows you to meet the dogs and their owner in person, ask questions, and assess if it's a good fit for both parties. During the meet and greet, you can also discuss any specific care instructions and go over the routine the dogs are used to.
That being said, some sitters may be comfortable with skipping the meet and greet if they have a lot of experience and feel confident in their ability to care for any dog. However, it's important to keep in mind that every dog is different and may have specific needs or behavior quirks that you may not be aware of without meeting them in person first.
This checklist can help you: https://www.rover.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/rover-meet-and-greet-checklist.pdf (https://www.rover.com/blog/wp-content/u…)
Good luck!