Is it ever appropriate to not have a meet and greet?

I personally only schedule a meet & greet if they request it, because that only takes up more of my time and I'm not getting paid for it. I can't afford to spend time running around meeting people/dogs all the time, so I only oblige when requested. I've never had any problems handling it this way so far. I may change my policy in the future if problems arise, but for now, having as few meet & greets as possible works far better for me, but you should do whatever makes you most comfortable.

I personally would never book anyone without a meet & greet! How would you know that the dog will get along with you and/or your pets? I believe meet & greets are essential....to get everything out in the open on expectations for the stay. The meet & greets benefit both you and the pet parents, not to mention the pets themselves.

I almost always have a meet & greet first. Only after exchanging a Lot of communication about the dog (size, medical, temperament, preferences, routines, habits, etc), I've made a couple exceptions. These occurred when the owner&pet are traveling together from a distance many hours away and the owner wants to spend some time doing things/going places in the area where the dog isn't welcome, In these scenarios, I always discuss their back-up plan in case it's not a good fit, but it's never been necessary. Meet and greets are very important to me. Of course, it takes time, but to me the investment is worth it. I care for dogs to enrich my dog's life (and thereby mine). Not to add stress! While we can navigate around issues, that's not how either of us want to spend our time. Some M&G's proved to not be a good match and a short visit to determine that was much better than booking a not so fun stay.

I used to require meet and greets, but now I tend to do it for either larger dogs, dogs who aren't neutered or for extended stays. Usually everyone gets along if that's the energy I send out into the universe.

I guess I'm the odd duck here but I never have meet and greets unless the owner requests it.

I have done it. It is not a good idea. One example, they said the other sitter flaked last minute and their pup was a basenji. I only take small dogs and I accepted without a meet and greet. THEY SHOW UP WITH A PITBULL MIX! A large dog. Now I have to stress and worry about safety and what my other customers think when they see their sweet 5lb pup with a large dog. I find that people that don't have time for a meet and greets might not be totally honest and desperate to find a sitter. I have a few other examples but all with the same out come, dogs that are not a fit for my home and the customer was not up front about issues with the dog. Meet and greets are very important! I hope that helps, happy sitting! Amber G

I require Meet and Greets and have only made an exception for out-of-town dogs whose owners came to visit friends for a day or over a weekend. Because the dogs were here for only a short period of time, I felt I could handle any problem situations but none arose. I have specifically asked new customers to bring over their dogs to meet other regular guests who stay with me during the holidays.

It is true M&Gs do take up your time and you are not compensated. However, they are quite important to the process and all parties feel much more comfortable with their respective decisions. Based on M&Gs, I too have declined to accept a few dogs. As an example, I've had male dogs immediately start marking and others who wouldn't stop humping my dog and I wouldn't subject him to that kind of behavior for any period of time.

I suppose if you were to not require M&Gs, then you would need to have ways of dealing with dogs who don't get along, for example, crating or you are an expert in animal behavior or training.

Obviously meet and greets are an important part of our business, however last minute bookings do come up and a client may not be able to make it to your house. What I would suggest is to offer to go to their house to at least meet the owner and the dog. This way you can get a feel of the dogs personality. I have never had a problem with a dog coming into my home, but you have a good sense of the behaviors your dog likes and dislikes.

If you can't meet at all, tell them if there is a bad vibe when they bring the dog for boarding you may have to decline their request. Honesty is the best policy.

I do M&Gs whenever possible for overnight stays (especially if I'm hosting dogs from multiple households!) because my options for separating dogs are limited. I've done it a handful of times. When I first started out I didn't do M&Gs for my first couple dogs and neither were the best fit (both very nice dogs, but too loud for the apartment I was in). Since then I've only done it with extenuating circumstances, like last minute or out of town bookings. So far--fingers crossed--those have all gone well. For those exceptions I try to arrange for the owner to drop off a little earlier than normal so we can take the dogs for a walk together before they leave. I've never had to turn down a dog after taking them for a walk with mine, so even of the owners can't come early, I'll keep my older dog kenneled for drop off and take the dogs for a walk immediately after the owners leave.

I do not require a M&G for daycare, though; I actually like using the first day as a trial run to see how the dog does without the owners around. I'll always phrase it as such to the owners, like "I'd be happy to watch Warthog on Friday to make sure my house is a good fit for him. If all goes well we can discuss his future stays."

I only board one dog at a time, or dogs from the same family. I still require a meet and greet, because I want to see how the dog reacts to me, my house and my yard. I also want to verify the size and breed of the dog. I had one client who said they had a German Shepherd about 75 pounds. At the M&G I see that the dog is over 100 pounds and almost up to my chest in height. Needless to say, that visit was declined.