I was wondering if anyone offered Dog Taxi services? I've had several coworkers and friends tell me that it would be a service I could be a lot of money on, especially living and working in the District.

For example, a co-worker has to pay her dog-sitter for Thursday night, despite leaving on Saturday, because she is unable to get a zip car and take him to the sitter on Friday evening after work. (I have obviously used this as an opening to promote myself to sit her dog, since I already check on her cat for her.)

This isn't a pickup/drop off so much as being the Dog's personal driver to boarding/doggie daycare/etc.

I was wondering if anyone had any success with that type of service, and if so, how they booked it, rates offered, etc.

Click on the profile tab and scroll down to "Request Testimonials." You can then send emails to those you'd like to have submit reviews.

These reviews will not show up as 5 stars on your profile, that only occurs when a Rover client reviews your stay. But you will still have an abundance of positive reviews on your profile.

I have a disclaimer in my profile that states that I will book with the client that prioritizes the meet and greet and confirms the booking first. That way I am clear that while I'm open to meeting with you and your pet(s), I am not going to sit around and wait for you to get around to it and potentially lose out on a guaranteed booking. I feel this is especially important for holiday weekends, since the dates are in such demand.

I recently had to archive 14 requests within 48 hours, due to scheduling/requests/location/etc. I don't think it hurt my ranking at all, as I still continue to receive requests pretty frequently.

I have my first sit today with a Non M&G client. I went ahead and booked it because it was a Yorkie, and the stay was for about 9 hours. Worst comes to worse as far as getting a long with my cats/behavior I could fence the pup into the kitchen. They were supposed to be here at 10:30am, and they still haven't arrived (12:36 at the time of writing). I can't speak to how the dog is, but I can say that I don't think I will be taking out of town clients again. They are new to the city they are visiting. My client is late because they "underestimated traffic." DC is in the Top Ten for worst traffic in the country, and their lack of preparation has lead me to basically rearrange my schedule twice today because they can't be on time.

I do the same.

I think they remove you from the search so you don't have constant requests for a date frame. It saves the owners time from messaging you and then you having to respond that you have several clients in a queue.

I archive messages if I don't hear back from an owner within 24 hours. I assume that means you aren't prioritizing your dog's stay, and it allows me to show up to people who are still looking. I frequently receive messages after they've been archived, but usually by that time I've had another client lined up.

Maybe just link to your profile? There are reviews on there where the client speaks to the quality of service you provided. I would just put that official references are note available, or something that nature.

For my profile, after I set up a profile to "get my name out there" I went through the top sitters in my area based on rating/# of reviews, and looked to see what type of information they included. I ended up with a more transparent, fleshed out profile. Almost immediately I started receiving more inquiries because I was able to show who I was/am as a person and an animal lover.

I think a catchy headline helps too!

I just had a client pick their dogs up 2 hours late last night, with only an hour's notice. Now that I know I can add late fees after the fact, I will be doing that in the future. If a flight is delayed, that's obviously out of their control, but this pet parent just left the beach later than they should have to come pick up their dogs. I think a late fee will deter that for future clients. Thanks for the idea.

There is an Edit Dog Notes option on the dog's page, where you can input notes. I notate what time they like to eat, when they typically do #2s, and if they particularly enjoyed walking in a specific area. But I also keep a paper based log as well.

One thing I realized after this happened to me the first time, is that there are 2 calendars if you are both a boarder and a traveling sitter. So while my boarding calendar may show unavailable once I make a booking, it won't automatically make those dates unavailable on the traveling sitter calendar. I assume this is because as a traveling sitter you don't need to necessarily stay overnight in their home. I usually mark the dates as unavailable myself, even if I am technically available to do dog walks or cat care, because it's easier than explaining to people who inquire that inquire that you are only available for quick visits, not overnight stays.

Karen- a non-refundable deposit is a great idea for the major holidays. I'm still new, and haven't had a major holiday for sitting besides memorial day, but for Thanksgiving and Christmas I may employ that. Especially because I would ask my family to come to me for Tgiving so I could take on a client.

I would definitely add it to your resume. It shows you are trustworthy, organized, kind, and it shows you have some sort of experience with a job in an environment other than an office. You can use difficult experiences as an answer in interviews as well.

I post my profile to Craigslist every time I have a solid stretch of availability coming up, and right before holidays if I'm not already booked. I also post to Facebook once a month asking friends to share.

I recently ordered some business cards, and have left them out in my building lobby, and at the Wylie Wagg that just opened near my apartment.

These three relatively simple actions have lead to a pretty decent request rate, but it's also possible this is do to my geographic location.