For boarding and daycare, I'm home full-time. So I typically send 5-6/day. For house sitting stays, I send about 3 per day. For walks/drop-ins, I send one per pet per visit.

In all states of which I am aware, owners are responsible for the pet's behavior in all situations, except those arising out of negligence/abuse or a crime (like a robbery). If you give someone permission to be on your property, you are responsible for any damages that person sustains during the interaction with your dog. In most places, anyone witnessing a dog bite is required to report it to Animal Control.

I woud look at your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy to see if warranties are available for dog bites. Many policies have specific coverage (or exclusions) for those matters.

It’s absolutely appropriate to reach out to an unhappy client to receive feedback on your services. But, first, reach out to Rover to see if they can give you any information on what happened. It sounds like there wasn’t an issue until their return home, which makes me believe there was something about the condition of the house or dogs that wasn’t to their liking.

If Rover can’t give you any information (or won’t), reach out to the client via message to address their concerns. “Hi, so and so. I received word from Rover that you were not satisfied with the care that Fido and Rover received during my stay. I was surprised to hear that, and I was hoping you might provide me some insight into your concerns? I take client satisfaction very seriously, and I welcome any feedback you might provide.”

Most of the time the dog is allowed to play and be a “normal dog” when they are given a specific command or signal that they are not working. Some dogs know they can be a “normal dog” when their owner releases them from their vest, etc.

Hi, Tina! That is Rover's way of saying "be available on the weekends if you want to earn more", but there is currently no way to adjust weekend vs. weekday rates.

I personally wouldn't take the sit because it seems like a high liability situation. The dog could get spooked and try to bolt out of the unfenced property. It could be aggressive with you, making the stay impossible.

That is all up to what the owner wants and what you are comfortable doing. Personally, I always invite new owners inside if they were unable to do a meet and greet. Some, especially last minute daycare clients, decline doing so if they are in a rush. But I always offer.

If the dog has access to a yard at your home, the owner may not need you to walk the dog. But that will be up to what they want.

I do. And like most boarding facilities in my area, I ask that bordatella be updated every six months. We require vet records to prove vaccination history and keep a copy to have on hand for the dog's file.

Unfortunately there is not an option to make it part of your "settings". But you can type it into your profile so that potential guests can read that information while looking for a sitter. In reality though, many pet parents do NOT read sitter profiles. So I imagine you'll have to continue to ask that of new requests. I've just come up with a great copy/past initial message that I use so that I don't have to type it out every time. Something like:

"Hi so and so. I read through Rover's profile and he seems like a great pup! I'd love to setup a meet and greet to determine if its a good fit and discuss his care in more detail. Just to confirm, I do require all guest dogs to be UTD on vaccines and spayed/neutered. Would you like to proceed with a meet and greet?"

Hi, Gabe. The modification must be done before they accept. You'll need to cancel the pending stay. Then click "modify". From there you'll be able to make a cost adjustment. Once that is done, re-confirm the booking your end.

Technically, yes. You CAN charge for a meet and greet by setting up a drop-in visit. But realistically...the market isn't on your side. No other sitters are likely charging for a meet and greet. The whole purpose of the meet and greet is to ensure that both parties are comfortable with the arrangement before money is exchanged.

Like Walt said, definitely look into getting your own insurance.

Second, there are other things you can do to limit the odds of something bad happening at a meet and greet:

-Don't allow children to attend meet and greets. Client children or your own (if you have any). I tell clients children under 13 are not allowed on site for liability reasons.

-Never let M&G dogs interact with your guests. Prior to the meet and greet, you don't know if the dog is reactive, aggressive, snaps out of fear, etc. Don't let an untested, uninsured dog interact with paying customers. I always keep boarding/daycare clients in a bedroom or in the backyard while a meet and greet proceeds.

-Ask the owner to arrive with the dog leashed so that you it is under the control of its owner. Once you meet the dog and have a sense of its anxiety level, you can proceed to do leashed introductions with your dog(s) if you have any.

-Allow the dog to sniff around before introducing other dogs to the mix so that they can settle down a bit before being overwhelmed with a new pup to meet.

-If you host multiple dogs at a time, ask if the dog is used to being around multiple dogs in an off leash setting (dog parks, daycare, etc). If not, be extra cautious with introducing them to the high stimulation scenario of multiple dogs. Book a test day of daycare/overnight or ask to meet at a dog park so you can see how the dog does in a group situation.

I know, personally, I often sleep on the couch while house sitting AND I always remake the bed if I sleep in it. Since I have midday walks, I usually don’t use my house sitting clients’ restrooms that often throughout the day.

There is no fool-proof system for ensuring the sitter was there, unless you have cameras on your property. If you feel that the sitter did not provide the services you paid for, I would suggest checking in with the sitter first to see what they have to say.

In addition to Walt's response, sometimes its necessary to add fees AFTER the stay is confirmed. When that happens (say, I need to add a daycare charge for a late pick-up), I just create a new booking request, and the owner must confirm it before picking up their dog.

The important thing is that additional fees should be discussed before booking so that the client knows what they are paying for. If you don't tell a client that they need to pick up by X:XX or pay a daycare fee, then it isn't right to charge it.

I usually ask clients where the pup's treats are and if its ok to give them one during their midday walk. I only ever take pictures at the end of the walk, so I ask the pup to sit. Snap a picture while holding the treat, and give the pup their hard earned snack. If no snacks are allowed or available, I'll generally ask the pup to sit, make a funny noise to get their attention, and snap the pic.

Some dogs just can't hold their focus for the 2 seconds it takes to push the button for a picture. In these instances, I will send a blurry one, or one of their leashed dog midwalk.

Your regulars/repeats won't likely care. They trust you and have faith in the service you provide, that's why they're regulars!

Agreed. We have plenty of extra beds, and limiting things that smell like home helps limit any territorial behavior.

I don't OWN a pittie, but I do sit for many of them. Since we board multiple dogs a time, it's always possible that a client's dog may interact with a bully breed. In fact, my profile says "bully breed friendly" in all caps.

Before the meet and greet I always say, "Since we do board multiple guests, are there breeds that Fido does not get along with or that you prefer him not be around?". This lets me know if they are anti-"certain breed" before I even meet them in person.

Keep in mind, most anti-bully dogs are not interested in being educated otherwise. They have firm beliefs about certain dogs and they are not going to be easily swayed. If you encounter someone being nasty about your pup, I would let them know that while you respect their opinion, your dog is a well-behaved and well socialized pup. Then, let them know its not a good fit. You don't need that negativity, and Nash doesn't need it either.

Rover does not have a specific policy on this, as you are an independent contractor. Just know, that damage that a guest causes during a house sit is NOT covered by Rover’s insurance and you would be liable. Similarly, a guest is not covered if harmed by a client’s dog. However, if you would like to have company over, I highly suggest that you ask prior to any stay. Be specific about who is coming and transparent about if they’re spending the night, just visiting here and there, etc. You’ll also want to ensure that you ask about any person-related triggers a pet may have. Some pets are reactive to people of different genders, races, sizes, or with certain clothing.

Many clients have allowed my husband to visit while I sit. As a general rule, I only let him in common areas of the house and always let the dogs meet him outside, prior to him entering. He never comes in the house the first time I sit, only on repeat stays. If it is a long sit, I always ask if they would like to meet him to ensure their comfort with his presence.

In the past, I’ve turned my daycare on only long enough for them to send the request. Then, I immediately turned it back off (or, in my case, back to “repeats only”). After the first booking, you’ll be able to send bookings to them directly.

Yes, in order to contact a sitter, you do need to create a stay request by inputting dates. If you do not have any dates in mind, I would set the dates for several months in the future so that you are not removing any spots from the sitter’s upcoming calendar. In your initial message, I would just explain that you do not have any travel dates in mind yet, but are interested in developing a relationship with a sitter.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to send an inquiry without dates attached, though that was a feature with the other sitting service that Rover purchased.

Often times, many clients search for a sitter before filling out their dog’s profile or adding stay dates. As a result, they may find your profile during a general search and then submit the request. Repeat clients, similarly, already have your profile link. Clients are able to still send requests if you are unavailable, though they do see a notification that you may be unavailable during their selected dates. Your calendar availability only limits your visibility in search results.

Many new Rover customers do not complete their dog’s profile prior to searching for a sitter. Regrettably, a completed puppy profile is not necessary to submit a request. So their search results will likely not filter out sitters based on things like spay/neuter, age, etc. It is rare for clients to read through the entire profile of a sitter, as price and number of reviews tend to be the stand-out Information on the search functionality.

Most of us sitters have simply become accustomed to the fact that we will have to weed out many requests during the initial conversation and/or M&G. It IS inconvenient, but I like to think its the price to pay for having a very convenient platform from which to do business.

Hi, Carol:

That depends on how your home is setup. There are a number of ways sitters can gain access, but it depends on what works for your home.

-Most common would be to provide the sitter with a key, either by hiding one on the property or giving it to the sitter at the M&G.

-Some clients use e-deadbolts, where the sitters use a code to gain access to the front door.

-Some of my clients have a lockbox and give me the code, so that I can access the key and put it back at the end of the booking.

-Some condos or apartments will have the front desk staff let me into the apartment.

Like Walt said, the owner is responsible for the deductible (though many sitters feel responsible and end up paying it).

I've never had to use it, thankfully. But, I print out copies of information sheet on Rover's insurance and bring it to every M&G, giving one copy to the owners. I let them know our process if a dog needs a vet, that they'll be notified immediately, etc. Then I explain what the insurance covers/doesn't cover/ and who pays what.

For stays of more than a day or two, I ask that owners notify their vet that their dog is in the care of a sitter and authorize electronic payment from their account if needed.

This year, we are having postcards sent to each client with a picture of their pet from their Rover photo album. We made the postcards through a service and had them mailed directly to the clients. The cards were $0.90/card with postage included (we used Mailjoy).

We included a warm "Happy Holidays" note on the back with a recap of the amount of money we were able to donate to local shelters due to their support of our business. We donate 3% of profits to rotating shelters each month, and its been a big hit in years past to have this a part of our holiday greeting.

Front: Full size pic of dog/cat with the message: "From our Family to Yours - Happy Holidays. Love, Me, My Husband, and our Dog"

Back: "We're incredibly thankful for the support we receive from clients like you and FIDO. Our time with them makes the whole year feel like the holidays. But we feel especially grateful in this season of giving that our clients' support has enabled us to make $XXXX worth of donations to local shelter pets this year. Our warmest wishes to you and yours this holiday season".

I, personally, don't allow negotiation of my rate. I value my time immensely, especially if I am leaving my own home to stay in a client's house. And I would never spend the night outside of my home during a holiday on a reduced rate. You could say something along the lines of:

"Unfortunately, due to the increased demand around the holidays, I am not able to negotiate my rate for house sitting services. Currently, you are receiving a discount of ($XX/night) since you are not being charged for cat care. I'd be more than happy to continue caring for (ANIMAL NAMES), but my price of $XX per night would stand."

If they are hiring a dog walker because you are not able to walk the dogs during the day, you could offer to give them the number of Rover Match so that Rover's support team can find them a sitter that is home more during the middle of the day. But speaking from experience, the sitters that are home ALL DAY with house sitting guests tend to charge above average.

If your dog is not fixed, it should be absolutely contained within your property line at all times. Like Walt said, this will continue to happen as long as both pets are unaltered. The best way to keep your dog away from his mate is to keep him indoors and have him neutered. Most cities have leash laws requiring that pets be restrained when not on their own property (like on a leash). If your neighbors decide to report your dog, animal control will have the right to pick up your dog and you might have to pay a hefty fine to get him back.

Hi, Victoria.

Basically, the way you choose to charge is entirely up to you. So sitters differ on how they charge for things. As long as your prices are clearly listed in your profile or you are transparent about pricing at the M&G, it shouldn't be an issue.

Personally, I do the following:

Drop ins for one cat are the same as one dog ($10/30 min visit) Additional cats are are charged at the rate as "additional dogs" for drop-ins: ($5/cat per visit). If the booking is for drop-ins and they have one dog, and one cat: ($10 (first pet) + $5 (second pet)...and so on)

In these instances, you may have to go in and manually adjust pricing.

House sitting: -$35 for one pet (regardless of cat or dog) -$15 for each additional dog -$10 for first cat (if there is a dog on the booking) -$5 for each cat after the first cat

Examples: -Cat only: I charge the same rate as one dog ($35/night) -Cat with dog: ($35/night (first dog) + $10/night (cat care)) -2 cats with two dogs: ($35/night + $15/night (2nd dog) + $10 (first cat) + $5 (second cat))

Hi, Anita!

I have found that is easier to keep client conversations on Rover, just for ease of access (I can pull up everything from the app, my computer, etc.). In the event of an issue during the stay, keeping the conversation on the Rover thread also allows Rover's support team to more readily assist since they can access the entire conversation on their end.

That being said, some clients do not find the app or website easy to use. If your client has not synced their Rover account to receive text messages, you could offer the Rover Support number so they can guide them through that process. This makes it seamlessly available through their phone, and its just like texting you through any other number.

If she just needs to have a quick conversation regarding something, it might be wise to just send a recap of the conversation through Rover to make sure there's a record of it: "Thanks for making some time to chat today about Fido's care. Just to recap, here's a little summary of our call..."

Obviously, recap messages won't be feasible if she ONLY wants to communicate through her personal line. If you are not comfortable with that, just say something along the lines of, "I appreciate you expressing that to me. I do prefer to keep client communication through the Rover platform, as its easier for me to access from other devices and also allows Rover's 24/7 support network to access our thread in the event of an issue during your booking."