I have a cat as well, and haven't had any problems with the rover dogs that I sit. Even though every single owner says "I'm not sure how they'll do with a cat...they've never been around one before" the dogs really seem to do fine once they're actually in the same room with the cat. Granted, my cat is very confident and doesn't seem to mind the dogs.

For my first few sits, before I knew my cat would be comfortable with strange dogs in the house, I kept a baby gate over the guest bedroom door. I left the cat's food and water and litter box in there, so the cat spent a good amount of her time in the room. The baby gate allowed the guest dogs to see and smell her and just get used to her presence. She eventually just will jump the baby gate and introduce herself to the dogs, no problem.

I have a big yard, so I like to play fetch with energetic dogs or just generally let them hang around outside enjoying the sun. I also take all my dogs on daily walks in the evening, I find this helps them settle in and sleep through the night.

I have a big yard, so I like to play fetch with energetic dogs or just generally let them hang around outside enjoying the sun. I also take all my dogs on daily walks in the evening, I find this helps them settle in and sleep through the night.

I have a pretty dusty yard and after a weekend of rolling around in it, most dogs are total messes! I wouldn't want to send the dogs back to their owners looking worse than I got them, so I've been giving them all baths before they go home. I was just wondering if this is common practice? Has anyone ever had an owner get upset for giving their dog a bath? So far I haven't, but I'm worried about it in the future. I don't generally tell the owner I'm planning on bathing them just in case something comes up and I don't have the time, but I'm thinking maybe I should start asking just in case...?