Some profiles have quiet hours (in the evening or morning) or are setup to only allow contact after a stay has been booked. It all depends on the preferences setup by the client when making their profile. Like Mary said, if you hover over it, it should tell you why the dot is red.

I agree with both Cari and Karen. Rover includes all of the dog's care in the nightly stay price. Since most sitters do not charge additional fees for walks during boarding or house-sitting, it could drive new clients away. At the meet and greet, I always lay out what my typical boarding schedule looks like. This includes a morning and evening walk, plus a midday and bed time potty break. If a client wants adjustments to this, such as a senior or puppy that need more frequent outings, I make note of it.

If you do decide to charge additional fees for walks, I would consider lowering your nightly price. If I was paying $200 for 4 nights for my two pups, I would expect that my sitter would walk my dog according to their usual schedule. I would only consider paying for walks if a sitter were on the lower end of pricing.

Of course, as Karen said, your fees are totally up to you! I would just suggest making it clear in your profile and in the messages leading up to the meet and greet, that walks would incur an additional charge. This way, a client doesn't feel blindsided at a M&G (or when booking) by new prices.

Hi, Cairn.

I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this. Unfortunately, I have been in this boat.

1. Definitely contact Rover Support. They'll be able to see the message history, and advise you of what to include in your response.
2. Respond to the owner by recounting your stay with the dogs. Keep things professional, but make it clear that you saw no indication that this happened under your watch. **I would ask for photos
3. You should not accept blame or responsibility for the financial burden of this. Damage to their household is covered by insurance (though they will have a $500 deductible).

If Rover feels like there is grounds for a refund, they will handle that. Same with financial coverage for any damage they claim occurred. My message to the client with whom I had a similar experience:

"Hey, there! I'm sorry to hear that your house was in the condition you described when you arrived home. I did a walk-through of the house before I left at 2:30 PM. I definitely did not notice any those things before I left. She did have a couple of accidents during the stay. As you know, she gets really nervous with strangers. So the first couple of days, when I would try to leash her up, she would run up the stairs (while pooping and peeing). I used the Nature's Miracle that you had under the sink to clean it up. I didn't notice any accidents on the rug in the bedroom, but I can assure you that she wasn't home alone for more than the 3-4 hours it took me to do my normal walking clients during the day. I'm honestly very surprised to hear that you're unhappy, as I try to leave a clean house and a happy pup with each house sitting booking. If possible, could you document the damage you described with pictures? This will help move the insurance claim along, should we need to go through Rover to have your rug replaced."

I don't charge anything extra for elderly dogs, as many of them don't require additional care. But, if you do a meet and greet with a dog that seems it will require more intensive work, you can always adjust the cost. Then, you can explain to the owner that based on the dog's needs you've adjusted the cost.

If you do decide to charge more for senior pets, just make sure that it's written on your profile, so it doesn't catch them off guard.

So typically, I just adjust the cost down to $1, that way they receive the benefits and insurance coverage offered through Rover. But since they receive a $20 off coupon for signing up, it ends up being without cost. I'm a big Adopt, Dont' Shop advocate. So I like to do anything I can to reward them

I think this is a great idea. I often attend fun runs and local events that are dog friendly. At a recent shelter fundraiser, we donated 50% of our month's profits from walks. So, at their event, my dogs and I setup a "puppy kissing booth", where families could give treats and pets to adoptable dogs. My dogs wore their matching Rover bandannas at the booth, and we had info sheets (with business cards stapled to it).

Plus, I give my business cards to shelters that I've worked with previously. I let them know that anyone who adopts a shelter dog will get a free week of boarding, or a free month of walks, if they book with me. We've received a lot of brand new pet parents who were thrilled to have a dog walker connection immediately.

I say, any time there is a change to get out there in the community and market your dog-oriented business: go for it! Even if you have to donate a gift card or gift basket, you'll be giving back to the community and building relationships with awesome pet parents.

The photo score will come from how many of your bookings include photos, but doesn't take into account how many per day or anything like that. As long as you send a photo for each booking, you'll receive credit on your score. It only goes off your most recent bookings (10 most recent I think). So if your ten most recent bookings all have at least one picture, you should be at 100%.

I like to let clients know that because life happens and travel plans often change, I don't book stays more than a month out. I am, however, willing to do meet and greets to assess whether it's a good fit. Like Mary said, this gives you the chance to be a first choice for other date ranges that come up for the client.

You most likely won't get many requests so far in advance. Just let them know that you are planning to spend some of the winter holiday out of town, and are not sure what dates are unavailable at this point. Let them know that you are happy to work with them if/when dates become more solidified (and availability allowing of course), but that you don't anticipate knowing for a couple of months.

Daniela is correct. While this is a great concern to have, it's not as easy as being a breed issue. While there may be stereotypes for each breed, the more you dog sit...the more you realize that few dogs actually conform to these.

Meet and Greets are essential. I do not take new clients unless I have done a meet and greet in their home. The "in THEIR home" is essential when house sitting. If a dog has any aggression/dominant/protective behaviors, it will most likely come out in the environment in which they're familiar. This is the process I use for house sitting meet and greets:

1. Have the owner meet me outside with the dog LEASHED, as if for a walk. This way, I can introduce myself to the dog in a situation where it is under the control of the owner.

2. We go inside and I have the owner enter the home first, with the dog still leashed. Even the nicest dogs can get territorial when a stranger enters the home for the first time. If the dog has a tendency to be aggressive at the door, it will usually show up here.

3. We unleash the dog and I give it a lot of high energy praise. This is usually where the dog will jump up on me for affection, treats, etc. This lets the dog know that when I come into the home, they can expect a lot of praise and attention right off the bat. If the dog seems standoffish, I sit on the ground, with the owner, and call its name to show that the owner trusts me (so they can too!).

4. I talk to the owner about the routine, normal M&G information, etc.

5. If everything seems good, I'll have the owner and I step out of the house. Then, I will enter the home WITHOUT the owner. This is where any signs of aggression that will limit your ability to enter the home will show up. If it goes well, LOTS of praise and attention.

Use the meet and greet as an opportunity to assess the dog, as well as build a relationship with it that it can use as the basis for trust once the stay begins. If it doesn't seem like it's going to work out, let the owner know that it's not a good fit so they can find a different sitter or change their travel plans.

I charge $35/night for puppies between 6 months - 1 year. But I don't watch puppies under six months UNLESS they're a client that I've worked with previously (walks or daycare) and I know they're decently behaved.

You're certainly doing the right thing by NOT giving her your personal number. When clients ask for my number, I always respond like this:

"To keep everything streamlined, I try to use Rover for as much of my messaging as possible. If it's easier for you to text, here is my Rover phone number: .... I know having to use the app or a computer are a pain, so feel free to send me text messages here. Once we get everything setup, I'll have a printed itinerary for you that will include my personal cell phone, should there be an emergency. I'm looking forward to meeting with you!"

For spammers or people that don't want to go through Rover, this nips things in the bud. For people that truly just are comfortable texting, this gives them the opportunity to text AND still have it come through Rover. In my opinion, this lady is just trying to spam you with products you don't need. It's a violation of Rover's terms of use. So definitely report her. They will be able to see all of her message history with ALL sitters she's contacted in your area. Most likely, they'll freeze her account.

Good luck!

The only reviews that will have stars will be "verified stays" through Rover. Sitters are able to ask outside references for a review on their profile, but they are not able to provide a star-based rating. Clients that book through Rover will be able to rate the stay with stars, and leave comments if they desire.

The tip about the toys is great! I always ask pet parents to refrain from bringing any personal toys, unless it's something the pet may NEED to feel comfortable (I then keep it in their crate/kennel). Dogs can get possessive in new places, and toys often get torn up in boarding environments!