I can't even imagine what you and the owner of this dog are going through. Like you, I have a secure 6 foot fence around my entire property. During my time as a sitter, I can think of four dogs that were able to jump my fence and escape from my yard. These were all first time clients, and none of the owners were aware of their dogs' jumping abilities (or chose not to mention them). Some people honestly don't know their dogs can jump fences because they live in apartments.

Luckily, none of my "fence jumpers" were injured, nor did any run off. However, I did not accept any of these dogs again because they were too much of a liability.

As Jean and Ray mentioned above, we learn from our mistakes. If you decide to continue sitting, I would recommend staying outside and closely watching any guest dogs- at least until you get to know that dog very well and know for a fact that he cannot escape the yard. I would also close off the doggie door while dogs are staying with you, even if the owners say they're ok with it.

As far as reviews go, a poor review will impact you severely if you're relatively new to sitting and don't have many yet. If you've been sitting for awhile and have multiple reviews, there's a chance that potential clients may not see it. I've had a couple situations where dogs were injured and had to be taken to the vet. I covered the bills in both cases, and the owners both understood that accidents happen. Neither gave me a bad review, and one is still a repeat client. You handled your situation in a kind and professional manner. I doubt the client will leave a poor review (or at least not a detailed one) knowing it would end your dog-sitting career.

Best of luck hun:)

It's completely normal for business to slow down around the end of the Summer! This makes sense if you think about it, since most families go on vacation over the Summer when their kids are out of school. Business should pick up again for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve. Should you choose to work those Holidays, you'll be able to charge Holiday rate, which will hopefully help make up for these slower months.

In the meantime, if you're not getting any hits at all, you might try dropping your rate temporarily. Another option would be adjusting your availability to include some weekdays. When I first started on Rover.com, I worked a day job (6 hours/day Mon-Fri). I was surprised to find that many clients were comfortable leaving their dogs with me even though I worked outside of the home. The best requests to book would be for dogs that are already accustomed to being home alone while THEIR owners are at work. Pups of this sort are likely to be kennel trained and housebroken, which also makes things easier.

Now if you can just snag a couple repeat clients that go out of town for work EVERY month, you'll be set! Do your best job, be as available as possible without taking on more than you're comfortable with, and before you know it you'll have a great group of repeats that even book during slow months.

Best of luck!

How does everyone feel about the "Booking Scores" and "Repeat Scores?" Do you find them to be helpful? I understand the purpose of having them is to give the sitter an idea of how they are doing in comparison to others, but I worry that some sitters may feel obligated to book stays they're not comfortable with because they want their "score" to be higher.

When clients send a booking request, they are able to see what the total cost of the stay will be based on the rates you've listed. If this client felt the cost was too high, they should have brought it up to you BEFORE they gave you a key to their house and verbally agreed to the sit. You may have been able to come to an agreement on the price. When I was doing drop-ins (I don't anymore due to heavy traffic in my area), I would often adjust my normal rate to be lower/higher depending on the number of pets, difficulty of the sit, driving time, cost of gas, and how often the client booked with me.

I'm not sure what average drop-in rates are in your city. $25/day for one drop in seems reasonable to me. If the client was requesting 2-3 drop-ins per day, I would have offered a discount for the additional visits, especially since cats are quite a bit easier than dogs. They don't need to be walked, or cleaned up after as much- but that's just me! You are free to choose any rate you are comfortable with. If you haven't already, you may want to check out other sitter profiles in your area, see what they are charging, and adjust your rates as needed.

In any case, what this person did was extremely rude. Don't let it discourage you. There are plenty of great clients out there. Sometimes it just takes awhile to find them:)

I agree 100% with Veronica, but I also wanted to mention that it is possible to add pets without charging extra fees. For example, you may have a drop-in visit where the client has two dogs, but you don't want to charge extra for the second dog. List both dogs so they're covered, but adjust the price on the second dog to $0 (or any other amount). You can adjust the total $ amount of the sit to any price you and your client agree on.

That was my question! I just realized my wording was misleading. I'm not interested in sending this dog home. It was my decision to go ahead with the sit. -In the future I'd like to start cracking down on clients like this. What this person did was extremely disrespectful and ruined my weekend.

Thanks, I appreciate your answer. But my question actually had to do with whether or not there would have been consequences if I'd chosen to decline the sit before it began (in other words, when she showed up without the kennel). Sitters being taken advantage of shouldn't be the norm.

I receive requests for "out of town" sits from time to time. Sometimes people need a sitter to care for their dog because the hotel they're staying at doesn't allow pets, or because a family member they're visiting doesn't want the dog at their house. The problem with these is that there is no opportunity for a Meet & Greet beforehand since the owner doesn't live in your city. I've accepted some of these requests with multiple outcomes. I would ask as many questions as possible about the nature of the sit, and decline if it sounds fishy. Good luck!

Before contacting a sitter, you can also read through their profile! Experienced sitters will usually talk a bit about their dog-sitting style, breed preferences, etc. This can help you narrow down your search before sending any inquiries:)

This is a tool you can use to monitor a repeat dog's progress, or help remind you of how a particular sit went. The owner will not be able to view your response. http://Rover.com has informed me that in the future they hope to utilize this tool as a way of passing information about a dog on to other sitters. However, at this time your responses are private and can be viewed only by you.

I require that all owners bring their dog's food. Things I recommend are treats, toys, food and water bowls (unless you have extras you don't mind using), a bed/blanket/kennel depending on where the dog sleeps, harness/leash for walks, and medications/supplements if applicable.. Basically anything that will make the dog feel at home and allow him to follow his normal routine.

After being "AWAY," my profile will normally show up again almost immediately once I reactivate it (5 min or so).

http://Rover.com does not send a notification when a customer writes a review. You can check your profile regularly to see any new reviews that have been posted. I normally send a message to each owner a day or two after the stay. I thank them for allowing me to sit their dog, and politely ask them to write a short review for me. Many first time rover customers either don't think about leaving a review, or don't know how to. Ask them to follow the link in their e-mail, as this makes it less confusing for them.

Feeding is one of the first things you should ask about at a meet & greet. Don't be shy about it! Most owners have a specific brand they feed to their dog, and usually in specific proportions. You should always discuss the dog's feeding routine with the owner before the sit, and be sure to follow that routine. I never give food or treats to dogs that I am sitting unless they were provided by the owner, or if the owner tells me that other treats, table scraps, etc. are ok. Some dogs have food allergies. In addition, switching to a different brand of food can irritate the dog's stomach, and you definitely want to avoid cleaning up a mess!