And I did use it over Labor Day weekend optionally. At first I thought it was cool, but then realized it offered no additional value to me, since I will discuss those topics in detail anyway. Also, I didn't get any feedback from my client whether I provided my normal updates or thru the Rover Card

I really like the idea of it being optional, discussed and agreed upon between me and the client. I don't like the idea of it being mandatory. I understand the reason is to make their cancellation process easier to manage, but I'm sure they could accomplish that another way.

I have a problem with it being required, especially given some of the other "bugs" in the booking system that require me to sometimes have to get creative to meet my clients' needs. When these RoverCards become required, I will probably re-offer the majority of twice-a-day drop in requests that come in as overnights to avoid needing to use it.

I already have work arounds that I like for most of the features offered, such as using RunKeeper and taking a screenshot of the walk and sending that to my client as a photo when they request a walk. I used the RoverCard for my last booking over Labor Day weekend and I don't feel like it added any value.

Edited to update: I've already told a repeat client request coming in that I won't book as drop-ins moving forward(since I pretty exclusively sit for people leaving town and don't offer dog walking services). She was fine with it and understanding. I may allow it for new clients, but then will let them know that if they loved me and want to re-book, I only offer "overnight" as an option.

Hello! I have a 10 day booking coming up where the owner will be in Europe. The pet owner, while kind and intelligent, is clearly the micro-managing obsessive kind of person (for example, she wants me to also email daily updates on her cats, beyond sending them on Rover, and will have a neighbor stopping by regularly as well).

I would like to use the Report Card feature for this visit, in particular the timer, to prove I'm there when I say I am and just a bit of a cover-my-behind if I need to. How would I activate this for this stay?

Any other advice for dealing with this kind of pet owner?

Thanks!!

• Brandy

Oh, that makes so much sense! I've never logged in as an owner, so I didn't realize. Thanks for the clarification on what they are seeing! It would be nice if the calendar was a little more obvious or intuitive for owners.

Thanks! I've gotten that message before, but it was because the owner was outside my service radius. I wasn't sure if it should be saying that for dates as well. Next time it happens, I'll reach out to support before archiving it.

Hi all! I'm having a problem and I'm not sure if it's a Rover glitch or I set up my profile incorrectly. I only accept one overnight per night on my calendar, but have more "visits" and "walking" options available to customize to the needs of the dog and owner, and also to book more clients.

What I'm finding is that 3 times during the last 6 weeks I've gotten a request from a NEW client for an overnight that I already had a booking. I understand that my repeat clients probably aren't checking availability and just messaging me, but how or why am I coming up in search results to NEW clients when I'm not available? That's frustrating for me (I have to decline, lowering my booking rate), the Owner (who has to reach out to more people), and the other sitters in my area who are free.

Any ideas? I don't want to set myself as "unavailable" completely on those days when I could do drop in visits for another family.

Pet sitting is, however, something I do for the joy of it - it's not my primary job. I would rather just not accept a booking if we both didn't feel we were being treated fairly and with respect. My goal is to create long-term pet sitting relationships where we both feel we got a good deal.

But I discuss this very clearly with what I have to offer and make sure everyone is expecting the same thing. I take "24 hours of care" to mean "the care needed for 24 hours" not "I promise to be there for 24 hours straight". So far, whenever sleep-overs were expected, they asked for that explicitly

I set my price at $26 for the overnight because that is the same price I charge for 2 drop-in visits ($13 each) - and I always do a 3rd free of charge when I do the drop-ins. So, regardless of "how" they book, I offer basically the same services. But I will make exceptions for the right pet & owner.

I consider what the Rover cost shows as my "base" rate and let them know in the initial messaging that the cost could go up or down based on the meet and greet after I have a deeper understanding of the pet's needs. At the meet & greet, I talk to the owners in depth about their dogs needs, preferences and schedules, and then I come up with a rate I feel is acceptable for both the amount of work required to take care of their dogs and for the amount of total time they expect me to spend with them. I won't accept a booking that means I earn less than $10 an hour for my work.