Have any of you ever used Rover.com to find a dog/cat/house sitter?

[catzndogz22]

I have a 2+ week trip booked for this summer and my all time favorite and my second choice house sitters are both unavailable. I also have a third backup person who is great with the dogs, but doesn’t really do stuff the way I ask, sometimes has friends over to my house, etc., and on one occasion, when I got home, it seemed like this person didn’t even stay at my house - which was the whole point.

I did a search for pet sitters on Craigslist, but that makes me really uncomfortable. When I did a google search for pet sitters, I came across Rover.com which lists a bunch of very reasonably priced local dog-lovers, most of whom have full time jobs or are students. Some of them are vet techs at local clinics, but those sitters seem to charge quite a bit more. Most have reviews/ratings from previous users, but every review is 5 stars which seems a little too good to be true. Maybe the less than stellar dog sitters get cut from the pack? It appears that they’re insured, bonded, and have had a background check through Rover.com. It all sounds awesome, but I’m still a little queasy about hiring a total stranger to come stay in my house and care for my beloved pets for over two weeks.

If any of you have used this service, I’d love to hear about your experience.

[SonnysMom]

I have heard their ads recently but not used them. Can you check with your vets and see if they have suggestions? Don’t forget your horse vet too. Maybe one of their techs want to make a little side money.

[catzndogz22]

[QUOTE=SonnysMom;8131374]
I have heard their ads recently but not used them. Can you check with your vets and see if they have suggestions? Don’t forget your horse vet too. Maybe one of their techs want to make a little side money.[/QUOTE]

I have a flyer posted at the big equine clinic which is very close to my house, but after two weeks, I haven’t gotten a response. I think most of them have dogs of their own. Most of the techs at my small animal clinic also have their own dogs.

[SC90]

Where do you live? Maybe someone local to you can recommend a friend? I have never used Rover.com, but I would be reluctant to hire someone unknown to come into my house when I was not there. Do you have pet video monitoring in your house? A system like that is very affordable, and will let you keep an eye on your pets (and petsitter) when you cannot be there in person.

[Laurierace]

I am listed on Rover.com as well as Dogvacay. It has been useful in getting my business off the ground but my goal is to get enough of my own clients that I can delete my listing. Sitters are insured but not bonded since bonding covers theft by employees and there are no employees in this situation to bond. Probably my biggest beef would be the way they rank sitters in their searches. They definitely play favorites so search all the way through them before choosing someone.

Do not book with anyone who doesn’t insist on a meet and greet as that is for your benefit as much as theirs. The people who don’t insist on meet and greets are the ones who tend to end up booking dogs that wouldn’t pass a temperament test if a meet and greet were done.

I have never gotten a less than five star review so can’t tell you what they would do with sitters who have gotten a lesser review but can tell you that Rover handles requesting and posting reviews, we have nothing to do with it.

ETA that I just noticed you want overnights in your home. Obviously there would be no worry about unsocialized dogs being boarded at the same time as yours but I would still want a meet and greet.

[Belmont]

[QUOTE=catzndogz22;8131157]
I have a 2+ week trip booked for this summer and my all time favorite and my second choice house sitters are both unavailable. I also have a third backup person who is great with the dogs, but doesn’t really do stuff the way I ask, sometimes has friends over to my house, etc., and on one occasion, when I got home, it seemed like this person didn’t even stay at my house - which was the whole point.[/QUOTE]

I just want to say, as an in home pet sitter, it’s my goal to make it seem like I was never there. Obviously, you will know I was, but I clean your house, wash any towels I used, bedding (sometimes, depends on the bedding), etc. When I use something, I put it back as I found it. I even buy my own groceries and replace what I use of yours. My clients know I’m here, but I try to leave to trail behind for them to clean up when they come home from a trip. Of course, I generally make it a point to meet the neighbors to make my presence in the home known, but I don’t want to leave a mess behind when I’m gone!

My clients have found me through CL, FB, word of mouth, and through the vet clinic I work for.

I also agree with Laura. Absolutely require a meet and greet. I require one with my new clients and will do some with recurrent clients if this change around. It helps clear any concerns! I also come armed with my contract, price paperwork, and a notebook to take notes. Then I leave papers with them to review. It’s a system that really works for me, and it makes both parties feel at ease.

[betsyk]

I have to go to my brothers wedding - over July 4 weekend! -and I am networking like crazy and still can’t find someone to stay with our crew. I need a cat-experienced vet tech type… Will pay through the nose if needed… Really, I want to stay home and skip the dumb wedding but I can’t. Following this thread to see if anyone has more ideas.

[Laurierace]

Where are you Betsy? We have a pretty big network of professional pet sitters that I can inquire on your behalf.

[RooMB4]

I too am on Rover as a sitter. While they don’t do background checks, they wouldn’t publish my profile until I filled out all relevant info completely. I’ve dog sat for a few people through Rover and had great experiences with my clients and their dogs. I’d definitely recommend the meet and greet just to allow you to get to know each other (and your pets) better. If you feel more comfortable, pick an outside location for the first screening to get a gut feeling about the person and not have them have your home address. Good luck!

[catzndogz22]

[QUOTE=Belmont;8132155]
I just want to say, as an in home pet sitter, it’s my goal to make it seem like I was never there…[/QUOTE]

I’d hire you in a heartbeat! However, that was definitely not the case in this situation. It was a pet sitter I’ve used on many occasions, and one who doesn’t normally leave everything spotlessly clean. Honestly, it’s not important to me that I come home to a clean house with clean sheets and towels. I care more about having happy pets than a clean house… as any of my friends who have ever been to my house would confirm. :lol:

Knowing that Laurierace and other CoTHers are on Rover.com makes me feel better already. And no, I would never book anybody without a meet and greet that included my dogs.

[AllWeatherGal]

oooh … I need a resource like this, but for cats and birds. 10 cats–8 indoors and 2 outdoor/semi-feral, 2 birds. It looks like the Rover people in my area with reviews (central Florida) don’t do cats.

[Laurierace]

If you want to give me the specific area I can network for you on my petsitter’s groups to see if anyone is in your area.