Rover In-Home Pet Sitting Tips (for Animal Lovers!)

Is Rover legit? As a pet mom who travels often, I know how important it is to find excellent, reliable care for my dogs while I’m away. That’s why I’m glad I found Rover.com, a trustworthy in-home pet-sitting service in your own home. Whether you’re looking for a pet sitter, or you want to become one yourself, you’ll want to read these dos and don’ts of using Rover.com!

Lapdog with ball at home
My lapdog, Mickey, at home (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

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Do consider in-home pet sitting.

The idea for Rover.com grew out of a negative experience co-founder Greg Gottesman had with his dog at a traditional kennel. He was on vacation when his dog, Ruby Tuesday, was injured at a high-end boarding kennel in Seattle.

When his 9-year-old daughter said she would have paid to take care of someone else’s dog, Gottesman saw a business. He and his team pitched the idea for Rover.com, a website connecting dog owners with dog sitters, at the 2011 Startup Weekend in Seattle and won top prize.

Rover.com sitter playing with dog at park
Keep your dog active with Rover.com (Photo credit: eldadcarin, Depositphotos.com

Don’t book a pet sitter without reading ratings.

Before booking a pet sitter, be sure to read user reviews. A 5-star rating is the highest compliment a sitter can earn, and there are many of them on Rover.com. In fact, 97 percent of Rover sitters receive 5-star reviews!

These ratings are based on reviews written by owners whose pets have completed stays with them. To learn how a sitter is likely to care for your dog, pet parents should read those reviews and testimonials from the sitter’s former clients.

Dog in backyard with ball
My “big” dog, Pongo, in our backyard (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Do look for background checks.

All Rover.com pet sitters and dog walkers must undergo a background check. Based on social security number, full name, and address — third-party Checkr investigates the safety of pet sitters. This ensures sitters aren’t registered sex offenders or on a terrorist watch list. They also search the National Criminal Database for any disqualifying criminal offenses.

A background check badge with a green star on Rover.com indicates that the sitter has also undergone an enhanced check. This means a comprehensive manual search of county court records has been completed based on the person’s address history over the last seven years.

Pet sitter with dog
Read about potential pet sitters on Rover.com (Photo credit: MrCat.com.ua, Depositphotos.com)

Do a meet and greet with your potential pet sitter.

Rover encourages each sitter and pet parent to schedule an in-person meet and greet before booking a stay. It’s the best way to observe how the sitter and your pet get along to determine whether it’s a good match for your family.

Cat with Rover.com pet sitter
Rover sitters watch cats, too! (Photo credit: AllaSerebrina, Depositphotos.com)

Don’t forget about other pets.

Rover isn’t just for dogs! Sitters on Rover have looked after cats, birds, horses, pigs, and even lizards and fish.

Dog and cat together
Keep pets together when you travel (Photo credit: pyotr021, Depositphotos.com)

Do earn extra income with Rover.com.

Animal lovers seeking income will also appreciate Rover for the opportunity to earn money doing something they enjoy. Earn income by spending time with dogs, cats, and other pets!

Pet sitters and dog walkers on Rover can earn $1,000 or more per month. Each person has the freedom to choose his or her offered services, schedule, and rates. One of the added benefits is that Rover sitters can work from their own homes.

Start by visiting Rover.com to create a free account and apply online. Click ‘Become a Sitter’ for information about starting a sitting business with Rover. Then click “Create your profile” to begin the application.

Once you have answered the questions and finished the first part of the application, you’ll create a testimonial and complete other actions to enhance your profile. Each new sitter and dog walker also completes a general background check and a safety quiz.

The Rover team then manually reviews each sitter and dog walker profile. 

Dog owner signing up for Rover.com
Sign up for Rover.com today! (Photo credit: HighwayStarz, Depositphotos.com)

Don’t skip travel because of your pets.

Feeling nervous about leaving your furry friend while you travel? Don’t be! Rover.com is both the largest and the fastest-growing network of dog lovers with over 300,000+ pet sitters in 34,000+ cities in the U.S. and Europe.

Rover also offers support before, during, and after the stay with complimentary premium insurance for all services booked through the platform. You can expect emergency support, a reservation guarantee, 24/7 access to vet consultation, mobile apps, photo sharing, videos of stay highlights, and sitter background checks.

Do Save Money on Rover.com!

Save $10 on your first service with the creation of a new account on Rover.com.

In addition to pet sitting, Rover offers dog-walking services and drop-by pet visits.

Rover.com in-home pet sitting tips

Do save these in-home pet sitter tips for travelers!

Be sure to save these Rover.com dos and don’ts. Simply pin the image above to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow Travel Mamas on Pinterest while you’re at it!

Animal lovers will also want to check out our tips for traveling with pets and this list of the best hotels for pets in North America.

Would your pet prefer a traditional kennel or in-home pet sitting with Rover? Let us know in the comments below!

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38 Comments

  1. It’s nice to know your pets are somewhere you can trust while you travel. It would be hard to enjoy yourself if you had to worry.

  2. I love this idea. I dont have pets but I have plenty of friends who do and always looking to see if someone would watch their pet. This is a great option if someone couldnt find a family friend to do it.