Rover Pet Sitter Review

What is Rover?

Rover is an app and website where pet owners go to find local pet sitters. Owners use it to search for someone to stay overnight or do drop-in visits at their home for their dogs, cats, puppies, or kittens.

What does a Rover pet sitter do?

You first create a profile on Rover with information about yourself, your rates, and the times you are available. As a pet sitter, you can offer two services. The first is overnight pet sitting, where you stay overnight at the pet owner's home. The second service is drop-ins, where during the day you visit the pet owner's home for 30 minutes to an hour.

Once an owner finds your profile and wants to hire you, they book your time and then contact you directly on the app to work out logistics, such as information about their pet, how to get into their home, and any special instructions.

How do I make money with Rover?

You set the rates you want to charge for your pet sitting and drop-in visit services. You can set higher rates during holidays or charge extra for additional pets, type of pets (dogs or cats), and age of pets (such as puppies). Rover will take a 20% fee, so you get to keep 80% in addition to 100% of any tips your customers might give outside of Rover.

Can I set my own schedule of when I'm available?

Yes, you have a calendar where you set what days and times you're available to work.

How do I attract clients on Rover?

To be a successful pet sitter on Rover, you need a profile that stands out. Here are some tips:

• Write a catchy headline - pet owners will be able to see this when they search.
• Highlight your experience and the reasons why you are a pet sitter.
• Upload high quality images of yourself with pets.
• Encourage your clients to leave reviews - just like Yelp, good 5-star reviews matter.
• Keep your availability calendar up to date - this gives pet owners confidence the times you are available are accurate.
• Respond quickly to inquiries - your response rate is shown on your profile and shows you’re easy to get ahold of.
• Get repeat clients - the number of repeat clients you have are shown on your profile and gives you better credibility.
• Don’t reject too many jobs, this will negatively affect how high you rank in search results so make sure your profile is accurate with what services you are willing to provide.
• Increase the maximum distance you’ll travel to a client’s home - consider doing pet sitting and drop-in visits in nearby cities if you don't mind driving a little further.

How often will I get paid?

Payments will be available to withdraw 2 days after you’ve completed the service. Withdrawals via PayPal are free while withdrawals by check have a small fee.

What about tips?

Rover doesn’t have a way to let a customer tip inside the app but tipping for pet sitting and drop-in visit services is common and can be given personally by the owner.

What are the requirements to be listed on Rover?

No strict requirements other than passing a background check. You'll also have to:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Love being around animals - dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens

How do I sign up to become a pet sitter on Rover?

• Sign up on the Rover website and complete your pet sitter profile.
• Pass a background check and profile review.
• Once approved, your profile will be listed on Rover and you’ll be able to start accepting clients.

Is there a background check?

Yes, a background check to qualify you is important since you'll be interacting with customers and their pets. They typically take 2 days and there is a small $10 upfront fee for the background check. As an independent contractor, that cost is tax-deductible and we see it as a small price to pay to get access to thousands of pet owners in your area.

Is being a Rover pet sitter right for me?

If you have pets or love animals, then pet sitting might be the perfect, flexible part-time job for you. With Rover, you are in control of your profile and how you attract clients. It also allows you to set a calendar of when you are available and most importantly, you dictate how much you get paid for your services.