A great side hustle for the right peron (READ FULL DISCLAIMER)
I am someone with an entire life of experience taking care of dogs and cats. For me, this has been a fantastic and relatively easy way to make some extra money! After my beloved senior dog passed away I definitely wanted to wait a while before getting another pet. But very quickly our house felt empty without one, so we decided to become sitters on Rover. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made. I would take care of most of these lil bebs for free because I end up completely falling in love almost every time.
The majority of people willing to pay my added fee for housesitting requests are usually VERY financially comfortable. As someone who rents a small apartment downtown, this makes housesitting honestly a joy and a privilege. I often feel like I’m on vacation in these super nice homes taking care of cute pets. Keep in mind the nicer the home, usually the more high maintenance the pet is (absolutely at the fault of the owners who baby them like literal children who need their teeth brushed every night before bed lol).
Full disclaimer it was NOT EASY AT FIRST AND IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. It took about 6 months of trial and error to design our profile and scheduling habits in an optimal way. I have had friends who were inspired by me to try sitting on Rover and found it very overwhelming.
I want to be VERY CLEAR in that this is not for everyone and it is not a get rich quick kind of side hustle. It works for me because I am 27 years old with literally 27 years of experience taking care of dogs and cats (always 2 or 3) at the same time. I grew up on a massive property in the country with everything from chubby house cats to stray cats we took in, from shih tzu’s to german sheppards and pitbulls. I’ve had friendly and aggressive dogs, cats with chronic health issues and everything in between. My experience is what makes its easy and enjoyable. But my friends with less experience would leave a very different review.
I also want to highlight the importance of being EXTREMELY responsive to messages. Rover will send you to the bottom of the list and make you invisible very quickly if you are not responding to every message within minutes. Your calendar must always be up to date or you get docked for declining too many requests in a time where you were supposed to be available. You have to be super specific about your preferences and comfort levels with everything you can think of on your profile to avoid having to decline too many requests. Running the app and the networking portion of this side hustle is almost equally as important and demanding as taking care of the pets. Take that into account.
I have had to go to the hospital from a dog bite to the face. I have had owners bold face lie to me about the behaviour of their dogs. I’ve had reactive sibling dogs fight each other out of no where and the owner try to blame me for redness in the eye as a result of the fight.
These bc are peoples babies and they are protective so if you are anything less than perfect it will be an issue. Rover also has the ability for both owners and sitters to leave completely private reviews of each other that only the Rover team will see. Keep that in mind because although an owner doesn’t leave you a public review, they may have left a private review for Rover and if you’re wondering why you don’t get requests anymore, thats why.
So if you read this far, I want to reiterate that Rover has changed my life for the better as a a sitter. I make enough money to cover all of my home bills every month (that is gas, electricity, water, and internet) plus some leftover which goes towards a big Costco grocery haul. While being careful to book time off to rest between dogs and a few weekends and holidays to myself, I am consistently booked up usually 3 months in advance.
I would recommend this as a side hustle to anyone with a SIGNIFICANT comfort level with pets and who is extremely responsive and organized. You will not do well if you are anything less.
Good luck 😊
The majority of people willing to pay my added fee for housesitting requests are usually VERY financially comfortable. As someone who rents a small apartment downtown, this makes housesitting honestly a joy and a privilege. I often feel like I’m on vacation in these super nice homes taking care of cute pets. Keep in mind the nicer the home, usually the more high maintenance the pet is (absolutely at the fault of the owners who baby them like literal children who need their teeth brushed every night before bed lol).
Full disclaimer it was NOT EASY AT FIRST AND IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. It took about 6 months of trial and error to design our profile and scheduling habits in an optimal way. I have had friends who were inspired by me to try sitting on Rover and found it very overwhelming.
I want to be VERY CLEAR in that this is not for everyone and it is not a get rich quick kind of side hustle. It works for me because I am 27 years old with literally 27 years of experience taking care of dogs and cats (always 2 or 3) at the same time. I grew up on a massive property in the country with everything from chubby house cats to stray cats we took in, from shih tzu’s to german sheppards and pitbulls. I’ve had friendly and aggressive dogs, cats with chronic health issues and everything in between. My experience is what makes its easy and enjoyable. But my friends with less experience would leave a very different review.
I also want to highlight the importance of being EXTREMELY responsive to messages. Rover will send you to the bottom of the list and make you invisible very quickly if you are not responding to every message within minutes. Your calendar must always be up to date or you get docked for declining too many requests in a time where you were supposed to be available. You have to be super specific about your preferences and comfort levels with everything you can think of on your profile to avoid having to decline too many requests. Running the app and the networking portion of this side hustle is almost equally as important and demanding as taking care of the pets. Take that into account.
I have had to go to the hospital from a dog bite to the face. I have had owners bold face lie to me about the behaviour of their dogs. I’ve had reactive sibling dogs fight each other out of no where and the owner try to blame me for redness in the eye as a result of the fight.
These bc are peoples babies and they are protective so if you are anything less than perfect it will be an issue. Rover also has the ability for both owners and sitters to leave completely private reviews of each other that only the Rover team will see. Keep that in mind because although an owner doesn’t leave you a public review, they may have left a private review for Rover and if you’re wondering why you don’t get requests anymore, thats why.
So if you read this far, I want to reiterate that Rover has changed my life for the better as a a sitter. I make enough money to cover all of my home bills every month (that is gas, electricity, water, and internet) plus some leftover which goes towards a big Costco grocery haul. While being careful to book time off to rest between dogs and a few weekends and holidays to myself, I am consistently booked up usually 3 months in advance.
I would recommend this as a side hustle to anyone with a SIGNIFICANT comfort level with pets and who is extremely responsive and organized. You will not do well if you are anything less.
Good luck 😊
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Navigating Responsibility and Transparency: An Assessment of Rover’s Pet Nanny Platform
Rover’s service experience has been disappointing. We chose to engage a cat nanny through Rover, anticipating a heightened sense of accountability from the company. Regrettably, we encountered an incident while the cat nanny was providing her service. After promptly reporting the situation to Rover, their responsiveness was commendable, but ultimately they disclaimed any responsibility. Rover’s standpoint is that they consider pet nannies as independent businesses operating on their platform, absolving themselves of liabilities. They clarify that they don’t extend guarantees to users of their service. This raises the pertinent question: why should we prefer using this platform over direct communication with pet nannies?
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Response from developer
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review. We’re sorry to hear this was your experience. Feedback from users like you is an important part of maintaining a quality experience and we value your insight. Next time you’re looking for assistance, feel free to call our Rover Support team at 888-453-7889 and we’d be happy to help.
Not reliving
Ask to much personal and unrevolent questions!! Also Rover takes money away from the actual dog sitters and only pays the dog sitters who are actually doing the work a small percentage!!! Do not use this app! Find a local dog sitter new you! People work to make money cuz they need it! The last thing they need is money being taken away from them for there hard work they provided! Specially since many do this as a side job to earn a little extra cash!
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Response from developer
Hello.Thank you for your candid feedback. We want to be able to provide the best and safest experiences for our users, sitters, and owners alike. The fees make it possible for us to provide 24/7 support, market and promote sitters on Rover, maintain the website, and improve our product. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the questions, Rover Support remains available 24/7 at 888-453-7889 if you'd like us to review this further.
Abuse from delusional owners with no support from Rover
Download this app if you’re happy to be abused by delusional owners and have Rover tell you to get over it. They don’t care at all about their sitters/walkers etc and only care that you’re making them money. An owner could send you incredibly rude and abusive messages but Rover support will do nothing to help you, even when you’ve been threatened. They will just tell you to get over it and to put up with the owner and the inevitably bad review they will leave you even if it is completely unjust. They will offer you no support and let owners continue using the app when they are clearly abusive towards sitters and their own poor dogs. Don’t support a business that cares more about money than it does pets.
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Response from developer
Hello, we really appreciate the feedback regarding our platform. We are sorry to hear about your experience with owners and our support. We'll be happy to assist you further with that, please contact us via chat through rover.com/help or by emailing support-uk@rover.com, or phone +44 8082 812524. All the best, Murditio
Great app but needs some improvements
This app has been great for a side business while I have been off work and wanting something to do. I love animals so this was perfect. I’ve met a lot of new people, fur-babies and made good money. However, there is room for improvement. First off, they need to require that pet parents fully fill out their profile. It is so hard to determine if a stay is going to be a good fit when half or more of the info is blank and then the sitter gets penalized for denying the stay if they’re available. 2nd, you should be able to choose your mileage range per job category. The app lumps the range for everything. A house sitting job further away is worth it, but a dog walk is not, based on their fees, for me anyway. So, as a sitter I should be able to choose how far I want to go for each category. I also had a horrible experience with pet owners saying their dogs were cat friendly then literally they walked in my door, attacked my cat and almost killed him. Rover did kindly cover most of the costs. But, they don’t cover costs for injuries to the sitter or damage to the house. I had injuries but didn’t want to have to pay out of pocket. I also wish this app had an easier way to request reviews, other than having to message the pet owner every time requesting one.
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4/5
I’ve had a great experience being a dog sitter on Rover. My only complaint is that 20% fee they take is pretty high and that app has major glitches when I try to send videos to my customers. Also it’s really annoying to keep receiving emails when i give my number to the customer. Sometimes the person who requested the sitting isn’t the one meeting with me but their spouse instead, so i forward my number for easier communication.
Overall is you’re willing to work and have enough space to host multiple clients like me you’ll be making a really good amount of money. I made sure to put my cancellation for 2 days prior. I’ve had too many people be disrespectful towards my time and try to cancel last minute because they found someone cheaper or their friend told them last minute they can watch their pets. People have to understand that i reserved this time for their pet and them canceling last minute messes my schedule up when i could have booked with someone who would have followed through. So i appreciate rover still paying us sitters a little even if we have a cancellation . I do this part time and I’ve watched my monthly earnings go from $900 a month and I’m about to have my biggest month yet that will be $4000.
Overall is you’re willing to work and have enough space to host multiple clients like me you’ll be making a really good amount of money. I made sure to put my cancellation for 2 days prior. I’ve had too many people be disrespectful towards my time and try to cancel last minute because they found someone cheaper or their friend told them last minute they can watch their pets. People have to understand that i reserved this time for their pet and them canceling last minute messes my schedule up when i could have booked with someone who would have followed through. So i appreciate rover still paying us sitters a little even if we have a cancellation . I do this part time and I’ve watched my monthly earnings go from $900 a month and I’m about to have my biggest month yet that will be $4000.
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Stole my money
Hey everyone, for starters. This app probably is amazing,However. I have recently turned 18 and graduated from Highschool. I have my permit with no photo id and will be getting my license hopefully next month. However, when signing up to be a walker it ask you a few questions about yourself and has you put in your card information. It then has you “sign your name” on a few things and then ask you pay $30 so they can do a background check on you(application fee) It gives no other information. A day later I went on to check just incase and the next step was to set up the rest of my services but nothing could be posted untill I gave proper ID. Which is what I thought all the questions and asking for my bank info and getting a background check was for? Anyways I called support and asked if my permit would work(w no photo) or my school id. The guy said no and to go get my permit with a photo. I then asked for a refund and he told me again to get an Id with a photo then they can process it and start letting me use the app. I hung up not wanting to argue and thought oh thats just what i will do but then thought to myself they made me pay $30 just to tell me after i needed something that cost more money just to post my services. So if you are 18 and don’t have a drivers license yet, do you not Use this app tell you do. Now I’m just waiting for support to get back to me to see if they will actually give me a refund
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Response from developer
Our team received your feedback and we’re sorry about any difficulties. Our partner Sterling requires photo ID to complete background checks. If you have any questions, please feel free to give our Rover Support team a call at 888-453-7889 and we’d be happy to help.
Kickstarted my pet walking/sitting career!
I downloaded Rover and set up a profile two and a half years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised! I immediately got contacted by future customers, I thought I’d be waiting forever but no! It’s nice to know that both parties are protected, even if it does mean a 15% cut goes to Rover. The app is really easy to navigate for sitters, however I think things may be a little more confusing on the customer’s end as I’ve had a couple of people complain about not being able to navigate it. Nothing that couldn’t be sorted out though. Having said that, it’s really easy to setup your prices and profile information. Since joining Rover, I have multiple repeat customers, lots of five star reviews which help immensely, and lots of experience. It’s allowed me to build up a nice amount of savings. Lovely app!
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Response from developer
Hello, thanks for sharing your feedback. We're so glad that you're happy with Rover, and appreciate hearing of ways to improve, as we're constantly looking for space to develop. Feel free to reach out with more feedback anytime. Best, Thelma
Pretty great all around
I started using rover when I moved states to find someone to care for my pups when we’re gone. The app made it easy to find people close to us and sitter profiles make it easy to find someone you think is the best match and contact them.
As I sitter Rover has been great at helping me build my business. Im a nursing student and I’ve been able to build a flexible business that I enjoy that brings in enough income to support my family. The app makes it easy to see what is on my schedule daily and communicate with my clients. There are a few things they could do to make it easier for me to modify my clients bookings as needed.
My biggest complaint is how ridiculous the fees are for both pet parents and pet sitters. I understand they have to make money too and as the middle man they absolutely deserve their cut. They also provide rover support, vet help and other things that protect both the sitter and pets. But taking 20% of the sitters income from every service PLUS adding 3-5% in rover fees to pet parents service total is insane. Seems a little greedy if you ask me and that not how you keep sitters and pet parents to continue using the app for the their services.
As I sitter Rover has been great at helping me build my business. Im a nursing student and I’ve been able to build a flexible business that I enjoy that brings in enough income to support my family. The app makes it easy to see what is on my schedule daily and communicate with my clients. There are a few things they could do to make it easier for me to modify my clients bookings as needed.
My biggest complaint is how ridiculous the fees are for both pet parents and pet sitters. I understand they have to make money too and as the middle man they absolutely deserve their cut. They also provide rover support, vet help and other things that protect both the sitter and pets. But taking 20% of the sitters income from every service PLUS adding 3-5% in rover fees to pet parents service total is insane. Seems a little greedy if you ask me and that not how you keep sitters and pet parents to continue using the app for the their services.
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Caters to owners with little protection for sitters
I love this company overall but it’s really kind of outlandish that sitters must pay for their own background check, but the owners don’t have to do so. Owners can request an overnight stay without filling out any information about their pet(s). Rover does not have a way for sitters to communicate about their experiences when sitting for someone. So if an owner is rude or lies about their pet, or if an animal is aggressive or destructive, the sitter has to figure that out on their own and deal with it, when another sitter may have already had the same experience. If owners can rate sitters (which has an impact on bookings), sitter should absolutely be able to rate owners and their pets. One of the meet and greets I did recently was alarming. The owner ended up telling me all these terrible stories about sitters in my area and why they didn’t work out. Two of the sitters they listed were sitters I’ve used for my own pets and they’ve been exceptional! That owner continues to contact me about upcoming dates when I am already sitting other pets through rover. Why does the app show them that I’m available when I’m not? I also think owners should have to disclose if they smoke, if they’re asking someone to come into their home. I’m happy giving them their 20% cut if I felt protected in any way, but I don’t.
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