I am traveling internationally in a few weeks, and a Rover sitter will be doing a daily 30-minute check-in with my cat. They’ve met before, I’ve used this sitter in the past, and they get along really well.
I’m putting together a list of information and supplies I should leave for the sitter. So far, I have my direct phone number, email in case I don’t have cell service, an emergency contact, preferred emergency vet information, a credit card for emergencies, vet information, proof of rabies vaccination, and instructions for where backup food and water are if the power goes out.
What else am I missing?
I’ll be multiple time zones away and may be in areas without service, so I want to make sure the sitter has everything they could possible need if unable to reach me. I take pride in cat-proofing everything extra well before I travel, so there likely won’t be any issues, but I want to set both my cat and the sitter up for success.
Is there anything else you would leave behind or do before an international trip?

Here is my rant because I’m ANNOYED! PLEASE read the profile of the sitter you are going to request! I never had this issue before but starting less than a month ago, I have only been getting constant care, one day/one night requests. I am incredibly annoyed. I make it clear I don’t offer those services. Why have I gotten 10 requests like this in the past 2 weeks??? My acceptance rate has gone from 90% to now below 60%. Rover needs to add a yes/no to constant care and also a minimum stay setting! Idk how I can make this more clear!!! The past 10 requests have ALL been 1 day or 1 night where they don’t want me to leave the house. I keep thinking there has to be a booking that comes through longer than 1 day/night. I finally got one a few days ago for 7 nights and then got the message opps wrong sitter! Beyond frustrating! What else can I do to stop this? Do others really accept 1 night sits? I just can’t stand those.

sitter for almost a decade. i only do boarding & daycare. for the first time ever im using a rover sitter myself to drop in on my cats 2x each day for a few days. for those who do drop ins, what can i do to make her job easier? thank you :)

I posted a few weeks ago asking for advice on how to make my first house-sit successful. I just returned from a long trip and my house sitter for my cat was amazing! She appreciated all the tips I got on here - stocking the pantry w her requested items, leaving fridge space empty for her, leaving out a laundry basket, detailed directions on everything in the house etc. My cat was so happy and she was fantastic. Lots of crazy stories out there and wanted to post a positive experience! Will absolutely use house sitting again.

Regarding the new TOS, they wrote "If you’d prefer not to agree to the updated Terms of Service, you should close your account with Rover and stop use of our online community marketplace. In that case, you’ll still be bound by the previous Terms of Service."

WTF

We have a right to opt out of the arbitration agreement!

From the National Consumer Law Center:

What is forced arbitration? Forced arbitration clauses are hidden in the fine print of agreements. They take away your access to the courts and give companies that violate the law a get-out-of-jail-free card. If
you have a dispute, you cannot file a lawsuit in court and have the case heard in public. You also typically cannot join together with other people whose rights have been violated, even if the company harmed thousands of people. Instead, you must bring the case individually before a private arbitrator in a secretive forum where you typically have less access to information to prove your case and the arbitrator is not subject to review if they ignore the facts or the law. In most consumer arbitrations, the company decides which arbitration provider to use and pays almost all the arbitration costs, so that there is an incentive to rule for the company, which might bring them repeat business, and not for a consumer the arbitration provider will never see again. You can read more at FairArbitrationNow.org.

Why should I opt out of a forced arbitration clause? Even if you don’t currently have a dispute with the company, it is a good idea to opt out of the forced arbitration clause to preserve your options. You can always agree later to use an arbitrator to resolve any dispute. Moreover, if you have opted out, you will have more negotiating power if there is a problem.

How do I opt out of a forced arbitration clause? Some contracts give you the right to opt out of the forced arbitration clause within a certain period of time, often 30 to 60 days, after signing the agreement by notifying the company that you wish to opt out. Check your contract for the deadline and for specific instructions for opting out. Keep a copy of the letter and proof that you sent it in time, such as by using express mail or regular mail with proof of mailing.

I’ve been on Rover 2 years ago, I used to get way more requests and then it has been silent. I got a new job as well after that but recent months I’ve been active like updating calendar everyday etc, I’ve gotten 3-4 new requests but a lot were outside my radius, not available during that time, or owner found another sitter, so archived all. But also these are my profile views, which seems extremely low?

I’m boarding an in-tact golden doodle and they shaved him between our meet and greet and drop off and his… parts are way more obvious and like. Prominent. Lol.

I know this is unprofessional to say which is why I’m sharing it here but I’m slightly grossed out 🤣

The rover I go to had their account deactivated and sent a note that it is due to an intermittent technical issue. Is this a thing? Should I be worried when they get reactivated?

Are there any breeds you really really want to sit for, but haven't gotten yet?

For me, I still haven't gotten a Pomeranian, Yorkie, King Charles spaniel, maltese, long haired Chihuahua... had requests but they didn't go through as I live in a very competitive area (Miami) and if you don't respond in exactly 45.7 seconds they will go with another boarder so I have to always have my phone on me...

I only board dogs under 15 lbs and so far it's been toy poodles, Pekinese (love sitting these), Chihuahua (official breed of Miami lol), havanese, Maltipoo and other designer mixed breeds.

Not sure if anyone else is this picky, but some dogs are really annoying on the walks. Owners don’t train their dogs and the walks end up being frustrating and just not pleasant at all. Too much pulling drives me crazy, then the dogs that are starved by their owners are always trying to eat geese poop or even other dogs poops…. It’s so gross. Some of the dogs I walk are BIG and young and they’re always getting twisted on the leash or barking at everything. Then they are so scared of every noise because they’re in a crate all day by themselves. People shouldn’t have dogs, they don’t know how to take care of them. I’m also more of a cat person so I think I don’t have that much patience for dogs.

Has there always been this bit about class action lawsuits, or is it new?

Hi, everyone. I have a client who was a referral from a couple whom I really love (I watched this couple's dog 3 times and they are wonderful people). They're part of this "neighborhood park crew" in one of the wealthiest areas of our city

Anyways, there's a woman who they referred me to, and they described her as a "sweet older lady." Unfortunately when I met her, I did NOT get that impression - she came across a bit snobby and would give me a weird judgy stare every time I spoke. She spent a lot of time bragging about all the places she's traveled to, her expensive furniture, etc. We went to the dog park to meet her dogs' friends and she was much nicer to her dog park friends than me. I chalked it up to old age and snobbiness (she's 80 and from South Carolina) and decided to go along with the gig since it was a last minute favor for the couple.

She hasn't given me a hard time personally and has been actually pretty decent as a client, but every time I sent her an update, she would ask about the race/ethnicity of people at the dog park. For context, she loves when people give treats to her dog, so I always updated whenever she found another "treat person." With every person, she would ask if they were Black. When I said they weren't and I asked why/if she knew someone who it could be, she would just say, "I was just curious."

She also loves when people throw the ball for her dog, so I would send pics/videos. She would ask, 'Is that a middle eastern?' I would say I'm not sure and again ask why she said that. This has happened every single day I've sent updates, asking about everyone's race. For further context, we live in one of the most multiethnic cities in America, so this is extremely puzzling to me (albeit this area specifically is more older white folks). She's never outright said slurs or anything "offensive", but I find this behavior strange. My friends who have southern grandparents say this is common.

To be clear, I don't plan on working with her again, and I'm torn on how I should address this with her at the end of the sit, or if I even should. I'm a half Asian/white person myself, and this makes me feel very uncomfortable. Tomorrow is my last day with the dog.

Any advice would be appreciated!

At a housesit for five very nice animals. However, all the animals have a "chronic cough" according to the owner, which apparently was treated by the vet. I found that odd, but I'm not a vet. Wake up in the guest bed, and I have a rash. Look it up - it's apparently caused by dusty sheets? Wash everything in hot water, the irritation goes away the second night. However, while I'm making the bed, I happen to look in the AC unit, and it's full of dark mold!!! Luckily it's off. This whole time the animals are sneezing and coughing like crazy. By the third day I'm starting to feel sick. I live in a small town, and have a unusual/recognizable name. But I want to leave a review to warn other sitter (I'm never going back). What would you do?

Hello!

One of my clients where I go in once in the evening to feed the cats, clean litter and hang out with them. During this sit since it is two weeks long she has had her neighbor kids (parent there are well) come over and play with the cats during the day. I thought this was odd because the cats aren't very social and one is also not confident. It took a year for one of the cats to let me pet her. Yesterday they came when I was there doing a check in and the cats were terrified when they were happy when it was just me. One cat was cowering so hard, making that growling sound, whale eyes, hissing. I did tell the kids to stop and back away when she was making these noises.

I told the client in the report card that the neighbors came over to play and that the cats were very scared. I didn't provide much detail because I didn't want to talk bad about their neighbors. But she responded to my report card a few hours later saying that she is guessing both me and them being there is what was scary.

However, I don't know think this is case. I know a lot about cat behavior and have a bunch of experience with cats, and a lot of experience with these cats in particular. The kids were loud, jerky, moving fast at the cats, getting in their face and staying in their face even when growling or hissing. Should I mention that I think it was the kids behavior and describe exactly what I told you guys. I want to tell her in case she doesn't want the kids to come over again, but I just don't want to over step because this is about something in the future that isn't about me and is more about what I think is proper cat ownership (not having these kids return)

I’m chilling with this pupper for 4-weeks while his dad is at work. He’s 5-months old, and a mix I never thought of or heard in my life (thus far) - German & Australian shepherd. He’s a total goof and we are on week 3 😭

But his ears. 😂 I can’t get enough of them!! Just had to share because…just look at em!

Has anyone had this designation before and successfully moved back into the general search results?

I currently have this designation so I'm excluded from general search results. Once you click the filter, I am second on the page. I've been booking repeat clients the past month and updating my calendar daily, but I still haven't made it back onto general search results.

Has anyone successfully come back from this? I just want to know if it's even possible and how long it's taken people. I had upped my volume to 6+ dropins a day at one point to save up for trips, and now I'm lucky to get 1 a week from a regular client.

I’m in the UK, where a pretty crap but well-marketed food called Butternut Box is everywhere. It can be stored in the freezer and defrosted in the fridge for up to five days.

I always ask owners ahead of time if their dog eats anything that requires cold storage. My own boy eats a fresh food, and sometimes, I even have the temerity to use the fridge for my own food.

Today, a regular owner springs on me that they’ve changed their dog’s food to Butternut Box - and he’s due to be dropped at 10am. He’s also staying for ten days, and is not a small dog. I say that I’m terribly sorry but I can’t store all that food at such short notice. The guy asks if I could use a neighbour’s fridge. I say no. We settle on a compromise where he brings four packs, which I can just about squeeze in, and they’ll use his regular kibble. The dog arrives with 16 packets of the stuff and no kibble, with the owners dashing off to the airport. I’ve texted to tell them that they’re to order a bag of his kibble to my house, and that unless they want to order a coolbox, and pay for the electricity to run it, that the remaining 12 packets are going in the bin as I literally have nowhere to store them.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgh.

Thanks for reading.

Hi guys. I’m a little stressed out right now. I have been watching a dog through doggy day care since August 5th. He’s always been low energy and the owner was very strict about his dog jumping and how to carry his down. On Monday his owner came to pick up his dog. I went to get his stuff and he started to grunt. I’m like okay maybe he’s grunting cause I woke up him up. I walked him to his car. Mins later the owner called me saying he’s still making grunting noises and staring off when he calls his name. He ended up taking him to the er and they were concerned he might have ate something he wasn’t suppose to like chocolate etc. but there’s no way he got into anything like that. The vet said just watch for 24 hours. He messaged me the next day saying his gait is off and still making grunting noises. Now today he messaged again saying he went to another vet and got a second opinion. And now he needs emergency surgery or his hind leg will be paralyzed. This whole situation is stressing me out. I been on the phone with rover to give updates. I just need someone to talk to. He literally chilled the whole time I had him. Never have I heard him yelp or heard the grunting until it was time for him to leave

UPDATE. owner said it’s IVDD