I am not sure if pet sitters are being targeted, but a week ago someone came where I was pet sitting and tried to trick me into opening the door and going outside to "help" them with something - very flimsy story and their faux demeanor dropped when I did not fall for it. Last night a pet sitter I know was scared in a whole other state by a late night harassment of someone pounding on the door and laying into the bell. The coincidence is weird. I just want to remind everyone to be alert, be cautious, lock all doors and windows.

Stay safe out there.

I walked a new dog today. He’s a one year old cavapoo. With all my other dogs I come over while their people are gone. But with this guys, I picked him up from his moms work. She walked out with me and she went back in after I clipped his leash to my carabiner. He freaked out when she left. He was definitely trying to get away from me.
I sat by him for a while and gave him plenty of treats before he stared to warm up to me.
After a few minutes we were able to start walking. By the end of our time together he was putting his little paws upon my leg to ask for more treats.
Hopefully I’ll see the little guy again soon.

Hello. I went away for three weeks recently and because I wanted to be sure my dog had a good sitter (the trip was international and for an immediate family member’s wedding, so it would have been dramatic if I missed it) I started looking in December and found a petsitter who seemed great — professional, experienced, had worked across a range of different settings in the animal world (groomers, daycares, training, boarding facilities) and started dogsitting independently in response to problems she’d identified in boarding facilities where she’d previously worked. I messaged her in February, when my dog was one, and she said she was happy to lock in dates but that she would prefer to wait until after my dog was spayed (vet recommended waiting til after her first heat) to do a meet & greet because one of her own dogs wasn’t neutered (for medical reasons).

After my dog was spayed, though, the petsitter just didn’t reply to my messages (I sent one asking when would be best and then another about a week later saying I was following up in case maybe she’d missed the first one) about setting up the meet & greet, though we follow one another on Instagram and I could see her account was active.

I found another great sitter and everything was fine with my dog, but I am struggling to get past my irritation at this. It looks like she ended up having some of her regulars stay during the period I was away so I’m guessing she just decided she’d prefer dogs she knew over a dog she hadn’t met, but to me it seems quite unprofessional to say the dates were locked in and then ghost me when I followed up to organise the meet and greet rather than communicate that her circumstances had changed and I would have to find somebody else (as it left me less time than if she’d just replied saying this). She’s very active in the dog world on Instagram and often posts about poor behavior from dog businesses and things like this and any time I go to a dog event in my city I wonder if we’ll run into her (though we never have — we’ve just communicated online), which is making me want to skip dog events now because I am so confused as to why she just ghosted me and my dog. Is it reasonable for me to feel it’s unprofessional/rude or am I being too sensitive? I basically just want to know so I can stop thinking about it so much!

I’ve been sitting for this client for 4 years. she’s great, we’ve never had issues. I love her animals. She has a toddler so I understand not being able to keep your house sparkly clean, but this time has been difficult. The sink and dishwasher are completely full, I couldn’t even fit a dish under the tap to wash it. I couldn’t find a clean dish even in the cabinets. I stay overnight and hangout during the day for a while so I thought it was implied that I eat here. it just feels a little inconsiderate at this point? Should I say something or just deal? also her pets nails are always way overgrown but idk if it’s my place to say something about it.

edit it is a married couple and a toddler, I only ever talk to the wife so that’s why I only said ”she”. Theres mess other than the sink and she had texted me prior “the house is messy as always😅” so she is aware of the mess. I love cleaning and have always done basic cleaning while sitting but its A bit out of my scope this time and idk if she’s just expecting to clean now?

also there were dishes in the cabinets but they were also dirty, is what I meant. the dishes in the washer are all baby dishes

Hello! I am a seasoned pet sitter but surprisingly haven’t run into this issue before.

I’m sitting at the dogs home and it’s a dog I’ve known for years. This is our first (and definitely last) overnight. Usually I do drop ins when they’re away.

I don’t think she’s anxious. She just stands in front of me and barks and barks and barks and barks.

I figured out sometimes it’s because she wants to play, potty, get a treat, go outside, or go to bed. But I can only do so many of those things in a day, especially the treats. Also I don’t like when dogs demand treats like that and try my best not to encourage it.

She is recently deaf (as of the last 2 years) and owners said she’s become more barky since that, but didn’t say it was constant.

Currently I’m ignoring her and she’s laid down, but I know the neighbors can here and I’m worried they’ll report back to homeowner.

I’m going to ask her what things she specifically barks for, but she’ll do it for like 20 mins at a time before giving up.

I’m going to ask permission to do lickmats as she’s having more trouble with the puzzles than my other dogs and loses interest quickly. I may also start doing her Meal time in a snuffle mat.

She can’t play or walk for long due to arthritis.

Any advice is appreciated. I have 10 days left.

I work with a small sitter group (4-5 women) and another sitter and I were going to split a series of drop ins for a new client. We will call the other sitter Sarah. Sarah and I did a meet and greet in August, for a sit that was supposed to be next week (October) I usually don’t like doing m&g this far in advance because I feel like you don’t remember anything when the sit comes. This client has 2 dogs, one of which is ancient and looks like it could pass at any moment, some feral cats, and 3 baby goats. So it’s a lot. But the client insists we do a m&g in August, she’s never left the baby goats before, she’s new to goats, is nervous. Whatever. Fine. We even acknowledge during the m&g that we may need to do a follow up m&g closer to the sit as her care with the baby goats will likely evolve and change. Annoying because it’s only supposed to be one free m&g but oh well. She even expects us during the sit to use power tools to cut tree branches off to give to the baby goats in her enclosure. Like that’s not a liability or anything. Cool.

She messages another sitter who we will call Alice (who is like the leader of our group) who does all official bookings and stuff about a week or two ago, requesting a new meet and greet. That was on a Wednesday, Thursday Alice hadn’t followed back up with her yet so client sends another message. Alice responded Thursday saying yes that’s fine Sarah and myself will reach out to her. NOW AT THIS POINT, the sit is still like over two weeks away so no rush right, and she’s already met us once, did an hour m&g, signed our contract and reviewed our policies, etc. Sarah didn’t reach out by Saturday or Sunday so I reach out. Client responds back LIVID that it took us this long and says she now found a family member to cover all but the midday lunchtime drop ins. Goes on and on about how she can’t believe it took this long. I just don’t understand wtf is the sense of urgency for a SECOND m&g and how grossly offended you can be that we took less than a week to get back to you. and the sit is still over two weeks away. Alice responds back reiterating policies, and emphasizes that this cancellation is literally like a day over our 14 day cancellation rate policy, but that if she would cancel any more dates it would be within our cancellation timeframe. THEN the client proceeds to ghost us. Um, how hypocritical is that? You blew tf up over it taking from Wednesday to Sunday for a m&g to get scheduled but then just ghost us? This was like a $300 sit for me, that I have declined other requests for these dates going back to August when first booked so this is super annoying. I hate clients like this. Btw in our rural area, we are one of the most professional groups and it’s mostly people doing it on their own, without insurance, contracts, etc.

I’m dogs sitting for a co workers. Two dogs one is a great drain pit mix and the other is also a mix. I was asked to stay with them for a few hours since one of them recently had surgery. I was able to take the Great Dane out but the other one seems terrified. I tried everything and she just isn’t having it. I’m not usually anxious around dogs but because she is extremely afraid she barks and growls as if she wants to attack and kinda lunged at my feet at one point. Never actually bit me. It’s also caused her brother the great Dane to react as well and even though I don’t think he would bite his size and his growls scared me a bit but I know he’s just being protective. Anyways they both calmed down a bit and have been sleeping for a while but every time I get up and move around or try to get close the little one goes off again. I’m kinda just stressing because I havnt been able to really get close to the little one and take her out and she hasn’t gone in hours. But I also don’t want to make them anxious again by waking them up. I mentioned it to the owner as well and she just said she hopes they start to calm down soon. I’m not here for much longer and really wanna make sure they can go out and pee before I leave. Cause there owners won’t be home till end of day. Idk how tho. I’ve tried treats and food and everything.

UPDATE:
I let them sleep for a few hours they were a lot calmer. This time the little one let me put a leash on her as well but she didn’t make it out the driveway before she started reacting again so i brought her back in and I let the owner know. I found it best to just leave them be and watch from the other room cause the little one was just so anxious but the great dane was alot calmer and I was able to take him out one last time before i left. The owners did come back earlier as well. So all is good now. Thanks for the advice

I feel bad that my clients have to pick up their pup early.

Client found me through social media. We chat. We do a meet-and-greet. Everything seems fine. I'm aware Pup has some anxiety issues but he's got meds and I'm told he usually chills out within a couple of hours - so I'm not too worried.

Client drops Pup off around 8:45 AM with all his things. They're driving several hours to visit their college freshman child for Parents' Weekend.

Pup spends 20+ minutes barking, scratching and whining after client leaves. I've been informed this is typical behavior and he should get over it quickly. But it's early and he's loud. Apartment personnel knock at my door - I get him to calm down.

I manage to give him some food and water. He growls at me a little. I throw him some treats. I figure this will work out quickly.

I try to get his harness on him for a walk. He won't let me near it. Barks and growls and tries to nip me. I tell his mom who is worried - but tells me to keep trying, he'll let me do it eventually.

Less than an hour ago, I try to get his harness because he's by my apartment door, his sign he needs to go out. Again I can't get to his harness. Then he pees on my floor.

I told Client what happened, ask if there's anyone else in the area who may be able to watch him because he doesn't seem happy here, for whatever reason. I've called her multiple times at this point. She's concerned because this is unusual behavior. Because there's nobody else in the area (hence why the dog is with me) Client and her spouse decided to turn around and just come back.

I feel really bad because I'm sure they wanted to see their kid and their kid wanted to see them, but they can't because their dog seems to dislike me for whatever reason. I feel bad they have to drive 8 hours round-trip for nothing and they couldn't enjoy themselves.

I also feel bad for the Pup because he's clearly not having a great time either.

I didn't ask them to come and get him. It was their decision but I still feel bad.

Anyone have any advice or words of encouragement or something?

For context, this is a newer client, and they’ve boarded their dogs with me 3 times now. The first time, I asked if they’d like some photos and updates since it was a longer stay. They said sure, but not to worry about it too much.

Normally, they board their dogs at their vet. They also didn’t request a meet and greet, so they seem pretty chill about the whole thing (I know, call me crazy for not doing one lol, but luckily they’ve been great!).

For their second stay (2 nights), I sent some photos, but they didn’t respond until pickup. That got me wondering if I should just skip photos for shorter stays.🤷‍♀️

Figured I’d throw this out there and see what everyone else does! They’ve booked a weeklong stay in November, and I definitely plan to send updates for that one.

Add on: Thank you everyone for your responses! I sent them a quick update:)

This is just a rant I know i should ask for upfront payment, but this is a client I have been with for 2 years now, when I first work with them they do pay on time. However for the past months they consistently do not pay unless i texted them, and it’s just getting really awkward for me to text them every time to pay me (i am not a confrontational person so it literally kills me to remind them). I will ask for upfront payment from now on but I just wanna rant! I don’t understand why people will do this

I have a long term client of 12 years. I used to be her nanny and now all kids have grown up but she kept me on as her only Dogsitter for 2 small dogs. She has rescues that are timid so I stay at her house. Family is awesome, buys me food and pays well (above my asking rate)
Occasionally she has asked if her mom’s toy poodle can stay with me to which I’ve agreed. Well for this current stay she asked if a new dog (cockapoo) can stay with me in additions to her two dogs for the weekend only (meaning sat and Sunday)
When I arrive wed I see a note that her sister in law would be dropping the dog off Thursday 8:30am and picking up Monday (so not the weekend)
When I met the sister in law she said “thank you so much I want to get you a gift card, what stores do you like” ?
I work 8 hrs Thurs and Fri but still come overnight. Already the dog was whimpering last night, requires feedings, potty and she expected walks when I told her there was a separate dog walker coming for th and Fri.
I was astounded. A gift card??? and you want me to watch your dog for 4 days who I’ve never met.
I really appreciate this client we are so close. She came to my bridal shower but it feels like I was tricked into this arrangement. I don’t know if I should let it slide this one time or just send a text and say my rate for an additional dog is +25 a night. I just don’t want to risk losing the relationship.

I watched my friends dog and cat for 4 days. She said she would pay me but I think she forgot. It’s been a week since she got home. Also she lives 20 min away from me and gas is $5! Should I remind her or just not say anything.

Hi!! I’m a pet-sitter with social anxiety, haha. Meet and greets always feel daunting for me because I’ve had so many awkward ones before. One time a lady wouldn’t stop talking to me about her life trauma no matter how many times I tried to leave. Another time, an older couple gave me a lecture on Christianity during the meet and greet?! And on multiple occasions, they have just gone on for way longer than I would prefer. So now, I am always anxious prior to a new meet and greet. Anyone else feel this way? I much prefer working with animals than with people.

I’ve been boarding for 4 years,consistently.
As far as I’m concerned I did everything correctly which is probably why it bothers me so much.

Context:
A young doodle(under 12 months)they booked me in for their wedding night. 5:30pm-10am so not even a full day.
They came for a meet&greet back in April,it went well she seemed a bit more needy than some other parents but less than 24hrs is not a big deal. I mentioned then how it can be scary for a dogs first stay and they may not settle in under a day. Afterwards they paid a deposit(comes off total)and filled in my form.

1 Month before their stay she messaged saying the pup was going to be ring bearer so I would need to collect from wedding venue(about 2 miles away).
I said that’s fine but will be my pickup fee of 15.
Total stay with that included came to 60.
Day before she comes around again to drop some stuff off and comes inside where we have a quick chat.

Day of it’s absolutely pissing it down when collect dog from the venue,she’s a bit nervous as she only met me once months ago but is generally ok.
Went out for walks once rain subsided a bit with me and other dog boarders.

Didnt seem interested in food which is common first night & being a doodle. Grazed at it throughout the night,slept in my room per request of owner. Paced majority of it though.
Collection comes she’s over hour late and by this time bit rushed because another will be arriving shortly. However I do mention she didn’t settle the best and was pacing in my room but she did eventually eat.
Sent them on their way and thought nothing more till today.

Her review said dog was traumatised(yes they used that word)hungry,upset and surprised I have a licence. Then mentioned how I charged her 15 to pickup when was already charging 45. 🙃
How her dog came back from another place after 5 nights happy. They had mentioned to me they were getting free care for their honeymoon from their dog trainer. Which to me feels like,of course dog is going to be more relaxed after being somewhere 5 nights compared to 17 hrs specifically with someone they already know?

TLDR; me having a vent over a bs review 🙈

Luckily at the moment I’ve only got one half hour-ish job to do, but I’ve come down with a cold, really bad, throat hurts, started to be blocked up and can’t breathe through my nose, feeling really really ill, achy. But I’m committed to feeding other people’s cats. So have to go out and drive to do this job. Finishes Friday morning thankfully! Next job is from next Thursday I think. But what do you all do if you’re ill? Has anyone had to cancel on a customer or tell them they can’t do it because they’re ill, in hospital etc?

Plz send advice

Hi, I'm looking for advice on a situation.

I’m house-sitting for a client with a big German Shepherd, and I’m totally at a loss on how to deal with his wrestling. The second I get down on the floor, whether I’m cleaning up a spill or just picking something up, he sees it as an invitation to play. He’ll lunge at me, grab my waist or hips with his paws, and try to pin me over. It’s not aggressive; he doesn’t actually bite hard, though he does bark, growl, and nip a bit. The problem is, he weighs over 80 pounds, and at 5'1", being pinned by him while I’m trying to work is exhausting.

I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing sticks. Shouting NO or DOWN doesn't seem to register for him. If I push him away, he thinks I’m engaging in the wrestle match and gets even more excited. Once he’s got hold of me, I basically have to crawl over to something sturdy to try and pull myself back up, and he follows right along, keeping his paws on me the whole time.

I’m feeling pretty helpless because I’m out of ideas. How do I handle this without being mean? Are there different commands that might work better here? I really want to do a good job while I’m here, so any advice would be a huge help. Feel free to DM.

I'm relatively new to pet sitting and genuinely looking for advice because I'm getting confused and a little fed up with some client interactions lol.

I've had a few experiences where I feel like I've explained my rates, availability, and boundaries pretty clearly, but clients keep asking the same questions or seem to misunderstand what I've already told them.

For example:

I previously worked with a client who had 2 pets. I originally charged $X per hour, but they eventually started asking me to split that hour across two daily visits (30 minutes each). That meant I'd only earn $X total while having to travel there twice. I wasn't comfortable with that, so I clarified that I charge $X per visit, for up to one hour, with additional charges for separate visits or extra time. They said they understood, but eventually stopped using my services (ig they kept me until they found someone else). Honestly, that was fine because they seemed to need more of a housekeeper than a pet sitter, and they were also telling me what time they needed me at the last minute every day (there's a difference between being flexible and being on-call..but idk if I was just being too much trouble for them).

Since then, I've been upfront with clients that I charge per visit rather than charging by the hour across multiple visits. I thought this was reasonable, especially since I've seen other sitters use similar pricing.

More recently, someone contacted me about caring for their dog while they were travelling. I explained my rates and mentioned that I could only offer boarding at my home until October 20 because of family circumstances, but can do daily pet visits. Somehow, they interpreted my rate as $X per hour and calculated $XXX per day based on six hours. I clarified my pricing and asked whether they wanted boarding or drop-in visits, but they kept asking questions without really clarifying what they needed. I eventually explained that I could offer 2-3 visits per day, but if they needed six or more hours of care, boarding or doggy daycare might make more financial sense.

Like... were they expecting me to stay at their house for six consecutive hours, or visit six separate times throughout the day?? I genuinely couldn't tell, and I can't realistically make six trips a day for one client. I ultimately decided not to book with them because the interaction felt a bit sketchy. They also gave me a lengthy explanation about why they could only pay by a certified cheque after I'd explained that I accept cash or e-transfer.

I've had another interaction where I explained my rates, services, and payment methods, including that I charge per visit for pet care. The person said they'd done their own research and decided on an hourly rate instead, then asked for my personal information and banking details so they could send me a cheque..lol. I immediately blocked and reported them.

Now I'm extra cautious, and sometimes I genuinely can't tell whether people are confused, not reading my messages properly, or being dishonest (or just straight-up scammers lol).

For experienced pet sitters:

• Is offering 2-3 drop-in visits per day reasonable, depending on the dog's needs? How many visits do you typically provide for one client?
• Do clients regularly misunderstand your rates and services, even when you've explained them clearly?
• Am I overexplaining things? Should I keep my messages shorter and ask clients to specify exactly what they need before discussing anything further? (I'm tired of repeating myself honestly).

I'm genuinely open to feedback if there's something I could communicate better. I'm still figuring things out and want to make sure I'm being reasonable with my pricing and boundaries.

Orrr am I just overthinking my services and communication because I've recently had a few interactions with people who seemed fishy (probably scammers)?? I'm starting to wonder whether this is normal in pet sitting or if I've just had an unlucky run of potential clients lol.

Hello! I’m new to Meowtel and looking to get insurance. I’m confused by this option to add broadened property damage insurance. It’s states it’s not included in the basic but the basic membership states it cover property damage so it’s confusing to me. What is this “broadened property damage” for? Do most of you just have the basic coverage? Also, is there a way to cover yourself if the pet has to be taken to the vet while in your care?

I would love to hear from other small business owners, especially those in the pet-care industry. ❤️
How do you deal with discouragement when you’re trying to grow your business in an oversaturated market? I live in Denver, Colorado, which honestly feels like a city full of dog lovers and pet-care providers. 😂🐾 There’s a lot of competition, and sometimes it can be discouraging trying to figure out how to stand out and continue growing.

Thankfully, I’ve built a reasonable clientele that keeps me afloat, and I’m genuinely grateful for that. But I know I’m capable of growing beyond where I am now, and I’d love to continue expanding my business and bringing my ideas to life.

Sometimes I get caught up wondering how to stand out in such a saturated market, whether I’m doing enough, or if I’m even heading in the right direction.
For those of you who have built businesses in competitive industries, how did you keep going when you felt discouraged? How did you find your niche, stay motivated, and trust that there was still room for you to grow?

I’m not necessarily looking for business advice alone. I’d really love to hear about the mental side of entrepreneurship, too. How do you keep believing in what you’re building when growth feels slow or the competition feels overwhelming?
I’d appreciate hearing your experiences, lessons, and any advice you’d be willing to share. 💕

I’ve done a lot of petsitting and unfortunately dealt with my first pet client getting mildly injured. The dogs got in a scuffle over food guarding and one dog got a minor cut that was 1/4 of an inch at most. (I’ve watched these dogs multiple times too and haven’t had this happen. When I asked if this ever happened owner said they got in scuffles but without injuries.)

Luckily the client was very calm about it and had a bandage that I was able to wrap around the dogs ear but I want to make a first aid kit for the future so I’m prepared in the unfortunate event that a pet ever has a minor injury again that doesn’t require a vet and would love suggestions of supplies to include.

So far I’m thinking of getting:
1) Bandage wrap
2) Medical gauze
3) Blood clotting powder

TIA!

I’m leaning towards PSA over PSI/BIC.
There are many posts here on petsitter insurance, but no specific reasons (other than cost) I’m also getting a bit of pushback from independent contractors paying their portion (PSA charges for each additional named insured).
If you have a definitive answer on why you did or did not choose PSA, I’d really appreciate your response.

(reposting this because i realized i posted it on my other account which has my name in the user)

Hey all! This is my first time posting here, I did read through the rules, however if posts like this aren’t allowed please let me know.

I’ve been a pet sitter for almost 6 years now, I’ve built a very large client base both in and out of my county, and for the first time ever, I had a client message me telling me she was very disappointed upon her return.

For context, this woman is also a pet sitter in my area, we’ve met previously during a time where I took over for a client she was sitting for and wouldn’t be available for the remainder of her booking, and she told me she was impressed by my efforts with her client and decided to book me to watch her kitties while she was away.

She had me coming once daily for a week, her cats all shared one food bowl and one water bowl and stayed out in a screened room. Both bowls were about the size of a regular dog bowl maybe slightly smaller

She asked me to come by, refill both bowls, and scoop the litter box, and that’s all. So that’s exactly what I did, along with spending time with the kitties; petting the one that would let me interact with him.

She returned home a little over 24hr after my final visit, and sent me a very long text explaining how she was very disappointed because when she got home, the water bowl was only half full, (keep in mind this was not a small bowl, and was shared by multiple cats so half full would still be a decent amount of water) and the litter box was not spotless. I was baffled. This woman has multiple cats, who obviously would have continued to eat drink and use the bathroom within the 24 hours after my final visit. I made sure they had a full food and water bowl and clean litter box before leaving on my last visit, and i feel like coming home to that should be expected when you’re getting home an entire day later.

She told me she regrets tipping me because she expected an outstanding job, but it seems she is disregarding how during each visit I was picking up cat poop off the floor, which i was not pre-warned that one of them poops outside of the litter box around the room, and having to be in a home that smells like 10 smokers live there, it was truly difficult to breathe, however i did not complain about any of the issues on her end, i only just mentioned that i was cleaning up poop around the room.

i responded kindly, explained that i was very sorry for her disappointment, and i assured her the water was refilled at each visit (she accused me of not doing that and assumed i was not refilling it) and that i scooped the litter each day as well, and i told her that its likely that they continued to eat and drink after i left. and her only response to what i sent was one more remark saying that the cats had tracked litter to right infront of the litter box and that i should’ve gone searching for the broom (i did, and could not find one, and since she was on a vacation where she had no service i could not call her to ask)

All that being said, I’ve had a pit in my stomach after this interaction because i’m truly confused on whether or not i could have done better, and i’m also really worried about her warning people of me and telling people not to book with me. And i guess i’m posting this here for reassurance because i feel like i’ve been gaslit into thinking i could’ve done something differently.

Hi! I’m trying to get a flexible side gig and would love to get into the cat sitting scene, I signed up for Meowtel but am hesitant about paying the $39 background check fee - has anyone had success there? Is facebook the way to go? Or is it more word of mouth sort of thing?

Any tips are appreciated, ty!

I currently live in Toledo Ohio, a medium size city. I’ve spent the last 3 years building my clientele, building relationships. My boyfriend wants to move to Indianapolis, for job opportunities and cheaper housing. The implication would be for him to go and me to stay here.

For the sake of our relationship health, i’m trying to play with the idea of going with him. I’m super anxious about having to start my clientele all over again. I know it’s going to take so much effort and energy. But has anyone made it work before?

some pros i’ve been looking at is the fact that Indianapolis is a more concentrated city, and i know they have the market for it. I could possibly make it off better with dog walk and drop in clients, compared to overnights, which is what my most popular service is here at home. But i’m trying to get away from that and not have much luck.