Being a Rover Sitter

Since about September, I've been watching dogs on the side for a bit of extra income. It didn't start easily and the first dog I ever had was no peach. This is coming from a girl who absolutely adores animals. The first dog I watched, I wouldn't take again. No matter what. No matter how desperate for money I was.

In the time I've been "Rovering" (this is what it's commonly referred to by my friends and family), I've had one successful client. Two dogs — both male — were so well-behaved they made it nearly impossible for any other dog I should ever watch. In fact, I should have just stopped with them.

One thing you should know about Rover: as of right now, they've got no way to leave reviews of clients. People can leave a review about your service, but all you can do is make notes in the profile of each dog you take about what you did or didn't care for while having them. Or if you'll even ever take them again.

Dog Number 1 (Client #1):

It was next to impossible for me to get ahold of the owner and as we were in different time zones (way different) when I took on her pup, I knew I'd have to catch her at the exact right times if I wanted to speak with her. This dog was a terror. She was mean to my dog. Her owner had dropped her on a Sunday and I was under the impression she would be back to get her Sunday night but after she dropped the dog off, I didn't hear from her again until I texted her letting her know I couldn't keep her dog any longer for family reasons (I was supposed to be going out of town the last weekend in September). The best way for me to describe communication with this pet owner is to say this: she didn't care about her animal. She didn't care about receiving pictures. She barely asked me how she was doing once a week (I had this dog for nearly three weeks and couldn't get ahold of the owner a majority of that time).

I now have it in my profile that if you are a spotty communicator I can't take your dog. I refuse to take your animal if you can't be in contact. Additionally, I don't drop my dog anywhere that doesn't have time to do a meet-and-greet prior to drop off. I'm sorry, I'm not dropping my baby off in a place she doesn't know, I don't know, and neither of us have had a chance to get to know. Needless to say, because of this first dog, I'm much stricter about taking dogs.

Dogs Number 2 & 3 (Client #2):

It will be hard for any other Rover client I ever have to beat this one. Two male dogs. One small and one big. They slept in bed with me. They had no accidents. They were okay with being left alone when I needed to run an errand. They were great walkers. They listened to "no." There's nothing I can say that would make these dogs bad. They were so good for me and their owners were great — great communicators and great at telling the truth. I can't say anything bad about them. They even tipped me which, if I'm not wrong, you're not supposed to accept on Rover. But I did. Because you know what? Rover doesn't leave an option for tipping and they take 15 percent of what we earn. It's not 80 percent we get to keep unless you were on Rover prior to a certain date or something.

Dog Number 4:

This dog didn't start out being a nightmare. It was Thanksgiving weekend. Her owners dropped her off Wednesday night and didn't plan to pick her up until Monday morning, which I said was fine. I could work from home until they came to get her. The first night, I woke up to this dog having pulled herself over the baby gate in front of my door (I'd left her bed and blanket and toys all right outside my bedroom door), ate all my dog's food, then proceeded to get into my bed and lay on top of my dog and myself. This dog was heavy, probably at least 60lbs, maybe 65lbs. It immediately irritated me. I rarely let Rover dogs stay in my bed no matter what, especially not when their owner is going to be gone for more than two nights.

After this happened, I put her back out, closed my door, and listened to her scratch and whine at my door for easily an hour or so. It woke me up from light sleeping and it instantly angered me. I woke up the next morning to my apartment trashed because this dog got into everything. Even the other three dogs I'd had previously were not like this.

The second night I woke up and once again she had my apartment ripped to shreds. She had pils bottles off the counter. She had my Christmas tree tipped over. She'd peed on the floor (thankfully not the brand new rug I'd just gotten the previous weekend). She was a nightmare.

Knowing she could fit in the kennel I have in my living room, that's where she began staying when I was sleeping. I would have gladly let her sleep in my room but after seeing how much and what she was getting into, I decided that wasn't the best idea. I didn't want to wake up to things torn apart in my bedroom. And her doing these things was after I thought I'd picked everything up to the best of my ability.

Her owner then proceeded to ask questions that made me suspicious:

• Is she sleeping through the night?
• Has she gotten into anything?
• Have you left her alone and did she behave while you were gone?

No, she's not sleeping through the night. She's gotten into everything from my Christmas tree to my Birth Control pills. I left her alone for 30 minutes and put her in the kennel while I was gone. In those 30 minutes, she managed to move the kennel 1 foot, almost knock my TV over (while in the kennel), and bent the latches on the kennel.

While this dog is well-behaved during the day when we're all around each other, she can't be trusted alone and for me that's an issue. I do my laundry every Sunday. It's not in my apartment. It's on the first floor of my building. If I can't leave your dog for five to ten minute increments (sometimes up to 30 minutes because I'll oftentimes run into one of my neighbors and get to talking), I won't take them. If you lie to me about it, I will never take your dog again and, while that may be not skin off your back, if there is ever an option to leave comments/reviews about dogs and their owners, you won't get a good one.

If your dog doesn't get along with other dogs (if that answer isn't a resounding "yes" and is marked as a "no" or "maybe," I will not take your dog — no matter how much you dispute that your dog does, indeed, get along with others). Acclimate your dog to others first. I can't blow my dog off to suit your dog and it won't happen.

The point is, you can also tell which owners care about their dogs and which owners are going to make terrible parents some day. You can't continuously and constantly let a dog do whatever they want, much the same way you won't be able to do that with your children.

What I think people on Rover fail to realize is this: we can't drop our own dogs for their dog. Their dog is not priority over our own animals. I require a meet-and-greet at least four days prior to drop off day. I will not take dogs without the meet-and-greet. I don't host the meet-and-greet in my home at first. I like for the dogs to meet outside of my home and then we all make our way in so the owners can see where their animal will be staying for the duration. Additionally, for any dog under 1-year-old I charge $35 a night because to me, that is still the stage in which a dog/puppy is learning and it can be difficult to take on that type of responsibility.

Also dogs who don't make this list are dogs who have severe separation anxiety. If I can't even step out for five to ten minutes without coming back to a destroyed apartment, be honest with me about it. Will I take your dog if that's the case? No. I will not.

That being said, Rover clients lie, time and again. "Oh... Fido? Noooo, he doesn't have separation anxiety issues at all." Liar.

I personally believe that Rover needs to make a capability for Rover sitters to leave reviews for their clients, like "Hey this is what I noticed when I took this dog." It's not a way to bash the client, just a way to make others aware because plenty of owners on Rover lie. I absolutely do not lie about my dog. My speil before I drop her off is always:

"Sometimes she poops in a new place because she's nervous and I've not figured out how to train her to not do that. She gets a little separation anxiety-ish so her bark collar is in with her things and she has calming treats if they must be used. If you need to or don't trust her, please feel free to stick her in the kennel I provide you for her. Please make sure she goes outside at least four times a day and make sure she eats at least a little bit of her food otherwise she won't eat the entire time she's here. Toys can sometimes be an issue as she tends to believe, feel, or think that all these toys are hers no matter what. She does not get rawhide bones as they are made out of glue and I don't want that in her beard. She's also not great around children so if you know ahead of time that children under the age of 10 will be in the area, please make sure you kennel her or put her in an entirely separate room. She does get a little rough when she plays but a flick to the nose and she's generally gentler. I have no issues myself leaving her home alone except to say she does get yappy so I have to put her bark collar on her and, while some believe that's inhumane, sometimes it's the only way."

I don't lie about it. You need to know what to expect when you take someone else's dog. They need to know what to expect before they take your dog. It's called honesty and it is really the best policy. It keeps everyone on the same page as far as I'm concerned.

The best thing Rover could do was make it possible to review clients so others could see it but also so those clients could see it. That way, if it's been a few months and that dog has improved on an issue you were having, they can note that. I'm not doing it to be spiteful or vengeful. I'm purely doing it so others know what they're getting themselves into.

Happy Rovering!