First time hiring in-home sitters from Rover; what should I expect?
Adding photos of my boys as bonus (which will doxx me, but I don’t make any specific effort to remain anonymous on this account)
Hey all! For my dogs’ lifetimes, I’ve normally had them stay at a dog hotel in my neighborhood for boarding. And they do great there, but the prices have only gone up over the years, and the boys had great experience with an in-home sitter whom we knew personally. But she can’t do it anymore, so I booked our first Rover in-home sitting stay, which will be in a couple months.
We had a meet and greet with the sitter, and they seemed lovely. The boys excitedly ran to them for pets when they realized they were there to meet with me. So that’s all good. And they have a 5 star review average with 30 reviews or so. I’ve told them that they don’t need to stay overnight with the dogs but that they can if they want to.
But there are some things I’m curious and anxious about. Wondering if sitters or owners w more experience can help. Don’t feel obligated to answer everything I ask! Even one answer helps :)
- Given that they may or may not be there overnight, should I expect the sitter to be cooking at my place? Showering? Is it almost like an Airbnb situation where I should be giving details on where all the kitchen stuff is? (They can probably figure it out, granted.) And regardless, I do plan to have my place clean and tidy.
- I have serious anxiety about the possibility the sitter has an emergency and can’t make it. The idea of me leaving my dogs alone at home and nobody showing up is nightmare fuel. Is there a standard procedure for how such unlikely events are handled, or is it case by case?
- Should I feel like I need to entertain my sitters at all or allow for them to set things up for their activities during the day? Like what do in home sitters generally do while the dogs nap? I don’t own a TV currently. Should I discuss with them? Like maybe clear space on my desk for them to set up tablet / computer etc?
- I’ll be unavailable by phone much of my trip. Is this pretty normal? Anything sitters especially appreciate owners doing if this is the case?
Thanks, all!