Dog sitter in my home

[Anonymous]

Set up cameras in the house so you can observe what is going on (not in bedroom/bathroom, but the main areas of the house and naturally the exterior).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Set up cameras in the house so you can observe what is going on (not in bedroom/bathroom, but the main areas of the house and naturally the exterior).

Doing this and not disclosing it is a crime in some places, so be sure you do your research before becoming this level of paranoid ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am about to hire a Rover sitter to care for my dogs in my home for 4 nights/5 days this summer. I’ve used Rover a lot, but I usually prefer to board my dogs in the sitter’s home.

I’m unsure what to expect as far as how this normally works with respect to house rules. I will make clear that staying overnight every night is expected (I’ve heard horror stories about sitters taking multiple simultaneous bookings and not actually spending the night). And I will communicate no parties or anything. But is it reasonable to allow the sitter (college age) to have a friend over to watch a movie or should I say no guests? Any other suggestions of things to iron out clearly ahead of time?

When my dogs board at the sitter’s home I don’t care what they do and with whom as long as they keep my dogs safe, cared for and out of danger.

Make the rules you need for safety and functionality. Don't try to micromanage the details.

I used to do a lot of house-sitting/pet-sitting. The people I accepted as repeat clients paid well, had well-behaved pets, and didn't make me feel like a suspect. You either trust the person or you don't, so honor your feelings about that. If you don't trust them to make good decisions (no parties, actually doing the job as specified) don't hire them.

Consider how you're going to enforce the rules you make. No guests? Really? Are you going to have cameras? Do you need to disclose that you'll have cameras? This is a lot of micromanaging, and it's probably just going to cause you more stress. Besides, Rover has its own liability coverage if your selected sitter does stupid things and/or doesn't do the job well. You could probably just review those with your selected sitter.

OP here. I think there is a huge difference between micromanaging and giving clear communication to someone you are hiring so everyone is on the same page and not making assumptions.

Think what you want, but what you should be thinking about is "What do I really need, and what control do I really have?" You can say you only want the sitter to wear a purple tee and jeans. Can you enforce that? You can say "no guests". Can you enforce that?

Most importantly: are you paying a rate that supports that? If you want to pay $60/day and expect someone to give up their whole life and love your dog like you do, you're insane. If you expect them to be there full-time, alone, you'll need to pay a rate that provides adequate compensation for that.

OP here. I think we have gotten slightly off track. I came here to see what people who have hired in-home dog sitters tend to do or expect and see if there is anything prudent to discuss before hiring that I’ve not thought of. It doesn’t sound like you have had that experience as a pet owner or have offered a data point of what has worked for you in my position.

I’m not looking for judgement about what I should pay (Rover sitters set their own rates which I pay, plus I tip generously) or your assumptions about my ability or inability to trust someone I haven’t even met yet. Of course I’m not expecting this person to quarantine in my house 24 hours a day or wear a particular outfit.

Very simply, if you’ve hired a dog sitter to stay in your home, what basic rules/requests/expectations have you had or found necessary?

You got your answers. You seem to have stuck by your original idea of controlling the eff out of your new sitter, including who they can/can't hang out with for their 4-5 day job. You can do that, sure. And nobody is going to want to work for you. The job is to take care of the pet. Unless your pet is the one with a problem with guests, those "rules" you're trying to control for are micromanaging.

The point about money, which seems to have gone right over your head, is that asking someone to be alone in your house vs. having a friend should cost you more, especially since it's not about your dog, it's about your control tripping.

[Anonymous]

The Rover Guarantee covers

Up to $25,000 in vet care reimbursement for eligible claims related to injury to either the pet owner's or sitter’s pets.
Property damage to the pet owner’s home caused by a sitter, or dog walker.
Certain out-of-pocket medical costs for 3rd party injuries (e.g. someone other than the pet owner, sitter, or dog walker).
24/7 support.

You don't need to control for these things. They're already part of your Rover contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set up cameras in the house so you can observe what is going on (not in bedroom/bathroom, but the main areas of the house and naturally the exterior).

Doing this and not disclosing it is a crime in some places, so be sure you do your research before becoming this level of paranoid ass.

DP here. We always disclose and it’s not paranoid to want to see if your bedrooms and basement were not rummaged through.

[Anonymous]

If you are this uncomfortable then having a dog sitter come to your home does not seem to be the right choice for you. I say this knowing I would not be comfortable with it either. Why not send the pet off-site as you have in the past?

[Anonymous]

I’ve had older teens dog sit but not through Rover.
I’ve always been ok with having friends over, but no parties. If they’ve got friends over I know they’re hanging with the dogs.
I ask ahead of time if they want any favorite foods stocked and tell them to eat whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set up cameras in the house so you can observe what is going on (not in bedroom/bathroom, but the main areas of the house and naturally the exterior).

Doing this and not disclosing it is a crime in some places, so be sure you do your research before becoming this level of paranoid ass.

DP here. We always disclose and it’s not paranoid to want to see if your bedrooms and basement were not rummaged through.

You put cameras in your bedroom and film your dog/housesitters?!

[Anonymous]

I hire my dog sitters/house sitters from people I know so I’m fairly relaxed in my approach. Many of the them are young adults who still live with parents so I try to encourage them to treat it as a mini vacay and to enjoy have a housing to themselves and the pets. I allow visitors and SOs (but are house is super remote/rural) and we’ve had people get spooked to be out in the middle of nowhere by themselves. No cameras but I do ask for regular updates/photos of animals. Most of my sitters have full time jobs outside of this gig, so I don’t expect them to be parked at the house 24/7. We have a well house broken dog so she can handle 9-5 without a potty break.

[Anonymous]

I dog sit in people’s homes. I have no house rules, because I’m an adult. I always ask if I want to have a friend over and I rarely do that. Of course I only dog sit for one dog at a time and sleep there every night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are this uncomfortable then having a dog sitter come to your home does not seem to be the right choice for you. I say this knowing I would not be comfortable with it either. Why not send the pet off-site as you have in the past?

OP here. I don’t think anything I posted gives the specific impression that I’m super uncomfortable, but maybe just posting at all gave that vibe? There was at least one troll claiming I was asking or expecting a variety of things, none of which was true.

That said, I will admit here that I searched extensively for an off-site private boarding arrangement and came up dry. It’s a tricky week I guess. All my usual people have conflicts and I couldn’t find anyone new who would work. My dogs are not good candidates for a kennel environment so I am being flexible by setting up this arrangement. I just wanted to set up the sitter for success and make sure I was providing what I’m supposed to provide (things like towels?) and discussing the right things. That’s all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This should probably be labeled as “pet and house sitter”.
Sitter should remain in home as much as possible during time period (cook at house or get delivered meals), only leaving for 30-60 mins at a time.

Uh, this is way out of the line of what I'd expect from a house/pet sitter - so if it is your rule, I'd say it's pretty important to make that explicit.

+1

Most reputable services will stay overnight for in-home overnight care about 6 to 6, and that is it -- and then you have to order a separate mid-day walk. My service charged $175 for this, and then $26 for the extra walk. Yes, that is expensive and adds up fast, but it is a reputable service that treats their employees well and when you can trust them like this you need to pay more than min wage for 12 hour overnights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are this uncomfortable then having a dog sitter come to your home does not seem to be the right choice for you. I say this knowing I would not be comfortable with it either. Why not send the pet off-site as you have in the past?

OP here. I don’t think anything I posted gives the specific impression that I’m super uncomfortable, but maybe just posting at all gave that vibe? There was at least one troll claiming I was asking or expecting a variety of things, none of which was true.

That said, I will admit here that I searched extensively for an off-site private boarding arrangement and came up dry. It’s a tricky week I guess. All my usual people have conflicts and I couldn’t find anyone new who would work. My dogs are not good candidates for a kennel environment so I am being flexible by setting up this arrangement. I just wanted to set up the sitter for success and make sure I was providing what I’m supposed to provide (things like towels?) and discussing the right things. That’s all.

You're still giving that 'vibe'. Honestly, you sound insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are this uncomfortable then having a dog sitter come to your home does not seem to be the right choice for you. I say this knowing I would not be comfortable with it either. Why not send the pet off-site as you have in the past?

That said, I will admit here that I searched extensively for an off-site private boarding arrangement and came up dry. It’s a tricky week I guess. All my usual people have conflicts and I couldn’t find anyone new who would work. My dogs are not good candidates for a kennel environment so I am being flexible by setting up this arrangement. I just wanted to set up the sitter for success and make sure I was providing what I’m supposed to provide (things like towels?) and discussing the right things. That’s all.

You don't seem flexible.

You set up the house as you would for a house guest, which is largely what you'll have. So yes, towels, clean sheets, a reasonably stocked fridge. Yes to visitors, no to parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are this uncomfortable then having a dog sitter come to your home does not seem to be the right choice for you. I say this knowing I would not be comfortable with it either. Why not send the pet off-site as you have in the past?

OP here. I don’t think anything I posted gives the specific impression that I’m super uncomfortable, but maybe just posting at all gave that vibe? There was at least one troll claiming I was asking or expecting a variety of things, none of which was true.

That said, I will admit here that I searched extensively for an off-site private boarding arrangement and came up dry. It’s a tricky week I guess. All my usual people have conflicts and I couldn’t find anyone new who would work. My dogs are not good candidates for a kennel environment so I am being flexible by setting up this arrangement. I just wanted to set up the sitter for success and make sure I was providing what I’m supposed to provide (things like towels?) and discussing the right things. That’s all.

You're still giving that 'vibe'. Honestly, you sound insufferable.

No she’s not. OP, I don’t understand why people are giving you a hard time for a reasonable question. I allow guests, no cameras. I do ask for an occasional photo.