pawshake.comReviews of pawshake.com

Response from pawshake.comJun 5, 2026

Hi Hanna He, We are genuinely sorry that this situation did not work out for you. However, it is not accurate to suggest that your account was removed because of "one bad review" or that Pawshake acted without reviewing the evidence. The decision followed a serious incident during a house sitting booking where the owner reported extensive damage to their home and belongings, including a broken table, a kitchen fire, damage to cookware and family heirlooms, staining to furniture, failure to follow feeding instructions, and remaining at the property beyond the agreed departure time. The owner provided photographs, documentation and detailed explanations of these concerns. Importantly, the owner was initially extremely understanding. They specifically asked us to release your payment, acknowledged that some of the damage may have been accidental, and went out of their way to explain that they believed you genuinely cared for their cats. This was not a situation where we simply accepted one side of the story without question. Our Trust & Safety Team reviewed the matter carefully and gave you the opportunity to respond. The issue was not that mistakes occurred. Accidents can happen. The issue was that, after reviewing the circumstances and your responses, we were not confident that similar incidents would not happen again in another client's home. Sometimes mistakes are minor and can be learned from. Sometimes the consequences are serious enough that the trust required for house sitting can no longer be maintained. When a client returns home to find damaged property, fire-related damage, stained furniture, feeding instructions not followed and other significant issues, the trust relationship can be broken beyond repair. We appreciate that this outcome was disappointing for you and we wish you all the best moving forward. However, our responsibility is first and foremost to the safety of pets, owners, and their homes, and in this case we did not believe it would be responsible for you to continue offering house sitting services through the platform. Pawshake Support

Response from pawshake.comMay 30, 2026

We're sorry you feel this way. The sitter in question was not removed from Pawshake because an owner had "unrealistic demands" or because of a disagreement about care preferences. Following an investigation, we established that the sitter unilaterally altered the agreed care instructions without the owner's permission by repeatedly closing an external access point that the cat relied upon for entry to the property. This resulted in an elderly cat being left locked outside and unable to access its home as intended. The owner was understandably distressed by the situation, particularly as they were overseas at the time and reliant on the sitter to follow the agreed care plan. We also received written confirmation from the sitter acknowledging that she had not been truthful with the owner about these actions. Pawshake's role is to protect both pet owners and sitters, but ultimately the welfare of the pet must come first. Sitters are expected to follow agreed care instructions or raise concerns with the owner before making changes. Where there is a significant lapse in judgement that places an animal's welfare at risk, we have a responsibility to act. It is unfortunate that this review is based on second-hand information rather than your own direct experience of the incident or the investigation. The objective process that led to the sitter's removal is not accurately reflected in your account of events. While we appreciate that family members naturally wish to support one another, our decisions are based on the evidence available to us, the welfare of the pet involved, and the sitter's own admissions regarding what occurred. We wish her all the best for the future. Pawshake Support

Response from pawshake.comMay 17, 2026

Hi Tracey, I’m sorry to hear you feel this way. Pawshake does not “read and control” private messages in the way described. Communication is monitored only where necessary for safety, policy enforcement, or support resolution purposes, in line with standard marketplace practice. We also do not deactivate accounts “for the smallest thing”. Profiles are only unpublished where there are repeated missed enquiries, policy or safety breaches, or issues that impact response reliability and the experience of other members using the platform. Regarding insurance, sitters are welcome to hold their own cover. However, when you use Pawshake’s platform to connect with clients and accept bookings, you agree those bookings must be made and managed through the platform. This is what ensures payment protection, support, and safety systems for both owners and sitters. If your profile has been removed for breaching those terms of use, you cannot say you were not warned. We understand not everyone will agree with how a managed marketplace operates, but these systems exist to maintain trust, consistency, and accountability for all users. Kind regards, Pawshake Support

Response from pawshake.comMay 17, 2026

Hi Chloe, I’m sorry to hear you’re disappointed with your experience signing up on Pawshake. To clarify, the address and identity verification requirements are not set by Pawshake. They are **New Zealand regulatory and financial compliance requirements**, applied through our payment provider, Stripe, and must be met in order to offer services and receive payouts on any platform operating in this space. Because these are regulatory requirements, neither Pawshake nor Stripe are able to override or manually approve documents that do not meet the required criteria. We understand this can be frustrating, particularly where certain document types (such as tenancy agreements or non-bank-issued statements) are not accepted. However, we are unable to bypass or work around these requirements, and sitters must provide an eligible document in order to proceed. We have provided guidance on alternative acceptable documents throughout your interactions with our team, and we remain happy to assist if you are able to submit one that meets the verification standards. Kind regards, Pawshake Support

Response from pawshake.comApr 29, 2026

Hi there, Thank you for taking the time to leave your review, and I’m really sorry to hear about your experience. What you’ve described — having two different sitters and not receiving a reliable service — is understandably upsetting, and it’s not the experience we want anyone to have on Pawshake. Feedback like this is taken very seriously, particularly where it impacts trust and confidence in a booking. We’ve already requested your booking details so we can follow this up properly with the sitters involved and understand exactly what happened. In the meantime, please do reach out to our Help Centre so our team can investigate this further and support you directly. We’d really like the opportunity to look into this properly and ensure it is addressed. Kind regards, Pawshake Support

Response from pawshake.comApr 25, 2026

Thanks for sharing your feedback. From a customer perspective, it’s important to clarify a few key points about how Pawshake is designed to work, as several of the concerns raised stem from not following the platform’s booking process. Pawshake is a platform that connects pet owners with independent sitters. While sitters operate their own services, they are expected to follow clear guidelines designed to ensure safety and reliability for both parties. One of the most important requirements is that a meet & greet should take place before accepting any booking. This step exists specifically to avoid situations like the one described — where either party later feels uncomfortable with the arrangement. Accepting a booking without first meeting the owner and pet is against recommended practice and significantly increases the risk of cancellation and dissatisfaction on both sides. If a sitter later chooses to cancel after accepting a booking due to concerns about the environment, this indicates that the due diligence step (the meet & greet) was not completed properly beforehand. In that case, the resulting disruption to the owner’s plans is understandably frustrating and not the experience we aim to provide. Regarding response times: Pawshake does encourage timely communication, as this is a service-based platform where owners rely on quick coordination for their pets’ care. Profiles with consistently slow responses may become less visible, as reliability is a key factor in matching. As a service provider, there are standards of communication that most owners would reasonably expect, including timely responses to enquiries within 24 hours. On fees, Pawshake takes a service commission (currently 19%) which supports platform operations including payment processing, customer support, veterinary coverage for bookings, and maintaining the marketplace infrastructure. We also want to be clear that sitters are expected to treat all clients respectfully and professionally, regardless of personal impressions of a home or environment. Judgements about an owner’s living situation are not appropriate grounds for cancelling a confirmed booking without prior communication and proper process. Finally, claims regarding review removals or manipulation are incorrect — reviews are moderated only in line with Trust Pilot's guidelines around content and accuracy. Kind regards, Pawshake Support

Response from pawshake.comApr 19, 2026

Hi Thuria, Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, and sorry to hear you’ve had trouble with the help form. We’ve had our IT team test the submission process across Web (1) + (2), iOS (3) + (4), and Android (5) + (6), and everything appears to be working as expected on our side. That said, issues like this can sometimes be caused by browser cache, cookies, or a temporary connection error. We’d recommend trying the following if you experience it again: Refreshing the page or trying a different browser Clearing cache and cookies Using the mobile app instead of web (or vice versa) If it still doesn’t work after that, please let us know and we’ll be happy to look into it further with you directly. Kind regards, Pawshake Support