Pawshake - Experienced pet care with peace of mindLoving pet sitters who treat your pets like familyAt Pawshake, we connect pet parents with friendly, reliable and vetted pet sitters. So whether you are going away, need someone to drop in to check on your pet while you’re at work or take your dog for a sniff around the block, we’ve got a pet loving sitter for you.Loving home environments - no cages!Your pets will stay in loving home environments and be treated just like family. Pawshake pet sitters are able to cater to your pet’s needs and are also a great alternative to dog boarding kennels or catteries.Get daily updates about your pet and relax knowing that they will get plenty of love and attention while you are away.Convenient, safe and flexible pet careSimply, search for a sitter, arrange a free meet and greet and then confirm your booking online. Payments are held securely by Pawshake until the booking is complete. There are no subscription fees and you only pay for the sitter you choose. Pet parents can also leave a review at the end of each booking to share their experience with other pet parents.The Pawshake Guarantee All bookings are covered by The Pawshake Guarantee which includes veterinary coverage, Happiness Guarantee and in-house customer support.
pawshake.com (pawshake.com) has 6,520 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5.
Website
pawshake.com
Category
Pet Services
Location
Portola Valley, California
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 10% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Just went so smooth from start to finish. Knew my pets were in good hands
JC
Jenna C.
Bailey's Care
Bailey stayed with Rob in Strathmore. We received many updates with photos, and he came back happy and healthy.
BR
Breda R.
Aline & Nala
Aline was an exceptionally kind, loving and caring for Nala during her stay. From the photos we received Nala was really happy and loving life. We have no reservations at all in recommending Aline to care for your pet.
MA
Marian
Redder uit de nood
Op basis van de selectiecriteria is Pawshake een heel gemakkelijk en snelwerkend platform om op te zoeken of er in je buurt een dogsitter beschikbaar is. Eenmaal de account gecreëerd en je verwachtingen geconfigureerd krijg je een lijstje van de optie! Afstand en ervaring met adoptiehonden waren voor ons de belangrijkste aandachtspunten. Eenmaal gekozen bleek tijdens de meet & greet dat het plaatje klopte. Fijne ervaring!
HM
H M.
Not the safe option I expected.........
I booked pet sitting through Pawshake with sitter Jerrica in Albury. When part of the service was cancelled, I requested a partial refund for the unused days. Despite following up, Pawshake refused and told me the case was closed with no further escalation. In my view, this is unfair and unethical - I paid for services I never received. I am now escalating this matter to Consumer Affairs Victoria so other pet owners are aware of how Pawshake handles refund requests.
UPDATE TO MY REVIEW
There was no indication of their refund policy at the time of booking, only after the fact in fine print and only if you go into the small (i). The sitter pushed me to pay ASAP, even knowing my circumstances. There was no "change of heart" but a genuine reason beyond my control after only two completed visits.
Pawshake's reply is misleading- Australian Consumer Law does not provide a general "cooling - off period" for pet-sitting. That's their own policy, which they never offered me a refund under it at the time. Under ACL, consumers still have rights if services aren't delivered with due care, skill, or as agreed, regardless of Pawshake's "no refunds" stance. Consumer Affairs has flagged my complaint and are looking into it.
Protect yourself - read other reviews on Pawshake, as many seem similar to mine.
EDIT AFTER COMPANY'S SECOND REPLY:
Pawshake's response is inaccurate. I was pressured to confirm and pay before a proper meet and greet, so this wasn't a "change of heart". The service was never properly provided, yet they hid behind the sitter's policy to keep my money. This reflects a clear lack of accountability and shows the same dismissive pattern in many other reviews.
Protect yourself and read reviews across other public platforms before booking - the issues appear to be widespread, not isolated.
EDIT AFTER THIRD REPLY :
This response perfectly illustrates why I've had to escalate my case beyond Pawshake's customer service.
My cancellation was due to a genuine family emergency - not a "change of heart". The sitter was fully informed, and I acted responsibly and in good faith. Instead of acknowledging that, Pawshake continues to hide behind scripted policy explanations and imply customer error.
For a company that profits from each transaction, it's disappointing to see such a lack of accountability under Australian Consumer Law or even basic fairness. Their replies may sound polished, but they completely ignore the human circumstances behind the booking.
I won't be responding further, as this exchange reflects exactly how my original complaint was handled. I've since escalated the matter to head office in the hope others don't get misled or ripped off the way I was.
Response from pawshake.comSep 20, 2025
Hi Helen Milovanovic,
Thank you for your feedback.
We’d like to clarify that your booking was cancelled due to your change of heart while the service was being delivered, not due to any fault of the sitter or the service provided. At the time of enquiry and confirmation, you were shown and acknowledged the sitter’s cancellation policy on multiple occasions, which clearly states that no refunds are issued once a booking has commenced.
As per Australian Consumer Law, consumers are not entitled to a refund for services where they have had a change of mind or change of heart. Pawshake even provides a cooling-off period during which you could have cancelled and received a refund, but you cancelled after that period and once the booking was already underway. Cancellation policies exist to protect sitter income in these situations, as sitters set aside their time for confirmed bookings and often turn down other job and pet sitting opportunities to honour your booking.
We understand you are disappointed; however, Pawshake has acted in line with both our policies and Australian Consumer Law.
Kind regards,
Jack
Pawshake Support
Edited response:
Hi Helen,
Thank you for your updated feedback. We’d like to clarify a few points regarding your amended review. The cancellation policy is displayed prominently at the point of enquiry, permanently in the message thread, and under the price breakdown on the payment page, which must be viewed before paying. You had the opportunity to review this before making payment, so we would appreciate your honesty that it was shown to you. If it was not read, it remains the responsibility of the booker, as Pawshake makes it fully available and highly visible.
We are glad to hear your brother was released from hospital early. However, your subsequent decision to cancel the service—through no fault of the sitter— and subsequent refund is governed by the sitter’s own cancellation policy. Your circumstances changed, resulting in a change of heart about continuing the booking. The cancellation policy is in place as your sitter may have turned down other work to accommodate your long booking and would be left out of work and out of pocket due to your change of heart. Pawshake does not set these policies, and your sitter declined your request for a full refund. Under the terms of the booking displayed at purchase, you are not entitled to a refund. We kindly ask that you refrain from contacting our team further regarding a refund that is not within our control.
It should also be noted that the sitter asking you to confirm the booking the day before it commences does not constitute “pressure.” It is standard practice to confirm bookings before they start, especially on a self-service, pay-in-advance platform.
Kind regards,
Jack
Pawshake Support
AC
Anthony C.
Found a superb sitter on this site
Found a superb sitter on this site, really happy with the service
