Roberta M.
Rover Great -- Use YOUR Agreement with the Dog Sitters
The Rover concept is great. But, you have to be VERY careful of the individual dog sitter. I used Elizabeth Ewing/Chevy Chase to watch my 2 dogs in my home for 11 days. During that time, she moved in her husband and son, went off to a meeting and her under-age kid was in charge of my dogs. The husband, Ted Andrews, got into my computer, the kid messed up the programming on my TV and the family basically had a mini-vacation in my home in my absence. I never met the husband or the kid, but they were living in my home without the approved-dog sitter. NONE of this was OK'd by me and I didn't know it was happening. Despite regular communication, Ewing never asked my permission or told me what was going on. When I discovered the truth -- there were a lot of lies and cover-ups. Rover is GREAT -- good customer service when I complained -- but -- this experience has made me decide to have ALL dog sitters sign an agreement with me -- in addition to the one the sitters want you to sign. Rover cannot guarantee what the dog sitters do once they get in your home and have access to your private things. Protect yourself and your dogs!
Response from Rover.com | Pet SittingNov 10, 2015
Hi Roberta, Thank you for sharing your experience. I am happy to hear that your concerns and the incident as a whole were thoroughly addressed when you contacted Rover.com. We take these situations very seriously, as owner privacy and pet safety are top priorities. Your advice for other pet owners is spot on. Rover.com highly recommends that sitters and owners get to know each other before a booking, through Meet and Greets and detailed dialogue. We also encourage full transparency in expectations, on both ends. Pets are family and they deserve to be treated with care and respect. Best, Courtney