How to Become a Dog Sitter On Rover

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Want to make money pet sitting? It has seriously been one of the easier side hustles I have tried. I looked at various pet-sitting apps and landed on Rover to list my profile.

I have always had pets growing up and so I have been familiar with caring for them.

During this time I was pet sitting, I was not able to have a dog due to my living situation, so I thought why not try to get some animal love elsewhere! And make money.

My hubs and I were saving for our wedding, so we were trying to get all the money we could get!

How to make money dog sitting with no experience

Now, I truly think it may be hard for someone to trust you if you have absolutely no experience with pets, but maybe not! One thing I think that helped me land my first client was I had a friend submit a review on my profile about their experience when I sat their 2 cats for free.

I did not book them through Rover, but Rover allows you to have people outside of the app submit reviews. I’d highly recommend this!

I think people rely heavily on the reviews when choosing a pet sitter, so aiming for at least one would likely help your chances.

Or, if you don’t have that option, you can look at what other people in your area are charging for their services and charge a little lower to get some clients/reviews under your belt. I also did that.

Can you make good money dog sitting on Rover?

It is hard to say how much you can make since it all depends on what you charge and how often you are getting booked!

On rover there are 5 services you can offer:

1. Boarding, where you stay in the client’s home
2. House sitting, the client brings their pet to your home
3. Drop-in visits, if an animal needs to be let out or fed
4. Doggy daycare, clients bring their dogs to your home for the day
5. Dog walking

I see people charging on the app anywhere from $15 per visit (mainly for walking and drop-in visits) to $100. People tend to have higher prices for boarding and house sitting.

I was able to make $1000 over the course of 9 months by being available for house sitting and drop-ins. I did not have a ton of flexibility in my schedule because I was working a full-time job.

Some people pet sit as a part-time gig to make extra money, and others do it as their full-time job! It all depends on how much time you are able to be available.

If you have more flexibility, I would bet you could make way more than me. Especially now with it being summer and people are traveling more.

How to get started making money dog sitting on Rover

First, you have to choose an app you will list your services on.

I recommend Rover because that is the only one I have tried, but you can also check out:

I have no regrets! The app is easy to use and I have never had any problems with it. If you’d like to try Rover, you can receive $20 after your first booking when you use my referral link here. Once you decide what platform you’d like to use, write a detailed about me.

Things I would recommend including:

Rover prompts you to answer some other questions as well. You can add a few photos of yourself (try to upload photos of you with a pet), update your calendar for when you’re available, and then you’re done!

Now you just sit and wait for someone to send you a booking inquiry.

What to do when you receive a pet sitting inquiry

When I receive a pet sitting inquiry, I try to respond as soon as possible. I also think it’s best to meet the pet(s) at least once before you provide any sort of service.

If the booking is many weeks away, I typically like to schedule 2 meet and greets. I like the second one to be as close to the service date as possible so I am a recent/familiar face (mainly for dogs).

If you are dog walking or house sitting, seeing the owner’s home during a meet and greet is helpful so you can learn where the pet food and supplies live.

Some people prefer to meet at a park or somewhere public for the first meeting, and some don’t care if you meet at their house. I usually give the owners the option to choose. If your meeting goes well, the owner will book you on their side of the app, and then you have to book on your end as well.

You get paid a few days after you have completed the service!

Tips for when you are completing the pet sitting service

I think the most important thing to remember is to communicate with the owner – if things are going well, or not going so well. You want to ease their mind that their pet is being well behaved and well taken care of by you; Or, have them involved asap with any issues.

I just think about what kind of information I would want if someone were taking care of my pet. Hopefully, if all goes well, the owner will book you again in the future!

Final thoughts

Making money dog sitting can be an easy gig if you have the flexibility! Plus, you get to be around animals, of course.

I personally don’t have time to make a full-time income from pet sitting, but there are many people on the app who do! If you’d like to try Rover, you can receive $20 after your first booking when you use my referral link here.

Let me know in the comments if you have tried pet sitting and what platform you prefer!