Loving pet care in your neighborhood™

FAQs

Frequently asked questions about Rover

What is Rover?

Rover is a place to find and connect with local pet sitters and service providers. Book trusted care for dogs and cats, whenever and wherever you need it!

With Rover, you can discover loving pet care services in your neighborhood: pet boarding, house sitting, dog walking, drop-in visits, doggy day care, and dog training. We make it easy to get personalized care for your one-of-a-kind pet.

How does Rover work?

As a pet parent, you can search for local pet care on Rover by entering your address or zip code. Then, explore sitter, walker, and trainer profiles and learn more about their pet care experience, ratings, and reviews.

While it’s not required, Rover recommends scheduling Meet & Greets with pet care providers you’re interested in before booking. This is your opportunity to make sure a sitter is the right match for your pet's unique needs. Once you and the sitter agree it’s a good fit, complete the booking and payment through Rover. You can message your sitter anytime before, during, or after the booking!

Many sitters, walkers, and trainers offer multiple services on Rover, making it easy to book consistent and flexible care for your pets. For example: If your dog usually just needs a dog walker, but later on you need boarding over a long weekend, you can often book the same person for both situations. To see what other services a pet care provider offers, check out the “Services” tab on their profile.

Interested in becoming a sitter, walker, or trainer on Rover? Get started here.

How does Rover promote safe experiences?

Rover promotes safe experiences in multiple ways, like requiring all pet care providers joining our community to pass a background check. Every booking also includes reservation protection, 24/7 support, and the Rover Guarantee. Everyone on Rover has access to a block and report feature. In the unlikely event you need to report any messages, you can easily do so to Rover Support.

We encourage all pet parents and sitters to read verified Rover reviews and schedule Meet & Greets before booking. Meet & Greets are in-person meetings where the pet, pet parent, and pet care provider can get to know each other. This allows everyone to assess if the environment, skills, and experience align with each pet's unique needs. Check out our Meet & Greet Guide for more tips.

How do I find a sitter?

The best way to find a sitter who’s a great match for your pet is to first create a Rover account and fill out a pet profile. The more we know about your pet, the easier it is to help you find a sitter who’s a great match for them.

On the search page, you can filter sitters based on your pet’s unique care needs, like their size, spay/neuter status, whether they need grooming, if you’d like your sitter to have a fenced-in yard, etc. Some features, like weekly scheduling or full-time care, may vary based on the service type.

Add your information and search to see a list of sitters who match your criteria. You can move around the map to refresh your sitter options and find sitters closer to your home, work, or wherever you need care. Open sitter profiles to explore recent reviews, read about their care style, and see how to contact them.

How much does booking a service on Rover cost?

Rates vary depending on the service, location, and experience of the pet care provider. This is because pet sitters, boarders, dog walkers, and trainers set their own rates on Rover. You may notice higher rates during holidays or for add-on services like grooming, pickup and drop-off, additional pets, and extended stays.

To get an idea of typical rates in your area, try a search on Rover. Enter your location and include as many details as you can. To make sure you’re seeing correct price estimates, complete an individual profile for each of your pets before you search.

What does a dog or cat’s day with a sitter look like?

This depends on the service, your pet’s care instructions, and the sitter, but generally speaking: A typical drop-in or overnight stay includes feeding, fresh water, potty breaks or litter box cleaning, and playtime. We know pets thrive on familiar routines, so Rover makes it possible to find a sitter who’ll maintain your pet’s daily rituals—whether they like company during dinnertime or require a minimum number of ball throws before bed.

Looking for sitters who really go the extra mile? Some offer what can only be described as luxury boarding, and they’ll detail how they structure a pet’s day in the “A typical day” section.

What kind of background check do pet sitters on Rover have?

In North America, you can find the type of background check a sitter has passed by looking at their profile:

• A blue badge means the sitter has passed a basic background check.
• A gold badge means the sitter has passed an enhanced background check.

For extra peace of mind, you can also read verified reviews from other pet parents and check each sitter's repeat client stats. For more details, see Rover's Trust & Safety page.

What kind of pets can sitters on Rover watch?

Rover was created to make it easy to find loving care for dogs and cats of any age, from puppies and kittens to senior pets. Some pet sitters do understand how to care for other pet types, such as birds, bunnies, lizards, or fish, and they may list this experience in their profiles, however Rover is intended for dog and cat care.

Can I find available pet sitters on short notice through Rover?

If you need a pet sitter on short notice, start by entering your dates into a Rover search. Look for the green checkmark at the bottom of each listing to find sitters who have recently updated their availability. Star Sitter status is also a good indicator that a sitter is likely to respond quickly to your message. The Star Sitter program recognizes pet sitters and dog walkers with a track record of highly-rated care for pets and responsive, reliable service for pet parents on Rover.

Not seeing the sitters you need? Try broadening your search to include sitters who live a little farther away.

Tip: In a time crunch? When searching, reach out to a few sitters at a time to find the best fit for your family even faster.

How do I know a pet sitter is reliable?

Rather than relying on one factor, Rover offers multiple trust signals to help pet parents evaluate a pet sitter’s reliability. Background checks, star ratings, repeat clients, photo updates, and Star Sitter status are all ways to identify a reliable sitter.

Another important step is a Meet & Greet or trial day. Both methods offer a way for the pet parent to verify whether a pet sitter is the right fit. Trial days are booked as regular services, like doggy day care or overnight boarding, and can serve as a low-pressure practice run to see how your pet interacts with their potential sitter before committing to a longer stay. Successful Meet & Greets and trial days can help reduce your pet’s stress during the actual stay and give you peace of mind while you’re busy or traveling.