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10 Best
Pet Sitting
of 2024
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Pet Sitting 

Rover.com pet-sitting website in-depth review.


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.6 / 5 (Excellent)
102 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Rover.com is a website that connects pet parents with loving, local dog sitters. It’s the country’s largest network of dog lovers for hire, with over 25,000 pet sitters nationwide who can easily be accessed online. Services offered by pet sitters include dog hosting (the sitter watches the dog in their home), dog sitting (the sitter watches the dog in the owner’s home), dog walking, and dog daycare. Rover.com also offers premium insurance, 24/7 support, and a reservation guarantee, at no extra cost.

Availability: (Nationwide)

Pet Sitter Rates
$25 per day average

Payment Options

Credit card (Visa, MasterCard)
PayPal

Pet Sitting Location

Pet Hosting (In the Owner's Home)
Pet Hosting (In the Sitter’s Home)

Pet Services

Dog boarding
Day care
Pet sitting
Dog walking
Transportation

Setting an Appointment

Self-Service: Online

Search sitters, send messages, book and pay, all through Rover.

Full-service: Telephone

Call Rover Premier, and a consultant will handle the details, matching pet parents with the best sitter to meet their needs.

Pet Insurance – Included with all services

Universal insurance coverage for stays and services booked on Rover

Medical coverage

$25,000
$250 deductible per claim

General liability (Bodily injury and property damage)

$2,000,000 per occurrence
$3,000,000 general aggregate
No deductible

Professional liability

$1,000,000 per occurrence
$1,000,000 general aggregate
No deductible

Fine Print

Limited one-time refund

Requests for refunds should be sent within 48 hours of the end of your pet’s stay. This excludes any fees payable to Pet Care Service Providers. In cases where Rover.com determines that a Pet Care Service Provider violated policies in connection with a service, Rover.com may provide pet owners a refund of all fees charged by Rover.com.

Identity and Background Verification

Rover.com does not attempt to confirm any user’s purported identity or background. Users are responsible for providing true, accurate, current and complete information about themselves. Users are advised to maintain and update any information so it remains true, accurate and complete at all times. Rover.com offers optional background checks through a partnership with First Advantage that verifies that a sitter has not committed a felony or violent crime, such that there would be reason to believe that animals would be in danger while in their care. Rover.com does not investigate any user’s reputation, conduct, morality, criminal background or verify information submitted though the services.

Cancellations

If you book a reservation with a sitter, then you have to cancel your reservation, which does happen, Rover.com will return the funds to the pet owner in accordance with the sitter's cancellation policy. Policies may vary from sitter-to-sitter. Rover.com, however, isn't obligated to intervene in any dispute between users regarding any cancellations and/or refunds outside of Rover.com cancellation policy (if any), regardless of whether Rover.com collected any money on behalf of a pet care service provider or third party service provider. It's really about you knowing how the sitter you choose operates, then being respectful with your sitter in the event that an unforeseen emergency comes up or your travel plans change last minute.   

Rover.com Summary

Rover.com is an excellent gateway for pet parents searching for pet-sitting services. Its nationwide network of over 25,000 loving pet sitters makes it the most extensive online database of its kind. It’s easy-to-use messaging system and secure payment portal allows pet parents to find, book, and pay for a sitter—and remain in touch throughout the stay. Rover.com offers premium pet insurance which includes medical coverage, general, and professional liability, giving pet parents an extra layer of protection. With Rover.com, loving neighborhood sitters are backed by the support and security of a nationwide company. Overall, Rover.com is a robust yet simple tool for helping pet parents connect seamlessly with pet-sitting services.


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Customer Comments

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J
jason
4/10/2019
My 5-star 55 reviews, first aid/cpr certified rover sitter killed our 8-year-old healthy Pomeranian. The sitter then took her to a crematorium and didn't call us until after the place was closed and hours after our baby was killed. She tampered with the body so the next day when we were able to retrieve the body and get a necroscopy it was inconclusive since she was frozen without our permission overnight. Rover.com claims the sitter did nothing wrong and is still on their site as if we didn't exist. Rover.com "rover protection package" only covers injuries, if they kill your dog they cover nothing besides partial refund and crematory fees. So the way they wrote their terms of service... Read More
3 People found this helpful.


S
suzie
11/24/2018
Rover.com promises "You can Trust Us." So I met a pet sitter and arranged for her to watch my dog over the Thanksgiving holiday. When I arrived at the sitter's home at the appointed time, there was no answer. I repeatedly tried to contact her--no answer. I then called Rover.com's emergency phone number. I asked company support to please contact the sitter, as time was drawing short before I had to be at the airport. They put me on hold-- and several minutes elapsed as they were confused if I was "canceling" or not. They also had trouble contacting the sitter also. But they offered no back-up plan--I was left scrambling, to find someone--anyone!-- to watch my dog, hoping not to miss... Read More
3 People found this helpful.


K
karen
11/15/2018
Our original house/dog sitter cancelled and we have been left to scramble to find a replacement as it is from mid-December through New Year (holidays). Rover was initially helpful in sending potential replacement sitters, although out of several, only two were actually able to house sit over the dates we needed. One was a High School student who had just signed on with Rover, with no previous experience, and the other was a good fit so we figured we'd book this sitter. The issue we had was Rover had initially sent us a support email stating they would provide 25% credit towards cost of replacement. The new sitter was over $500 more expensive than our original booked/paid in full... Read More
3 People found this helpful.


K
Kathy
10/13/2018
Hired a “lovely” gal through Rover. Did 3 meet and greets. We agreed on my pet’s schedule and needs. She made it seem like she would be around quite a bit and would follow our directions. She had multiple 5 star reviews. I checked her references (must have been friends and family). She seemed sweet and well educated . Once hired and we left on our trip, things went bad! She lied and did not show up at times agreed. She pretended to be at my home by sending photos and videos. Cameras (which she knew of) showed she was at my house 17 minutes. She didn’t even play with my pet or really care for him. My neighbors said she wasn’t there when she said she was at my house by text (very... Read More
3 People found this helpful.


L
Lisa
2/9/2018
My sitter drugged my dogs and nearly killed one, I reported her but Rover is still using her as a sitter. Don't be scammed, they don't care about your animals, use at your own risk
3 People found this helpful.


C
christine
2/5/2018
It was terrible. We were informed at 4:00 am that the sitter was not going to make it at the agreed upon time and she would"try" to make it in the afteroon. We were at the airport going on a ten day vacation. Totally unacceptable they need a back system, we scrambled to get someone and one of us almost had to fly back.
3 People found this helpful.


L
L G
1/28/2018
People should know that Rover.com seems to just want to cover independent sitters with a corporate veil. What this means is that Rover promises to provide insurance coverage leading you to believe you can have peace of mind if you use one of their sitters. I found that instead, they held me responsible for the first $250 of my vet bill and denied all other bills--despite it being the fault of the sitter. I was a repeat customer six times with one of their sitters. Good, right? On the 5th time, my dog was bitten multiple times by the sitter's own dog. The sitter paid for about half of my vet bill and I wasn't going back but he begged me to return. Because my dog likes him, I took my... Read More
3 People found this helpful.


sandy.tarant
11/6/2019
I paid for the sitter to remain at my home. We have security cameras all around the perimeter of the house (the sitter was apprised of this) and they documented the absence of the sitter on the first night. When she failed to walk the dogs, keeping one locked up in a small room for 14 hours, we fired her. Rover claimed that the sitter was an independent contractor and that they could not refund all of our money even though there was a clear breach of our agreement with them. After numerous email interactions, as a "one-time customer service gesture," the company agreed to refund my money. Refunding my money for services not provided, neglect of my dogs bordering on abuse was a... Read More
2 People found this helpful.


J
john
10/1/2019
they are horrible. they talk a good game w/ the impression of background checks and guaranteed quality service. But when there is a problem they wash their hands. I was forced to find someone else to watch my dog while i was on vacation 500 miles away after they failed to live up to the agreement.. When i contacted Rover to get my $$ back I was told to "talk it out" with my sitter. Assume the worst and you will only be 1/2 way to how bad they really are.
2 People found this helpful.


plantcare4
9/23/2019
After several emails back and forth with the "Support and Trust" Department, which turned out very poorly by the way, the department actually had the "brass" to email me a request for a review.... wow... The following is what I sent them.. (I was being tempered). From my Support experience I believe your whole support system is geared to not paying legitimate claims by: Isolating the appropriate wording in the guarantee to suit without fully explaining the rest. Mis-representing the relationship between the company and the care providers. Attempting to re-define english in explaining that a "guarantee" can somehow be a "gesture". Not allowing contact between the claimant... Read More
2 People found this helpful.



Top Rated
  • Over 25,000 pet sitters nationwide
  • Complimentary premium pet insurance
  • 24/7 support and Rover reservation guarantee
  • Sitter background checks
  • On-call veterinary assistance
  • Daily photo updates of your pet via free mobile app (IOS & Android)