Isn't the picture hilarious? It's funnier than hell, if you ask me. The innocent look on Fido's face after ripping apart the recliner had me rolling on the floor.
I'll bet you that the owner didn't find it too funny and wished he had hired a ‘professional pet sitter‘ while away on his short trip out of town.
This is not a joke, my friends. You can actually use the services of Pet Sitting Businesses while you are away from your home. And why not? There are thousands of privately owned and run Day Care Centers to baby sit your children.
So it doesn't come as a big surprise that somebody had the idea of founding a company providing ‘pet sitting' by independent contractors. This company is the subject of my Rover.com Review today, and I will tell you if it is indeed a good work at home opportunity.
What Is Rover.com?
A Place For Rover Inc., based in Seattle WA, was founded in 2011 by CEO Aaron Easterly. The company is selling pet services, including dog & pet sitting as an alternative to traditional Kennels and/or family members or friends.
Rover Inc. is a web-based operation and, at inception, served Seattle WA and Portland Oregon. In 2012, the company expanded to serve all 50 states. Rover has been featured in many major media outlets, among them the Wall Street Journal.
The simple concept is to connect pet owners in need of pet care with screened and approved sitters willing to take care of the animals. The business transaction is handled by the company which receives a 15% fee of the agreed compensation paid to the sitter.
Rover Inc. provides insurance for no extra cost in case an emergency visit to, or by a vet, should be necessary. The insurance also covers property damage and liability.
Rover Inc. is BBB Accredited and has an “A Rating“.
Pet Sitting is not limited to dogs or cats; Rover Sitters have watched many different animals, including horses, birds, pigs, goats, and even lizards, snakes and turtles.
I wouldn't mind watching a turtle; the little critter couldn't out run me, to start with, and a smaller one would easily fit in my pants pocket, lol.
How You Can Become A Pet Sitter For Rover?
It's pretty simple and straight forward. Log on to their website and fill out an application. You have to agree to a background check which takes about 24 to 48 hours to be processed.
You will create your profile page which includes a short bio of yourself, the rates you are going to charge, and what animals you are willing to pet sit. You can even exclude certain breeds of dogs if you wish.
Once you are accepted as ‘Sitter For Rover‘, they supply you with some marketing materials and ideas to promote your business, and training videos. You also will get access to a Rover Blog & Member Forum where you can communicate with other sitters.
How Much Money Can You Make As A Rover Sitter?
Well, that depends on two things:
1) First off, it's your decision if you want to work full or part time, what kinds of animals you are willing to take care of, and if you are willing to pet sit at the client's location (which may be necessary for bigger animals like horses etc.)
You can add travel expenses to your base rate or charge extra for over night stays; that's completely up to you. And, of course, it depends on how you get about promoting your business from your end.
2) Secondly, it depends on how many requests for sitters Rover receives in your area. I learned during my research that Rover is quite busy, and also fair in spreading available work among the sitters in the particular locations.
I have seen reports from part time sitters that make $400 to $600 per month, and some from full time sitters making $1200 to $2000.
Important: You Are An Independent Contractor!
You understand that you are NOT an employee of Rover Inc., but an Independent Contractor and therefore responsible to take care of your tax liability as business owner. IRS form 1099 is required.
Are There Complaints About Rover.com?
In short, NONE whatsoever. The Better Business Bureau received and resolved TWO complaints in 4 years. However, in both cases, the owner of the pet AND the pet sitter, both ignored Standard Operating Procedures.
The pet owners failed to process the deal through Rover Inc., and the sitter failed to request confirmation of the business deal from the company. In fact, Rover did not even know that a contract between owner and sitter existed, and therefore unable to bill the pet owners.
When it was brought to the company's knowledge by the BBB, the issue was resolved within a couple of days. The sitters received their money (one owner included a $50 tip), Rover received their commission of 15%, and everybody lives happily ever after.
Is Sitting For Rover A Good Business Opportunity?
In my humble opinion – YES, it absolutely is. If you like animals and are able to take good care of them, what better way could there be to make some money at the same time?
There is only a little thing I have a problem with. Sitting for Rover is not for anyone…….
Although they have a web presence in all 50 states, they cannot cover and offer their service in every city or town. I am not sure why that is, but that's what they say on their website. So, if you are interested, you need to check on their site first if this opportunity is available in your area.
If you're not big animal person and you think they belong on your plate or out in the wild where mother nature intended to be, I get it. This may not be the opportunity for you. But don't fret there are some other options. You can check out my Top Free Work At Home Recommendation by clicking here. Or you can take one of my courses where I personally teach you some of the ways I make money online.
Either way you have options. Well that's enough from me. Let me know what you think of this opportunity by leaving a comment below. It's always great to hear from ya'll.
You'll hear from me again real soon if you're on my VIP list. If not I wish you the best as you surf the inter webs. lol
Take care,
Eddy with a y is outie!
Happy birthday Eddy! Hope your birthday was great. I do love animals! I’m gonna check out if it is available in New York! Thanks for the info.
Thanks, It was!
If you do try it out, let me know how it goes for you.
Hi Eddy,
First of all wishing you a happy 40th. birthday. Sounds good but at this time can’t do it due to watch my daughter’s cats dogs and that would be too much for me at this time. But would have liked to look into it.
Thanks Laura.
Well at least you know its an option.
I have three dogs so sitting for one probably not possible, but thank you I will contact them when I need a sitter, for horse too.
You’re welcome Janis. Thanks for chiming in. I appreciate it.
Heard about this at my dentist’s, as one of hygienests is doing this in her home. She indeed does a pre-interview w/new clients and their pet. Like she says, she already has feeding/playing/walking etc her own dog and now they are company for one another. They are in their kennel/crates while she works. She’s making good money and plans to continue. She encouraged me to give it a try! So thanks for the review.
You’re welcome. I’m glad I could re-affirm what you already heard about this opportunity! Thanks for sharing your experience. I appreciate it!
I adore pets and love the pic. Ol’ Rover with that “I didn’t do it, the cat did it” – priceless.
I’d much rather have pet clients that people clients. Humans are becoming so difficult to deal with these days.
Perhaps my husband and I will look into this opportunity and sell our existing business. LOL
LOL, I hear ya BetteLynn. I find people very annoying as well. But my dog is a pain in the butt too so I can’t win. lol Thanks for chiming in. I appreciate it.
Hysterical picture, but it really hits home! Our beagle is a rescue with terrible separation anxiety issues. She chewed up 4 slats of our vertical blinds recently while we were all out to a funeral!
Rover.com sounds like a good opportunity, but right now my life is too hectic to try something like that. Maybe when (if ever !) things calm down.
Thanks for letting us know about this, Eddy, & a belated “Happy Birthday”!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience Diane. I agree Rover isn’t something that is right for everyone. But I’m glad I can share it as an option. I appreciate the birthday wishes!
Great review Eddy,
I love the picture, I have a puppy yellow lab and beagle mix that can do just as much damage as Fido!
Just last week she somehow managed to rip all the covers off my bed and chew a hole all the way through the mattress. lol
Would hate to throw the responsibility of my dog on someone. Would have to pay a premium rate!
But anyways good review and looks like you can make some decent money pet sitting at Rover.com
Brok
Hey Brok,
I hear ya man. Pets are definitely like children and get in as much more more trouble than they do. But I guess if you’re traveling or need someone to take care of your dog this is a great service. And it’s a wonderful way to earn money if you love pets. So I’m sure there is an understanding about what you’re getting into with a service like this. Either way I appreciate you chiming in. How are you like the thrive theme products? I noticed you’ve been using it on your site for a bit now.
I started a profile on rover.com and finally have someone requesting that I watch their dog. However It’s raised some concerns because they are asking I watch their pet for two months and a total pay out of 4k. I don’t mind watching their pet that long but am concerned of getting scammed. How do I know they are not just looking for an easy way to get rid of their pet, or that after I watch their pet for two months that they might complain about me and I wont get paid for my work, or perhaps they can call their credit card company and dispute the charge. What is rover doing for the sitters to make sure we aren’t getting scammed?
Hey Brittany,
That’s a good question and concern. I would suggest contacting them. I’m sure they have something in place but you don’t know unless you ask. So head over to their site and contact them directly about this. I would love to hear what they have to say. So come back and share what you learn. Thanks.
This sounds interesting but very time consuming. And what is preventing a person from doing this on their own? I love animals especially dogs and cats. But not all dogs and cats are well behaved and safe to be around. Meeting a person and their pet in person before accepting the job would high on the priority list . Thanks. Robin
Hello Robin, thanks for your thoughts. Of course, you could do that on your own. However, there are a couple of things to consider.
1) Rover provides insurance, which you would normally not carry
2) How many jobs you think you can hussle up by yourself?
3) Why should a stranger trust you? As a member of Rover you are ‘vetted’ so to speak, and the clients know that the sitter they get is trust worthy
Just food for your thoughts
Good points John.
LOL, yes indeed the pic too funny. I’m glad that wasn’t my chair. Fido would’ve gotten his ass tore up!
Amen Callie. LOL