I’m thinking about using the Rover app to find a pet sitter but I’ve seen very mixed feedback online. Some people say it’s great while others mention issues with reliability and support. Can anyone share real experiences—good or bad—and tips on staying safe and choosing trustworthy sitters on Rover?
I have used Rover as a pet owner and as a sitter. Mixed bag, but it helps if you know what to look for.
My experience as an owner
• I booked 4 different sitters for my dog over 2 years.
• 3 were great. One was bad enough I stopped mid-stay and picked my dog up early.
What went well
• Good sitters respond fast and ask a lot of questions about routine, meds, quirks.
• They send pics, short updates, and log walks in the app.
• My dog came home relaxed, same weight, no stomach issues.
What went wrong
• One sitter ignored my feeding instructions and crated my dog longer than agreed.
• Rover support answered slow, felt scripted, and pushed the “work it out with sitter” line.
• Refund took about a week, and I still had to pay part of the booking.
Stuff to check before you book
- Reviews
• Look for 20+ reviews with detailed comments, not only “she was great!!”
• Read the few worst reviews. Check if they mention no-shows, lost keys, injured pets, or lack of communication. - Photos and profile
• Do they show their actual home space, yard, crate, where the dog sleeps.
• Watch for way too many dogs in photos. That can mean chaos. - Experience
• Ask if they have handled your dog’s size, breed, energy, and any meds or anxiety. - Meet and greet
• Always do this first. In person if possible.
• Walk through feeding, walks, meds, where dog stays, access to yard, how long dog stays alone.
• Trust your gut if something feels off. I ignored this once and regretted it.
Tips to protect yourself
• Keep all chat and agreements inside the Rover app. No texting only. If there is a dispute, off-app stuff helps no one.
• Upload clear written instructions. Feeding amounts, schedule, meds, no-human-food, no-dog-park, etc.
• Tell sitter exactly what counts as an emergency vet visit and which vet to use.
• Book shorter stay first as a test before a week-long trip.
• Leave backup contact locally if you travel out of phone range.
On Rover support
• They exist, but they are slow and policy driven.
• Pet injury issues are stressful and support feels more focused on process than empathy.
• Expect some back and forth, photo requests, and delay with “Rover Guarantee” claims.
When Rover works best
• You live in a city or big suburb with lots of sitters and high review counts.
• Your pet has no complex medical needs.
• You take time up front to screen, not pick the first cheap person.
When you maybe skip it
• Your dog is high anxiety, medical needs, or you need tight medical supervision.
• You see only a few sitters in your area with under 10 reviews.
• You want strong, fast phone support if something goes wrong.
If you try it, treat it like hiring a babysitter, not ordering food. The app is only as safe as the sitter you choose and how clear your instructions are.
I’ve used Rover a bunch, as a dog owner only, over about 4 years in two different cities. Definitely a “use carefully” app, not a “tap and forget” one.
My track record:
- ~12 bookings total
- 9 totally fine / great
- 2 “eh, won’t rebook but dog survived”
- 1 genuinely bad
The good:
- For straightforward boarding or drop‑ins, with a healthy, friendly dog, it’s super convenient.
- The best sitters I found turned into repeat bookings for years. At that point it feels more like “my regular sitter” who just happens to use Rover.
- Reviews can be pretty accurate if you read between the lines. Multiple people mentioning “great communication, lots of pics” usually correlated with a smooth stay for me.
The bad:
- My worst incident was a sitter double‑booking, then leaving my dog crated for way longer than we talked about. No injury, but dog came home hoarse from barking and crazy thirsty.
- Rover support was… fine but slow. Not as bad as @hoshikuzu describes in my case, but still a lot of “send photos, send more details, wait.” Felt more like filing a ticket than anyone actually worrying about my dog.
- Their “Rover Guarantee” sounds comforting in marketing, in practice it’s paperwork and conditions. I’d never rely on it as a safety net for anything serious.
Where I actually disagree a bit with @hoshikuzu:
- I don’t think “20+ reviews” is mandatory. Some newer sitters with 5–10 detailed reviews were my best experiences, because they were trying hard to build a client base. I do think you should skip anyone whose few reviews are super generic or sound copy‑paste.
- I’m also less strict about avoiding dogs with mild medical stuff. For basic meds (pills in food, eye drops), I had good luck as long as I quizzed the sitter on how comfortable they were and made them demo understanding at the meet‑and‑greet. I’d only avoid Rover if your pet is medically fragile or prone to emergencies.
Things I do that helped a lot (different angle from their list):
- Treat the messaging like a mini interview:
- “What’s the longest a dog is alone in your care on a normal day?”
- “How many dogs do you typically host at once?”
- “What’s your plan if a dog gets diarrhea or won’t eat?”
You can tell a lot from how they answer, not just what they answer.
- Ask for a schedule snapshot: “Walks at X and Y, feeding at Z, where do they sleep?” If it’s vague, I move on.
- Pay attention to how fast they go off script: if they immediately start pushing to text outside the app or avoid answering questions, that’s a no from me.
Where Rover works well, from my experiience:
- Moderate‑energy, social dog, no major anxiety.
- You have the time to message 3–5 sitters and compare answers.
- You plan ahead so you’re not forced to take whoever is left.
Where I now refuse to use it:
- Last‑minute holiday bookings when everyone is full. That’s how I got my worst sitter.
- For my friend’s reactive dog. We tried that once with a “experienced” sitter and it was way too much for them, nothing catastrophic but both dog and sitter were stressed out.
If you do try it, I’d start with a single overnight or a couple of daycare days and treat it as a trial run. If your dog comes home acting normal, eating normal, and the sitter communicated well, then trust them with a longer trip.
Rover is basically a marketplace, so quality swings a lot. My experience: 6 bookings, all as an owner, in one mid‑size city.
How it went for me
- 4 sitters: solid. Daily pics, my dog ate normally, came home tired but not stressed.
- 1 sitter: “meh.” Nice person, but treated my dog like background noise. Minimal updates, very flexible rules, came home a bit overfed and wired.
- 1 sitter: outright canceled 24 hours before a trip. Rover support helped me find a replacement, but it was stressful and the backup sitter was clearly a last‑minute favor, not a great fit.
@viajantedoceu and @hoshikuzu already covered screening and meet & greets really well. I’ll push on a few different angles and disagree slightly in spots.
Where I think Rover actually shines
1. Repeat relationships, not one‑offs
Rover works best when you use it to find a sitter, then treat that person as “your” sitter. After 2 or 3 good stays, I stop browsing and only book that same person unless they are unavailable. The platform then is just the payment and messaging layer.
2. Daycare as a test drive
I prefer daycare over short overnights for testing. You see:
- How your dog behaves when picked up
- Whether sitter follows pickup times
- If your dog runs toward their door next time or leans away
This told me more than a single overnight, because my dog tends to be cautious the first night anywhere.
3. Good for “middle of the road” dogs
No serious medical, not very reactive, not super fragile. For that band of dogs, Rover is often more comfortable than a big kennel: fewer dogs at once, more home‑like setting.
Where I disagree a bit with the other posts
- I’m okay with slightly chaotic photos if the sitter is daycare‑focused. A backyard full of dogs can be normal for a daycare sitter. I just make sure my dog actually likes that scene.
- I think people overrate the “Rover Guarantee.” I treat it as “maybe partial cost relief,” not meaningful insurance. I agree with @viajantedoceu that paperwork is involved, but I go further and assume I will eat most of the cost if anything serious happens.
Stuff that mattered more than I expected
1. House rules alignment
I ask:
- “Do dogs sleep on furniture or beds?”
- “Do you feed people food?”
- “Is your yard fully fenced and how high?”
Huge mismatch here can turn an otherwise good sitter into a bad fit. One of my “meh” stays came from a very kind sitter who let all dogs free feed and share food. My dog came back gassy and clingy because his routine got wrecked.
2. Children and roommates
I specifically check:
- “Any kids in the home? What age?”
- “Any roommates who are also responsible for the dog?”
Not saying kids or roommates are bad, but they add variables. My worst near‑miss was a sitter who casually mentioned “Yeah, my roommate’s boyfriend sometimes lets the dogs out.” That was an instant no from me.
3. Backup plan
I ask each sitter:
- “If you got sick or your car broke down, what happens to my dog?”
Some say “My partner / parent helps,” others have no answer. Lack of a clear Plan B is a red flag, especially for longer trips.
Pros and cons of using Rover (and similar apps)
Pros
- Huge pool of sitters compared with traditional boarding
- Filters for size, cats vs dogs, in‑home vs boarding, etc.
- Easy payment, reminders, and a record of communication
- Often cheaper and more flexible date‑wise than brick‑and‑mortar kennels
Cons
- Quality varies heavily by sitter
- Corporate support feels like ticket processing, not pet advocacy
- “Rover Guarantee” has limits, conditions, and delays
- High‑demand times like holidays bring out under‑qualified last‑minute sitters
Competitors and independent sitters have similar issues: they live or die by the individual person you pick, not the brand name.
When I personally avoid Rover
- Holidays when I am booking late and top sitters are already full
- For dogs that panic easily, have seizure disorders, or need injections / complex care
- When I cannot do a meet & greet in person beforehand
For a healthy dog and a trip you can plan even a little bit ahead, I’d use Rover again, but I treat it like hiring a nanny: interview, verify, and assume support is a backup for money questions, not for real‑time emergencies.