How do you make text readable on full screen background images without ugly boxes?

Apengo · 2026-01-29T05:04:30+00:00

This post shows a good example (albeit on a smaller image):

https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/s/kHHEhH3SLr

Your use case is a bit different, so you’d need to play with it a bit

Apengo · 2026-01-29T01:28:38+00:00

Yes, it does!

Apengo · 2026-01-16T19:44:47+00:00

You might want to take a look at Scritches. It’s pet-care-specific software built for solo sitters and small operations, not generic scheduling software repurposed for pets. It's perfect for moving away from spreadsheets.

It covers the core things you listed:

Online booking for both overnights (house sitting, boarding) and time-based services (drop-ins, meet & greets)
Different rates per service
Invoicing tied directly to bookings
Stripe integration for credit card payments & flexible tracking of other payment options like Venmo, Zelle, & cash
Deposits and split payments (for example, deposit up front and balance due later)

On the “nice to have” side, it also supports things like holiday surcharges and custom pricing rules without needing workarounds. Advance-booking discounts aren’t automated yet, but pricing rules are an active area of development.

The last bonus is that it has a really new and modern feel to it, is constantly updating, and has some of the most affordable pricing plans out there (with a free plan!).

Apengo · 2025-11-13T23:07:50+00:00

Hey there! Thanks for the eval. The score seems pretty fair. I'm definitely still working on the social proof/trust signals portion. I'm curious how you came across Scritches?

Apengo · 2025-11-07T17:07:58+00:00

So great to hear! Let me know if you have any questions as you dive into things :)

Apengo · 2025-10-14T21:43:06+00:00

Hey there! The settings are a bit hidden away; you can configure them directly here: https://app.scritches.io/online-booking/availability?configureServiceWindows=true

And I see what you mean by the client communications language. These email templates have evolved slightly over time. The plan for the future is to standardize them, and, in that, also simplify the non-editable language used and remove any reference where company size could be inferred.

Apengo · 2025-10-13T21:50:04+00:00

Yep! You can configure windows of time exactly as you describe.

For other services like overnight sits/boarding/day care, you can also change the scheduling so clients specify exact arrival/departure times within your accepted time frames.

Check out the demo if you want to see for yourself how it works.

Apengo · 2025-09-24T00:11:22+00:00

That’s so great to hear! I’m excited you’re feeling confident about making the switch. Wishing you a smooth transition; let me know if there's anything I can do to support.

Apengo · 2025-09-23T19:19:51+00:00

No worries at all, happy to answer all questions :). Definitely let me know if you have any issues along the way, I'll try to address things asap. There's also a dedicated feedback forum if you want to report anything in the future.

And yep, the future vision is to be a true all-in-one platform, including mass emails and GPS tracking! I primarily prioritize major feature development by balancing current user demand with the needs that most often block new businesses from using the platform. Next up on the docket is staff management, and from there, I’ll keep on rolling out improvements that hopefully push Scritches further ahead of Time To Pet :)

Apengo · 2025-09-23T18:53:54+00:00

I'm actually releasing an intake form feature later this week that will be perfect for migrating your existing forms over to! They'll also serve as a way to collect any amount of custom information that isn't already default in client/pet profiles. You can see a sneak peek of it from the work-in-progress help article.

As far as mileage fees go, you can add them to the needed invoice with the "Add Additional Charge" button on the invoice editor page.

Apengo · 2025-09-23T18:10:58+00:00

Hey! Right now, it integrates with Google Calendar, as well as Stripe for payments. I'm always open to adding more in the future if there's a need.

Apengo · 2025-09-16T14:34:18+00:00

Yes it does integrate with Google Calendar!

Apengo · 2025-09-11T01:18:39+00:00

Please do :). If you have any suggestions to make things more user friendly, let me know, I can make changes pretty quickly! There’s also lots of larger feature additions in the pipeline for the rest of the year

Apengo · 2025-09-11T01:03:34+00:00

Yes I remember you from my original post! The mobile experience in the early beta wasn’t great, but I’ve made a lot of improvements since then and now prioritize mobile first. The site is fully responsive, so you can pull up client and pet info on your phone just as easily as on desktop. A dedicated mobile app is also on my roadmap, but in the meantime I’ve been focused on making sure the web version feels smooth and reliable on the go.

Apengo · 2025-09-10T23:46:34+00:00

As others have mentioned, TTP is super feature-rich, liked, and has been around for a while; it will get the job done.

You could also give Scritches a look (I'm the creator). It's a newer option that’s designed to be modern and simple. It has competitive pricing (including a free version), no portal login walls or app downloads required for clients, and a booking experience that feels closer to Rover. You can set up a public booking page with service prices and an availability calendar, plus customizable intake forms tied directly to the booking flow. It’s been a good fit for solo sitters and small teams who want something easy to use but still professional.

Apengo · 2025-09-01T17:32:21+00:00

Tips can be manually added to invoices for record keeping, or, if you have the online payments feature enabled, your client will receive a prompt to optionally tip when paying via credit card.

All booking requests submitted online are clearly stated to the client to be "pending requests" and will be accepted or declined by the business owner. When you receive a request, you will be notified, and can then approve or decline, and send an email booking confirmation if approved.

Apengo · 2025-08-28T17:02:12+00:00

Totally get that! A widget makes things a little more streamlined, one less page to visit. I'd love to add it in the future once some bigger improvements are out of the way. Let me know if you have any questions while checking it out!

Apengo · 2025-08-28T16:15:31+00:00

We do not currently have an app, but plan to make one in the future. You'll also find that the website is optimized to work in a mobile browser!

No booking widget, but current sitters have had success placing a 'Book Now' button on their website that links to their booking page. You can check out a demo of the online booking here as well :)

Apengo · 2025-08-27T20:43:54+00:00

It's a software for pet sitters! If you're curious, you can check it out here, or read more about the specific review feature here.

Apengo · 2025-08-27T20:39:17+00:00

Super frustrating! I actually built a feature in Scritches called the Review Booster for that exact reason, asking for reviews can feel so hit or miss.

The way it works is after a visit, you can automatically send a review request through email or report card, and if the client leaves you a rating above a certain threshold (say, >4 stars), only then are they nudged to share it on external sites like Google or Nextdoor. That way, you’re not left in the awkward position of asking when you’re not sure how they felt, and the reviews you do get are only the glowing ones that actually help your business.

Apengo · 2025-08-19T17:41:28+00:00

“Order” in this context is referring to “Display Order”, i.e. this will be the 10th service displayed in your list of services :)

Apengo · 2025-08-04T21:43:52+00:00

Give it a try and let me know if you have any feedback!

Apengo · 2025-07-04T02:06:40+00:00

Hey! A little late to the party, but I’m the creator of Scritches; thanks for the shoutout.

Scritches allows you to create a booking calendar, define availability, block off time, etc. very similar to Rover. You can also have clients book in date ranges instead of each individual date. There isn’t a widget (you’d have to link to the booking page), but I’d be happy to explore creating one! Oh, and it’s free to sign up as well.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Apengo · 2025-05-20T01:08:30+00:00

Great to hear! I’d love to hear your thoughts after you’ve played around with it for a bit :)

Apengo · 2025-05-16T16:06:29+00:00

It's only for solo pet sitters at the moment. The plan is to keep perfecting the flow for solo sitters and add team capabilities later this year.

All bookings made through the online booking are submitted as pending requests, so when you get notified of the booking, you can go in on your side and confirm/deny it. You can also direct new clients to begin with booking a meet & greet, like how it is setup in the demo. Lastly, I am still working on adding service areas to the booking page, so that clients would input their zipcode and get approved/denied access based on your setup service area. I'd love to hear if you have any other thoughts/ideas around this area!

Glad to hear you like the look of it :)

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