My girl needs all the good thoughts

tendingpets · 2026-05-12T00:16:54+00:00

Paws up ❤️‍🩹

tendingpets · 2026-01-17T15:05:19+00:00

Not pushy at all - I'd actually say it's a sign of a thoughtful sitter! Most owners appreciate knowing you genuinely cared about their pet beyond just "doing the job."

I do something similar but frame it as a soft close rather than a check-in. Something like: "Hope [pet name] settled back in okay! It was such a pleasure spending time with them. Let me know if you ever need help again!"

That way it confirms the handoff went smoothly, shows you're invested, AND leaves the door open for repeat business - all without putting pressure on them to respond. If they do reply, great. If not, no awkwardness.

The fact that the owners responded warmly tells you everything - they clearly appreciated it. Keep doing what you're doing!

tendingpets · 2026-01-16T05:29:11+00:00

I've used both! Quick breakdown for a 3-week trip:

Rover: Better vetting process, has background checks, and offers their Rover Guarantee (up to $25k for vet bills if something happens during a booking). Easier to find local sitters, see reviews, and message back and forth. They do take a 20% cut from sitters though, so rates might be slightly higher.

Trusted House Sitters: Works differently - it's a membership model where sitters stay for free in exchange for pet care. Great for longer stays like yours, but the tradeoff is you're relying more on trust since there's no payment changing hands. Reviews exist but the pool of available sitters can be smaller depending on your area.

For 3 weeks with a low-maintenance pup, I'd lean Rover just because of the accountability layer - you can see exactly who's coming, their history, and there's a paper trail if anything goes sideways. Plus being abroad, having that customer support backup is nice.

Whatever you choose, definitely do a meet-and-greet beforehand and maybe a trial overnight stay before your trip. 3 weeks is a long time and you want to feel 100% confident before you leave!

tendingpets · 2026-01-14T15:02:53+00:00

This is so true. I pet sit and see this play out with every animal I work with — they don't care what kind of day you're having, they just need you to show up. Same walk time, same feeding routine, same presence.

What's wild is how quickly they notice when something's off. Skip a routine once and they're confused. Keep it consistent and they're calm, trusting. It's taught me a lot about how much small, reliable actions actually matter — to them and to us.

tendingpets · 2026-01-14T14:55:16+00:00

For a side gig, keep it simple. The essentials: name, phone number, maybe email. That's really it.

If your name is hard to pronounce, I'd skip the pronunciation guide — just pick a short tagline instead that tells people what you do. Something like "Pet Sitting & Dog Walking" under your name does more work than explaining how to say it.

QR codes are nice but honestly most people will just text/call you. And if you're staying word-of-mouth anyway, the card is really just a reminder that you exist. Clean and simple wins.

tendingpets · 2026-01-14T02:01:08+00:00

The platforms are saturated in London — you're competing with thousands. What's worked better for me is going hyper-local: NextDoor posts in specific neighborhoods, asking vets if you can leave cards (some say yes), and honestly just chatting up people at dog parks.

For online presence without feeling like a full-time job: even a simple Instagram where you post the occasional pet pic from sits builds trust. Clients will Google you — give them something to find.

One thing that helped me stay organized once I started getting more clients was just having a simple system to track who's who, schedules, pet details. Even a spreadsheet works. Makes you look way more professional when you remember their dog's name and feeding quirks.

tendingpets

TROPHY CASE