If you own a pet, it's really nice to know about Rover.
What is Rover?
Rover is basically an Airbnb, but for pets. You can schedule walks, workweek check-ins, or boarding services while you're away and regular people will take care of your precious pet.
Why use Rover?
The website is sleek and easy to use; prices range from $25-$30 for a night of boarding (it may be higher in different areas), and it comes with a very reassuring insurance policy. That last point had car-guy husband sold.
If you're intrigued, you can check out the site here (and of course, if you book through that link I get $20 for future services and you get $20 for your first booking. Yay).
If you prefer the personal experience to cold facts, keep on going, dear reader. I'll tell you all about it.
Our experience with Rover
A few months ago, we made plans to go visit family on the East Coast for a solid week. Car-guy husband and I love to travel and tend to go on lots of adventures. We even have our to-go toiletries prepacked and ready to go at a moment’s notice (yuppies, rejoice). But our efficiency in travel took a slight nose dive after Lola the dog joined our team.
So, I got a taste of what fretting mothers must feel like (and don’t take offense in my comparing dogs to babies, let’s be honest...they both involve taking care of slightly helpless but cute creatures and dogs are basically gateways to more responsibility...but I digress). So I had to find someplace to board Lola for a week. Yelp reviews of good kennels are tremendously helpful, but the highly rated kennels were either too far or too expensive ($45 a day just seemed too pricey, especially multiplied by 7).
For Lola the dog in particular, I wanted someplace where she could run around and also be velcroed to another human (Vizslas have the nickname of “velcro dog” for a reason). The solution: peruse Rover.com.
I had heard of Rover from an old coworker who worked there. At the time, I didn’t have a dog and just thought the whole service was cute but kind of over the top. I stand corrected: it's great.
So, I searched sitters in my area that could handle boarding and set my criteria: fenced-in yard, dogs allowed on furniture, and high star ratings.
As a first time user, I took the option to go meet the sitter and see the house in person. I decided not to book my first option (the yard was really small and the sitter flaked out on the meet-up) and instead went with my now go-to choice: my gal Monica (no idea her last name...just that she is a mom of two and a dog breeder on the side and Lola comes home a happy pup after a stay at Monica's).
Booking was easy-peasy and the rate for boarding was $25-$30 per night in my area. It was very comparable to kennels (and often cheaper), but you know your dog will get more personalized attention with a family (velcro dogs rejoice). Rover also has very attractive Premium Pet Insurance so your pet is covered during every stay. Premium Pet Insurance covers vet bills up to $25,000 after a $500 deductible in case an incident occurs while your dog is staying with someone else. This peace of mind won my husband over and even now we often use Rover instead of other options specifically for the insurance guarantee. Plus, like all good sharing economies, a review system is built in to review sitters and read about others' experiences.
So I dropped Lola off at Monica’s house the day we were leaving. It was super easy. I didn’t have to make a specific window like at a kennel and Monica got all the details about what Lola needed (lots of exercise) and what to watch out for (counter surfing). I got picture updates during her stay (including an adorable picture of her daughter and Lola sitting on a bed with the caption "best buds"...my heart mushed a bit). I picked Lola up, happy and healthy, and considered Rover a great success.
Additional notes:
Rover is also great in a tight time situation. We booked a sitter the day-of for a four-hour stay while we were traveling on the other side of the state so Lola could be in air conditioning instead of a hot car.
The first stay with Rover takes a little longer because you're getting to know a new sitter but it's smooth sailing from there out as you can rebook with a now trusted sitter through a super easy website and app.
Want a short-term dog? Sign up for the other side of Rover and be a dog sitter. I have parents that love dogs but aren’t ready for the commitment….I imagine Rover might be a perfect solution to the dog itch.
That link, one more time, if you're now curious: Rover for the win.