10/13/2026
Just had a really eye-opening experience as to what this industry has become.
In case of future work meetings where I will be needing to travel in 2027, I had to look for a pet sitter.
As a very private person who is so serious about trust, I do not trust a stranger in my home full time (background checked or not). I do not trust my little girl at a stranger’s home (too many variables). I looked for somebody to perform drop ins. The idea of this gives me extreme anxiety, but less. 
The first interview was to take place in two weeks. She was a local with lots of ads, lots of social media and charged $65 for 20 minutes. Wow. With me needing 3 drop ins a day, that’s $195 for 1 hour. ONE HOUR. I was willing to pay it but disgusted (another twenty something trying to make a part time job a full time pay). Three days before her interview, she bailed. She emergency relocated and would no longer be in the area.
The second interview was a direct message to me but with inconsistent communication. Breadcrumbing when setting an interview date and time over the course of two days. I was going to drop her there, it says a-lot already. And then she suddenly starts talking about her needing to find a pet sitter - the sitter being a third-party person. Confused, I tried to reach her via phone to no avail. She contacted me back 4 hours later and it was revealed that she SUBCONTRACTS. I do not know why we were setting up a time for her to meet with me if she planned on sending strangers to my home - unauthorized - and that not being the ask. It’s actually the exact opposite of my ask. Missed the specifics of the request by a mile but quick to jump on the financial opportunity.
My post stated I was looking for someone consistently reliable, home is surveillanced, very private. I didn’t even bother to ask rates from someone who is trying to scale a business that is supposed to be intimate and dedicated to true care. About a half hour later my doorbell rings. I have no appointments tonight. I have a private property, no trespassing and no solicitor sign. I meet the woman who arrived who said she was here for an Elizabeth. I’m in the middle of doggie dinners. I put two and two together that Elizabeth is the girl that I had spoken with on messenger a half hour ago, the hustler profiteer.
Apparently she sent a sitter to my house to meet me and to meet her. Except she never set an appointment. She was trying to get sitting dates, forgetting my post is TBD dates. Elizabeth wasn’t even with her. And I didn’t authorize a stranger to have my home address. Big personal violation.
Needless to say the woman and I were both confused. She was very nice but she normally does DoorDash (the flexibility I guess is a plus), smelled like ma*****na and has no pet sitting experience. Drugs and no experience. Note: To each their own and no judgement but not on this job - no. Caught it on the last moment.
During our conversation, she told me she drove 25 minutes to get there and wasn’t sure if she was being paid for travel. She stated that all she knew was that this business owner was on the news a few times (and?).
Needless to say, I let Elizabeth know my thoughts on her business model. And how trying to spin plates for a service that requires extreme detail and attention cannot be outsourced for financial benefit. What happened tonight is exhibit A. Elizabeth missed the entire theme of my ask - safety, trust, reliability and communication. She argued that while she sent an unauthorized stranger to my home and gave out my address unbeknownst to me, that I should be assured that she’s background checked. This “business owner” sent a drug user with no experience. She believed that sole metric was important enough. Elizabeth and this woman had never even personally met.
I can’t even imagine what she charges by trying to hire others to do work she is incapable of managing. If you have too much business, refer the business. This is why I try accommodate. There is no one I would deem appropriate to refer out to and I do not want your dogs to be with someone that I personally would never trust. I don’t have high standards, I just have standards.
This is the entire problem with this industry. Pet sitting is babysitting. There is an extremely high level of expected care and not a lot of money. It is a passion project. There is not a single babysitter I know that has ever gotten rich off of babysitting. They’re not supposed to. It’s about love. Bond, trust and safety.
To try and do this for arguably the most innocent creatures of them all, is scary. To use dogs to profit is disgraceful. This type of service is not meant to be scaled and it is not meant to be done in volume. Every time I hear that, my skin crawls. It makes me think of what would happen to Samantha. The stories I read on the Facebook group, “Rover Killed My Dog”. It makes me think of all of the stories of theft and abuse my sister has told me about - people her ex employer used to hire to do the same model once. My sister had to train these people. The alcoholics, the drug users, the wishy washy people. She eventually left and started her own because this is not the type of industry one should ever do this with. She couldn’t stand by and watch it happen anymore.
My rates will never be these rates. I will never take advantage of parents looking for the best quality care for their fur children. My goal is always to provide the best 24-oversight and care, bond with your babies, seek their needs and make them feel at home. I truly feel for you parents.
I thought this would phase out, but just like with any service related business - prices skyrocket and quality of service goes by the waist side.
Rant over 🙃
