Travel

When you have to go on vacation, there are only three options for your furry friend: Take him with you, board him or hire an in-home pet sitter or walker. Read our tips…

Looking to use a dog sitting service like Rover? It’s a convenient alternative to putting your dog in the kennel and gives Fido the luxury of hanging out in a loving home while you’re away. I don’t have pets myself, but having dog sat hundreds of hours for dozens of dogs over the years, I’ve learned a few things that are useful for owners to know before dropping your pet off with a caregiver. Hopefully, these tips for dog parents will help ensure that their sitters are well-prepared to give furry friends the best care possible (while giving you ultimate peace of mind too)…

Dog sitting can be fun and rewarding. You get all the benefits of having a dog (and a little extra money too) without the commitment. I’ve been dog sitting for friends and family since 2008, so when I discovered there was an app that matches dog owners with the perfect dog sitter, I had to try it out! Since I work from home, I have a lot of flexibility that allows me to dog sit for busy, office-working dog moms and dads. Plus, having a furry co-woofer is also appreciated since I’m alone most of the day. I signed up for Rover (formerly Dog Vacay) in early 2016 and have been using it ever since. Seeing that I have some experience, I wanted to share some dog sitting tips and tricks on using the tool from a sitter’s perspective. I hope it will help and inspire other dog lovers to sign up to make money dog sitting and dog owners to consider seeking out sitters on Rover…

My sister has an 110-pound Labrador retriever who can’t jump. Whenever they hop in the car, he puts his front paws on the vehicle and waits for someone to lift his back legs in. He’s done this his whole life — he simply refuses to jump. However, once they reach their destination, he is capable of jumping down out of the vehicle. Overall it’s pretty harmless, but when my sister was seven months pregnant and trying to take the dog to the vet on her own, it could’ve ended pretty badly. I think her husband would’ve been more comfortable if she had a dog ramp for the SUV…

There’s nothing worse than taking your dog on a fun-filled, wilderness adventure, only to realize (after the fact) that your soggy, soiled and smelly pup will ruin your car seats. It only takes one incident like this to convince you that you must invest in a dog car seat cover! Read our reviews of the best car seat covers for dogs so you can save your car and your sanity…

When most of us get in our cars, the routine is non-negotiable. Children are buckled in safety seats or, if older, in seat belts. All the adults buckle up. When that’s all done, only then do we start the car and begin our journeys, knowing that we’ve taken an important step toward the safety of ourselves and our passengers. Unfortunately, those same safety considerations often don’t extend to our canine travelers…

Does your dog like to explore the vehicle while you’re driving down the road? Your pup probably starts out in the back seat, then meanders up front with you (making sure to whack you in the face with her tail), then wanders to the back and continues this pattern until you reach your destination. This can be dangerous for your dog, you and other drivers on the road because you could get distracted by your dog. We know your dog doesn’t mean any harm, they’re just so excited to be on the road with you. We recommend some type of restraint for a dog when traveling in a vehicle. You can choose one of the barriers in this article or take a look at other types of restraints like seatbelts. As long as you’re keeping your dog out of your line of sight on the road, that’s all that matters for safety purposes…

Going to be away for work or vacation and looking for an in-home pet sitting service? The dog-sitting sites in this article are like Airbnb for dogs and provide in-home dog sitting as well as other services like grooming, walking and training so you don’t have to worry about boarding your pooch while you’re away. Find out which of the best pet sitting websites provide guarantees and background checks, which ones are less detailed and why pet sitting is superior to putting your pup in a crowded kennel…

When we adopted our dog Sally, we knew she’d be going everywhere with us. We have many adventures planned and want her to be on as many of them as possible. But we also wanted to make sure she was safe in the vehicle, so we purchased a dog car restraint. She has been doing great with the dog seatbelt, although now and then she does bonk her head on the window when we stop at a stoplight. We feel much safer knowing our Sally has a seatbelt and is safe in case we get in an accident. We’ve reviewed different car restraints for dogs for you to consider. You won’t need all three for your dog, but you may notice that once stands out from the rest, so be sure to read about all of your options below…

Taking a last minute trip but need your dog cared for while you’re away? You call the kennel, but they’re already booked up for the weekend. What other options do you have? Pet sitting services like Rover offer pet sitters in your local area the opportunity to meet and make bookings to watch your dog while you’re away. Read our Rover pet sitting reviews to see why we think they’re the best pet sitting service…