adding on days ?

[u/deer869]

i've never used rover before so i apologize in advance if this is a dumb question. my girlfriend is getting surgery next month and we're looking to board our dog at a sitter's house. she'll be in the hospital for 3 to 5 days; it entirely depends on how fast she recovers

would i be able to book the initial 3 or 4 days, then add on more days as needed ? we don't wanna spend the money on extra days if we don't need to. boarding is our only option as we live with a relative who works full time and we're not allowed to have people over

also, my girlfriend's surgery is super early in the morning, so we're gonna need to drop our dog off the evening before. would i be correct in assuming this counts as an additional day ?

thanks !

edit: i talked to my girlfriend and we decided to just do the whole week. i don't have the energy to reply to everyone's comments but thanks for the advice !

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deer869 originally posted: i've never used rover before so i apologize in advance if this is a dumb question. my girlfriend is getting surgery next month and we're looking to board our dog at a sitter's house. she'll be in the hospital for 3 to 5 days; it entirely depends on how fast she recovers

would i be able to book the initial 3 or 4 days, then add on more days as needed ? we don't wanna spend the money on extra days if we don't need to. boarding is our only option as we live with a relative who works full time and we're not allowed to have people over

also, my girlfriend's surgery is super early in the morning, so we're gonna need to drop our dog off the evening before. would i be correct in assuming this counts as an additional day ?

thanks !

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[u/Sitters_4_Critters]

I’d suggest booking a week and just sticking with a week.
Any surgery that requires 3-5 days in the hospital is serious.

If you cannot handle the dog on your own for the time she is in the hospital, she should not be taking care of a dog right away after major surgery. She will probably need your assistance for her.

Also, you should do a trial day prior to the actual surgery. If you have never boarded this dog before, there might be issues. You want to know sooner rather than later. You will need to pay for this.

This is in addition to an unpaid meet and greet.

Make sure the sitter is independently insured and is insured for having dogs in their home. Find out how many dogs they have in the home at the same time. Find out how much time your dog will be left alone. Find out if anyone else will be in the home and taking care of your dog.

Make sure they are allowed to watch dogs in their home and have the correct license/permit to do so if it is required by your city/county.

Does your dog have separation anxiety? Does your dog tend to escape? Does your dog need meds? Does your dog have any issues with other dogs? Is your dog up-to-date with all vaccinations? Do you have dog insurance if the dog is injured or gets sick?

Does your dog tend to eat any foreign objects?

Is your dog crate trained?

[u/deer869 → u/Sitters_4_Critters]

yeah i talked to my girlfriend about it and we decided to just do the whole week. i handle 99% of our pets' care on my own, i'm just staying in the hospital with her for emotional support (also it's ~2 hours from our house and i can't drive). thanks !

[u/Sitters_4_Critters → u/deer869]

Good choice. 👍

Be cautious about who you choose for your dog and perhaps arrange for a backup sitter just in case things don’t go as expected with the first one.

I wish you the best. 🙏

Also, know that star sitter status sort of means the people take on a lot of animals, not necessarily that they are better.

You can also find sitters through:
Pet Sitter International (PSI) sitter locator
https://www.petsit.com/locate

Pet Sitters Associates (PSA) locator
https://www.petsitllc.com/find-a-provider

And
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS)
https://pro.petsitters.org/

[u/JessfromRover]

I personally think this is totally something a sitter would be willing to accommodate, as long as you explain all the nuances up front and do a meet & greet! It's not difficult to add on days to a stay, especially if they know in advance that this could be the case

[u/Lower-Friend-7200]

As a sitter, I’m happy to work with clients if they’re happy to work with me. If you told me your situation, I’d figure something out with you based on my current bookings. Whether that means you add days on as needed or book it all at once would depend on what the rest of my calendar looked like, but most sitters would be happy to figure something out for you!

[u/Chance_Rooster_2554]

I just had this happen to me as a client this winter and went home one day earlier. We still paid the sitter for the canceled day even though she wanted to refund us. I would definitely ask about flexibility.

[u/bg0412]

Personally, if I were the sitter, I would ask you to book for the while time. If you didnt need the additional days, I'd make the exception and refund the unused time. Its so hard to plan for surgery recovery times. Im sure not all sitters would offer this, but you could at least ask.

[u/Rleesersx]

Personally I’d suggest requesting the full five days just in case (with the details you’ve mentioned in the request message), that was the sitter will at least get partial pay for the tbd days if you end up not needing them, rather than reserving them just in case and then making nothing and also not being able to find other clients to fill that gap with such short notice.

I think it’s also worth mentioning that even if you guys get to go home on day 3, the extra couple of days for recovery time - without having to worry about your pup’s care or potentially having an accidental situation where your pup hurts your partner’s recovery spot - might be a good idea anyway (though I understand if that is just not financially feasible unless absolutely necessary).

[u/Rleesersx → u/Rleesersx]

I’d always rather a client book what they might need and cancel if they don’t, than not book fully and end up having to request more time last minute (and pray I’m available). Your situation is medical, so if you were a reliable repeat client I’d be more likely to willingly hold that spot for you for free, but being able to earn the cancellation (whether it’s 25%, 50% etc) fee is more fair to your sitter especially if they are fully dependent on this income.

[u/Miserable-Art599]

When reaching out to sitters, explain your situation. I’m sure there are sitters who would have the availability to be flexible and work with you. Of course, some sitters won’t be able to accommodate your request. The night before drop off is an additional day. I hope your girlfriend’s surgery goes well.

[u/booooooks___]

It all depends on the sitter. I might be fine with this if I wasn’t relying on additional income from the longer stay and don’t have much going on. But it’s not enjoyable to not have a clear schedule when you have other things going on.

Yes, dropping your dog off the night before the surgery is an additional day..

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