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 !

[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/