You have got a roster full of happy clients and a real knack for pet sitting.
So, why does your schedule still have empty days?
If you are mainly using Rover to book clients, then part of your answer is simple math. Every time Rover books you a client, it keeps a cut as high as 40 per cent.
The thing about learning how to get pet sitting clients is that most people think they just need to post more or wait for Rover to send them work.
Neither really works.
We have created this guide to give you nine practical ways to get more pet sitting clients. They are roughly ordered from fastest payoff to slowest, so you can start with what works the most for you right now:
1.Start With the Clients You Already Have
One of the simplest answers to how to get pet sitting clients is referrals.
All you need to do is tell your clients that if they refer a friend, both of them will get $15 off. There is no fine print. It is not complicated. People remember offers they can explain in one sentence.
Make sure that you ask at the right time. A random email is probably not the best moment. The best moment to ask is after a handoff, when you have just given your client their post-visit photo update. Ask them for a referral when they are still feeling good.
You can also use referral cards. According to Nielsen, 84 per cent of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of advertising. Leaving your clients a referral card at the final visit gives them something tangible to pass to a friend.
Another thing you can do is turn your happy client moments into stellar reviews. Good reviews can compound your referral pipeline even further. We have covered how to turn happy moments into 5-star reviews in our comprehensive guide.
2. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
If you can only follow one thing from this list, make sure it is this one. A Google Business Profile costs nothing and gives the highest return for anyone searching "pet sitter near me."
Start with the basics.
Make sure your service area is set correctly so you show up for your target neighborhoods. List every service you offer. Add real pictures of you with the pets you have cared for (always get the owner's permission first). Keep your profile active. A monthly update, a seasonal reminder, or a note about holiday availability signals to Google that you're active and real.
Most importantly, don’t forget reviews. A profile with a handful of five-star reviews always works better than a fancy profile with none.
BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey found that 97 per cent of consumers read reviews before choosing a local business. A profile with no reviews is invisible to almost everyone searching. We will walk you through exactly how to get more 5-star reviews in a guide built just for that.
Lastly, pair your Google Business Profile with a booking link to build a client-acquisition machine that will work even when you are not online. People will be able to find you and book you without you ever touching your phone.
3.Partner With Vets, Groomers, and Pet Stores
Vets, groomers, and pet stores get asked if they know a good sitter every week.
Right now, someone else is getting that referral when it should have been you!
This is what makes the referral triangle so effective. People already trust these businesses, so they actually follow their recommendations. You just need to be the name they recommend.
All you need to do is visit during a slow period, introduce yourself, and offer something reciprocal. Tell the groomer you'll happily recommend their shop to your clients and ask them if you can leave your flyers at their counter or on a community board.
One solid local partnership can outperform months of social media posting. It takes time to build, but it pays off for a long time as well.
4.Use Neighborhood Apps and Local Groups
You need to show up at places where your future clients look for help. These include Nextdoor, local Facebook groups, and community boards.
These platforms aren't a niche channel. Nextdoor reports more than 100 million verified neighbors across its network. Your next client is very likely already scrolling it.
What matters is how fast you show up. Turn on notifications for pet-related keywords in your local groups because the first few helpful replies always get all the attention.
Your timing beyond replying to posts also matters. Post about your availability before the holidays hit. Holidays like Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break are peak demand windows, and owners start looking for pet sitters weeks in advance. That is your window to strike.
However, you need to stick by one rule: never spam. Don't drop your services into every thread that mentions an animal. Be the person who actually answers questions, offers a helpful tip, and only mentions they are a sitter when it is genuinely relevant.
5. Make Flyers and Cards That Actually Get Kept
Most pet sitting flyers end up in the trash within a day. The ones that people actually keep follow a different formula to stand out.
Mention your niche instead of keeping it generic. A pet sitting flyer that mentions overnight stays and taking care of medication gets remembered by people who need that. A generic pet sitting flyer does not stick with anyone.
Add a real photo of you because faces build trust faster than text. Make your flyer easy to act on. A tear-off tab with your number sounds okay, but a QR code straight to your booking page works even better.
Where you post matters a lot. Try to post your flyers at vet offices, pet stores, dog parks, and apartment mailrooms. Always ask for permission first.
Want a head start?
You can use our free pet sitting contract template alongside your flyer to appear more professional to new clients.
Here are a few pet sitting advertising examples that actually work:
Nextdoor post: Hi neighbors, I'm a local pet sitter with two openings this month. Happy to send references if you need a sitter for the holidays.
Referral card line: Loved your visit? Share this with a friend; you both get $15 off your next booking.
6. Decide Your Platform Strategy (Rover/Wag)
Rover and Wag are not the enemy here. They are good for a starting point and actually help pet sitters land their first handful of bookings and reviews.
However, they take 20 to 40 per cent of every booking, which might work for the first few months but adds up fast once you start getting more bookings.
The smart choice is not to quit their platforms altogether.
What you need to do is graduate from them naturally. Deliver great service on-platform, build a track record, and let repeat clients come to you.
Sooner or later, your clients will want to book you directly. That is when you take it offline. Having your own booking link and a simple contract ready makes the switch feel professional.
Before you make that shift, go through your platform's terms of service, since some companies have strict rules about soliciting clients off-platform, and you do not want to end up on their bad side.
7. Do You Need a Website? (Probably Not at First)
Short answer: probably not, at least not yet.
A lot of new pet sitters assume that they need a full-fledged website before they book clients.
That is not true.
What you actually need is a professional booking page that lists your services, prices, availability, and lets people book you on the spot.
A well-built booking page does more work than a five-page website. It links to your Google Business Profile, opens your flyers, and also gets easily integrated into your Instagram bio.
You can build a full website later on, once you have a steady client base. Building a website at the start will just add to the list of things you need to maintain, and it won't get you more bookings than a booking link.
If you want to skip the manual back and forth of texting your clients and copying the information into a calendar, you can automate scheduling for pet sitters and still land more clients. A pet-sitting software allows your clients to book you directly while you are out on visits. And you do not even have to answer texts between appointments.
8. Price Visibly and Competitively
Hidden prices create distrust, and you lose clients.
If your answer to someone asking how much you charge for a weekend is telling them to message you for a quote, you will lose them. People just move on to the next sitter who actually lists their prices.
Publish your rates on your booking page and flyers. You do not need to have an exact quote for every scenario. A simple range per service is enough for people to decide whether they want to reach out.
Not sure where your rates should land?
See our full guide to pet sitting rates for current 2026 averages by service type, plus a free rates calculator that helps you set your price range.
Being upfront about cost will not scare clients off. It actually filters out those who were never going to book anyway, and it builds trust with the ones who do reach out.
They already know what they're getting into, so the conversation moves straight to scheduling instead of wasting time on negotiating.
9. Turn One-Time Clients Into Regulars
The most valuable client you will ever get is not your first one or a new one. It is the one who keeps returning for another booking.
Visit report cards work a lot better than people expect. A quick photo and a couple of lines about how the visit went make clients feel like their pet was genuinely cared for, not just checked on.
That feeling of trust is what brings them back.
You also need to pay attention to your outreach timing. Send holiday-booking reminders in October, well before the scramble starts in November and December. Clients who book early lock in their spot, and you lock in your calendar before it gets filled with one-off requests from strangers.
Make rebooking easier for your regular clients. Drop a simple rebooking link into every follow-up message, so you do not have to go back and forth again and again. The lower the friction, the more likely they are to book you again.
If you want this running without lifting a finger, we have covered how to automate your bookings, cut no-shows, and keep your business at clients’ top of mind without you having to send anything.
Build a Client Base You Actually Own
Good referrals, a strong Google Business Profile, and real local partnerships will beat paid ads for most pet sitters. Build your own clientele, and keep the relationships and the full rate, without any platform taking a cut.
Calday gives pet sitters a free booking page, automated reminders, client and pet notes, and invoicing.
