How to Make Money on Rover, Extra Cash Is a Walk in the Park
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Finding quality care for a pet traveling can be a big headache for many pet owners. It seems like you’re always reaching out to friends and family members to ask them for favors while they’re also trying to get out of town on vacation. Rover is a website that makes it simple to find trustworthy care for your animal, whether a cat or a dog. This has quickly made it one of the most popular online platforms for sourcing pet care.
While Rover is a godsend for many pet owners, it can be just as useful for animal lovers. Rover can be a great way to find new clients as a pet sitter if you’re looking for a side hustle to make some extra money. Whether you’re interested in taking a dog for a 30-minute walk or house sitting for a cat, Rover connects you to pet parents who care about their furry friends and want nothing but the best for them.
Interested in getting started with Rover as an independent contractor? Want to know more about some of Rover’s best features (and what to expect working for the company)? Learn how to make this part-time job in pet care work for you—and start cashing in on the gig economy today.
In this article
What is Rover?
Rover is an online platform that allows pet owners to search, book, and pay for local sitters to take care of their cats or dogs when needed. Whether taking their dog for a walk in the middle of the day while they’re at the office or finding a house sitter to check in on their cat during vacation, Rover makes it easy to find qualified care for a pet.
Rover was founded by Aaron Easterly, Greg Gottesman, and Philip Kimmey in Seattle in 2011. Accessible via a website or the Rover app on iOS or Android, it can be a major boon for picking up extra work. In the words of one user, “Thanks to the Rover App, I know about my business requests immediately, and I’m quick to respond!”
The platform is available in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, as well as the following countries:
- Canada
- The Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Norway
- Sweden
- Spain
- France
- Italy
According to Rover, “Every booking made on Rover is backed by the Rover Guarantee, which includes up to $25,000 in vet care for eligible claims.” This comes in addition to 24/7 support from Rover, so pet parents and sitters alike can find peace of mind whenever they make a booking.
Like other gig economy apps such as Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and DoorDash, Rover connects dog sitters interested in part-time work and extra income with owners interested in pet sitting. Unlike some of the aforementioned apps, however, Rover offers the possibility of repeat clients when a solid match is found. The fact that a dog walker can generate repeat customers using the country’s largest network of pet owners ultimately makes Rover a very attractive job opportunity since it allows for more consistent income.
Related: How to Make Money Housesitting
- Access up to $750 per pay period
- No interest, mandatory fees, or credit checks
- Over 15 million downloads and counting
Top Rover Features
Powerful search features
One big perk of using Rover is that it has detailed filters to help users find the right person for their dog-sitting or cat-watching job. Pet owners can search for services when they’re away or at the office and input information about their geographic location. They also put in the size of their dog or cat, which helps to match them with a sitter who’s truly comfortable watching your pet. From there, sitters that meet the search criteria and are positively reviewed on Rover’s website are shown to the pet owner so they can make an informed decision regarding their pet’s care.
All of this ensures that you’re matched with a client who will be a good fit for you and your expertise. In turn, this increases the likelihood that you get repeat work, another valuable metric on Rover. The more repeat clients and positive reviews you receive, the more likely you appear in more user searches. The bottom line is that all this results in extra cash for you.
Variety of available work
Another popular reason that many sitters turn to Rover is that you can earn money with the platform in a few different ways. Whether you’re interested and willing to do all of the jobs listed below or are just hoping to focus on one particular line of work, Rover exists to connect you with owners interested in everything from dog walking to daycare. The jobs you can complete through Rover include:
Dog boarding
Many pet owners want to avoid the stress of sending their dogs to crowded kennels. Dog boarding through Rover allows you to board a dog from the comfort of your own home. It’s just like having a dog of your own for a few days!
House sitting
If you’re okay with handling a few different responsibilities at once, you may be interested in providing house-sitting services through Rover. As a house sitter, you’ll take care of someone’s home and their pet while they’re gone. It’s like a mini stay-cation that you get paid for!
Drop-in visits
Some pet owners don’t have animals needing full-time attention, so they opt for drop-in visits. If you’re providing drop-in services via Rover, you may visit a dog or cat one or a few times a day to feed them, give them attention, and let their owner know everything is going smoothly.
Doggy daycare
If you already work from home but have the flexibility to provide care and attention to a pet while you work, then doggy daycare services could be a great way to earn extra money while you work your day job. With doggy daycare services, an owner will leave their pet with you in the morning and pick them up when they’re done at the office.
Dog walking
Some dogs have a lot of energy to burn, and some owners’ schedules just get busy! In these situations, you can provide a solution to their problem by walking a dog around the neighborhood when they cannot. You’ll get exercise, too!
Flexibility and control
One of the best reasons to make money with Rover is that you control your schedule and rates. When you create your account and select what sorts of jobs you’re interested in working, you’ll get to set your Rover fee and set your own schedule. Rover also allows you to self-select into which pet sizes, ages, and other preferences you’re most comfortable working with. This allows you to provide the best service possible and offers Rover the chance to better match you with the right pet and owner.
The Rover Guarantee
Rover works hard to ensure owners and sitters feel comfortable and confident with their platform regarding pet care. To that end, they offer The Rover Guarantee, which covers reimburses for certain pet costs after $250 is spent, as well as 24/7 support. While there are specific terms and conditions you should familiarize yourself with before filing a claim, the gist of The Rover Guarantee (according to their website) is as follows:
“The Rover Guarantee is a reimbursement program primarily intended to protect pets. In certain circumstances, it can also cover vet care for a pet care provider’s pets or damage to a pet owner’s property.”
- Access up to $750 per pay period
- No interest, mandatory fees, or credit checks
- Over 15 million downloads and counting
Making money with Rover
Getting started with Rover is super easy. You’ll start by building a profile showcasing important information pet owners want to know about you before booking your services. You’ll also go through a background check to help maintain Rover’s consistently excellent quality.
After you’ve created your account, you’ll be able to accept requests based on your preferences surrounding the kinds of pets you’re comfortable working with. You can also set your hours so that you’ll only be available for jobs you’re actually able to work. Once you’ve completed the service, you’ll be able to withdraw your payment within two days.
One nice thing about Rover is that they provide you with various continuing education articles to stay up-to-date on the latest information and best practices surrounding pet care. This information helps keep the care provided through Rover top-notch and can help you be a better sitter.
RoverGo
If you’re interested in making more money using Rover, you may want to look into RoverGo. RoverGo is helpful for individuals looking for more consistent bookings and a loyal group of clients. The Rover team helps you achieve these goals by assisting with your profile setup and boosting your profile in search results for the first 10 days after joining.
It is worth noting that you will have to pay an additional 5% fee if you are a RoverGo sitter. Even so, in a discussion post on Rover’s support forums from 2018, a user does share that sitters who opt-in to RoverGo “have the opportunity to earn $100+ more each month, have about 20% more conversations with dog owners, and get 10-15% more bookings than a regular sitter.”
Referrals
While not the primary way you’ll make money using Rover, it’s worth noting that you can earn a $50 Visa gift card if you refer another sitter to the website and create an account and complete a job within 90 days. While $50 isn’t a ton of money, if you’re looking to offset the percentage Rover takes from your earnings, this is at least a nice way to help.
Costs/fees
In addition to whatever costs you may incur traveling to and from a pet owner’s home, Rover will take a percentage of all of your earnings for using the platform. If you’re a regular sitter, that fee will be 20%, and if you’re sitting through RoverGo, you’ll have to pay a 25% fee to Rover. While these numbers can seem a bit steep, if you were to try and create your own website and advertise it online, you’d likely spend a lot more money than the 20% you’re paying to use Rover’s website.
In addition to these fees, you’ll also owe income taxes on any money you make in a year over $600. If you have made more than this threshold, Rover will send you a 1099-NEC tax form, and it will be your responsibility to pay the taxes owed. Many sitters set aside 20% to 30% extra to cover each withdrawal's taxes. If you have further questions, you should consult your tax advisor to learn more about your tax implications before starting to use Rover.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Flexible schedule. If you’re looking for a job that allows you to set your own hours and work when you want, Rover is a great option.
- Set your own rates. Rover doesn’t lock you into a certain hourly rate, so you can price things, so they make sense for you and your budget. You may want to start at a lower rate and slowly scale your rates up as your reputation, and positive reviews build.
- Different types of services. Rover isn’t just about dog walking or dog sitting. There are flexible options to meet any animal lover’s ability and comfort, whether you provide one service through the platform or are willing to handle all five.
- Rover App. You'll love the Rover App if you want to-the-minute alerts when someone is interested in using your services. It’s just as intuitive and powerful as Rover’s flagship website, making it easy to run your business on the go—even if you’re walking a different client’s dog.
- Get to work with animals. If you love animals, you’ll love working with Rover! Rather than complain about rude passengers as a rideshare driver, you’ll enjoy the company of some sweet cats and dogs instead—and make money doing it!
Cons
- Service fee. Especially when you have to keep track of your taxes as an independent contractor, a 20% service fee is a lot. While you will likely save money paying Rover a cut of your earnings rather than having to buy ads or spend money on your own website, that doesn’t make it any less of a drag.
- Vetting new users elongates application process. With some apps in the gig economy, you can get up and running in 30 minutes to an hour. While no sitter would fault Rover for having a vetting process (you are house sitting in some cases, after all), it does lengthen the time necessary to get the ball rolling.
- Limited to dogs and cats. There’s nothing wrong with cats and dogs, but some people are just as interested in finding and providing care for fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds. Rover isn’t that platform.
- Access up to $750 per pay period
- No interest, mandatory fees, or credit checks
- Over 15 million downloads and counting
The bottom line
When you need to make some extra cash, joining the gig economy and tapping into an existing network and brand can be a great way to get things going quickly. That’s certainly the case with Rover, one of the leading dog and cat care websites out there. Joining Rover means you’re rubbing elbows with potential clients in your neighborhood on the biggest national network for pet care, meaning that you likely will find work fast.
The biggest perks of Rover are perks that you’ll be familiar with if you’ve looked into other gigs and side hustles. Rover lets you set your own hours, set your own rates, and earn some money by providing a service to others. Especially if you have limited time you’re trying to make money, these can be huge benefits to using the platform.
On the other hand, Rover does have a relatively high service fee and is limited to only two types of animals: dogs and cats. These likely aren’t dealbreakers for a real animal lover, but if you’re interested in caring for other kinds of pets, you’ll be better off exploring other options. Rover does go out of its way to ensure that the pets you’re matched with are sizes and ages that you’re comfortable working with, though.
Ultimately, Rover is a solid way to make money and find recurring clients and work. Unlike Uber and Lyft, you get to set your own rates and aren’t at the whim of how much somebody else feels like tipping. With The Rover Guarantee and ongoing pet education for sitters, you can feel confident that you will be taken care of while working as an independent contractor through the website.
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Writer
Brent Ervin-Eickhoff is a Chicago-based writer, stage director, and filmmaker with a background in digital marketing and content creation. In addition to Joy Wallet, Brent has written for Complex, Volkswagen, HowlRound, Picture this Post, and Third Coast Review, among others. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Marketing for Content Creation at Court Theatre at the University of Chicago. Brent graduated from Ball State University with Academic Honors in Writing.
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