How to Find a Trustworthy Dog Sitter You Can Actually Trust

To find a trustworthy dog sitter, start with referrals from your vet, friends, or neighbors, or use a background-checked professional network. Screen candidates for references, insurance, and experience with your dog's size and needs, then hold a meet-and-greet before you book. How the sitter reads and handles your dog at that first meeting is the real trust test.

Handing your house key and your dog to a near-stranger is a big ask, so it makes sense to feel nervous about it. The good news is that vetting a sitter is a repeatable process, not a gamble. Before you even start interviewing, it helps to know exactly what you want to ask, and our list of questions to ask a pet sitter pairs well with the screening steps below.

Vetting matters most on a marketplace, so it is worth reading how safe Rover really is.

Where to look for a dog sitter you can trust

The most reliable leads come from people who already know your dog and your area. Ask your veterinarian's office, your groomer, your local dog trainer, and neighbors who own dogs. A referral from someone who has used the sitter for months tells you more than any profile photo.

If you do not have a warm referral, professional networks are the next best place to look. The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) runs a member directory and requires its sitters to sign a pledge of professional conduct, and its members can carry liability and bonding coverage built for pet care. Pet Sitters International (PSI) maintains a similar locator and offers a Certified Professional Pet Sitter credential earned by passing an industry exam. Neither directory publishes customer reviews, so treat them as a vetted starting list, not a final verdict.

Vetted platforms are the third route. Apps like Rover and Care.com run identity and background checks on sitters and surface real customer reviews, which fills the gap the professional directories leave. Our Rover review walks through how the booking, screening, and insurance guarantee actually work so you know what protection you are and are not getting. Whichever channel you use, the vetting steps that follow stay the same.

How to screen a dog sitter before you meet

Before you spend time on an in-person visit, do a quick paper check. A professional sitter should be able to answer these without hesitation:

References. Ask for two or three current clients and actually call them. The AKC recommends speaking to references and asking about reliability, communication, and how the sitter handled anything unexpected.

Insurance and bonding. A professional sitter should carry liability insurance and be bonded, which protects your pet and property if something goes wrong. NAPPS notes that its liability policy includes care, custody, or control coverage for the pets in a sitter's care.

Background check. PSI encourages sitters to hold a current background check completed within the past year, and a trustworthy sitter will tell you which screening company ran it.

Experience with your dog. A sitter comfortable with a mellow adult Lab may not be right for a reactive dog, a giant breed, a senior on medication, or a young puppy. Ask directly about experience with your dog's size, age, and any special needs.

Training and first aid. Ask whether the sitter has pet first-aid or CPR training and what they would do in an emergency. A vague answer here is a warning sign.

If a sitter will care for a dog with a medical condition, on medication, or with diagnosed separation anxiety, make sure they will follow your written instructions exactly and know when to call your vet. A sitter should never adjust doses or make medical calls on their own. For anything beyond routine care, your veterinarian, not the sitter, sets the plan.

The meet-and-greet is the real trust test

Every credential in the world matters less than one thing: how the sitter and your dog get along in person. Both the American Kennel Club and Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society) recommend an in-home consultation before you hire, and both are blunt about the flip side: if a sitter is unwilling to meet you and your dog beforehand, treat that as a red flag and look elsewhere.

Hold the meet-and-greet in your home so you can watch the sitter in the real environment. Let the sitter offer treats and greet your dog at the dog's pace instead of crowding it. What you are watching for is soft, patient body language and a sitter who reads your dog's signals rather than forcing contact. A sitter who kneels, waits, and lets your dog approach is telling you a lot. During the visit, cover the routine, feeding, walk schedule, house quirks, and where supplies live, and get any special needs on the table. This is also the moment to do a dry run of your handover, which our guide to preparing your dog for a pet sitter covers in detail.

Ask about a backup plan too. The AKC suggests confirming whether the sitter has an alternate or partner who can step in during an emergency, and you may want to meet that person as well. One good sitter with no backup is one flat tire away from a missed visit.

Green flags vs red flags in a dog sitter

Use this side-by-side as a gut check after your calls and your meet-and-greet. A trustworthy sitter will hit most of the green column. Any single red-flag item is a reason to slow down and ask more questions.

Area | Green flags (trustworthy) | Red flags (walk away)
Meeting first | Insists on a meet-and-greet before booking | Won't meet you or your dog beforehand
References | Offers current client references freely | Has no references or dodges the request
Insurance and bonding | Carries liability insurance and is bonded | Has no coverage or cannot explain it
Background check | Has a recent check and names the screener | Gets defensive when you ask
Handling your dog | Calm, patient, lets the dog approach | Crowds, grabs, or ignores the dog
Emergencies | Clear plan, backup sitter, vet protocol | Vague on what they would do
Communication | Responds promptly, asks good questions | Slow, hard to reach, uninterested
Paperwork | Uses a written contract and care sheet | Keeps everything casual and verbal

How to read online reviews and profiles

When you find a sitter through a platform, the reviews are useful only if you read them the right way. A single five-star average means little on its own. Read the actual written reviews and look for patterns: do repeat clients come back, do reviewers mention the sitter handling something unexpected calmly, and do they describe the same reliability you are hoping for. Be wary of a profile with a handful of vague, generic reviews and no detail, and give more weight to reviewers whose dogs sound like yours in age, size, or temperament.

Cross-check what the profile claims against what you can verify. If a sitter says they are insured, bonded, or first-aid trained, it is fair to ask for proof, and a trustworthy sitter will not bristle at the request. Photos and a detailed bio help, but they are marketing, not verification. The reference calls and the meet-and-greet are what turn a promising profile into a sitter you can actually trust, so never let a polished listing replace those two steps.

Do a short trial run before a big trip

Do not let a two-week vacation be the first time a new sitter is alone with your dog. Book a short trial first: a single drop-in visit or one overnight while you are close by. A trial surfaces the small things a meet-and-greet cannot, such as whether your dog settles, whether the sitter sends the updates you want, and whether the door and yard routine works in practice. Chewy's guidance on spotting a trustworthy sitter stresses this kind of low-stakes test run before you rely on someone for a long absence.

The same care you would put into checking a walker applies here. If you also hire someone to walk your dog, our guide on how to vet a dog walker uses the same reference, insurance, and trial-run logic, so the two workflows reinforce each other. And if you have a cat at home too, the trust signals differ a little, so it is worth reading up on finding a trustworthy cat sitter before you ask one person to cover both.

Contracts, keys, and access

Trust is easier when the terms are written down. A professional sitter uses a services agreement or contract, and the AKC recommends it include terms of payment, cancellation and inclement-weather policies, a veterinarian release form, and an emergency or guardianship contact. PSI similarly notes that a sitter should document your contact information, company policies, and the specific care needs of your pets.

Handle keys and access deliberately. Give a key only after you have booked and signed, label nothing with your address, and consider a lockbox or a keypad code you can change after the trip instead of a physical key. If the sitter uses a scheduling app, confirm how they log visits so you have a record. Small habits like these turn a leap of faith into a managed, low-risk arrangement.

Match the sitter to your dog, not just your budget

The cheapest sitter is not the trustworthy one by default, and the most expensive is not either. Match the person to your dog. A senior dog on twice-daily medication needs a sitter who is calm, punctual, and comfortable following a med schedule to the letter. A high-energy adolescent needs someone who will actually deliver the walks and play. A shy or reactive dog needs a sitter your dog visibly warms to, which is exactly why the meet-and-greet carries so much weight.

Never feel guilty for being thorough, and never feel guilty for needing to leave your dog in the first place. A well-prepared handover to a vetted sitter is a normal, responsible part of dog ownership. Do the referrals, the reference calls, the insurance check, and the meet-and-greet, run one trial, and you will know within a visit or two whether you have found the person you can trust with both your key and your best friend.

Frequently asked questions

What is the single best way to tell if a dog sitter is trustworthy?

The meet-and-greet. Watching how a sitter reads and handles your dog in person, and whether your dog relaxes around them, tells you more than any profile. A sitter who refuses to meet you and your dog beforehand is showing you the biggest red flag there is.

Should a dog sitter have insurance and a background check?

Yes for a professional sitter. Look for liability insurance and bonding, which protect your pet and property, plus a background check completed within the past year. A trustworthy sitter will name the company that ran the check and explain their coverage without getting defensive.

Are directories like NAPPS and Pet Sitters International reliable?

They are a strong starting point. NAPPS and PSI list sitters who agree to professional conduct standards and can carry pet-specific insurance, but the directories do not publish customer reviews. Use them to build a shortlist, then still call references and hold a meet-and-greet.

Is a Rover or Care.com sitter safe to use?

They can be. Vetted platforms run identity and background checks and show real reviews, which fills the review gap the professional directories leave. Still do your own screening: read reviews carefully, confirm experience with your dog's needs, and meet the sitter before booking a long trip.

How do I check a dog sitter's references?

Ask for two or three current clients and actually phone them. Ask how reliable the sitter is, how well they communicate, whether the client's dog was happy, and how the sitter handled anything unexpected. Skipping the reference calls is how avoidable problems slip through.

Should I do a trial run before leaving my dog for a week?

Yes. Book one drop-in visit or a single overnight while you are nearby before relying on a new sitter for a long trip. A trial reveals whether your dog settles and whether the sitter's updates and routine work, at low stakes, before it matters.

What are the clearest red flags in a dog sitter?

Refusing to meet beforehand, having no references, no insurance or bonding, getting defensive about a background check, being vague about emergencies, poor or slow communication, and handling your dog roughly at the meet-and-greet. Any one of these is a reason to keep looking.