Is Wag Safe? A Neutral Look at Vetting, Guarantee, and Booking

Wag connects dog owners with on demand walkers and sitters through an app, and handing a stranger a house key or a leash naturally raises the safety question. The honest answer is that Wag runs real screening and backs bookings with a stated guarantee, but no app can replace your own diligence, and the guarantee has real limits worth reading before you rely on it. Wag also went through a financial restructuring in 2025 that some readers have heard about secondhand and misunderstood as the company closing, so this piece covers that plainly too, alongside what Wag's vetting, tracking, and protections actually amount to in practice.

How Wag screens its walkers and sitters

Every caregiver who wants to work on Wag has to clear a third party background check before they can accept a single booking, and Wag also requires a pet care knowledge quiz that covers leash handling, harness and collar use, and basic dog body language, according to Wag's own caregiver information page. That is a real bar, not a rubber stamp, and it filters out a portion of applicants outright. It is also worth understanding what a background check can and cannot do. A criminal history check is a records search, not a personality test or a guarantee of good judgment, and it can only surface what has actually been reported and prosecuted. It will not predict how a stranger handles a nervous dog alone in your house, and it will not catch someone with no prior record who simply has a bad day. The Better Business Bureau's consumer pet care resources make a similar point about hiring any pet service provider: background checks and reviews reduce risk, they do not eliminate it, so pairing the app's screening with your own reference checks and a meet and greet is the more complete approach.

It also helps to understand that background checks on gig platforms like Wag are typically a one time gate at signup rather than a continuous monitoring service. A caregiver who passes at onboarding is not automatically rechecked every month, so a clean result today is a snapshot, not a permanent certification. That is not unique to Wag, it is common across on demand service platforms, but it is a reason to keep leaning on reviews, ratings, and your own meet and greet impression rather than treating a passed background check as the end of your due diligence. Ask a prospective caregiver directly how long they have used the platform, how many completed bookings they have, and whether they have experience with dogs your size or with any specific behavioral needs your dog has, since none of that comes through in a background check. It is a reasonable question to ask directly in the app's messaging before you finalize a booking, and a caregiver who answers clearly and specifically is generally a better sign than one who gives a vague, generic reply.

The Wag Guarantee: what it actually covers

Every completed Wag booking is backed by what the company calls the Wag Guarantee, and it is worth reading the actual terms rather than the marketing summary. Per Wag's guarantee terms of service, the policy caps reimbursement for injury to your pet at a 25,000 dollar lifetime limit and reimbursement for property damage at a 100,000 dollar lifetime limit. There is also a 200 dollar minimum contribution you are responsible for on any claim before reimbursement kicks in, and claims are reviewed case by case against the stated eligibility standards. Wag's own guarantee overview page lists what is covered, vet care reimbursement for eligible pet injuries and property damage caused by a caregiver during a booking, and what is not, including damage to the caregiver's own property or injuries to the caregiver or other third parties. The most important line in the terms, stated in capital letters by Wag itself, is that the Wag Guarantee is explicitly not insurance and is not an insurance contract, so if you want broader protection you would need your own homeowner's, renter's, or pet insurance policy layered on top. Treat the guarantee as a backstop for a bad outcome on an individual booking, not as a substitute for your own coverage, and keep in mind that eligibility depends on the booking being made and documented through the app rather than arranged privately outside it.

GPS tracked walks and report cards

During a booking, Wag tracks the walker's location through the app so you can follow the route in real time rather than taking someone's word for where your dog went. At the end of a walk you typically get a short report with timing and notes, and some walkers log bathroom breaks along the route. This kind of visibility does not prevent something from going wrong, but it does mean you are not relying purely on trust with zero record of what happened, and it gives you something concrete to reference if a booking does not go as expected. If a walk map looks unusually short, stationary for long stretches, or does not match the promised duration, that is worth raising with the walker and, if it recurs, with Wag support directly rather than assuming it is a glitch. The tracking data is also useful evidence if you ever need to file a claim under the guarantee, since it documents where and roughly when a booking actually happened.

Lockbox key handling

If you are not going to be home to hand off a key, Wag offers a free lockbox option so a walker can retrieve your key without you needing to be present or hide a spare somewhere insecure. A lockbox is more secure than leaving a key under a mat, but it still means a physical key exists outside your control for the length of the arrangement. If you use one, consider a lockbox with a resettable code rather than a fixed key, position it somewhere not visible from the street, and change the code or swap the key if you ever stop using a particular caregiver regularly. It is also reasonable to only set up a lockbox after a successful meet and greet or a handful of good in person handoffs, rather than defaulting to it for a brand new caregiver's very first visit. Some owners prefer a smart lock with a temporary, time limited code they can revoke instantly from their phone as an alternative, which removes the need to physically retrieve a key or change a lockbox code after each caregiver change.

Meet and greets

Wag supports scheduling a meet and greet with a caregiver before a booking, which is the closest thing to an in person interview the platform offers. Use it deliberately: watch how the person greets your dog, ask direct questions about their experience with your dog's size or temperament, confirm they know your dog's routine and any medical or behavioral notes, and trust your own read on the interaction. A caregiver who seems rushed, vague about their plan, or reluctant to answer questions is a signal worth taking seriously even if their profile and background check look fine on paper. Bring a short list of concrete questions rather than relying on small talk: what would they do if your dog slipped a leash, how do they handle an unexpected vet situation, and are they comfortable with your specific gate, door, or yard setup. A caregiver's answers to scenario questions like these tend to say more about their judgment than a star rating does. It is also fine to schedule more than one meet and greet with different caregivers before committing, especially for an overnight stay, so you have a basis for comparison rather than evaluating the first person you meet in isolation.

The 2025 restructuring, and what it means for you today

Wag! Group Co. filed for a pre packaged Chapter 11 reorganization in July 2025 and completed it on September 2, 2025, emerging as a privately held company wholly owned by its secured lender, Retriever LLC, according to the company's own announcement distributed over GlobeNewswire. A pre packaged Chapter 11 is a financial restructuring process, agreed with lenders before the filing, aimed at fixing a company's balance sheet, and it is different from a liquidation or a company shutting down. Wag stated the process took about 40 days and that it kept operating and serving customers throughout, and the app and booking platform have continued running under the new ownership since. In plain terms: Wag is not defunct, and bookings, background checks, and the guarantee terms described here reflect the company as it currently operates. Ownership changes of this kind are not unusual in the tech and gig economy sector, and a lender taking ownership through a court supervised reorganization is a very different outcome from a company ceasing operations entirely. That said, a company that has recently changed ownership is worth a light gut check on your end. Confirm current guarantee terms and support contact details directly in the app before you rely on them, since terms can be updated by any company over time regardless of ownership history, and it is good practice to periodically re-read the guarantee terms on any platform you use rather than assuming they are frozen from when you first signed up. If a company's ownership or terms change again in the future, the same approach applies: check the current stated terms in the app rather than relying on an old review or a secondhand summary, including this one.

How to book more safely on Wag

A few habits meaningfully lower your risk regardless of which app you use. Read the caregiver's reviews closely, not just the star rating, since a pattern in the written comments tells you more than an average number, and a single glowing review paired with several vague or short ones is worth noticing. Always do a meet and greet before a first overnight or key handoff booking rather than skipping straight to a solo walk with a stranger. Leave clear written instructions in the app about your dog's routine, any medical needs, and an emergency contact, so there is a record both you and Wag can reference if something goes wrong. Keep communication and payment inside the app rather than moving to personal text or cash, since off platform arrangements fall outside the Wag Guarantee entirely and remove the record keeping the app otherwise provides. Finally, if anything about a booking feels off, whether that is a caregiver's tone, a nervous dog, or a home that does not feel secure with a lockbox, you are allowed to cancel and rebook rather than talk yourself out of a reasonable concern. For a deeper walkthrough of vetting any sitter or walker beyond one specific app, our guide on how to find a trustworthy dog sitter covers the interview questions and red flags worth checking before any booking, app based or independent.

How Wag compares on trust and cost

Wag is one on demand model among several, and it is not the only option worth understanding before you commit. Our full Wag review covers the app's features, walker pay, and customer experience end to end if you want the fuller picture beyond safety alone. If cost is part of your decision, our Wag cost breakdown lays out real price bands by service type so you know roughly what to expect before you book, since price and trust often trade off against each other in how selective you can afford to be. And if you are still comparing platforms, our Rover versus Wag comparison and our companion piece on whether Rover is safe walk through how the two leading apps differ on vetting, guarantees, and booking model, since the two are not identical despite looking similar on the surface. Neither app is inherently the safer choice in every case; the safer choice is usually whichever caregiver, on either platform, has the strongest review history and passes your own meet and greet.

Safety element | What Wag provides | What you still need to check
Caregiver background check | Third party criminal background check required before approval | Confirm current status in app; a clean check is not a full personality read
Pet care knowledge test | Quiz covering leash, harness, and handling basics | Ask about hands on experience with your dog's specific size or breed
Wag Guarantee | Up to 25,000 dollars pet injury, 100,000 dollars property damage, not insurance | 200 dollar minimum contribution per claim; read full eligibility terms
GPS tracked walks | Real time location tracking during the walk | Review the route and report card after every booking
Lockbox key service | Free lockbox option instead of a hidden spare key | Use a resettable code and reposition it out of street view
Meet and greet | Schedulable in app pre booking introduction | Actually use it before a first overnight or key handoff booking
Company status (2025) | Completed a pre packaged Chapter 11 in September 2025, still operating under Retriever LLC ownership | Confirm current support contact and guarantee terms directly in app

Frequently asked questions

Is Wag still in business in 2026?

Yes. Wag Group Co. filed for a pre packaged Chapter 11 reorganization in July 2025 and completed it in September 2025, emerging as a privately held company owned by its lender, Retriever LLC. The company stated it kept operating and serving customers throughout the roughly 40 day process, and the app has continued running since under the new ownership. It is not defunct or shut down.

Does Wag run background checks on its walkers?

Yes. Every caregiver has to pass a third party background check plus a pet care knowledge quiz before they can accept bookings on the platform. A background check is a useful screen but not a guarantee of behavior, so combining it with a meet and greet and your own judgment is the safer approach.

What does the Wag Guarantee actually cover?

Per Wag's own terms, it covers up to 25,000 dollars lifetime for pet injury and up to 100,000 dollars lifetime for property damage caused by a caregiver, with a 200 dollar minimum contribution per claim. Wag states explicitly that the Guarantee is not insurance, so it should not replace your own pet or homeowner's coverage if you want broader protection.

Is it safe to leave a house key in a Wag lockbox?

A lockbox is generally more secure than hiding a spare key outside, and Wag provides one free of charge. It is still a physical key accessible to whoever has the code, so use a resettable code, keep the box out of view from the street, and change the code if you stop using a particular caregiver.

Should I do a meet and greet before booking on Wag?

Yes, especially before a first overnight stay or any booking that involves handing over a house key. A meet and greet lets you see how the caregiver interacts with your dog, ask direct questions about their experience, and confirm they understand your dog's routine before you commit to an unsupervised booking.