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What should I do when a client isn't responding??

I get asked to watch someone's dog, however I cannot book the appointment per the regulations of the program after scheduling a meet & greet -- which doesn't really help when I don't know where I should schedule it, especially with the current crisis. When accepting a particular request, I try to ask about what should I expect from the dog ( for my safety ) in terms of do's and don'ts for that dog, what could make the experience fun so that the dog looks forward to seeing me and generally reduce FAS, or even a brief profile about the dogs themselves, or other things they would like me to do while in their care. It is not my intention to imply anything wrong with the dogs, but just to get an idea of what to expect that way I'm not harassing the owner every little thing that I usually see as abnormal. In addition, I ask where are they located ( which seems to be the conversation dropper ), I've been trying to keep in touch after a moment or so of silence ( gently so, such as "are you still interested?" ), nothing. Frankly it's starting to discourage me, this is the second time.

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One of the biggest downfalls every sitter experiences is clients who ghost you by never responding to your messages. To understand this you must come to the reality that Rover prompts every client to send a booking request to several sitters at the same and this happens automatically unless they unclick the box. What this means to you is you may have not been the clients #1 candidate when they starting the booking request, they may initially text with you but they may not. All you can do is archive the request and be ready for the next request. Best of luck during these trying times.

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Definitely what Walt said! But I'm curious because I'm not totally clear on what you meant by the first couple of sentences. I think maybe if I'm interpreting it correctly you are maybe thinking you can't accept requests without a Meet & Greet? Or you don't know where or how to schedule Meet & Greets? If either of those is the case, here's a bit of information for you.

In person Meet & Greets are not required; you can book without them. Meet & Greets are highly recommended (not just by Rover but by those of us who didn't do one and ended up with a bad experience that a Meet & Greet likely would have either prevented or make us realize the dog was not a good fit). I think you're concerned b/c of COVID-19? If so, at the end of the day this is an "essential worker" job and if you choose to do it right now, you are taking a risk. However there are ways to minimize the risk. Go ahead and have the Meet & Greet but wear a mask and ask the client to do the same, stay 6 feet apart, don't touch the dog's leash or collar/harness (feel free to pet the dog though!). Wash your hands thoroughly right before and right after the Meet & Greet. Alternatively, you can forego in person and do a "virtual" meet & greet through messages, video, or voice call.

Another thing I've found is that the initial reply usually gets more response when it's kept short and more of an acknowledgment - I usually say something like "your dog sounds adorable and I'd love to care for him/her". I do boarding and doggy day care so I always ask, even on that first contact, how their dog is with other dogs (or if it says they're good with other dogs I say something like, "it looks like [name] is good with other dogs; I usually have 2-5 here of different sizes. If it's for a walk or drop in I generally still start with an expression of interest. Then I say I'd love to meet so the dog can get to know me first and I can understand any needs or preferences, but I do understand that with quarantine you may not be comfortable meeting first so we can chat through message/voice/video - whatever their preference. Even though we are in quarantine some clients still want to meet and honestly, I prefer not to take a dog I haven't met before. As to where you'd meet - it's where ever the care is going to happen. If it's in your home, they'd come to you. If it's their home, you'd go there. Just try not to touch anything. Remember wash hands, wear masks, and stay 6 feet apart from the other people.

Good luck!