Inbox Help
What is the Star Sitter program?

Rover's Star Sitter program recognises pet sitters and dog walkers that have a record of providing highly-rated care for pets and providing responsive, reliable service for pet owners on Rover. 

Sitters who are eligible for this program will be notified via email, and they’ll receive a badge on both their profile and in search indicating their Star Sitter status. There'll also be a search filter pet owners can use to search for Star Sitters.

Note: The Star Sitter program doesn’t change a sitter’s ability to use Rover as they always have. All the same features remain available to you as a sitter, and none of the actual features or functionalities have changed.

 

How can I qualify for the Star Sitter program?

How can I see if I qualify for Star Sitter?

How often does Star Sitter status refresh?

What if I have a last-minute cancellation due to an extenuating circumstance?

What happens to my booking rate if I decline requests that don’t match my preferences?

What happens if I decline requests that aren’t legitimate?

Will Star Sitter status impact my visibility in search?

 

How can I qualify for the Star Sitter program?

To qualify for Star Sitter status, you must reside in one of the cities where this program is currently available (sitters who reside in those areas received an email from Rover). We also take into account several other factors related to your stats on Rover—like your star rating, how often you respond to requests, how often you book with new pet owners, and whether you have pet owners who’ve booked with you more than once. 

To qualify for Star Sitter status, you must have:

  • Booked with at least 5 unique pet owners in the last 6 months.
  • Booked with at least 2 repeat pet owners in the last 6 months.
  • Maintained a 4.9+ average star rating based on reviews from pet owners.
  • Responded to 95% of your recent requests within 24 hours. Your last 25 requests are considered your most recent.
  • Booked at least 33% of your recent requests from pet owners you haven’t booked with before. Your last 25 requests from new pet owners are considered your most recent.
  • Cancelled bookings last minute (within 5 days of the booking) 2% of the time or less.

If you have Star Sitter status, and you miss the requirements during the next refresh period, don’t worry—we know life happens and running pet-sitting services requires flexibility. You'll keep your Star Sitter status as long as you don’t miss the criteria twice in a row. If you lose it, you can re-qualify every 3 months.

As before, Rover reserves the right, in our sole discretion, to take action against an account for safety or other concerns as described in our Terms of Service, such as if the user has caused severe safety-related incidents or property damage, or violated our Terms of Service. This may include removing a sitter from the Star Sitter program for up to one year or more.

 

How can I see if I qualify for Star Sitter?


You can view Star Sitter stats from the Rover app at any time by tapping More, then Insights. From there, click on the Star Sitter tab to review your stats from the previous refresh period and see how you’re tracking for the next period. You can also view the rest of your stats by selecting the All Insights tab.

star sitter tab insights.png

Note: If you don’t see Insights in your menu, make sure you’re using the latest version of the Rover app.

 

How often does Star Sitter status refresh?

Your Star Sitter status refreshes every 3 months on the following days:

  • January 10
  • April 10
  • July 10
  • October 10

If you reside in one of the eligible areas, and you qualify for the program, you’ll achieve Star Sitter status for that period. This also means that if you no longer meet the qualifications for the new period, you'll no longer qualify for Star Sitter status.

You can obtain this status by consistently meeting all the above criteria. These criteria determine whether you obtain Star Sitter status for the applicable period.

What if I have a last-minute cancellation due to an extenuating circumstance?

We understand that unexpected situations can happen that are outside your control. If that happens, or if you cancel a booking on behalf of the pet owner, ‌we encourage you to contact Rover Support, so we can look into this further.

Note: Keep in mind that cancellations initiated by the pet owner don’t affect your booking rate or cancellation rate. If a pet owner asks you to cancel a booking for them, make sure you’re selecting the appropriate cancellation reason (The pet owner needs to cancel) in the dropdown list. Once you initiate the cancellation, the pet owner can easily confirm the change.

 

What happens to my booking rate if I decline requests that don’t match my preferences?

Only new requests that meet your profile preferences and calendar availability count toward this rate. When a request doesn't match your preferences, we'll always notify you to say that these won't impact your search ranking. Below are other instances that won’t impact your booking rate:

  • Any phishing, fraud, or misconduct that you report on Rover
  • Conversations that you report and accounts that you block
  • Requests that are booked, then cancelled by the owner
  • Requests sent in the last 5 days

What happens if I decline requests that feel unsafe or aren’t legitimate?

Your stats aren’t impacted by any conversations that don’t meet your pet preferences (like pet size, getting along with other pets/children in the home, if they’re spayed or neutered, vaccination status), are phishing-related, or are reported by you using Rover’s block/report feature. 

Your safety is important to us. If you receive requests that make you feel unsafe, report them through Rover. Declining these types of requests won’t affect your stats. 

Learn more about reporting conversations here.

Will Star Sitter status impact my visibility in search?

Star Sitter status doesn't affect your search ranking unless the pet owner applies the Star Sitter filter to their searches. When that filter is applied, only Star Sitters will show up on the search page.