What owners remember, and what they book on

You can sign every task on a five day sit and still not hear from that owner again. It happens, it feels unfair, and it usually has one cause.

The owner spent five days not knowing. You knew everything was fine. They did not.

What the platforms measure

Rover publishes what it takes to earn Star Sitter status, and it is worth reading whatever platform you came from. Alongside a high rating, it asks for responding to 95% of requests within 24 hours, booking a third of enquiries from people who have never used you, and having repeat clients. Two of those five are about answering people rather than about the care itself.

Repeat clients are the part worth chasing. A returning owner costs you nothing to win, already trusts you, and already knows their animal is fine with you.

The cheapest thing that works

• One photo a day, unprompted, is worth more than a long message at the end. It answers the question the owner is actually asking.
• Say what you did, not that everything is fine. "Ate all her dinner, slept on the sofa" is specific. "All good!" is not.
• If something goes wrong, say it first and say it early. Owners forgive problems they were told about far more readily than problems they discover.
• Reply to enquiries you cannot take. A quick no keeps you in someone mind for next time.

Why this now counts

After each sit the owner answers three questions about how it went: whether you kept them in the loop, whether they felt their pet was safe, and whether their pet was looked after. Those answers are 20% of your BarkCheck Score. The other 80% is the tasks you signed. You can see exactly how that is worked out on your score page.