For Dog Parents
At DogStays, your dog is our priority, and we want to make sure your dogs get suitable love and care when you are away. To make sure your dog’s needs are met, we will match your dog to a suitable dog sitter from our community of dog sitters, each of whom is carefully vetted and verified by us. We evaluate many criteria about not just the dog sitter but also the home environment when we match your dog to someone from our network. It is to ensure your dog is comfortable, safe, loved, and feels completely at ease.
Unlike kennels and boardings that have multiple dogs and need to balance the needs of all their guests, when you book with us, your dog gets individual care. This is because the dog sitters in our community usually care for only one dog at a time. It means your dog’s care can be customised based on your needs, and your dog’s schedule does not need to be changed to accommodate the needs of other dogs.
Some dogs also find dog hotels stressful and can get overwhelmed in this environment since there’s too much activity and stimulus. This often makes it difficult for dogs to relax and get the rest they need through the day. In a home environment, your dog can easily relax and get much-needed rest.
Whether it’s your home or dog sitter’s, DogStays ensures your dog always gets care in a home environment. This means no cages or crates, no ‘same care for all dogs’ and no overstimulation — just a peaceful, comfortable environment where your dog can truly relax and get the love and care they need.
Booking through DogStays gives you peace of mind that’s hard to find elsewhere. To ensure your dog gets the best care, all the dog sitters in our network are carefully vetted and verified. We also receive feedback from other dog parents, which we consider when matching your dog to someone from our community. You also get continuous support from our team, so if anything comes up, we’re here to help. Plus, the dog sitters in our network are backed by insurance, which is a layer of extra protection for both you and your dog. With DogStays, you know your furry friend is in safe, loving hands, without the guesswork of finding someone on your own.
Your dog will stay in a safe home environment, surrounded by warmth and care. It could be a dog sitter’s home or in the familiar environment of your own home, depending on your dog’s needs and other aspects, like mobility and age. Nonetheless, your dog will be nurtured, comfortable, and well cared for.
The dog sitters in our community are more than just caregivers—they’re dog lovers with big hearts. Community dog sitters come from different backgrounds, but they all go through a detailed application process, where they are evaluated for their love of dogs, ability to care for dogs and experience. We hold dog sitters to a high standard because we believe your dog deserves nothing less.
Our Selection Process And Criteria
At DogStays, we know how much your dog means to you and we take great care in matching your dog to the right dog sitter. We look at more than 10 unique parameters to match your dog to a dog sitter. We also constantly add new parameters to make this match highly compatible for your dog.
Here are some of the aspects we look at:
- Dog sitter’s schedule
- Dog sitter’s family and home environment
- Your dog’s mobility needs
- Your dog’s socialisation preferences
- Your dog’s need for stimulation or relaxation
We also want to ensure your dog’s routine is respected since we understand too much change can be very stressful for dogs and one of the first aspects we look at is schedule to ensure the dog sitter’s lifestyle is a good fit for your dog’s needs.
Safety And Security
Everything about our process is designed to keep your dog’s care, safety, and security in mind.
- Dog Sitter Vetting: Every dog sitter in our community goes through a thorough vetting process. We look for individuals who not only love dogs but have the required experience and knowledge to care for your furry friends. This includes both personal experience as dog parents and experience dog sitting for others. Anyone who does not have experience with dogs is not allowed to join our community.
- Dog Sitter verification: On top of ensuring that the dog sitters in our community have the necessary experience to care for your dog, we also require each dog sitter to share identity and residence documentation with us as an added security measure.
- Care & Contact Information: Our process ensures that the dog sitter knows the essential details about your dog’s care before your dog’s booking starts. While confirming your booking we ask you to complete a detailed Care Information Form for your dog. It includes your dog’s schedule and other important details like any allergies, reactivity, medical information, and an emergency contact in case you are not reachable.
- Dog sitter preparedness: As part of our confirmation process and to ensure each dog sitter is prepared for your dog’s booking, we share detailed information on emergency options and veterinary care, signals that could indicate your dog needs help and other tips and suggestions to ensure your dog’s comfort and joy during each booking.
- Insurance: Each DogStays’ booking is covered by insurance. It means you can be more relaxed knowing we will be here to help if anything unexpected happens. You can see more information about this insurance here.
- Dog Parent Feedback: Last but not least, we continuously take feedback from dog parents to ensure that all dog sitters in our network maintain the highest standards and that your dog’s care remains a top priority. It is rare, but if dog parents’ feedback suggests a dog sitter no longer represents our community standards, we quickly intervene and take action. In some cases, we even remove community members.
Advantages Of Our Services
Home care with DogStays offers your dog a cosy, loving environment that dog hotels or kennels cannot match:
- Personalised Attention: Your dog enjoys one-on-one care and attention, which can be difficult to provide in a place with many dogs.
- Familiar, Stress-Free Environment: Home care allows your dog to relax in a familiar setting, reducing stress compared to kennels, which many dogs find overwhelming.
- Consistent Routine: While kennels may struggle to balance the routines of multiple dogs, your dog’s routine can be closely followed at home to ensure stability.
- Reduced Exposure to Illness: Home care lowers the risk of exposure to contagious diseases like kennel cough, which are more common in boarding facilities.
- More Freedom and Playtime: Dogs often have more freedom, playtime, and exercise in home care since they’re not limited by boarding schedules.
- Tailored Care: We can easily accommodate special diets, medications, and specific preferences at home to meet your dog’s individual needs.
- Reduced Behavioural Issues: Home care provides a calmer environment that not only helps ease anxiety but also reduces the likelihood of dogs picking up unwanted behaviours. In environments with many dogs, it’s natural for pets to be exposed to different habits, which often leads to behavioural challenges.
- Lower Risk of Altercations: Home care minimises the potential for physical risks, such as fights, bites, or other alterations that can occur when dogs are housed together in larger groups at boarding facilities. It becomes easier to avoid unfamiliar dog interactions and your dog enjoys a safer, more controlled environment.
A home environment provides your dog with a peaceful and secure space, free from the stress of confinement in rooms or crates. Our personalised care is tailored to meet specific needs, which ensures your dog can feel comfortable, happy, and truly cared for. It is a space that promotes relaxation and well-being, ensuring they feel loved and at ease while you’re away.
Booking through DogStays means booking with peace of mind. It is a sigh of relief to know that not only will your dog be cared for by someone experienced but that the dog sitter has a supported and dedicated team to ensure your dog is in safe hands.
- Verified Sitters: Only experienced dog sitters are allowed to join our dog sitter network, and each dog sitter goes through a detailed verification for additional security.
- Suitable Match for Your Dog: With access to a network of over 100 experienced dog sitters, we can match your dog to someone best suited to your dog’s unique needs.
- Time-Saving: Simply send us a request, and we’ll take care of the rest—no hassle, multiple phone calls or time spent searching at your end.
- Greater Accountability: Someone you found online might feel less responsible for your dog and the booking, and this can often lead to last-minute cancellations. With DogStays, cancellations only occur in case of emergencies, and we’re better prepared to find a backup if required.
- Peace of Mind: Our bookings are backed by insurance, providing protection against unexpected situations during the stay.
- Personalised Care: We want your dog to receive undivided attention, so we assign each dog sitter to only one dog at a time, ensuring your pet is always the top priority.
Services We Offer
DogStays offers several services to meet your and your dog’s needs, whether you need to be out of town for multiple days on work or holiday or if you just need to be away for many hours in the day.
Here’s what you can choose from:
- Overnight Boarding (Dog Sitter’s Home): This 24-hour service provides a loving home environment where your dog stays at a dog sitter’s home while you’re away. Your dog will be treated like family and enjoy comfort and care throughout the stay.
- Overnight Care (Your Own Home): This 24-hour service involves the dog sitter staying at your home, providing care and companionship in your dog’s familiar surroundings. It is ideal for dogs who feel most comfortable in their environment and prefer not to be moved to a new home.
- Day Care (Dog Sitter’s Home): During the day, your dog will be cared for at the dog sitter’s home, enjoying personalised attention and playtime. This service is available for up to 4 hours (half day) or 8 hours (full day).
- Day Care (Your Own Home): The dog sitter comes to your home to care for your dog during the day, maintaining their usual routine and comforts. This service is also available for up to 4 hours (half day) or 8 hours (full day).
Whether your dog thrives in new settings or prefers the familiarity of home, each option is designed to provide comfort and care in the environment that best suits your dog’s needs. Click here to see detailed pricing for each.
DogStays offers several services to meet your and your dog’s needs, whether you need to be out of town for multiple days on work or holiday or if you just need to be away for many hours in the day.
Here’s what you can choose from:
- Overnight Boarding (Dog Sitter’s Home): This 24-hour service provides a loving home environment where your dog stays at a dog sitter’s home while you’re away. Your dog will be treated like family and enjoy comfort and care throughout the stay.
- Overnight Care (Your Own Home): This 24-hour service involves the dog sitter staying at your home, providing care and companionship in your dog’s familiar surroundings. It is ideal for dogs who feel most comfortable in their environment and prefer not to be moved to a new home.
- Day Care (Dog Sitter’s Home): During the day, your dog will be cared for at the dog sitter’s home, enjoying personalised attention and playtime. This service is available for up to 4 hours (half day) or 8 hours (full day).
- Day Care (Your Own Home): The dog sitter comes to your home to care for your dog during the day, maintaining their usual routine and comforts. This service is also available for up to 4 hours (half day) or 8 hours (full day).
Whether your dog thrives in new settings or prefers the familiarity of home, each option is designed to provide comfort and care in the environment that best suits your dog’s needs. Click here to see detailed pricing for each.
Process
Sending us a request is easy. Use our Booking Request to share details about yourself, your dog, and the care you’re looking for. Once we receive your request, we’ll start matching your dog to the most suitable dog sitter from our community.
Sending us a request is easy. Use our Booking Request to share details about yourself, your dog, and the care you’re looking for. Once we receive your request, we’ll start matching your dog to the most suitable dog sitter from our community.
We ask for detailed information because we believe your dog’s needs are unique and we want to find your dog the most suitable environment. Once we understand your dog’s personality, routine, and specific needs, we can connect you with a sitter who will make your dog feel right at home, ensuring they’re happy, comfortable, and well-cared for.
Once we’ve found a dog sitter who’s a great fit, we’ll arrange a meet and greet so you can see how they connect with your dog. This meeting always takes place where the booking will happen. So, if your dog will be cared for in your home, the dog sitter will visit your home for the meeting but if you prefer your dog be cared for at a dog sitter’s home, that is where the meeting will happen too. This meeting is a chance to meet the dog sitter, ask any specific questions you might have, observe the interaction between your dog and the dog sitter, and ensure everyone is comfortable. If it feels like the perfect match, you can confirm the booking and relax, knowing your dog is in loving hands.
Location Of The Service
Our process for booking overnight care for your dog is simple yet thorough:
- You start by sending us a booking request with details about the service and your dog’s needs.
- We’ll match your dog to a dog sitter who is a good fit for your dog’s needs and arrange a meeting so you can all get to know each other a little.
- After the meet and greet you let us know that you’re comfortable proceeding and confirm the final dates and times for your booking.
- We process the booking and send you a confirmation document with all booking details, an invoice, and a checklist to help you prepare for your dog’s booking
- We will also send you a link to the DogStays Care Form, designed to help you tell the dog sitter exactly how to care for your dog, what to avoid, and anything else you think is important. This ensures your dog gets the same care they are accustomed to while you are away. We also keep a copy of this form so unless your dog’s care information changes, you can just use the same one for your next booking.
That’s it! Once you pay the invoice, fill in the care form and let us know everything is OK for you, we will confirm the booking to the dog sitter and share all relevant information.
Our process for booking overnight care for your dog is simple yet thorough:
- You start by sending us a booking request with details about the service and your dog’s needs.
- We’ll match your dog to a dog sitter who is a good fit for your dog’s needs and arrange a meeting so you can all get to know each other a little.
- After the meet and greet you let us know that you’re comfortable proceeding and confirm the final dates and times for your booking.
- We process the booking and send you a confirmation document with all booking details, an invoice, and a checklist to help you prepare for your dog’s booking
- We will also send you a link to the DogStays Care Form, designed to help you tell the dog sitter exactly how to care for your dog, what to avoid, and anything else you think is important. This ensures your dog gets the same care they are accustomed to while you are away. We also keep a copy of this form so unless your dog’s care information changes, you can just use the same one for your next booking.
That’s it! Once you pay the invoice, fill in the care form and let us know everything is OK for you, we will confirm the booking to the dog sitter and share all relevant information.
Our Process For Overnight
Booking overnight care is simple and reassuring. Start by filling out our Booking Request Form with details about your dog’s needs. We’ll find a sitter whose home or schedule aligns perfectly with your dog’s routine. After a meet and greet to ensure everyone’s comfortable, you can confirm the booking, and your dog will enjoy a restful night in a caring environment.
Booking overnight care is simple and reassuring. Start by filling out our Booking Request Form with details about your dog’s needs. We’ll find a sitter whose home or schedule aligns perfectly with your dog’s routine. After a meet and greet to ensure everyone’s comfortable, you can confirm the booking, and your dog will enjoy a restful night in a caring environment.
Our Process For Daycare
Booking daycare with us is designed to be easy and flexible but detailed at the same time.
- You start by sending us a booking request with details about the service and your dog’s needs.
- We’ll match your dog to a dog sitter who is a good fit for your dog’s needs and arrange a meeting so you can all get to know each other a little.
- After the meet and greet you just let us know you are comfortable proceeding and for Daycare, you confirm a first list of 5/10/15 dates when you need the dog sitter to care for your dog.
- We check these dates with the dog sitter and process the dates that are suitable for the dog sitter, too. As for dates when this dog sitter is not available, we will find you an alternate match from our community.
- Next, we process the booking and send you a confirmation document with all the booking details, an invoice, and a checklist to help you prepare for your dog’s booking.
- Most importantly, we will also send you a link to the DogStays Care Form which is designed to help you tell the dog sitter exactly how to care for your dog, what to avoid, and anything else you think is important. This ensures your dog gets the same care they are accustomed to while you are away. We also keep a copy of this form so unless your dog’s care information changes, you can just use the same one for your next booking.
- Once you pay the invoice, fill in the care form, and give us a “go”, we will confirm the booking with the dog sitter and share all relevant information.
When you know the next set of dates you need daycare you can simply send us these and we will repeat the process above.
Booking daycare with us is designed to be easy and flexible but detailed at the same time.
- You start by sending us a booking request with details about the service and your dog’s needs.
- We’ll match your dog to a dog sitter who is a good fit for your dog’s needs and arrange a meeting so you can all get to know each other a little.
- After the meet and greet you just let us know you are comfortable proceeding and for Daycare, you confirm a first list of 5/10/15 dates when you need the dog sitter to care for your dog.
- We check these dates with the dog sitter and process the dates that are suitable for the dog sitter, too. As for dates when this dog sitter is not available, we will find you an alternate match from our community.
- Next, we process the booking and send you a confirmation document with all the booking details, an invoice, and a checklist to help you prepare for your dog’s booking.
- Most importantly, we will also send you a link to the DogStays Care Form which is designed to help you tell the dog sitter exactly how to care for your dog, what to avoid, and anything else you think is important. This ensures your dog gets the same care they are accustomed to while you are away. We also keep a copy of this form so unless your dog’s care information changes, you can just use the same one for your next booking.
- Once you pay the invoice, fill in the care form, and give us a “go”, we will confirm the booking with the dog sitter and share all relevant information.
When you know the next set of dates you need daycare you can simply send us these and we will repeat the process above.
Meeting With The Dog Sitter
Absolutely! We’ll arrange the meet and greet for you. Once we find a great dog sitter match for your dog, we will arrange a meeting for you all to meet, discuss details and ask any questions. This helps ensure everyone feels good before we confirm the booking. We will even send you recommendations on what you could discuss with the dog sitter to ensure you have all the information you need.
Absolutely! We’ll arrange the meet and greet for you. Once we find a great dog sitter match for your dog, we will arrange a meeting for you all to meet, discuss details and ask any questions. This helps ensure everyone feels good before we confirm the booking. We will even send you recommendations on what you could discuss with the dog sitter to ensure you have all the information you need.
The meet and greet usually happens at the location where your dog will be cared for. So, if the dog sitter will care for your dog in your own home, then the meeting would be arranged at your home. This gives you the opportunity to show the dog sitter your home and explain the rules or show the dog sitter anything they will need to know when they stay there. If your dog will be cared for at the dog sitter’s home, we will arrange it so the meeting happens there, too. It allows you to see the environment for yourself and ensure it is comfortable for your dog.
Post Meeting
Once we’ve carefully reviewed your request and found a sitter who seems like the perfect fit, we’ll arrange a meet and greet. This is your opportunity to get to know the sitter, see where your dog will be staying (if it’s at the sitter’s home), and make sure everyone feels comfortable. You can ask questions, discuss any specific needs, and observe how your dog interacts with the sitter.
After the meet and greet, if you feel confident that it’s a good match, you can confirm the booking. If you have any concerns or feel that it’s not quite right, just let us know, and we’ll continue searching until we find the perfect sitter for your furry friend.
Once we’ve carefully reviewed your request and found a sitter who seems like the perfect fit, we’ll arrange a meet and greet. This is your opportunity to get to know the sitter, see where your dog will be staying (if it’s at the sitter’s home), and make sure everyone feels comfortable. You can ask questions, discuss any specific needs, and observe how your dog interacts with the sitter.
After the meet and greet, if you feel confident that it’s a good match, you can confirm the booking. If you have any concerns or feel that it’s not quite right, just let us know, and we’ll continue searching until we find the perfect sitter for your furry friend.
If you’re not fully comfortable after the meet and greet, we can arrange a trial for your dog. It could be a single night, a half day, a full day, or the weekend. This allows you and your dog to get more familiar with the dog sitter. Since we treat every trial the same way as a normal booking, it is a great way for you to experience our process in more detail. It also ensures you are comfortable and confident enough before committing to a longer booking.
If you’d like to arrange a trial after the meet and greet, simply let us know. It is ideal to agree on a trial date during the meeting. If that does not work, we can help coordinate it afterward. Remember, trials are priced the same as regular bookings since we, at DogStays, believe dog sitters should be fairly compensated for their time and effort. We’ll handle the trial like any other booking to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Pricing And Day Count
At DogStays, we aim to keep pricing simple and fair. The cost is based on the service and location you choose and it is the same for every dog sitter in our network. We don’t charge based on your dog’s size or the number of walks they will receive. We believe all dogs should get the same care they’re used to and all the warmth and love they need. Please visit our pricing page for detailed information and to see examples of how we calculate the cost of your booking.
At DogStays, we aim to keep pricing simple and fair. The cost is based on the service and location you choose and it is the same for every dog sitter in our network. We don’t charge based on your dog’s size or the number of walks they will receive. We believe all dogs should get the same care they’re used to and all the warmth and love they need. Please visit our pricing page for detailed information and to see examples of how we calculate the cost of your booking.
Absolutely! We can often arrange add-on services like pick-up and drop-off, or even care for your other pets if the dog sitter is looking after your dog in your home. These options are handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on the sitter’s availability and willingness. Just let us know your needs when you make your request, and we’ll do our best to make sure everything is taken care of.
After you meet the dog sitter and confirm that you are comfortable proceeding, we will ask you to share the final dates and times with us for your booking and will confirm the booking accordingly. We will then send you a confirmation document with all the details of your booking. To confirm the booking and block the dog sitter’s calendar for you, we will need you to pay a part of the total cost in advance and we will send you an invoice for this as well as information on how to pay. The remaining amount can be paid to the dog sitter directly at the end of the booking. We recommend discussing with the dog sitter how they prefer to be paid (cash, bank transfer, payment app, etc).
Add-on Services
Absolutely! We can often arrange add-on services like pick-up and drop-off, or even care for your other pets if the dog sitter is looking after your dog in your home. These options are handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on the sitter’s availability and willingness. Just let us know your needs when you make your request, and we’ll do our best to make sure everything is taken care of.
Absolutely! We can often arrange add-on services like pick-up and drop-off, or even care for your other pets if the dog sitter is looking after your dog in your home. These options are handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on the sitter’s availability and willingness. Just let us know your needs when you make your request, and we’ll do our best to make sure everything is taken care of.
Reviews
We’d love to hear about your experience! You can leave a review or read what other dog parents have to say on our [website], [Google], or on our [Facebook page].
Cancellation Policy
We offer refunds for the advance paid in case of cancellations, but they are subject to specific criteria:
-
For Overnight Bookings:
- If your booking starts between January 16th and November 15th, you’ll receive a full refund if you cancel at least 30 days before the start date.
- For bookings starting between November 16th and January 15th (holiday season), you need to cancel at least 60 days in advance to get a full refund.
- For Daycare Bookings:
We don’t offer refunds for daycare bookings since the sitter’s time is already reserved for your dog. However, if you inform us at least a week in advance, we can help reschedule your daycare booking to another date that works for both you and the sitter. - In Case of Sitter Cancellation:
If your dog sitter needs to cancel, we’ll do our best to find a replacement sitter from our network. If we’re unable to do so, we will provide you with a 100% refund.
For detailed information or to request changes, please contact us, and we’ll assist you based on the specifics of your booking.
We offer refunds for the advance paid in case of cancellations, but they are subject to specific criteria:
-
For Overnight Bookings:
- If your booking starts between January 16th and November 15th, you’ll receive a full refund if you cancel at least 30 days before the start date.
- For bookings starting between November 16th and January 15th (holiday season), you need to cancel at least 60 days in advance to get a full refund.
- For Daycare Bookings:
We don’t offer refunds for daycare bookings since the sitter’s time is already reserved for your dog. However, if you inform us at least a week in advance, we can help reschedule your daycare booking to another date that works for both you and the sitter. - In Case of Sitter Cancellation:
If your dog sitter needs to cancel, we’ll do our best to find a replacement sitter from our network. If we’re unable to do so, we will provide you with a 100% refund.
For detailed information or to request changes, please contact us, and we’ll assist you based on the specifics of your booking.