I always assumed people would use Rover to find a trustworthy walker, and then just pay them in cash and cut out Rover. I guess you lose out on insurance in case your dog is injured during the walk but that doesn't seem worth it for how much they take.

And they probably take so much exactly because they will probably earn only on the first few transactions before the relationship is taken offline

I was assuming people just want to hang out with a dog now and then regardless of how much it pays.

Our prior dog died this summer and I considered doing some dogsitting for exactly this reason. When I looked into these easy, online/app-based services, it wasn't worth the coordination effort (with the humans) and was easier to just go interact with dogs and owners on the sidewalks and at the local dog parks when I needed my dog fix.

Hey so this was/is us. We raised two dogs from puppies, and when they both died of old-age related issues, we couldn't bring ourselves to bond with another dog/pet. Logistics aren't bad (my wife handles comm). Some people though want to meet us before the transaction which is a pain because of the amount of money involved and inconvenience.

This is us. We just love dogs. Building a business model off of people willing to sacrifice their time and money just to love on dogs is ... a little nuts.

We've had a couple repeat requests, but through the app not outside. We're not "dog walkers" so maybe that's the difference as most of our customers are on vacation, or are going on vacation which doesn't happen on a regular basis.

How much of a cut do they take? I have used three Rover sitters and they all wanted to cut out the middleman after a few times.

In general my fear is that the gig economy will lead to high margin middlemen instead of super efficient facilitators.

I believe it's 15% however my beef isn't with the fee but rather "the market" pricing. The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. The dog lives in our home, is showered with love, we take and send photos throughout the day to the owner and typically the dog sleeps in our bed (not to mention we usually buy the dog a toy). The rate we charge, based on what others are charging should mean your dog is locked is small room, akin to a kennel and fed/walked regularly.

We've not had enough repeat business to develop "outside" relationships, but I'm sure that's coming down the road as we've made plenty of dog owners (and dogs) super happy.

Isn't this an unrelated issue to your original point? (not being able to make a living)

It sounds like you've just mis-matched the quality of your service vs the quality the market (that you're advertising in) is seeking.

I know when I leave town for a few days, I'm ok with my dogs just getting a clean crate, food, and a walk every day. They don't love it, but as long as they're clean, safe, and fed - I don't really have any problems with them being bored. They certainly don't need to sleep in your bed.

There might well be a market for the level of service you're providing (there is - I have family who do 2 week board and trains, and the price starts around 2.5k per dog) but it's not Rover.

"you've just mis-matched the quality of your service vs the quality the market (that you're advertising in) is seeking."

I would sort of agree, however the dog-owners clearly expect a very high level of service but curiously don't question the super low price being charged. We have dog kennels in the area, I know and they know what the going rate is.

They choose us because kennels can be rough. But at the same time, they pay us LESS than the kennel.

Also we didn't decide our prices in a vacuum. We looked at the market, and set our rate based on that. "The market" in this case is nuts and unsustainable for providers (IMH0).

I've had two people give us tips who clearly recognized the ridiculous pricing model, but sadly most are more than happy to pay just the low fee.

All that being said because this is a hobby I'm merely looking at it with slight amusement and concern for those trying to make a living.

> The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day.

You'll find that while owners like the things that you're offering, they're not generally willing to pay for those things. At a certain price point, they'll just turn around and find someone else or even use a boarding facility. The ones who are willing to pay the rates you seem to be talking about are going to want you to stay in their home. If you add training and grooming, you can start seeing higher rates; but only because you're selling more services directly. For just boarding, even with lots of out-kennel time and photos? Almost certainly not. You may not realize it, but outside of Rover, those are pretty typical. Source: Even with lots of past trust built up, our clients have a cap they're willing to pay that is less than "several hundred dollars per day."

Sounds like they need a sort of "Uber Black" section in the app to serve that market.

> The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day.

Yes, but the joy of sitting my wonderful dog is worth at least several hundred dollars a day as well, so it all evens out.

"The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. "

In principle this may be true but for most dog owners this would be prohibitively expensive. I bet if you figure out how to market to the super wealthy you may get away with these rates.