Passive Income with Rover

I'm my quest to try all the things associated with side hustles and different passive income streams, Rover comes pretty damn close to being passive.

If you're a dog owner already or just a dog lover, this might not only be the most enjoyable way to make money, but it also may be something you continue to do for a long time coming. Since I already stay home quite a bit and have my own dog that would love companionship, this seemed like something painless to try. My dog and I already go for three walks a day, and I end up home more often (because of the corona virus) but also because my life is conducive to this now.

When you create a profile on Rover, you will include things like:

1. your location

2. If you have any pets

3. If you have a yard, or if you can handle big or special needs dogs

4. your experience with dogs

5. Some pictures

6. A description of what kind of dog owner you are

7. What kind of services you want to offer ie: Boarding, walking, sitting

8. What your schedule is and when you're available to watch dogs

The app handles secure messaging by allowing potential clients to search and browse through profiles of sitters/owners that meet their criteria and within their area. Messages were sent securely to me without giving my real phone number to customers, but allowed me to quickly respond. The first step in any Rover connection is meeting up before the desired time to see if your dog gets along with the other dog and for the owner to ask any questions and see where you live.

Here's my profile, where the standard price of boarding a dog each night is $28. My first potential client wanted to board her 6 year old british bulldog for 2 nights. She contacted me 2 weeks in advance, and we were able to meet up 1.5 weeks before hand to get comfortable with each other. We exchanged a few back and forth texts coordinating the initial meetup which fell through a few times because of her busy schedule. When we did get together because of social distancing, I opened up my garage and we had walked around outside together to the dog area of my complex. The two dogs seemed to like each other!

There were a few other questions/concerns asked like:

1. How long have you been doing this?

2. How often does your pet eat?

3. When are they used to going out for pee and poo?

4. Do they like to play fetch?

She mentioned that her dog was really affectionate, which made me a perfect match for her pup! We played around at the grassy area near my house and let the dogs get used to each other for about 20 minutes, and then walked them at the same time and they had no problem. We parted ways and a few days later, she booked the time in Rover to have me watch her dog.

Rover takes a small fee out of the initial cost, and the owner can also put specific instructions in their booking. In this case, she reminds me of walking times, eating times etc. I got lucky and the client had really good communication and we felt really comfortable with each other and our dogs got along. The owner dropped off her dog on time and gave me really clear instructions in terms of her dog 1) liking to sleep a lot 2) usually being walked on the left hand side 3) only eating once a day at 7 with a mix of wet and dry food. Pretty straightforward!

I think it's a really fun and interesting way to make some extra cash. What are you waiting for?!

Woof, Woof - Sign up for Rover!