Choosing a pet sitter — what actually matters

Start with verification, not vibes

A friendly profile photo tells you nothing about whether someone is reliable. On PetNanny, every provider goes through ID verification and phone verification before they can accept a booking — look for both badges on a profile before you look at anything else. It's not a guarantee of a good match, but it rules out the most basic risk: that you don't actually know who's coming to your home.

Read the reviews, not just the rating

A 5.0 average from two reviews tells you less than a 4.7 average from thirty. Read a handful of the actual review text, especially anything mentioning punctuality, communication, or how the sitter handled something going slightly wrong — a cancelled walk, a late arrival, a nervous dog. That tells you far more than the star count alone.

Match the service to what your pet actually needs

PetNanny lists five distinct service types — dog walking, overnight sitting, day care, drop-in visits, and grooming — and not every sitter offers every one. A dog with separation anxiety usually does better with overnight sitting than a single daily drop-in; a cat, often the reverse. Filter by the service you actually need rather than picking whoever's cheapest.

Ask for a meet & greet before the first real booking

A short introductory visit, before any money or keys change hands, is the single best predictor of whether a sitter and your pet will get along — and it costs you almost nothing to ask for one. Use it to walk through your pet's routine in person, not just in a message thread.

Check what happens if something goes wrong

Every PetNanny booking generates a downloadable care contract recording exactly what was agreed — the service, the schedule, the price, and, importantly, an authorized emergency-vet spending limit you set yourself, so a sitter never has to guess how much they're allowed to spend if your pet needs urgent care while you're away. Read it before the booking starts, not after something's already happened.

Ready to look? Browse verified nannies near you and start with the two badges, then the reviews.