'The audacity of some people is just insane': Entitled Karens flood the clientele of pet sitters and dog walkers, employees share their nightmarish stories

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Apr 15, 2023 8:00 PM EDT

There are Karens no matter where you decide to work, but sometimes they flock to establishments more than others. For example, customer service gets the pleasure of constantly dealing with Karen tantrums. Also, jobs like pet sitting and dog walking surprisingly are filled to the brim with Karen customers. Apparently, according to pet sitters and dog walkers, the app Rover truly brings all the Karens into one place when looking for clientele. Many of these types of employees have flocked to Reddit to swap Karen clientele stories. Additionally, there are some Karens who try to pull some fast ones on unsuspecting people looking for pet sitting and/or walking too. So really, this line of business brings Karens together from every which way. Luckily, many of the dog walkers and pet sitters say that Rover has their backs when dealing with Karen clientele, because apparently, it happens a lot. 

One trainer who also works through Rover for pet sitting and walking posted a conversation she had with a potential client on the app and it was just BURSTING with Karen energy. Others have left comments on the post sharing their own similar experiences. 

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  • 01
    Dog - Posted by u/xKitsuneko 1 day ago "The Audacity..." - Pet Care Edition
    via u/flickr-Uncommon-Fritillary

    Reddit post by u/xKitsuneko

  • 02
    Product - Steven M. Boardings on Apr 16 - May 2 Archived - Owner was not a good fit Details Dog Boarding 16 nights of boarding for Apr 16 - May 2. From 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM $1,250 total VIEW DETAILS Boarding Request - One Time: Steven M. requested pick-up and drop-off for this stay. Please confirm their address before booking this stay. Pick-up: Mon, Apr 17 at 5:00 AM - 5:00 AM Drop-off: Mon, May 01 at 10:30 PM - 10:30 PM Today, 5:17 PM i'm going out of town for business so I n
    via u/xKitsuneko
  • 03
    Product - New request for dates: Drop-off: Sun, Apr 16 at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Pick-up: Tue, May 02 at 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Today, 5:28 PM Hello there, I will be available and I would love to care for Debo! My hours are currently 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM however, I could pick up the night before your flight and drop off the morning after your arrival. If that interests you the total would come out to $1,250 for 2 weeks including transportation. Please review my profile and let me know if you have any other
    via u/xKitsuneko
  • 04
    Font - I do offer extended rates, but only for adults. The puppy rate is applied to any under the age of 1 year, regardless of their level of training. Considering Debo is not fully house trained and he has destructive tendencies, the puppy rate would still apply for his stay. Today, 5:50 PM ok well i usually pay $45 a night so i will contact other sitters and get back to you Today, 5:53 PM No problem! I would not be able to offer my services for any less than the listed prices on my profile, bu
    via u/xKitsuneko
  • 05
    Font - I would be happy to provide a $20.00 off discount if you're new to Rover! I do offer puppy training services for an additional $65 per night which covers 1 hour of training. If you would like 14 days of training, that would be an additional $910 to the boarding fee. I will have some time on Saturday after 2:00 PM if you'd like to come over for a meet and greet with Debo? Today, 6:20 PM how about this i can pay you the 1250 for 2 weeks if you include training as well think about it and get
    via u/xKitsuneko
  • 06
    Product - SLD No worries, I think it would be best if you searched for another sitter. Take care! Today, 6:31 PM You declined and archived this message on Wednesday, Apr 12th 6:31 PM. Let Steven M. know why you couldn't accept by leaving a message. no i still need you to watch him so i will pay for the boarding. it better be worth the price Today, 6:36 PM My rates are based on my experience and the services that I provide. My reviews speak for themselves. Unfortunately, I will have to decline yo
    via u/xKitsuneko
  • 07
    Font - ← Steven M. Boardings on Apr 16 - May 2 Archived - Owner was not a good fit Details no i still need you to watch him so i will pay for the boarding. it better be worth the price Today, 6:36 PM My rates are based on my experience and the services that I provide. My reviews speak for themselves. Unfortunately, I will have to decline your request. Once again, good luck with your search with finding another sitter. Today, 6:46 PM i cant find another sitter i feel i can trust so now i have to
    via u/xKitsuneko
  • 08
    Font - TheBaneofNew Haven 23 hr. ago I've been Rover sitter since 2017 and the audacity of some people is just insane. One woman asked me to watch her brand new puppy M-F from 6am to 9pm. My daycare rate at the time (2018) was $25 per day, and I would have charged her that same rate despite the 19 hours that it was. She, however, told me she would only pay me $10 per day. I told her my price was firm and that she would already be paying me only $1.12 an hour (Rover takes 15%, so $25 became $21.2
    via u/TheBaneofNewHaven
  • 09
    Font - One time also in 2018, at around 10am I received a request from a new client to walk their dog last minute at 11am. I told them I was already booked for a walk at 11 but could come at 11:45. He agreed and we made the booking. He then proceeded to tell me that 11:45 didn't work after all and I HAD TO be there at 11am. After much grief and back and forth on the app, I told him I was cancelling the booking and to not contact me again. He then CALLED ME on the Rover number where he proceeded
    via u/TheBaneofNewHaven
  • 10
    Font - snozberry_pie +3 - 22 hr. ago Oh man those people sound wild. I used to dogsit on Rover a ton when I was single - the only crazy client of mine had six Australian Shepherds. My base rate was $45 for the first dog and $10 for each additional dog. So for 2 weeks Rover would charge them $1330. I offered them an additional discount, so I think it was an even $1000 for the 2 weeks. They came back and offered me $500. For 6 Aussies? Absolutely not. But at least she didn't chew me out when I tol
    via u/snozberry_pie
  • 11
    Font - Sold MySoulForHairDye 20 hr. ago You're a better person than I am. If a client has more than four dogs, I'm not working for them. I know what I can handle and anything more than four at a time is too much for me. My absolute f king favourite ones are the ones who put ALL of their animals under one pet profile in order to circumvent your additional pet fees. I think the record I have for someone doing this was they had ONE cat profile for FIFTEEN CATS.
    via u/SoldMySoulForHairDye
  • 12
    Font - False_Elevator_8169 +2 21 hr. ago Amen, we pay $65 aud a day to house an extremely mild tempered with nerves of steel adult cat, whom is notorious for more or less going into an disinterested near hibernation at our local cattery during the week leave town to visit the in-laws once or twice a year. And I still think that is a good deal. A puppy would be over ten times the work to kennel, let alone sit.
    via u/False_Elevator_8169
  • 13
    Font - Finance Otherwise2583 17 hr. ago Yeah people don't appreciate how cheap Rover rates are compared to doggie daycares and pet hotels, etc. and they'll leave bad reviews for the most absurd things. I recently had a woman get mad and leave a bad review cuz her house smelled like pee because her dogs pees everywhere which she was well aware of. I spent 10 days cleaning pee every day despite taking him out every hour or two and she had the audacity to get mad at me for it.
    via u/Finance_Otherwise2583
  • 14
    Font - QueenoftheROUSes +4 21 hr. ago I've never used the service as a sitter, but I've used it as a member and, at least in my area, there are some definite koo-koo birds on that side too. I remember reaching out to one lady and her saying that she only watched hypoallergenic breeds. Um, ok, good luck with that, maybe you should've included it in your profile?
    via u/QueenoftheROUSs
  • 15
    Font - Another lady wanted to immediately trade numbers and start texting outside the app. I should've seen that as a red flag, but it was my first time searching for a sitter through Rover so I was dumb. So then she tells me via text that she doesn't want to go through the app, I would just pay her directly. And I told her that I could potentially be ok with that for the future, but at least for the initial boarding I would feel more comfortable going through the app. She says ok, and I go look
    via u/QueenoftheROUSs
  • 16
    Font - She won't let me into her house, and she just opens a door in her garage and shows me this broom closet sized laundry room that has a dog bed in front of her stacked washer dryer combo. So I say "Well, can I see the rest of your place where my dog will be staying?" and she's like "Oh, this is where your dog will be staying. She can't go into the rest of the house but don't worry, I'll check on her plenty and take her on walks." Like bitch, I could lock my dog in my own damn laundry room a
    via u/QueenoftheROUSs
  • 17
    Font - So my husband and I said we needed to think about it, and then immediately upon leaving texted her saying thanks but no thanks. She then texts back some classic sour grapes bullshit about how she agrees and she would never have watched my dog anyway because clearly I'm just a cheapskate who would've caused drama with her. My husband said to just let it go but I'm still pissed that I didn't report her ass to the app.
    via u/QueenoftheROUSs
  • 18
    Font - +2 - 19 hr. ago Yeah, my sister did dog walking and sitting through Rover, and some of the people were absolutely insane. Thankfully, she charged a LOT based on her experience, so that cut down on some of the cheapskates, but she definitely had to block several people from contacting her. RiotBlack43
    via u/RiotBlack43
  • 19
    Font - LegendaryOutlaw Woof. +2. 21 hr. ago In my career, I've learned how clients/customers act in your first interaction is almost guaranteed to be indicative of how they will ALWAYS act. If they're friendly, understanding and willing to work out a fair deal, they will always be easy to work with. If they immediately start asking for discounts, cheaper rates and faster work, they will never become any less demanding or easier to work for. They show you who they are the first time...believe the
    via u/LegendaryOutlaw
  • 20
    Font - Onepunchmanworkout 1 day ago Rover was (is?) pretty good about not letting stuff like this impact you. I used to run bigger dogs as a side job and I'd get people who were mad that I wouldn't housesit their smaller dog. Like sorry, I didn't accept the job, you can't leave me a review, system doesn't work that way.
    via u/Onepunchmanworkout
  • 21
    Font - TrainerLizzie 18 hr. ago I tried working on Rover for a while. The incident that sent me over the edge was when the dog who was dropped off at my place was quite literally on the brink of death. The owner specified it was an elderly dog who would need help up and down the stairs - no problem, right? Wrong. The poor dear could barely stand on her own, was completely blind, and seemed to have some cognitive issues trying to eat out of her bowl. The owner said she just didn't eat much, but s
    via u/TrainerLizzie

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dog-walkers karens pet-sitters employees karen-clientele dog-trainers karens in the wild dog-sitters rover rover-app
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