Meet & Greets are easy to set up and an important step to finding pet owners that are a great match for your sitting style. Along with this Sitter Resources post, here are a few of our top tricks, tips, and best practices for ensuring that a Meet & Greet goes well:

• Avoid surprises. If your own dog, other pets, or children will be part of the booking, have them present at the Meet & Greet. Make sure everyone gets along.

• Walk and talk. Be sure you can comfortably connect with and control the dog on the lead. A good rule of thumb for control is whether you can imagine lifting the dog. If this seems like a stretch, the dog may be a better fit with another sitter.

• Ask questions. For example, what tendencies or special quirks should you know about? If the pet has certain behaviours, do they show up only when they're away from their pet owner? Listen carefully to the answers, and ask yourself honestly whether you can handle the challenges and special needs the dog might present.

• Clarify expectations. Make sure that both you and the pet owner understand all expectations about the stay, including the services you provide, how long the pet may be left alone, exercise and feeding routines, drop-off and pick-up times, and whatever else you consider essential to a happy booking.

• Trust your instincts. After a Meet & Greet, if you feel comfortable encouraging the pet owners to book right away, it’s probably a good fit. If you don’t feel comfortable, whatever the reason, be upfront and let them know it’s just not the right fit.