For pet sitters and dog walkers
Pet Sitter and Dog Walker Testimonials
A new client is about to hand a stranger their keys, their alarm code and an animal they love. What convinces them is another owner saying “I came home to a happy dog and a tidy house”. What must never appear is which house, which dates the family was away, or where the spare key lives. Pick the date of a new client’s first booking to get a plan for when to ask.
- Asks after trust is earned, not after one walk
- Keeps addresses and away dates out of quotes
- Lets owners send a clip of the pet
The problem, solved
Where pet care testimonials go wrong, and how StoryProof handles each
Most of these come from asking too early, or from publishing exactly what the owner wrote.
Situation 1 of 5
The review names our client’s street
“Walked Bella every day while we were in Spain for two weeks, the house on Elm Road” tells a stranger when that home was empty.
How StoryProof solves it
Nothing is published until you approve it, so a review with an address or travel dates can be held back while you ask the owner to send it again without them.
Situation 2 of 5
We asked after the first walk
One walk proves you turned up. It does not prove you can be trusted with keys for a fortnight, and the review says so.
How StoryProof solves it
StoryProof only emails contacts you add, so you add an owner after their first longer sit, not after a meet and greet.
Situation 3 of 5
The best proof is the dog
Owners send you photos and clips of a relaxed pet every day. None of it reaches your website.
How StoryProof solves it
From one link an owner can record a short video with the pet in shot, leave an audio note or write a few lines, without installing anything.
Situation 4 of 5
We see owners at the door, not online
The handover of keys is where they thank you, and nobody fills in a form on the doorstep.
How StoryProof solves it
Leave a small card with the collection link as a QR code alongside the returned keys, so the owner can answer when they have settled in.
Situation 5 of 5
Walkers and sitters need different proof
A family booking a holiday sitter wants overnight stories; an office worker booking walks wants punctuality.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag each testimonial as sitting, walking or both, and show the matching ones on each service page.
Dated plan
When to ask a new pet care client
Pick the date of the client’s first booking. The plan shows when they have seen enough to vouch for you.
Day -7
Meet and greet: do not ask
Meet the pet, learn the routine and agree how keys and alarm codes are handled. Note in your records that this client has not been asked.
Day 0
First visit or sit
Send your usual photo updates. Still no request: they have not yet seen how you handle a full absence.
Day +14
After two weeks of walks, or the first sit of three nights or more
Add the owner as a contact and send the request by email. Ask what made them comfortable handing over their keys, and invite a short clip of the pet.
Day +17
Reminder, if they have not answered
On Pro or above, a reminder goes automatically and a last one four days after that, stopping as soon as they answer.
Day +21
Read before you publish
Check for street names, holiday dates, key safe or alarm details and children’s names. If any appear, ask the owner to send it again without them.
Day +90
After a long trip or the holiday season
If the client has since booked a long sit, they may have a better story. Ask once more, for that sit only, and never more often than that.
Dates are worked out in your browser. Nothing you pick is saved.
Prompts
Questions that bring out trust, not addresses
Put two or three of these in the request. They invite the details a new client cares about, and none of them ask where the owner lives.
Holiday and overnight sitting
- What let you relax while you were away?
- How did your pet seem when you got home?
- What did the daily updates tell you?
Leave out
- Where did you go, and for how long?
- Which part of town are you in?
Regular dog walking
- How has your dog changed since the walks started?
- What made you comfortable giving us a key?
Leave out
- What time is the house empty each day?
Pets with special needs
- How were medication or care instructions handled?
Leave out
- Questions that invite the owner to list their pet’s diagnosis in full
In StoryProof
Set it up for your pet care business
- You will need
- A list of clients who have had at least one longer sit or two weeks of walks
- A rule that addresses, dates and key details are never published
- 1
Create one link for owners
Owners can write, record a clip with their pet or leave an audio note. Print the link as a QR card for key handovers.
- 2
Add owners once trust is earned
Add the owner as a contact at the point the timeline shows, and the request goes by email.
- 3
Let reminders run
From Pro, reminders follow and stop once the owner answers or unsubscribes.
- 4
Screen for home details, then approve
Read each answer for addresses, travel dates and access details before approving, and tag it by service.
- 5
Show owners a page of stories
Send enquiries to your Wall of Love, a hosted page of approved testimonials with its own link, and put sitting and walking quotes on their own pages.
What happens next: When a client moves away or stops booking, the testimonial can stay, but check it still contains nothing that identifies their old home.
Before you start
What StoryProof leaves to you
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
It does not spot an address for you
There is no automatic check for street names or dates. A person has to read each testimonial before approving it.
- 02
You cannot trim the words in the app
We have no verified way to edit a testimonial inside StoryProof. If one includes home details, ask the owner to send a new version through the link.
- 03
Requests are email only
StoryProof does not send texts. If you usually message owners by phone, share the link by hand in that message instead.
- 04
It does not hold keys or booking records
StoryProof is for testimonials. Keep key logs, alarm codes and bookings in the system you already use, never in a form answer.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
When should a pet sitter ask for a testimonial?
After the owner has seen you handle a real absence: the first sit of a few nights, or a couple of weeks of regular walks. A request after the meet and greet asks them to vouch for something they have not seen.
What should a pet sitter testimonial avoid mentioning?
Anything that helps a stranger find or enter the home: street names, the dates the family was away, key safes, alarm details and children’s names.
Should I ask for photos or videos of the pet?
A short clip of a relaxed pet is strong proof. Ask the owner to film it themselves, and check nothing in the background shows the house number or street.
Do dog walkers and pet sitters need different testimonials?
Yes. Walking clients value punctuality and how the dog behaves; sitting clients value the updates and coming home to a calm pet. Tag them separately and show each on its own page.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Let owners vouch for you, safely
Collect stories and pet videos from the clients who trust you with their keys, and publish only what is safe to show.
Last updated 2026-11-11.