FAQ for Spare Sitters
As long as you are an animal lover and have animal experience with your own pet, friend’s pets, or have pet sitting experience you can apply to be a pet sitter. Head to our sitter page here and apply to become a sitter. We will get back to you as soon as possible with your sitter application via your email provided.
As long as you are an animal lover and have experience with friend’s pets, been pet sitting before you can apply to be a pet sitter, but you do need to be verified or interviewed by Spare Leash before you can start your pet sitting. We offer regular meetings and training events, follow our official WeChat account: SpareLeash to receive updates on our events and more!
We can only accept sitters that are 18 years or older.
We have both Chinese and Expat clients, so there’s no need to speak fluent Chinese. English speaking pet owners can still book you.
It is free to sign up to become a Spare Leash sitter.
After completing an application, please sign up for sitter interview.
Please contact Spare Sitters Support (WeChat ID: SpareSitter) and we’ll be able to deactivate your profile from our platform.
It is very important that you provide us with an emergency contact, so we can reach someone if something happens or if you are not reachable. The contact you choose has to live in the same city and has to be here during the time you are pet sitting. Please also make sure that you have informed your emergency contact that their number will be used.
Yes, sitters can make their own schedule and can choose which days and times they want to do bookings. Please make sure to update your profile if there are changes in your schedule, mark unavailable dates on your calendar. Tip: Holiday seasons are very popular, the earlier you update your holiday timings, the better.
Yes, we are always in need of sitters with training experience. Share your previous experience with training in your sitter profile and select the service ‘Dog Training’ so that you’re able to help with pet owners that need help.
We strongly suggest picking up dogs’ waste during your Spare Leash bookings, in order to avoid any trouble it may cause with the neighborhood - unless the pet owner states otherwise and says there is no need to pick up dogs’ waste.
When you house sit a pet, you will live at the home of the client and the pet can stay in the comfort of their familiar environment. Of course, you don’t have to be in the house the entire day but the pet should be your main focus and receive all the necessary care.
You would be expected to sleep over at the clients’ home. All price inclusive, you would be watching over the pet owner’s home, notify them if there is a problem with the house or their pet, also bring in the mail and water their plants if needed.
Boarding is when the pet comes and lives at your home while their owner is away. Please make sure beforehand that you are allowed to have pets in your home and that your home is suitable for dogs.
We have two boarding types:
Single boarding - where the dog(s) will be the only one boarding at your home
Group boarding - where the dog(s) will be boarding with another client’s dog, or if you own a dog yourself. This is great way to socialize your pet, allowing them to play with other furry friends!
* Meet and greet is highly recommended at your home beforehand if you agree to help with dog boarding.
This is up to the client and always has to be discussed beforehand. If you would like to have your friend, boy/girlfriend stay over with you, please discuss this matter with the client at the meet and greet or before your friend is coming over. Please do make sure to always ask for permission first.
Yes, choose availability - afternoon in step 3 in Sitter form.
You will be living at the client’s home during the housesitting period, so please pack a bag with all necessities you need for this time. Most of the time the clients home will not be too far from your home, so if you forget to bring something, you can always return home to grab it.
No, the pet owner is responsible for providing enough food for the entire pet sitting duration. Please make sure to discuss this during the Meet and greet .
Yes of course. It is completely up to you to accept or decline the booking. To decline, please, inform the client in Chat and/or click 'Cancel Booking' in your Sittings.
Yes, this is possible, by only checking in small dogs in your profile you will only get a request from clients who own small dogs.
When you board a pet at home, the owner has to bring the pets leash, harness/collar, food, treats and any medication/supplements if required. Usually, they will also bring the pet's bed or blanket, favorite toy or any other item their pet loves.
For boarding, you need to have an agreement and permission from your landlord in order to have pets around. If you don’t have this, you can do all the other services except boarding. Please only check the services you can do in your profile directly.
The meet and greet is very important not only for the client to meet the sitter but also for you, as the sitter, to make yourself familiar with the pet you will be taking care of. We urge our sitters to not rush through the meet and greet but take your time to talk about the pet and its needs. We have compiled a list of useful questions to ask during the meet and greet – please click here to see our meet and greet guide.
As a pet owner you want to get daily updates and see how your pets are doing and happy photos/videos of their furry babies reassure the owner that everything is going perfectly. It is up to the client how often they require updates, please ask this during the meet and greet directly. Normally it is one to three updates per day. Try to show the pets best moments with you and the pet owner will give you better reviews and ratings for you to receive more future bookings.
Best to take photos of the pet when you are at home and where there is not a lot of distractions. You may take pictures on your walks on less busy streets and inside safe parks. Pet owners are the happiest when they see that their pet is happy, playing, cuddling or just sleeping. Don’t forget to follow us on our social pages and share your moments with your furry friends.
The client will have to cover any transportation fees that are connected with the pet during your service. You will not be able to get refunded for your own personal travel expenses unless directly discussed with the client beforehand. Transportation to and from meet and greets is also not included.
Sitters will be paid within 14-20 working days after the service is completed. As you would have connected your WeChat and follow Spare Leash official account (WeChat ID: Spareleash) in order to receive notifications on client booking, you will receive payments via WeChat. Pay day you can check in Sitter Wallet . 
All payments need to be made through the Spare Leash platform. By signing up as a sitter, you agree that all transactions with any pet owner will be made through Spare Leash by using our platform. We do not charge anything to have your profile listing and be seen by thousands of pet owners, therefore we only make our money when you make yours, by taking a 20%-30% booking fee. When bookings are paid via our platform, clients will be able to leave sitters a review after the service is completed. This will help you in building your profile trust.
If you fail to go through our platform your account will be terminated. You also have a high risk if something happens to the pet while in your hands. We will not be able to cover you with our insurance pack.
The more details you give about yourself and your experience with taking care of pets, the more comfortable clients will feel in booking you. When uploading pictures on your profile, please upload images that are clear and show that you love pets. If you can provide the boarding service for dog clients, give clear images of your residential area.
Our website has a listing system where sitters appear first on the list of sitters available for client bookings based on the times sitters sign in. So make sure to connect your WeChat in your profile and follow Spare Leash official account (WeChat ID: Spareleash) to receive notifications for booking requests, and sign into your account to check on messages.
Reviews are very important for your profile, so make sure to ask clients to leave you a review once you have completed a booking.
After successful interview and Spare Leash team has verified your profile you can officially start as a Spare Sitter. In order to gain pet owners interest and increase number of bookings, you should complete your profile, upload nice photos of you and pets and choose a catchy tagline. Then, whenever a client is contacting you or leaving a booking request, try to reply quickly, as clients usually contact several sitters in the area. Try to give as much information as possible about you, your experience with pets and if you can also board, about your home. Respond fast to any booking request to reduce your response time. After the job is done you will be reviewed, the better reviews and ratings you have, the more bookings you will receive. It can also help to share your profile on Wechat, Weibo, Instagram, and Facebook.
Everything on Spare Leash is based on trust; hence we have the right to delete any not reliable pet sitter from the Spare Leash platform at any time. For every cancellation, Spare Leash has the right to check out the sitter and even remove the sitter if they don’t cooperate.
Please make sure to follow the rules and regulations according to the PRC Law. These laws include licensing and other requirements that may vary by location. Check with your local Animal Control to learn about the regulations where you live.
Please respond within 24 hours, as after that the request will expire. Your sitter response rate will also appear on your profile, which will help with your future bookings.
When you sign up as a pet sitter you can decide the cancellation policy to be flexible, moderate or strict. The policy selected will apply which could mean no payment, partial payment or full payment if pet owner cancels booking last minute.
Flexible: I’m laid back no worries. Full refund 1 day prior to arrival
Moderate: Sooner I know, the better: full refund up to 5 days prior to the arrival
Strict: I’m a planner, let’s confirm your stay today: 50% refund for cancellations made at least 7 days before service starts. Full refund if you cancel within 7 days before service starts.
You are able to cancel a reservation as long as it’s 5 days before the start date allowing the client enough time to find another suitable Spare Leash sitter. If you cancel after the 5-day mark you will be charged accordingly. Please see below for the cancellation penalties.
* It only concerns bookings which were paid and confirmed by both sides.
Dog House sitting, Boarding, Cat house sitting - 300RMB
All other services - 100RMB
* It only concerns bookings which were paid and confirmed by both sides.
Please contact the client directly as soon as possible, and us on our support page , so we’re able to assist the pet owner with finding a replacement.
Useful information about the service, you cna find in Job reminders, which can be viewed anytime on My Bookings page in Sittings marked as JD and 'i' sign.These include useful information including the client’s emergency contact, number and vet information. Please always read these and have these on hand when carrying out your bookings.
Also Job reminders are sent out 48 hours before your confirmed service takes place on your email.
If an emergency does happen best to inform the owner, act immediately and go to the vet. If you can’t get ahold of the pet owner please call their emergency contact and Spare Leash.
For more information and to be better prepared in case of emergencies please read our Spare Safety.
Is the dog chewing all the time or only when you leave it alone? If so try leaving them in an area without furniture or try to distract the dog with some chewing toys or bones. Usually chewing is a sign of boredom or anxiety. Try to give the dog more attention, exercise and see if this helps with the chewing problem.
Safety is very important and therefore we ask our sitters to carefully read through our Safety 101.
We have a 100% leash on policy, if you do not follow this rule you risk the dogs’ life (It can run away and get hit by a car), you will not be covered by Spare Leash and will be removed from our platform.
Please read our Spare Safety here .