Pet sitter interview questions. The 12-question meet-and-greet script.
A short list of questions that surface what a profile cannot. The right answers tell you whether the sitter has handled a tough stay before, and whether they will handle yours.
Six core questions, six logistics questions, three red flags to listen for. Run the meet-and-greet in your home with the pet present, then book a paid trial visit to confirm.
Care, communication, contingencies.
Twelve questions sort into three buckets: how the sitter handles your pet, how they handle you during the stay, and what they do when things go off-plan. The third bucket is where good sitters separate from average ones.
Care and competence.
These six get to whether the sitter can do the job at all. Skip them and you are picking on vibes.
How long have you been pet sitting?
A direct question. Time on the job correlates with calm in surprise situations. A new sitter is not disqualifying; a new sitter with a thin profile is. Look for at least a handful of completed bookings with detailed reviews.
Are you background-checked and verified?
On Petme, every sitter is identity-verified and background-checked before they can take a booking. On other platforms it varies. A solid answer names the verification step the sitter completed. A vague answer is a yellow flag.
What is your emergency vet protocol?
A clear answer: "I call the vet you listed first, then the nearest emergency clinic, then you, then Petme support." A weak answer is "I would Google one." Emergency clarity is one of the highest-signal questions you can ask.
How do you keep me updated during the stay?
Photo updates after every visit on the Petme app, plus a short note. A sitter who says they will text whenever they remember is not lying, but the bar should be a documented update after each visit, every time.
What do you do if my pet is acting off?
Look for: notice early, document in the app, message the owner, escalate to the vet if needed. The wrong answer is "I would not know" or "I would wait and see." A good sitter has a graded response.
Can you handle (medication / a big dog / a senior cat)?
Specific to your pet. Honest "no" is better than overpromise. A sitter who declines a med they are not comfortable with is a sitter who will decline a moment they are not comfortable with on the stay. That is the right instinct.
Communication and contingencies.
These six get to whether the working relationship will hold up across a real stay. Pace, response time, backup, cancellation, the moments when the routine bends.
Can we do a paid trial visit first?
Most owners get more from one paid trial visit than from any number of meet-and-greets. A real booking with a real handoff exposes mismatches that conversation cannot.
How fast do you respond to messages on the app?
A reasonable bar: same-day during the workweek, within a few hours during a stay. Faster is better; slower than that is a yellow flag for an active sitter relationship.
Are you ok with a pet camera in the common areas?
A confident "yes, that is normal" is the right answer. Most owners run a camera somewhere visible. A sitter who is uncomfortable with cameras for ethical reasons should say so up front; a sitter who is evasive is a flag.
What is your cancellation policy?
On your side and theirs. What happens if you need to cancel the trip? What happens if the sitter has to cancel mid-stay? Petme support coordinates, but the sitter should still have an answer ready.
Who is your backup if you cannot make it?
A professional has a name and a plan. A hobby sitter often does not. This question separates "this is my job" from "this is my side hustle". Both are fine; you should know which one you are hiring.
Have you ever had an emergency on a stay? What happened?
The best answer is a calm story with a clear timeline and a clear resolution. A sitter who has never had anything go wrong is either new or telling you what they think you want to hear. Look for honesty about a hard moment.
When to walk away.
Most meet-and-greets go fine. These three signals mean the next conversation should be with a different sitter.
Vague answers on the emergency plan
If the vet protocol is a shrug, the rest of the relationship will be too. This is the single most important answer to listen for; nothing else weighs more.
No photo updates from prior bookings
Profiles with five-star reviews but zero photos in any update thread tell you the sitter is not documenting visits. That sets up exactly the situation you cannot debug from 1,200 miles away.
Pushes off-platform communication
If the sitter wants to text directly, take payment via Venmo, or handle the booking outside the app, you lose every layer of protection: the Protection Plan, the official record, the dispute path. Stay on the app.
Practical meet-and-greet logistics.
Format, length, payment, and what to expect the sitter to ask back.
Where should the meet-and-greet happen?
How long should the meet-and-greet take?
Should I pay for the meet-and-greet?
What if my dog does not warm up to the sitter?
How many sitters should I interview?
Should I ask for references outside the platform?
What questions should I expect the sitter to ask me?
Can I do the interview over video?
Two meet-and-greets. One trial visit. One real sitter.
Browse verified Petme sitters, save 2 or 3 favorites, run the meet-and-greet at home with the pet present. 0% owner fee, up to $22,000 through the Protection Plan for eligible vet costs, cashback that compounds across bookings.