When is the best time to ask after a trip?

The day they are home, after they have seen the pet is well. They are relieved and a little grateful then, and the details of the trip are still in their heads.

Do I need to ask for a quote from every client?

No. Pick the ones where something notable happened, such as a first trip away or a pet with special needs. A few quotes with real detail beat a long list of one-word ratings.

What if a pet was unwell while I was there?

If you handled it well and the owner said so, that can be the best quote you get. It shows a reader what you do when something goes wrong, and it should be in the owner's own words.

I already have reviews on Rover. Why add more?

Those live on a platform that takes a cut and shows your competitors beside you. A quote on your own site stays yours, and you can link to it from anywhere.

pet sitters

Testimonials for pet sitters

Let them book the vacation and relax.

The people booking are about to go on vacation and are already worrying. Descriptions of the daily updates are what let the next person book and relax.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

The evening the owners get home, once they have seen the pet is fine.

Hi Dana, it's Hannah. I'm so glad Miso settled in by Tuesday. Would you write a few lines about how she was before you left and how she seemed when you got back? People handing over a key look for that. No account needed, just this link: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Pet sitter testimonial examples

The kind of thing pet sitters collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

Two weeks in Spain and I got a photo every evening. Came home to a cat who barely acknowledged me, which is exactly how I know it went well.

Marta Z. · Cat owner

Example

Our cat had not eaten while we were away the last time. Hannah sent a photo each evening of the bowl and the cat on the windowsill, and by day two the food was gone. We came home to a calm house.

Dana K. · Cat owner, away for a week

Example

I have an old lab with a pill that has to go in cheese at exactly eight. Kevin wrote the time on his hand the first morning and never missed it. He also noticed a limp I had not seen and told me before I got home.

Ron S. · Owner of a senior lab

Example

She stayed at our place with the two rabbits and watered the tomatoes without being asked. When the power flickered one night, she texted to say the rabbits were fine.

Priya N. · Overnight sitting client

People hand over a house key and an animal they love, so they look for proof of trust. A quote that mentions a bowl photographed each evening or a limp someone noticed shows what a sitter does when nobody is watching, which is the thing a stranger cannot judge from a profile.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

When they get home to a calm animal and a tidy house.

The single biggest reason pet sitters have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

How often did you hear from us while you were away?
How was your pet when you got back?
How did you find the house?

Or an email

For a family who has booked you for several trips, including holidays.

Subject: Would you say a word about the last few trips?

Hi Ron,

Duke and I have now done four holiday weeks together, and I still have the note you left about the eight o'clock pill. It is taped inside my kitchen cupboard.

Could you write a short paragraph about what it was like to leave him with me the first time? New clients ask me whether other people trust me with their older dogs, and your words answer that better than I can.

Here is the link, with nothing to sign up for: [your link]

Thank you, Kevin

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a pet sitter first

Rover and Wag profiles
Both show ratings and recent reviews on each sitter's page. An owner picking from a list of nearby names often goes with the one who has the most recent comments.
Nextdoor
"Anyone know a good sitter for next week?" gets a dozen replies. The names that come up again and again are the ones whose clients speak up for them.
The vet's office
Staff get asked who watches pets while owners travel, and they pass along names they have heard good things about. You cannot see the conversation, but it sends clients.
Google Maps
A search for "pet sitter near me" on a phone before a trip shows stars first. The newest quotes tell the owner whether the sitter still has openings and cares for animals like theirs.
Your own website
An owner with an anxious cat wants to read about another anxious cat. A quote like Dana's, on a page you control, does that before they have to message you.

Questions pet sitters ask

When is the best time to ask after a trip?: The day they are home, after they have seen the pet is well. They are relieved and a little grateful then, and the details of the trip are still in their heads.
Do I need to ask for a quote from every client?: No. Pick the ones where something notable happened, such as a first trip away or a pet with special needs. A few quotes with real detail beat a long list of one-word ratings.
What if a pet was unwell while I was there?: If you handled it well and the owner said so, that can be the best quote you get. It shows a reader what you do when something goes wrong, and it should be in the owner's own words.
I already have reviews on Rover. Why add more?: Those live on a platform that takes a cut and shows your competitors beside you. A quote on your own site stays yours, and you can link to it from anywhere.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free