Rover's new features let pet sitters and dog walkers give more feedback to owners. Credit: Rover.
Rover’s new features let pet sitters and dog walkers give more feedback to owners. Credit: Rover.

Seattle-based online pet-sitting marketplace Rover has introduced new features for its app that allow puppy parents to see exactly what their pooch is up to when they are away.

Now pet sitters and dog walkers can share information with owners, like when the sitter arrived, GPS maps of walks and information on bathroom breaks, personal messages from sitters and pet photos. All that information is compiled in a report card called a “Rover Card,” that is sent to the owner after the pet returns home.

“By allowing sitters and walkers to capture this data and share it with their clients in an automated and intuitive way, they’re able to focus less on the technology and more on taking great care of the dogs they’re watching,” Rover CEO Aaron Easterly said in a statement. Easterly is a former executive at online advertising powerhouse aQuantive and the 2016 GeekWire CEO of the Year.

Rover is five years old, and it hit an annual run rate of $100 million this year based on “gross billings,” a Rover spokeswoman said.. The platform boasts members in more than 10,000 cities, and its network of sitters is up 50 percent over last year to more than 65,000 people. Total funding in the company stands at more than $50 million, with investors including Technology Crossover Ventures, Foundry Group, Madrona Venture Group, Menlo Ventures, and Petco.

Rover’s new features seem fit for an increasingly fretful group of dog owners who want to check up on pet sitters. According to a study released Monday by Rover, 83 percent of dog owners are concerned that their dog walker “cuts corners,” and 82 percent of owners worry about their dogs when they are away.

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