Every once and a while a dog enters your life and changes everything, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! The love that I have for my dogs is indescribable, they certainly have become a huge part of my life and I find myself always working my schedule to accommodate my dogs. I understand how stressful it can be to leave your pet behind while away but I can reassure you your pet will be spoiled with love, attention and playtime so you can enjoy a stress/worry free vacation. I send daily updates of photos and videos of your fur baby, we go for long walks over the weekend (1.5 Miles -2 Miles) and of course playtime in the backyard. I also accommodate any special requests, I have experience in administering shots and medicine. TONS of experience with puppies, crate and potty-training. I have personal experience from working with my dog trainer in behavior modification and leash training, if you have any questions just let me know! You can view all my reviews and testimonials via my Rover.com profile (currently have 91 reviews and 34 repeat clients)
I had the opportunity to really get to know so many dogs; all types of breeds big and small through the Rover.com platform. The pet market has become a $100 billion dollar industry; Americans are willing to invest more money to pamper their pet and ensuring their health, happiness and safety isn’t questionable. With the uptick in travel, pet owners prefer to board their pet in a similar home environment their pet is familiar with as oppose to boarding their four-legged family member in a kennel. Rover.com is the perfect option when making the decision to board your dog or cat while away on vacation. Founded in 2011 and based in Seattle, Washington, Rover a trusted community where people can find, meet and book neighborhood dog lovers. Rover connects pet parents with service providers who will treat their fur-babies like family, over 92% of the population live within a short drive to one of the 65,000 sitters who’ve listed their services on Rover (Rover, 2016). Pet owners are charged a standard booking service fee amounting to 5-7% of the booking total and service providers receive 80% of their earnings from every service provided, while Rover profits the remaining 20%.
I have been a part of the Rover community since 2015, enjoying the company of canines. Thou it was short lived when it came to a halt in 2018, when a man contacted the Connecticut Department of Agriculture with a complaint regarding me pet-sitting in my home. The pets in my care were safe. But the “man” was actually my neighbor, and the summer prior, he’d asked me out on a series of dates. I kindly declined. In the ensuing months, he set up cameras on his property (to watch me on mine) and called the police, alleging noise. The police found no issue and wouldn’t act on his claims. My neighbor then turned to DoAg. My neighbor spent an excessive amount of time writing his affidavit, his complaint was 49 pages, 33 exhibits and 25 photos of my personal property- I’ve never felt so violated. A DoAg officer knocked on my door and issued me a court summons with a $100 fine for operating a commercial kennel—despite a murky definition in the statute, which defines a “commercial kennel” as a “kennel.”
The law as it stood then allowed my neighbor to use a state agency in advancing his private interests. My story is why pet lovers needed a law that protects the much-needed work people have done in their communities for as long as people have had pets—pet sitting.
Home-based pet care services are an alternative to commercial kennels, and state legislation must acknowledge the distinctions between the two types of pet care settings. By placing home-based pet care services under the same laws as kennels, the well-established practice of pet-sitting becomes illegal. Kennels are perceived as a viable pet care option for many pets; however, some pets don’t thrive in kennels and pet owners deserve the right to decide which pet care solution is best for them and their pet (Rover, 2016).
Kennel laws vary by state, for example, the state of Connecticut had a very general definition for boarding dogs. Sec. 22-344 – Licensing of commercial kennel, pet shop, training facility or grooming facility states; “any person who maintains a commercial kennel and who advertises the services of such commercial kennel shall cause the license number for such commercial kennel, as issued pursuant to this section, to clearly appear in such advertisement” (Conn. Gen. Stat. §22-344, 2017), home based pet care is not a subset to the kennel law. Home based pet care provides a completely different experience to dogs than an actual commercial kennel that hosts upwards of 50 dogs. In some cases the experience of entering a kennel environment has been found to be stressful for individual dogs. In fact, it has previously been shown that kenneled dogs commonly show indications of poor welfare. According to the Department of Agriculture, boarding even one dog for monetary compensation requires service providers to have a commercial kennel license in the State of Connecticut. An individual advertising boarding services in the state of Connecticut without obtaining a kennel license is subject to a fine. The law defines a “commercial kennel” as a kennel maintained for boarding or grooming dogs or cats, including any veterinarian hospital that boards or grooms dogs or cats for nonmedical purposes (Conn. Gen. Stat. §22-327, 2017).
I was very shocked and upset the day I received that fine, here I am thinking I’m helping the community by opening my home to pets who need of care while their owners were away. After having some time to process what had happened I got on the phone with Rover explaining to them what had happened. The customer service representative took down notes and said she would have the government affairs team follow up with me. The next day, Rover followed up with an email requesting a have a conference call to understand in detail what had happened. The follow on conference call was with the Director of Government Affairs that was approximately two-hours long, the Government Affairs Director specializes in evaluating regulatory compliance and leading change in rapidly evolving environments. She genuinely understood my frustration with my neighbor and the DoAg and assured me she would help resolve this issue. Over the next few weeks I had several more calls with the Rover team this included the General Council of Rover who has over 20 years of legal experience and a strong background in government relations and advocacy, state and international level as well as another Government Affairs manager.
Over the next couple months Rover personal and I worked together as a team to fight against this unfair citation. We pled “not guilty” to my neighbors allegation. We received a scheduled court hearing date for June 13, 2019 to defend ourselves against this “criminal violation”.
April, 2019 Rover wrote up a promissory note stating they agree to indemnify me against defense costs (i.e. hiring a lawyer and covering attorney fees). The lawyer hired by Rover was very knowledgeable with this kind of thing and we fully trusted his ability to win the case for us.
July, 2018 our lawyer wrote up a memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Dismiss. This was followed by me writing and notarizing my own affidavit regarding dog-sitting out of my home. Right before our hearing, the state decided to no longer pursue the charge of operating a commercial kennel without a license. (we believe they knew that the kennel definition was vague and the case would be dismissed) Instead, the state filed a substituted information charging me with a nuisance for harboring dogs that bark excessively, in violation of Conn. Gen. Stat. 22-363. A violation of 22-363 is an infraction with a maximum fine of $75 (for the first offense- each subsequent offence is a Class D misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to 30 days in jail and up to a $250 fine!) I would have never thought I can get a class D misdemeanor as a consequence of dog-sitting! We decided to do a plea on NOLO contendere (no contest), which was accepted by the court. At this point, we realized we needed to reassess our strategy, find another way to challenge the DoAg authority to require dog-sitters using the Rover platform to have commercial licenses. We successfully had this citation dropped but there’s no guarantee that if I continue to dog-sit I’m protected from getting another one as a result of my neighbor submitting another written compliant. We were determined to take this to the next level…
September 2018, I had taken my citizenship test and passed! After 31 years living in the United States as permanent resident, I decided it was time to become a citizen and create a movement for all the Rover dog sitters in CT! 
February 13, 2019 was my first opportunity to utilize my new citizen rights! I quickly became very involved, especially when State Representative Rose held a press conference. The following is my written testimony in response to her press conference;
“State Representative Rose wants individual pet sitters—even those just watching one pet at a time, to be subjected to regulation intended for Connecticut’s large, commercial kennel facilities. I have no desire to operate a commercial kennel, I simply love dogs and provide great care for a few at a time. I rely on this extra little bit of income to help cover my living expenses and to care for my recue dogs who requires special care. Rep. Rose’s legislation—House Bill No. 5399- would make it illegal to pet sit even one dog for compensation, without first obtaining a $400 license. This doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t help people like me who have no desire to operate kennels but enjoy providing safe, and accessible pet care for a limited number of dogs in our homes.
Despite my opposition to this bill, I fully support the need for common-sense updates to existing laws. I believe State Senator Osten’s bill, Senate Bill No. 250 is right for Connecticut. This bill would regulate home-based pet sitting, protect access to the marketplaces my owner-customers use to find my services, and recognizes that the care I provide in my home is distinct from that offered in large, commercial pet care facilities. Other states know this approach makes sense. California, Colorado, Rhode Island, and Virginia have unanimously passed similar legislation. Let’s follow these states’ leads and protect small, in-home pet sitters and the owners who rely on their services this session in Connecticut.”
Couple days after State Representative Rose’s press conference the media got involved and reached out to me for an interview in regards to being a Rover pet-sitter; the Uber-like app for dog care. February 18, 2019 Hartford Courant posted an article on Rover and Wag being the Uber-like apps for dog care- featuring me! 🙂
Whoa, a year after receiving the fine, March 1, 2019 I shared my story at the during a public hearing in Hartford, CT- Testimony 12:06:16. If you would like to view my whole testimony click on the following link: Environment Committee March 1st Public Hearing and fast forward to about 12:06:16 where my testimony begins. Below is what I testified:
“Dear members of the Environment Committee,
My name is Monica Kolbusz, and I am a resident of Stratford, CT, a full-time engineer, and a part-time pet sitter. I am here today to voice my support for HB 7158.
As I mentioned, I am employed full-time. However, I recently purchased a home, and have adopted a dog with special needs. Offering pet sitting services through Rover helps me to cover the extra costs associated with my home and my new pet’s medications while doing something that I love – caring for dogs.
Pet sitters like me who offer care through Rover are vetted in many ways. Before I was able to advertise my services, I passed a background check, and my application was reviewed and approved by a Rover representative. I also receive regular feedback from the people who know my work best – my clients, who submit reviews and feedback. I work nearly exclusively with repeat clients, some of whom I have worked with for years. I have earned my score as a five-star sitter on Rover because my pet owner clients are happy with my work. By caring for just a few pets at a time, I am able to provide an experience that meets the needs of dogs who wouldn’t do well in louder or busier environments – dogs with temperaments that are similar to mine. I meet with owners and dogs in advance of providing a service to ensure that we are a good fit for each other.
If I weren’t offering pet care services, the pets I care for would instead stay with other family members or would be left alone at home. Many pets cannot thrive in busier environments and therefore require a quiet home setting. My services reduce strain within families and provide pet owners with the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their pets are being well cared for when they are away.
Thank you for hearing me. Please support local pet sitters like me, who do this work part-time because they love pets, love their clients, and to help cover living expenses. Please support HB 7158.” The following photos are from my actual testimony.
May 15, 2019 Rover personal and myself spent the day in Hartford’s Capitol meeting key legislators sharing my story first hand and handing out hard copies of the pamphlets (below). I have never met so many senators in my life! I truly believe this approach made an impact on the key legislators.
As of July 2019, HB 7158 is now a law in Connecticut! HB 7158 passed the House, Senate, and has been signed into law by Governor Lamont. Aside from working my piece, Rover pet sitters and pet owners sent more than 10,000 messages to their political representatives and Governor Lamont. I learned so much through my involvement and passion regarding this topic. I am very grateful for having the opportunity to turn such a single negative experience into something positive long-term and much more beneficial, not just our community but for Connecticut! After almost a year and a half of hard work, research, affidavits, testimonies we successfully had our proposed bill passed! This topic was very near and dear to my heart and the timing of this incident synced up perfectly with taking my final class in my Master’s program where I did my entire capstone project on Rover and the laws. I highly recommend Rover.com for both service providers and pet owners, they honestly care about people using their service and really make it a priority to do the right thing.
Need a Dog sitter? Join the Rover community! Create a Rover account and get $10 towards your first booking! If you want to book with me you can find my Rover profile here and use my promo code Monica420
What this means for the Connecticut Rover/ Pet-sitting community:
Before the new state law, pet-sitting was at risk in Connecticut. Because this bill passed, pet sitters can now board up to three (3) pets (cats and dogs) at a time in their homes without a state kennel license.
