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Getting started

From a new account to a booking page pet owners can book. The background check takes the longest, so start it first.

What "live" means

When you're live, pet owners can open your booking page, see your services and prices, and request you. You're live once all three of these are true:

  • your business name has been approved — that's when your booking page link is created
  • your background check has passed
  • you've saved your weekly working hours

You don't need Stripe to go live, and you don't need to be live to send an invoice.

Until then, anyone who opens your link sees a Coming soon page that says what's left: your background check, or your hours.

Your Today screen shows a card called Finish setting up to go live with the two steps you do yourself: Complete your background check and Set your availability. Tap either one to go straight there. The card goes away once both are done.

The steps

  1. Finish the setup screens

    When you first sign up, the app takes you through four screens: your business name and phone number, the services you offer and your prices, the animals you accept, and your home address.

    • Your business name is shown publicly, so we look it over before it appears — the same goes for your bio and photos later. That's why your booking page link isn't ready straight away.
    • Your address sets the center of your service area and lets owners see roughly how far away you are. It's never shown publicly.
    • If you tapped Skip for now on the services screen, no services were saved. You'll add them in step 4.

  2. Start your background check

    Go to More → Background check.

    • The check costs $60, paid in the app. It's non-refundable, including if the check doesn't pass.
    • After paying, you enter your details with Checkr, our screening partner. Your personal information goes straight to Checkr — CritterTrust never sees it.
    • Results usually take 1–3 business days. Tap Check for updates to see where it stands.
    • When it passes, a Background checked badge appears on your booking page. A check is good for one year; renewing costs the same.

  3. Set your weekly hours

    Go to More → Availability.

    • Switch on each day you work. It starts at 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM — tap the day to change the times.
    • Working a split day? Tap + Add shift to add a second window, like mornings and evenings.
    • Owners can only book you inside these hours.
    • Tap Save when you're done. If you leave the screen without saving, your changes are lost.

    Going away? Add blackout dates on the same screen. Those save as soon as you add them.

  4. Check your services and prices

    Go to More → Services & pricing.

    • Make sure every service you offer is switched on, with the right price. A service that's switched off is hidden from owners.
    • Add more from the suggestions — drop-in visits, dog walking, doggy day care, house sitting, overnight stays and boarding — or tap + Add custom service.
    • Stays need their hours set before anyone can book them. For house sitting, overnight stays or boarding, tap the service and set its drop-off and pick-up hours (or arrival and departure hours, at the owner's home). Until then, the service shows a warning.
    • Under Animals I accept, choose the pets you'll care for. Owners can only book you for these.

  5. Get your booking page link and share it

    Once your business name is approved, your link appears in More → Profile & settings under Your booking page. It looks like crittertrust.app/your-business-name. Owners can book you through it once your background check has passed and your hours are saved — until then, they'll see Coming soon.

    • Tap the link to see your page exactly as owners do.
    • Right under it, the app tells you what visitors see today: your full page, or Coming soon.
    • Once your page is live, bring your existing clients. Invite them by email from Clients → Invite clients — see Inviting your clients — or send them the link. Booking you through it puts them on your Clients list too.

    More on what's on your page and how to change it: Your booking page.

  6. Optional: take card payments with Stripe

    Go to More → Profile & settings and tap Connect Stripe — get paid.

    • You create your own Stripe account. Card payments go straight into it, and it stays yours even if you leave CritterTrust.
    • CritterTrust never takes a cut of any payment. Stripe charges its usual processing fee.
    • Without Stripe you can still send invoices and record cash, Venmo or Zelle payments in the app.

    See Invoices and payments.

Starter is free

Starter covers up to 5 active bookings at a time, with your booking page, client records, check-ins, report cards, invoicing and payment records. Pro is $30 a month, with no percentage taken on either plan. It removes the booking limit and adds a cover photo, priority placement, an income breakdown and a trip log. See Starter and Pro.

Common questions

My page says "Coming soon"

Owners see Coming soon until your background check has passed and you've saved your weekly hours. The page says which one is still missing. In the app, More → Profile & settings shows a badge for each.

I can't find my booking page link

Your link is created when your business name is approved. Until then, Your booking page in Profile & settings says your page goes live once your name is approved.

My business name wasn't approved

You'll see the reason under the name in Profile & settings → Business details, where you can change it and send it again. A business name works best as just the name — phone numbers, email addresses and links are welcome in your bio instead.