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Pawshake
Pawshake: Easy, trusted pet care—finding sitters in Melbourne.
1.8
Other
$$
Pawshake: Easy, trusted pet care—finding sitters in Melbourne.
Pawshake is a Melbourne-based pet boarding service and pet care provider at 3 Albert Coates Ln. It helps owners find sitters and care for pets. Reviews highlight easy sitter matching and positive outcomes, such as a tired, happy puppy after a stay with Charlie, while some feedback notes disputes and refunds. The service offers local pet care options in Melbourne.
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Overnight care for pets in a sitter's home, providing a comfortable alternative to kennels.
In-home visits or stays to care for pets, including feeding, playtime, and basic needs.
Scheduled walks to keep pets active and healthy, tailored to their energy levels.
Easy online and app-based booking system to find and communicate with local pet sitters.
Personalized matching service to connect owners with sitters based on pet type and requirements.
Overall rating
Laura S
I had been a sitter on Pawshake with no prior issues, with 5-star reviews after every booking, and this was the first time I experienced a dispute. I completed a 6-night booking and cared for the pets as agreed. After the booking ended, there was a short delay in communication due to illness. Although the keys were returned once contact was made, the owners escalated the situation to Pawshake. The booking was fully refunded to the owners, and no payout was released to me despite the service being completed. While Pawshake confirmed that no negative review would be placed on my profile, I was left unpaid for the work I had already done. This experience made it clear that sitters carry significant financial risk and that dispute decisions prioritise client reassurance over fair compensation for completed services, in addition to the 19% platform fee taken for dispute handling, platform usage and insurance. As a result, I will not be continuing to offer my services through Pawshake. I would strongly encourage sitters to carefully consider how disputes are handled and to be extremely cautious about post-booking communication and key handovers.
Michael Abella
2 sitters didn’t even bother to respond. Another one just recommended me to look for a sitter on Facebook marketplace suggesting my dog is not good enough for this site.
Sarah Loch-Wilkinson
Not worth the effort. Thought I had a sitter booked for the Christmas / NY period for 15 nights for 2 cats, got stuffed around by the sitter who was just playing the field for a better option. Now left with an overseas trip booked and the impossibility of trying to get 2 cats into a cattery for that period.
Nai Lindon
*A Single Complaint, A Snap Judgment — and Zero Integrity* I don’t normally leave reviews, but what happened with this app deserves attention. After years of reliable service, dozens of five-star ratings, and countless happy pets, my account was suddenly *deactivated*—not after a pattern of issues, not after an investigation, but because of **one impatient, unreasonable pet owner** who decided to weaponize a complaint. There was no genuine attempt at mediation, no request for my side of the story—just a curt email from “support” citing a vague “policy violation” and a locked account. That’s it. My record, my history of excellent care, and my professionalism—all discarded in the name of corporate convenience. This app clearly values *appeasing difficult customers* over *supporting the people who make their platform possible*. Their so-called “trust and safety” team seems to operate less like a department of fairness and more like an algorithmic guillotine—swift, opaque, and utterly indifferent to context. What’s most insulting is the hypocrisy: they brand themselves as a “community” of caring pet lovers, but when conflict arises, there’s no compassion, no nuance—just automated punishment and canned responses. If you’re a sitter thinking about investing your time and reputation here, **don’t**. Your livelihood can be erased with a single click, no matter how impeccable your record. And if you’re a pet owner, be aware that this is a company that prioritizes optics over integrity—because when trust only flows one way, it isn’t a community. It’s a liability.
H M
I booked pet sitting through Pawshake with sitter Jerrica in Albury. When part of the service was cancelled, I requested a partial refund for the unused days. Despite following up, Pawshake refused to refund me and told me the case was closed with no further escalation. In my view, this is unfair and unethical- I paid for services I never received. I am now escalating this matter to Consumer Affairs Victoria so that other pet owners are aware of how Pawshake handles refund requests.
Debbie McGarrigle
I booked a dog sitter on here her name was Cassandra and we met up before the 2nd of august so she could meet my 7 month old border collie and my 13 year old border collie and when I went to drop them off she changed her mind about spike 7 month old border collie so I had to get my emergency contact to take him and to top it off she lost missy she got out of her place somehow twice so she ended up with my emergency contact as well don't trust this woman with your dog she had missy tied up in her yard very bad dog sitter she doesn't care about your pets
