Never Worry About Your Pet When Away
Published: August 6, 2026
You've arranged everything. The flights are booked, the hotel is confirmed, the sitter has the keys. And then, two days into your trip, it starts — that quiet, nagging question that no amount of texting can fully silence: Is my pet actually okay right now?
A text message saying "all good!" is nice. A photo with a verified timestamp is better. Today we're introducing Sitter Check-ins — a new MaunaPet feature that gives pet owners real, verifiable proof that their sitter visited, right when they said they did.
How It Works
Sitter Check-ins are built around one simple idea: a photo taken in the moment is worth more than any message sent after the fact. Here's the full flow:
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1
You invite your sitter
Share your pet's profile from MaunaPet with a Sitter role. The invite takes seconds. Once your sitter accepts, they'll see your pet listed under "Shared with me" in their app.
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2
Your sitter taps "Check In 📸"
When they arrive for a visit, a prominent button appears on your pet's page. Tapping it opens the camera directly — no gallery, no pre-taken photos allowed.
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The photo is watermarked on our servers
The image is processed by MaunaPet before it ever reaches you. We embed the verified server time, your pet's name, and the sitter's name directly onto the photo. The timestamp cannot be faked — it comes from our systems, not the sitter's phone clock.
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You get an instant push notification
A notification lands on your phone: "🐾 Max: Sitter check-in! Maria just checked in with Max." Tap it to see the full watermarked photo and any notes the sitter left.
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Browse the full timeline anytime
All check-ins are saved in a chronological timeline on your pet's profile. You can review every visit from the trip in one place, long after you're back home.
Why the Watermark Matters
Anyone can send a cute photo of your dog from last Tuesday and claim it was taken today. The watermark changes that. Because the photo is captured live in the app and processed by MaunaPet's servers before you see it, the timestamp on the image reflects when MaunaPet received the photo — not what time the sitter's device happened to display.
We show both: the server time (authoritative, tamper-proof) and the device time reported by the sitter's phone, clearly labeled. You can see at a glance if both match — which they almost always will for an honest sitter — and flag it if they don't.
Privacy first. We automatically strip all location metadata (EXIF/GPS) from every check-in photo before storing it. Your sitter's precise location is never saved. MaunaPet only retains the image and the timestamps.
What Your Sitter Sees
We designed the sitter experience to be as simple as possible. Your sitter doesn't need to understand how watermarking works — they just tap "Check In 📸," point the camera at your pet, add an optional note (like "Fed, walked, all good!"), and hit send. The whole thing takes under a minute.
Sitters can only see their own check-ins. If you've invited multiple sitters for a long trip, each one only views their own submissions — never another sitter's photos or notes.
A Timeline Built for Peace of Mind
Every check-in is saved to a clean, photo-first timeline on your pet's profile. As the owner, you see every sitter's visits in chronological order — a visual log of care that you can scroll through anytime. If something looks wrong, you can delete individual check-ins and reach out to your sitter directly.
The timeline is also a surprisingly useful record to have. After a long trip, it's genuinely reassuring to look back at six days of timestamped photos and see that your cat was visited every single day, right on schedule.
Availability
Sitter Check-ins are available today as part of MaunaPet Premium. The feature is unlocked by the owner's subscription — your sitter doesn't need a Premium plan of their own to send check-ins. If you're already on Premium, the feature is ready to use the next time you share your pet with a Sitter role.
When you create or edit a sitter share, you'll see a new "Check-ins" scope toggle. It's enabled by default for the Sitter role, and you can turn it off if you'd prefer not to use it for a particular sitter.
Ready to try it?
Open MaunaPet, go to your pet's profile, tap "Share", and choose the Sitter role. Your sitter will be ready to check in on their very first visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sitter check-in on MaunaPet?
A sitter check-in is a photo taken directly inside the MaunaPet app by your pet sitter during a visit. The photo is automatically watermarked with the verified visit time, the sitter's name, and your pet's name — then instantly sent to you as a push notification.
Can the sitter pick a photo from their gallery instead of taking one on the spot?
No. The app opens the camera directly and does not allow gallery uploads, so every check-in photo is captured live during the visit.
How does MaunaPet verify the time on a check-in photo?
The watermark timestamp comes from MaunaPet's servers, not from the sitter's phone. Even if the sitter manually changes their device clock, the authoritative server time is always used for the watermark.
Is the Sitter Check-in feature free?
Sitter Check-ins are part of MaunaPet Premium. The pet owner needs an active Premium subscription to enable the feature. Your sitter does not need a Premium account.
How do I share my pet with a sitter on MaunaPet?
Open your pet's profile, tap "Share", choose the Sitter role, and send an invite link. Once your sitter accepts, they'll see a "Check In" button on your pet's page every time they visit.