Does every dog walking app do a police check in Australia?

No. TruePath and Mad Paws require an ACIC National Police Check as a mandatory step. Pawshake and Rover use ID verification but do not universally require an ACIC check. Always confirm with a platform what type of check is conducted before booking.

Is an ACIC police check the same as a Working With Children Check?

No. An ACIC National Police Check covers criminal history nationally. A Working With Children Check (or state equivalent) is specific to working with children and has additional requirements. TruePath requires an ACIC police check; its in-person interview also screens for suitability with animals in ways neither check covers.

What does a 35% rejection rate mean in practice?

TruePath rejects approximately 35% of walker applicants across the three-step process. This means roughly one in three people who apply to walk on TruePath don't meet the bar. The rejection happens at the reference call and interview stages as often as at the police check stage.

Can I ask to see a walker's police check?

On platforms that conduct police checks, the check is verified by the platform — you typically don't receive a copy. If you're unsure whether a check has been conducted, contact the platform directly before booking.

Is GPS tracking the same as being safe?

GPS tracking provides real-time visibility during a walk — you can see where your dog is. It doesn't replace verification before the walk starts. The combination of strong pre-booking verification and live tracking during the booking provides the most complete safety layer.

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Safest Dog Walking App in Australia — What Verification Actually Means (2026)

Not all background checks are equal. This guide explains what ACIC National Police Checks, reference calls, and in-person interviews actually screen for — and which Australian dog walking apps do them. Updated May 2026.

By atticus · 8 min read · Last updated 17 May 2026

The safest dog walking app in Australia is the one whose walkers have been independently verified — not just self-declared. "Background checked" appears on the marketing of multiple platforms, but the type of check, who conducts it, and what it actually screens for varies significantly. This guide breaks down what each verification step actually catches, and how TruePath, Mad Paws, Pawshake, and Rover Australia compare.

Key takeaways

An ACIC National Police Check is the Australian standard for criminal history screening — it covers convictions and pending charges nationally.
A police check screens for criminal history only. It does not assess whether someone is good with dogs, responsible under pressure, or trustworthy in an unsupervised setting.
TruePath is the only platform in this comparison that requires an ACIC police check, platform-conducted reference calls, and an in-person interview. The platform rejects approximately 35% of applicants.
GPS tracking on every walk is a safety layer that operates independently of verification — it creates accountability during the walk itself.
Mad Paws requires a police check for sitters. Pawshake and Rover rely primarily on ID verification and self-reported references.

What "background checked" actually means

When a dog walking platform says its walkers are "background checked," that phrase can mean several different things depending on the platform.

ACIC National Police Check

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) National Police Check is a nationally coordinated check of criminal history records. It covers convictions, findings of guilt, pending charges, and in some states, charges that did not result in conviction. It is the most comprehensive background screening available in Australia for civilian purposes.

What a police check does screen for: criminal convictions, serious charges, and findings of guilt across all Australian jurisdictions.

What a police check does not screen for: poor judgement with animals, history of dog-related incidents that didn't result in criminal charges, unreliability, low experience with specific breeds, or dishonesty in professional settings.

A police check is a meaningful safeguard, but it is not a complete picture of whether someone is a suitable dog walker.

ID verification

Some platforms require walkers to upload government ID. This confirms the person is who they say they are — it does not check criminal history, references, or suitability.

Self-reported references

Several platforms ask walkers to list references as part of their profile. Whether those references are contacted by the platform, and what questions they're asked, varies. A reference the platform doesn't call is a reference that hasn't been verified.

In-person interviews

An in-person interview goes beyond documentation. It allows a platform representative to assess how a walker interacts with dogs in real time, how they respond to scenario questions (what do you do if the dog pulls towards traffic? what do you do if the dog won't come back?), and whether their demeanour is calm and confident with animals. It is the hardest step to fake.

Platform-by-platform verification comparison

TruePath

TruePath's verification process has three mandatory steps for every walker:

ACIC National Police Check — conducted before approval
Direct reference calls — the TruePath team calls two non-family referees provided by the applicant and asks structured questions
In-person interview — a face-to-face meeting with a TruePath team member, with a dog present

TruePath rejects approximately 35% of applicants across these three steps. The rejection rate reflects that the bar is set above what most applicants expect — it is not a formality.

GPS tracking is built into every walk on TruePath. Live map tracking is visible to the owner in the app for the full duration of a booking.

Mad Paws

Mad Paws requires sitters to complete a police check as part of onboarding. The check is a standard requirement — sitters cannot accept bookings without completing it.

Mad Paws does not have a mandatory in-person interview step, and references are handled as part of the sitter's profile rather than through platform-conducted calls. The result is a platform where all sitters have a criminal history check, but where the other dimensions of vetting — references verified by a human, in-person assessment — are not universally applied.

GPS tracking on Mad Paws depends on the individual walker. Some use third-party apps; many don't provide tracking by default.

Pawshake

Pawshake requires ID verification and accepts references provided by sitters as part of their profile. There is no ACIC police check requirement, no platform-conducted reference calls, and no in-person interview step.

Pawshake is a global platform — its verification framework is designed for 25+ countries, which means it is not calibrated specifically to Australian standards or regulations.

GPS tracking is not a platform-level requirement.

Rover Australia

Rover's verification in Australia includes background checks and self-reported references. The background check type varies — it is not always an ACIC National Police Check, and in-person interviews are not part of the standard approval process.

Like Pawshake, Rover is a global platform applying a cross-market verification framework. GPS tracking is available but not mandatory.

Side-by-side verification comparison

Feature	TruePath	Mad Paws	Pawshake	Rover AU
ACIC National Police Check	✓	✓	—	—
Platform-conducted reference calls	✓	—	—	—
In-person interview	✓	—	—	—
ID verification	✓	✓	✓	✓
GPS tracking — every walk	✓	—	—	—
Platform-level insurance	✓	✓	—	—
Disclosed applicant rejection rate	~35%	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Australia-specific verification standard	✓	✓	—	—

Data as of May 2026. 'Not disclosed' does not mean 0% — it means the platform has not publicly stated a rejection rate.

GPS tracking as a safety layer

Verification happens before a walk. GPS tracking provides accountability during a walk. These are two different safety mechanisms, and both matter.

Live GPS tracking means:

You know where your dog is at any moment during the booking
If something goes wrong — the dog slips the lead, the walker takes an unexpected route — you can see it in real time
The walker is aware that their route is being recorded, which creates accountability

On TruePath, GPS tracking is included on every walk and shown in the owner app in real time. It is not an optional feature or a per-walker choice.

On Mad Paws, Pawshake, and Rover, GPS tracking depends on the individual walker's setup and disclosure. Some walkers on these platforms use third-party apps and share updates; many do not.

What verification doesn't screen for

It's important to be honest about what no verification process catches:

A new walker with no history. Someone who has never harmed a dog but is also inexperienced, inattentive, or unprepared for a reactive dog won't be caught by a police check or a reference check based on other work.
Incidents that go unreported. If a walker has had a dog escape, gotten lost, or returned a dog in distress without a formal complaint, that won't appear in any check.
Breed-specific experience. A walker who passed all checks may have no experience with large breeds, reactive dogs, or dogs that need specific handling.

This is why TruePath's in-person interview is the most meaningful differentiator. The interview allows for conversation about how a walker handles specific scenarios — not just a document check.

When safety screening matters most

The level of verification matters more in some circumstances than others:

High-verification situations: Your dog is elderly or has medical needs. Your dog is reactive or has a bite history. Your dog is a high-value breed. You're booking overnight sitting, not just a walk. You're a new owner without experience assessing walker suitability yourself.

Lower-verification situations: You're supplementing your own dog walking with occasional professional help. You're using a well-reviewed walker you've met in person. Your dog is easygoing with strangers and doesn't have specific needs.

For the first category, the gap between TruePath's verification and lighter-touch platforms is material. For the second, a police-checked walker from any platform is a reasonable choice.

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