I’m trying to decide if I want to be a homeowner besides being a pet sitter. Next month I will be moving into a nice apartment in a 55 plus building. It is in Sea Tac, Washington. Less than a mile from the monorail station. The monorail takes you to the airport, ferry terminal, waterfront, downtown Seattle and all the local active traveler sites. Would the 55+ and an apartment be a problem.? My dog is an English Mastiff that does not do stairs so sitter will have to take him to the dog area which is very nice using the elevator. He doesn’t go for long walks but walks well on a leash. The area is a great location. There is also an area for working out in and a pool table in the recreation area. Do you think anyone would be interested in such a place?
I’d venture to say yes, some sitters would pursue such a listing, but the devil will be in details — like how long your dog could be left alone, how clean and comfortable your apartment will be and such.
Many sitters also prioritize sits on how welcoming the HO seems to be (versus coming across as an employer or entitled or cold). That’s because many sitters are looking to establish friendships, as well as to sit for nice folks.
You might want to take a look at sit listings and get a sense of how you’d do against other hosts with sits available.
My dog sleeps all night and can be left alone for reasonably long hours. I am a very clean person.
Those would be elements of a listing that would help your sits be more appealing.
I’ve seen several listings for 55+ communities. You’re in a great location, so I don’t think you will have any trouble getting applicants. Many sitters are 55+ too!
As many have said, there are plenty of 55+ sitters. I think location would be a bigger barrier than the 55+ community, but access to the light rail (it’s not a monorail, unfortunately!), and thus Seattle, is good. What is the ~1 mile to the station like? I would have no problem walking 1 mile, but I know some communities in the southern end of the line do not have very walkable roads. Does your community have a light rail shuttle?
I guess another question is, would younger sitters face any issues related to using amenities (work out area, pool table)? I imagine many residents have younger family members and friends that visit, but some places require a resident to accompany them.
They are city streets to the lightrail station. No there would not be a problem with younger people using the facilities. No shuttle but I may check into bus routes.
Also if the sitter wanted to make it a longer day my son would be available to come over and take my dog out. His house is full of stairs and we found out that my dog is not happy staying there.
That’s a definite plus.
Something that makes some sits unappealing is that there are plenty of things to do in the area, but some hosts say their dogs can be left for only short spurts. Especially in an area like Seattle, public transit and driving can take a while. (I used to live in Seattle and that was when traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as now.) If you note in your listing that your son can relieve them sometimes, that would be great.
BTW, for sitters who’ll have wheels, you might want to note if your dog does well on car rides and at dog-friendly restaurants, coffee shops and such. With dogs who fare well on outings, that can make sitters’ stays more fun. And in your region, there are so many places to hike, to go to the beach or national parks. Some dogs love adventures and maybe yours is one of them. Of course, you’d have to be comfortable with sitters taking them out. Your choice entirely.
I think your sit sounds very nice! One dog to care for, and a lift, and you seem to care about potential pet sitters. All positives!
My dog, Bodi, is a 12 yo 220 lb English Mastiff. He loves car rides but doesn’t load in the vehicle so think leaving him home is easiest. When I pet sit locally he goes with me as he gets along with all animals including cats.
With a dog that large, make sure you look for a sitter with experience handling big dogs. Most folks can’t control a dog that’s 200+ pounds, especially one they’re not familiar with. You should definitely specify that in your listing.
Hi @Mastiffmom , I don’t think you’ll have any problem finding sitters to sit in a 55 plus community. There are frequently listings for these. The fact that your boy is so big might limit the sitter pool but that would be the case regardless of where you live. I have a friend who had a Mastiff, he was a big, gentle teddy bear. Yours sounds similar. Mention this in your listing so people know how laid back he is.
I understand about people being concerned about the size of the dog. I’m a retired vet tech who has much more trouble with little dogs. My dog is a pussycat but I definitely mention his size and his good manners.
I will. He is so easy to deal with.
Transparency is great. And I’m sure your dog is a sweet guy. I can easily believe he’s less trouble than many smaller dogs, including mine, LOL. But we love him anyway.
One of the easiest sits I have ever done was for a huge dog who weighed 48 kg. She was a Bullmastiff and the gentlest creature ever. The biggest challenge could be to take her on a walk, because she was more comfortable chilling out. The size of a dog is not at all related to how easy they are to handle. I appreciate that some people are scared of bigger dogs, but they are often gentler than small ones.
Thank you.
Trying to get a hold of a small, quick, very smart dog who doesn’t want to be crated is quite a challenge! So I agree size is not the main issue.