I signed up for THS with two short-stay sits (one for next week & one for October). We originally had a pet sitter booked and paid for for next week’s dates but that has fallen through so we’re urgently looking for a sitter
We haven’t received applicants for either sit… and we’re worried that we won’t be able to get a sitter for next week
Does anyone have any advice on how to secure applicants? Or why people might not be applying?
I have also gone through the list of sitters and invited people who I thought might be suitable but not had any luck there yet
Hi @tasmin I have seen your listing in the last minute section. Your home and dog look lovely but …
This is the main reason why sitters aren’t applying you say that your dog “can be
left alone for approx 2 - 2.5 hours max”
That’s too restrictive for most THS sitters who don’t receive any payment and do house sits as a travel experience so want some free time to go and explore the area .
It’s good that you have added a family friendly tag - this sit could work for a family but it’s not school holidays and the dates are midweek . So it would have to be a homeschooled family .
Are you expecting the sitters to take your dog in their car to the walks and hikes or are these accessible from the doorstep ?
Puppies are lovely but a lot of work so many sitters on THS avoid sits with puppies as some think with the responsibilities and time required it’s best suited as a paid sit .
Could you consider arranging for a dog walker / friend / neighbour for some of the days so that the sitter could go out for longer on those days ?
I do hope that you find a THS sitter but I think realistically you need to have a back up plan given that this sit won’t appeal to most THS sitters and you have a tight deadline .
Lovely sit, nice house, lovely pup @tasmin but you’re up against a few key things. A puppy (known to be hard work), only a three day sit (so not much time for a sitter to settle in & a lot of logistics to get there), only having 2 hours to do anything without the dog (for what is an unpaid exchange) and lots of competition for other easier sits. Might work in holidays for a family or for a long sit for a remote worker but not for only a few days. Agree with @Silversitters that you’d be better to pay someone for this trip. #alwaysaboutbalance
Hi @tasmin
I’d switch your first picture to the one of Navani looking out the window.
The other ‘issues’ you need to overcome as already mentioned is can sitters without a car manage? Or is a car essential?
And the main issue the leaving your dog for a maximum of 2 and a half hours. That gives sitters little time to explore or do anything before heading back. I get your dog is young and the reasons why but it will limit your pool of sitters.
Thanks all! That’s great advice so far and such valuable input
It makes sense that the max time the dog being left alone can be off-putting for people. I was probably being overly cautious here so I will amend this. Great suggestion about arranging a dog walker. I can definitely do this! So will add that into the listing as a note too.
I’ll also go through and add more clarity in regards to transport accessibility & what’s available on the doorstep (without a car)
I was probably overzealous on the rest of the pup details too – she would be happy with a morning & evening walk round the estate/game of fetch. Absolutely no expectation for people to take her on a big walk or hike while staying
I did originally pay for a dog sitter for June but have been let down by them - a paid sit would be my preference if possible
Hi there,
You might want to check out this blog I inspired for THS. Hope it helps!
I would:
1: Remove info about the walks from your intro. Your into shouldn’t include pet tasks, only a brief description of yourself and compelling reasons why a sitter should choose you.
2: Your home and location section is very long! Remember this is just an advert and overview, not your welcome guide. You have some nice descriptions, but it needn’t be so heavily detailed. Don’t include info about pet tasks in this section - this section exists to describe your home & area only.
You’ve already gotten some great advice & warning about asking sitters to not leave the pet alone for more than 2.5 hours, so that’s great. I would also add that you stick to just saying that your dog’s routine is flexible, as a walk at 7:30am isn’t so attractive either!
I certainly agree that a short 3 day sit isn’t so attractive for THS sitters, especially as you’re in a small town not very close to any major city (and the dates are so soon!) Sounds like a local, paid sitter might be your best option. Best of luck though!
My next sit will be two nights. I am cycling through England, it happens to be on the way back to the continent.
It was listed late, I applied when I got the push notification, we had a video chat, and confirmed the same evening. It fit just because I needed to change my plans a bit.
That’s great We did a few of those short 2 - 3 day sits between longer sits last year, but this year have decided it’s just too tedious and easier to simply book an Airbnb for a few nights. I think a lot of (full time back-to-back) sitters do the same, but it’s great that it’s working for you!
Thanks @Nagy26 I’ve taken your advice on board and trimmed the listing down so it’s shorter
Completely understand everyone’s advice for a paid sitter. We did book a paid sitter for the June dates but, unfortunately, it’s fallen through. It’s really helpful to know the short sits aren’t as attractive though so we can keep this in mind for other future bookings/dates too
No worries, glad it helped. I took another look though and… uh oh, now it seems you’ve swung a little too far in the opposite direction - it’s a bit sparse! Don’t delete everything about your home - sitters still want to know:
where are they sleeping?
what amenities will they have (e.g: streaming services, kitchen equipment, comfy house etc).
You had some really nice descriptions before, you just needed to cut it down a little, not delete them entirely!
Same for your responsibilities section - now it doesn’t give sitters much clue about what to expect of your sit. Try listing responsibilities in dot points, such as:
"Nanvi’s routine can be flexible as long as she has a good balance of rest & stimulation. She is fully toilet & crate trained. She needs:
X2 walks a day, morning & evening (for how long?)
feed (twice?) daily
Some play, cuddles & company throughout the day
Please put her in her crate when you go out (and please state how long she can be left, with realistic expectations of a THS sitter - i.e: 5hrs or so. If this really isn’t possible, maybe consider stating that you can get a dog walker for the sitter to take breaks & day trips?)
She can also accompany you on day trips in the car!
She is a (friendly? Energetic? Cuddly?) dog who (walks well on leash? Can be let off leash? Is good with other dogs?)
Try to find a balance - Don’t leave sitters in the dark about your sit, but don’t overwhelm with too much lengthy detail. Maybe take a look at some other listings to know what others write.
Hope that helps, and sorry for any confusion
Although we don’t prefer to do short sits if we’re purposely driving or flying somewhere to visit an area to do the sit, we have done short sits if it’s a good stopping point during our travels. During those stopping points, we’re just resting in the home. Today we start a short 5 day sit because we needed to stop by where our storage is to grab a few things and get our car registration renewed. You never know who will apply and for what reason. Hope you find someone great
Navani looks like a sweetie! If the sit were for longer, I’d love to apply (not helpful, I know) as I work from home and am pretty much a homebody:-) Good luck finding someone for both your sits.
Thanks @akqueen01 ! What sit length do you typically look for? It’d be helpful to know for future listings. Both the ones we have at the minute are pretty short
. It’s the first time I’ve seen a photo of one who looks so similar