I am a sitter. I am sure this has been brought up before on this forum but lately I have seen too many HO posts so I felt the need to give this advice.
I read the responsibilities section very carefully before applying. I am looking for whether there are any medical requirement or disabilities that I am not comfortable with. If the responsibilities section is too long then I cannot apply because I do not have time to read it. Imagine you are browsing through 10 posts at a time.
I don’t know if THS educates owners that they can write the details in the Welcome Guide or leave them on the kitchen table or explain them on a call or if they happen to meet in person… so many opportunities.
I wouldn’t say that one ‘doesn’t have time’ to read a detailed responsibilities section, but there are certainly listings where a HO has gotten confused between this section and the WG.
I recently wrote a post that was turned into a blog by THS that helps HO’s with their listing. It can be found in the blogs on the website and does educate about all areas of a listing. Wether or not a HO finds blogs and tries to educate themselves is up to them, but there are certainly plenty of blogs & resources available. Often people come to the forum for help if their listing is not doing well, and that’s where they’re helped & educated.
The thing is, people are often totally unaware that their listing is poorly written or highly unattractive, and won’t seek help or educate themselves unless they realise there may be a problem with their listing. Many people also don’t understand that they need a good listing that gains applicants - many believe they should send invites instead, then wonder why this isn’t working.
I don’t know exactly what a HO sees on their screen when writing their listing, but it would be so helpful if a pop up box or notification came up before publishing that directed them straight to resources & blogs to help them form the listing, as well as an explanation that a highly attractive listing works the best rather than invites.
1 Like
Strange. I like a clear responsibilities section.
When there are too many things there I won’t apply but that is for other reasons. It is because it would be too much work, or a very rigid schedule, or not leave enough time for myself, or because it might indicate a micromanaging owner, etc.
Not because I don’t have time to read. I am also reading reviews (and reviews that the HO left). That takes more time.
7 Likes
I’m a HO with a lengthy resposibilities sector.
Yes, I could save some of that information to the Welcome Guide, but I do think it’s important for sitters to know how living with our dog looks like and then make a decision if they’d like it or not.
I admit I’m a detail-person when it comes to information, and I’ve noticed, that our listing seems to attract sitters who are more or less the same.
13 Likes
Definitely - full disclosure of any pet behaviours & medical issues is super important in a listing, and the responsibilities certainly needs enough detail to help a sitter know if the sit if a good fit for them.
What sometimes happens in a listing though is that a HO gives many minute details about the sit that should be in the WG, not the listing, such as instructions about how to open the mail box, or where to find the dog waste bags. The responsibilities section then becomes 5 pages long with key information lost in small instructions or a lot of irrelevant backstory, and one becomes lost in the text and has to pick out what’s actually important & relevant here and what they’re actually being asked to do. A lot of these listings where the responsibilities section goes on of 20 years don’t do very well, and they come to the forum for help. This is where education about the WG & video call Vs the listing is needed.
2 Likes
I was expecting the opposite request when I saw the title of your thread. I find too many listings with a responsibility section like “take care of the animals and the garden”. OK but what does it involve? How long can they be left alone, what time do they wake (you) up, how many walks, how many feedings, etc. other details can be added later (type of food, where it is kept, garbage days, etc?
I agree with @CatsAndDog
In fact, this morning I’ve been complimented by a future HO because I had read the Welcome Guide and asked for some addition and clarification
12 Likes
Yeah, vague, ambiguous instructions happen a lot too - I think the key is knowing how to have a good balance and what key details a sitter is looking for!
1 Like
Too long??? We’re sitters, and we like a detailed responsibilities section, as it gives us a clear image of the HO’s expectations.
It could just be the type of sits we apply for in comparison to the ones you do, but we have found the ones that have a more details have a tendency to be longer for a good reason. They may involve dogs, farm animals, a greater area of land, etc, along with health conditions, and medication details etc.
There are plenty whereby the responsibilities have been too great for us personally, but it’s still great they went in-depth so that we can rule ourselves out, and so they can find the perfect sitter for them.
6 Likes
Whilst I agree that there are a few listings where the responsibilities section could be more concise - I definitely prefer more information than less.
Lack of details means I have to contact the owner ( by applying) to ask questions . Which takes time and they may not even reply - Too much information I can skim past the fine details but it gives me an indication of the daily routine and whether I want to apply .
In our experience there are too many listings that skimp on the details with general statements like “feed and walk the dog “ or keep my pets company “ with no information about how often and for how long .
6 Likes
The responsibilities section is almost never too long. I prefer to see upfront info and don’t expect the welcome guide to deviate much from what was already in the advert.
Walk the dog and feed the cat are completely unhelpful. I almost always skip these sits because if the HO cannot be bothered to detail what their pets basic needs are then they don’t deserve the level of dedication that I give to all my sits.
3 Likes
This is one more example that there is no one right way to do things on this site. I’ve been considering rewriting my responsibilities based on how many sitters on the forum have said they want the details there rather than in the WG. 
OTOH…
That seems a bit like good screening to me, TBH.
1 Like
You are right. It is not about the time. It is about feeling overwhelmed and worried about missing some important detail. I do read responsibilities as well as reviews carefully.
You are right. It’s not that I do not have time. It’s that I get overwhelmed and worried that I am going to miss something important hidden in the lengthy description.
1 Like
I am an engineer and a programmer. I am extremely detail oriented. I appreciate HOs who give clear and precise instructions. But when you are browsing through 10 or 20 postings at a time it is important to know those aspects of responsibility that are crucial for making a decision. These aspects get hidden in lengthy three page long description of things that are not important for decision making, such as, “make sure you close the door”, “these are the commands my pet knows”, etc.
2 Likes
Precisely. Thanks! I get discouraged to apply when I know I am going to have to read 2 to 3 pages in order to find information that is relevant to my decision.
1 Like
Yeah, no listing needs those. Listings need things like ‘dog can’t be left for more than 2 hours’ or ‘sitter needs to be home if there’s any chance of a thunderstorm’ or ‘one of our cats can be aggressive’. Things that sitters need to know in order to know whether the sit is for them.
4 Likes
I do read everything carefully including the guide and ask clarifications. My issue is about having to read entire superfluous details in order to find the right information in the Responsibilities. I think that THS can do a better job of simplifying this for the HOs. They could give a few important questions that the HOs need to answer in order to fill up the responsibilities section. It will help both HOs and sitters. For example some questions would be -
- Medical issues and disabilities
- Feeding times (the amount can go in the Welcome guide)
- Sleeping habits such as will sleep in bed with you.
- Wake up time.
- Number of walks and distance.
- How long can the pet be left alone
- Is there a doggie door.
This information is crucial for making decision about applying. Everything else are details that go in the Welcome Guide. Please feel free to add to this list. In fact I think I am going to start a fresh post this list because I really do want to know what other sitters are looking for.
3 Likes
How much is too much or too little info is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I want just enough, LOL.
I’d say the key question I’d ask myself if I were filling out responsibilities is, what info would help sitters make an informed choice about whether the sit is a match for them? Like no one is going to pick a sit over where the dog food is located or such. But they will decide based on how many hours the pets can be left alone, where they sleep, whether they have health issues or need medication, whether they’re prone to poo, pee or barf in the home, etc.
7 Likes
Did you know THS already do this ? Owners have to complete this information when creating a listing ….
BUT THS DON’T PUBLISH IT so sitters can’t see the information!!!
This has lead to so many misunderstandings ( as reported on the forum) where owners believe that they have disclosed the information that their dog can never be left alone and sitter arrives at sit totally unaware & believes that owner has deliberately withheld this information to mislead them and trick them into the sit. Both parties feel let down by each other . It’s
a really messy situation entirely created by THS and totally unnecessary.
14 Likes
What on earth is the point in THS making this info a listing requirement but then not making it available to sitters? It would obviously be very helpful if clearly stated in the listings!
8 Likes