I have noticed a lot of pet owners post ads wanting sitters within a couple of weeks. This is simply not practical for many sitters especially if they have to make travel arrangements etc.
The more notice you give the better results you will get.
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Agreed! I’m currently booked through November other than a couple short gaps and I just accepted a repeat sit for February. I see a lot of sits that I might have applied for had they been posted earlier.
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Yes, I totally agree, unless the sit dates were sudden and into somewhat of an emergency situation. It is somewhat of a double-edged sword though as posting too early (unless a Holiday sit) can get lost in the shuffle. I think posting out 2-3 months is pretty doable!
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That depends. I don’t apply for short sits that are far in the future.
And now I am keeping my eyes open in case a nice short stay pops up that I could take on the route to my next sit that starts in the beginning of August.
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Sometimes last minute postings are perfect for filling gaps. Right now I’m actively looking out for a suitable sit to fill a 10 day gap in August in Spain where we are already booked till end of Sept. A very specific requirement I know but I’m ever hopeful one might pop up!!
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We‘re also booked up until spring with just a few small gaps and agree more notice is helpful. I can understand when it’s a few days or a spontaneous week, but it’s odd when it’s a whole month and it’s being posted just a week before TOD. Would imagine not many sitters can do that especially when it’s somewhere a bit unusual.
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You’re assuming that folks know their dates months in advance, when in fact many do not. Then if a homeowner posts a set of dates early and subsequently has to change them, folks complain. People don’t always have their travel planned out long in advance.
That’s absolutely true, but not planning in this case also means that they’ll often miss out on great sitters, who do plan. If I wanted to strengthen my odds of landing a great THS sitter whom I don’t have to pay, I’d consider doing planning, LOL. Otherwise, be ready to potentially pay a professional sitter, use a boarding service or get family or friends to help.
It can be risky to scramble for a THS sitter at the last minute — it might work out, or it might turn into a horror story, like ones we sometimes see posted. There are a couple this week, for example. The shorter the notice, the more desperate some HOs get.
And I say this as a sitter who doesn’t like to plan ahead much, but also won’t shell out expensive last-minute airfare to do a sit.
Personally, I don’t even host, because I pay professionals to take care of my damaged rescue dog. Even in that case, it’s dicey to try last minute, because people often won’t drop everything to accommodate you.