Hi. We are owners of 2 much loved cocker spaniels. We’re actively retired. We are considering utilizing Trusted House sitters but wonder about how much time the dogs are left alone. Our dogs are rarely left for more than 1 hour a day so hate being alone without company. Are there sitters out there who can be requested to stay with the dogs much of the day? Many thx for any advise.
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Hi @robandwendydean Welcome to the Forum
The majority of our dog-sittings allow us to leave the dogs for up to 4 hours which gives us time to go shopping, out for a meal and a little sightseeing. (Most days we spend most of the time with the dogs if we can)
However, if you live in an area where you can take the dogs with you for most of these activities then sitters may be interested. Do they travel well either in your car or the sitter’s car so they can be taken out for the day? Are there good long walks from your door? Can a sitter easily go shopping within that hour?
We are lucky in the UK in that we can take dogs on buses and trains but maybe that is not allowed where you live?
This may suit sitters who work from home therefore spending much of the day with the dogs
Good luck
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Hi @robandwendydean - Welcome to the group!
The golden rule is to be clear in your initial listing exactly what you are looking for. This way you will be sure to attract applications from those sitters that are a good fit for you.
There are sure to be a decent amount of sitters that are more than happy to spend most of their time with your dogs.
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Thx for that. I did wonder if it wud suit someone working from home. We do live near train and bus facilities and have lovely local walks plus well stocked village store open 7 days. There are quite a few places to dine with dogs and our dogs do travel well. When you apply for a dog sitter can you place these requests initially b4 being in contact with unsuitable candidates?
A warm welcome to the forum @robandwendydean and thank you for taking the time to ask questions before posting your listing.
You’ve had great advice so far and many of us who work from home do spend more time than others in the house, so as you suggest it is a good fit for remote workers who are also pet loving house sitters. I’m sat typing this on the bed at my current sit with a cat curled up asleep under my right arm 
In answer to your question about when you prepare your listing, yes absolutely, this is the sort of information that you can include so that sitters applying quickly know what would be expected of them, and save you time explaining to unsuitable candidates.
Have a browse of the listings on the site, and you’ll get a feel for the sort of information people provide, which can vary from quite short to very detailed. (For us as sitters, the more info the better). One piece of advice if it’s likely that remote workers will be attracted, also mention information about WiFi, and a work area if one is available.
Hope this helps and we look forward to seeing your listing very soon. Do you have travels planned already?
All the best and have a lovely weekend, Vanessa
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As long as you mention how long the dogs can be left for you shouldn’t have a problem in finding suitable sitters
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Hi @robandwendydean , all the sitters we’ve had so far have delighted in remaining with our dogs virtually all the time. We are lucky to have a lot of dog friendly cafes and pubs around where we live and the dogs will happily travel in a car. We always stipulate that they are not to be left for more than 3-4 hours at a time, although I do also have a friend who lives just around the corner who would happily have the dogs for a few hours if she’s home.
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