I understand fear of better offers, but that’s just reality in life oftentimes, so deal with it. Like who’d ever get married if they focused on the idea that someone better might come along, LOL?
I just accept that if I commit to a sit, then my word is my bond and the hosts are counting on me to turn up, having made plans, spent money on travel, etc. Of course, I try to be selective before I accept any sits. Applying and discussing specifics of what mutually works is par for the course. No one is obligated just by applying.
Being part of THS over time also gives you experience. For instance, you can observe that many good sits come up relatively late, so it might be best to hold off till late if you can afford the travel expenses and have scheduling flexibility. Personally, I’m coming up on a year of THS sitting and resist booking (too early), even when I’ve done sits I’ve enjoyed and have been invited back. That’s because I value flexibility and variety more and I recognize that and won’t let hosts down once I’ve accepted.
As for sitters who think that it would be OK to renege if there’s significant time before a sit, that to me is selfish rationalizing. Why: Hosts post early so they can get plans squared away and have peace of mind, not so they can be jerked around by sitters who can’t be trusted. And I say that as someone who only sits and doesn’t host on THS.
That said, hosts should be transparent and truthful about their pets and homes. I mention that, because there also are some creepy hosts who misrepresent key things (as mentioned in various forum posts by sitters). And some hosts try to change key elements of sits after agreements have been reached. In such cases, to me, those sitters are free to withdraw, especially if the changes violate THS terms.
For THS to work well, both sitters and hosts need to operate on good faith. That’s true of relationships in life, bigger picture.
I have no reason to “fill dates.” I use THS for occasional getaways and only apply to those sits that suit me and with dates that work. What I’m figuring out is how to navigate that iffy middle ground where there’s an appealing sit but I don’t completely know my non-remote schedule this much in advance. I was hoping to see other people’s experiences if they apply but need a little more time to make sure the dates work fine. When I said “fobo” that’s what I meant - not wanting to miss out on a great sit yet not being ready to commit to particular dates yet AT TIME OF APPLICATION. I was hoping to hear other sitters’ experiences if they weren’t positive the dates would be best when they first apply.
@Treeandcathugger you can always ask/tell a HO that you need more time to decide. It’s 50/50 - they might not be anxious to book you yet and grant more thinking time. Or they may decide that it’s too high risk and go with someone who’s ready to commit.
Unfortunately there’s no easy answer. And always put yourself in their shoes too. How would you feel if the other party asks you for more time to decide.
oh that’s different than I thought you meant. I’d say if you’re going to apply, you should be working on making sure the dates work as soon as you hit send and be very upfront from the beginning. If you can’t sort it within a day or two of being offered a sit, you should bow out so that the HO can find someone else.
If the sit is so far in advance that your schedule can’t be set, it would be bad faith to apply.
Thank you all for your responses. I wound up applying because I couldn’t get that sit out of my head and decided if I get chosen I will embrace it even if I lose some paid pet sitting jobs. It’s always a tough call when you have a solo business, but I decided me I’d kick myself more for not trying for this sit.
I wasn’t making a personal commentary on your integrity, but a general statement.
The takeaway is if you are not sure about moving forward on a sit to that extent and it’s not just a case of asking clarifying questions, it’s not really fair to all those involved to have them sitting in limbo and in many cases, if you take too long, unless it’s a remote location with low apps or the HO’s really like you, they’re not going to wait a ton of time for you to make a decision about them.
Regardless, It sounds like you’ve made a decision though. I hope it works out!
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You could at a moderator and they should be able to close for you @Carla@Jenny. I’m not sure what other way people do it. Maybe either of these two can share?
