Having just had a horrible experience with a sitter, I am starting to question everything and every answer. I am interviewing sitters for an upcoming sit. Would any of these be red flags for you -
1 - the one review he has was from a friend. They both wanted to get started on THS so they agreed for him to stay in the home for a bit and then she would write him a review.
2 - I ask for my dog to get 3 walks a day - a total of 1 hour of walking a day. He asked if 1-2 walks would be ok because of his busy work schedule.
3 - When he mentioned why he wanted to do THS, he said because he wanted free housing in the mountains. He never mentioned loving animalsā¦just that he loved the mountains and that this would enable him to spend more time in the mountains.
4 - He will be training for a marathon when he is at my house. I know first hand how intense this is and there is no way I would have wanted to walk a dog after long runs.
Iād be wary as a home Owner in all of these cases that you mention. The Home Owner plays the tune. If the sitter doesnāt like it they donāt need to do the gig. If someone is too busy to walk the dog appropriately as far as number of times and duration of time then they should look at cat sitting or rabbit care lol. Cheeky !
Hopefully there are some more compliant sitters out there to select a better choice! This person has revealed a selfish motive for keeping fit ā¦ hiking or preparation for a marathon doesnāt necessarily involve the pet that is to be cared forā¦ they need to link it with spending time with the pets! That should be the focus. If they said theyād exhaust your Border Collie while out on these exercises then that would be different.
It seems clear he is just looking for housing near where he wants to train. I think you can do better for your dog. We usually are happy to do 2 walks a day and more if we are home and as much as we like free housing in great places we also really like dogs!! Unless.someone mentions liking dogs or at least asks some questions about your pet i would keep looking.
This is all the same person, right? Not four different people?
I wouldnāt necessarily call this a red flag, but I could definitely consider the review only as good as an external reference.
Great that you are up front with your requirements and that he was upfront with his request. On this alone I wouldnāt book because itās not a good fit, but I would not consider it a red flag exactly: sometimes HOs overstate pet exercise needs or sometimes itās flexible, so itās valid for a sitter to verify.
I donāt even bother asking this because everyone here is a self-professed lover of travel and animals! But reading between the lines here, it doesnāt sound like he had any interest in your dog? No questions (besides asking about reducing the walks)? That would be a red flag to me, if an applicant was focused on my house and not my dog.
Yeah similar to point 2, I would consider this person a poor fit for my active dog.
Anyway, good instincts and questions on your part, and no I personally would not confirm this sitter.
Add your THS profile link to your forum profile, and ask for feedback to help your profile attract good sitters.
The fact you are asking whether these things are red flags, probably means he isnāt the right fit for you, because I can imagine that if just one unexpected thing happens while he is sitting for you, youāll see it as a really negative thing straight away, instead of perhaps seeing the good that heās made you aware of a potential problem.
No that isnāt a red flag the way I see it. Everyone has to start somewhere and he was totally honest about the scenario. Personally Iād see that as him being proactively minded, and a problem solver, so a great asset if anything untoward happens during the stay involving your home. He was upfront about it.
Not if the walks are 1 hour in total, because thatās what your profile said, so thatās fine. But personally Iād re-word your profile to 2 x 30min walks + extra for loo breaks, or similar.
Yes, itās a red flag if pets were not mentioned at all during the whole application message. But if the love of pets were mentioned elsewhere then no, it wouldnāt be a red flag.
No, itās not a red flag me for, you arenāt him, you donāt know his routine or how intense he trains, or how fit he is, he may simply enjoy a relaxing stroll with a dog around running, or if youāve an active dog, he may take the dog for a run, that depends on what your profile says. Just ask him about his routine to put your mind at ease to establish if it is a problem or not.
I think you are perhaps judging everyone by the same standard of your past sitter, and everyone is different, everyone is unique, treat each sitter individual, and donāt let a rubbish past sitter affect the way you view all future sitters, there are plenty of amazing sitters on THS.
We all had to start somewhere - some sitters start without any references at all .
This on its own I donāt see this as a red flag . Weāve done many dog sits on THS for very active dogs , but none of them have required 3x walks in a day . Many sitters who WFH during a sit might ask if two walks a day would suffice rather than three .
There is no way for a sitter to connect with a host to ask any questions about a listing unless they make an application .
Itās ok for a sitter to be upfront and ask if thereās any flexibility with the schedule . Itās also ok for a host to accept or decline .
Some hosts would see this as a positive indicator that this sitter has a reason to want to stay in your location and therefore they are unlikely to cancel because a sit in a ābetterā location comes up . Every sitter will need some sort of motivation to pick your location v another sit location -
If heās not a good fit for you , decline his application. He may be perfect for another host and pets . Not every sitter will be a perfect match for you .
Thatās not a review. Thatās a reference. References are good when THS sitters are starting out but it doesnāt really tell you how the sitter would be on a sit.
I think a lot of people define āwalksā differently. I live and grew up in a city where opening the door to let your dog do their thing was not an option. So when use the words āshort walk/pee breakā and ālonger walk.ā (I also do some compensated petcare for neighbors and I always clarify this with them. So you need to decide whether what he is offering is enough for your dog in terms of both exercise and relieving themself. If itās not, donāt consider him. I wouldnāt try to negotiate it. There are other sitters.
Sitters are seeking free accomodations but this is an exchange. If you feel heās not willing to do what you think is fair or meets your needs for the exchange look elsewhere.
There are plenty of people training for marathons, triathelons, etc who still manage to walk their own dogs (or run with them) an adequate amount of times. Either the sitter can adequately meet the needs of your dog or itās not a good match.
THS is a matching site. Itās not a service. You donāt have to take this sitter just because he applied. Even if he is the ONLY sitter who applied, if you have a bad feeling, just decline the sitter and wait for another applicant. If you arenāt getting a lot of applicants, you can start a forum thread to get help on making your listing pop.
Iāve had amazing sitters. This past one entertained multiple people in my home without me knowing, intentionally broke something that will cost $500 to repair, and the worst - allowed a friend to enter my home alone without her being present. My dog was there and a stranger entered my home.
Shame the dog didnāt bite the intruder! They wouldnāt have had a leg to stand on.
I hope your experiences are the exception rather than the rule.
The review must have been scorching! I wouldnāt have minced my words!
My biggest red flag of your post is you referring to a video chat as an interview.
Hundreds of thousands pet owners train for marathons each year whilst managing to walk their dogs, you are asking your sitter to do short walks , not mammoth hikes
I love the mountains, and ocean, specifically, the Central Coast of California.
I am upfront that I am a triathlete, hiker, biker, kayaker.
I am upfront that I want a 4 hour block for my activities.
I used to be a mailman, working 6 12 hour days a week. I biked or swam before work AND walked my dog.
I make myself known to neighbors. As a former mailman, I k ow nothing goes unnoticed, even in the middle of nowhere.
One housesit, asked for a 20 minute walk a day.
I walked the dog over an hour in the morning, biked 4 hours up Big Sur, came home, ate, and walked the dog over an hour again. Easy.
Iām sorry marathon training was hard for you.
I can work, work out, or read, all day.
Assuming your animals will not get the full attention of a fit person, is SO wrong!
I have looked after a farm with over 40 animals, including assisting a vet, with field surgery, and got my ride and hike in.
All 5 star reviews.
Iād be more biased against a stay in. My people come home to energized animals.
Iām completely booked out with repeats, for months ahead.
Iāll also be in the top 10 of my age group nationally, in triathlon.
Hope you get the sedentary person you crave, otherwise Iāve got energy to burn, for you and your broodā¦.I have a week open, later this year.
I donāt really see these as red flags, it just may not be the right fit. Asking about flexibility in the number of walks is just an ask. You can say no, but it does seem reasonable to be able to get an hour of walking in two walks (unless itās an older dog or one with a health condition that canāt walk 30 minutes). But thatās completely up to you. I donāt see asking a simple question as a red flag.
Pretty much all sitters are on THS to get accommodations in a place we would like to visit. Thatās the exchange. Why are HOs THS members? Iām pretty sure itās so they donāt have to pay for pet care.
Many people train for marathons and still do their jobs, take care of their pets, and take care of the children.
If these are issues for you, itās completely fine to decline. We are all looking for the right fit.
Rule of thumb, listen to your gut. I am a sitter but this person would be a big NO for me. I hear, I will be ignoring your dog because I am too busy working and training. I give him credit at least for being honest about his intentions. Donāt be desperate for anybody. I spend a lot of time with the dog as part of the enjoyment of doing this as do others. Keep searching .
I do all of that as well - hike, bike, kayak, triathlons, ski, etc. My dog is left alone 4-5 hours a day and itās not a problem. I actually saw the marathon training as a positive at first. But then when he mentioned lots of work hours, maybe only doing one walk a day, etc., I started wondering if there was time to care for the dog with all of his other stuff he had going on. Plus, he had some commitments in his hometown 2 of the 8 day sits that would have him gone for 7 hours.
@mtbikelover, THS is a two-way platform where both Pet Parents and Housesitters ideally find a fair trade. In reality, some Pet Parents receive countless applications and some receive far fewer, if any, applications. And some Housesitters receive ample confirmed sits and some struggle to secure housesits. Profiles vary a great deal, on both sides. We donāt see black-white in selection criteria, rather shades of grey.
Your comment did not state duration of housesit. Often longer duration sits have more wiggle room in requirements. Solve the problem (pet/property care) rather than exactly replicate Pet Parent process.
Whatever the outcome, we applaud your transparent dialogue and due diligence. These help to avoid significant surprises (rarely a good thing in housesitting).
We agree with @Silversitters and @adelia. Does this really matter? Whatās the harm if pet receives ample exercise and ample opportunity to relieve themselves? Surprisingly often, we have been given guidance by Pet Parents on dog exercise expectations that overstate everyday reality. We have observed that some Pet Parents create surprising complexity in exercise/bathroom expectations as the Pet Parent greatly enjoys pampering their beloved pet.
Subjective. Housesitter is motivated to turn up! And enjoy themselves. All good. It could also reflect nothing more than communication style.
Re #4, if this is contrary to needs of dog care - and if you have other applicants - then itās seems a fair reason to decline.
