I sit and have gotten gifts and not gotten gifts. As an owner I always try to leave something – sometimes a bottle of wine, but if that doesn’t feel right it could be fresh muffins. If a sitter mentions something – gluten free for instance – I try to leave something that accomodates their need. I just want sitters to feel as welcome and relaxed as possible. I know my cats aren’t the easiest cats to sit for – no automatic feeders, one gets meds twice a day, so I just want the sitters to feel on balance that they made a good choice, and are welcome and appreciated.
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Hey! As someone who’s been on both sides of pet sitting, I totally understand the gesture of giving gifts!
Quick question: Do you let owners know about this preference? When? I’m thinking I’ve arrived in homes with bare fridges and homes with salad greens and milk about to go bad – that I’m welcome to drink, but I don’t drink milk.
I’ve left my own home in various states, but always with enough room for the sitters to store food. I’ve gotten better about not leaving anything that would go bad during the sit. Or if I do to give the sitter options. But we usually have bananas (not in the fridge) and I have forgotten to ask sitters to please eat them OR peel them, cut them up, and freeze them before they get too brown.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a presit chat where state of the fridge was discussed.
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As a homeowner I have always brought something back for a sitter if I know I’ll see them when we get back. Sometimes they leave the same day before we return so we don’t see them. But as a rule I like to get something thoughtful.
I left our sitter a carton of eggs, bacon, strawberries, coffee creamer and fresh squeezed juice along with a basket of snacks and wine. I had intended to pick up pastries from a local bakery too but ran out of time.
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@lala123 that’s very thoughtful of you. As sitters we always appreciate such gestures of generosity.
It’s such a thoughtful way to show appreciation for the care and effort put into looking after our furry friends. Personally, I find that leaving a little something extra, like personalised word art, adds a special touch. It shows that you’ve gone the extra mile to make sitters feel valued and welcomed. It’s all about creating a positive and comfortable experience for everyone involved!
The first couple of times we had someone petsit for us, we didn’t do anything special for them. But the last time, I left a goodie basket with coffee and multiple treats, and we’re doing it again this time (goodie basket with GF energy bars, microwave popcorn, other GF treats, and a special treat of smoked tuna & salmon). We are also taking out the petsitter for dinner before we head to the airport.
We’ve also washed the bath mats, and cleaned the refrigerator and oven - so they are all sparkling clean!
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@TeresaF we love hosts like you!
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Like many HOs who have already weighed in on this, our gifts to sitters include a clean house and pets as described in our listing. LOL! We also leave plenty of room for their stuff in their bedroom, bathroom, and the kitchen, and some yummy goodies to get them started (so they awake that first morning with plenty of breakfast items). And we treat them to dinner the night before we leave.
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Interesting view, and we might consider a gift card as a nice gesture!
But, we often have 4-6 month sits. We leave a fair amount of food behind we allow them to use (spices, grains, flour, frozen fruits, maybe meat, etc) and considering if they were to rent our home, in a great vacation area, it would cost $2500 or more per month, so with a long sit, it seems a “bargain” to just ask to do a few hours of yardwork a week, and maintain the home as they would their own. (With a longer sit, I expect a bit of “deeper” cleaning than I would on a 1 month sit, since it’s “their own dirt/dust” being created.)
It really depends on the type of sit and location I think!
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I always bring a souvenir from my home country for the host. I just love doing it. So far, I have only one host that has bread, milk, eggs and some biscuits to welcome us. There was one sit where we arrived after over 20hours of flight and transit and there wasn’t any soap, body wash nor shampoo. I had to shower just with water and no way to wash my hair. I mean I already under the shower when I realized this. The kitchen was also bare. So, nowadays I bring mini toiletries just in case.
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That is so generous!
I’m on a sit now and the HOs left me some treats from the region – chocolate truffles, biscuits, and a bottle of sparkling wine from a winery that’s very close (I’ve already scheduled my tour and tasting!). But best of all they left me a sparkling clean home, plenty of space to unpack, a comfortable bed, a gorgeous view of the Moselle River, and the sweetest cat!
I know we tend to talk more about the bad hosts, but there are so many hosts that are just wonderful.
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Totally with you @systaran - we’ve just arrived to a sparkling home, gleaming en-suite bedroom with sea views and lovely linen, some wine, an empty fridge, closet space and our own pool ready to plunge into! Three gorgeous pooches are the topping 
#lovethislife
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