I thought I found someone who would be a great fit but she just told me that she’d be willing if we can come up with an agreed upon amount.
Isnt this platform more of a barter? I always give money voluntarily based on the number of days but I’m somewhat offended that this person led me on for several days knowing my trip is a week from today and I’m getting concerned I won’t find someone.
Has anyone else come across this? Shouldn’t this person be in another paid for website?
Most definitely this sitter should be on a paid website and asking for money on THS is not only against the rules but is also extremely poor form and rude. Please don’t pay sitters, unless you really want to as a token gesture, again it only sets a precedent for the sitter to expect it and ask for it for every sit they apply for.
This habit of sitters asking for money seems to be becoming a very regular thing. Don’t even contemplate paying this sitter and please, report them to THS as they really should be blacklisted. This is only setting a precedent and should not be tolerated. Really stirs me up when I read this so often lately. She is holding you to ransom and she knows it.
They absolutely should be on another website. You can assist them in this endeavour by reporting this interaction to member services.
Thank you for your reply. I was very caught off guard when she told me the cost to travel to my house and then mentioned all her bags. Again, I’m not sure why she is doing this is she can stay with a friend nearby.
I’m struggling with finding eligible sitters and my trip for work is a week from yesterday.
Again, thank you for your supportive response.
Jen
@Sidaleee no a sitter should not ask for payment . You can report them to member services . You can also post your sit in the last minute section of this forum.
I recall you posted about the difficulties you had finding a sitter for a previous sit last year.
I have read your listing and the number of walks required ( 7:00 AM-7:30AM, 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM. & 9:00pm ) and that one dog uses potty pads and that the dog will sleep with the sitter will put many sitters off and therefore restrict the number of applications you will get .
Whilst not all of the walks are long walks - The scheduled times of the walks limits how much a sitter can do between times and severely restricts how much of the local area / places they can explore or visit .
Could you perhaps get a dog walker to do the midday walk on some of the days or one of the evenings so that the THS unpaid sitter has more freedom to visit local attractions ?
IMHO making arrangements that give the unpaid sitter more free time will make your sit more of a mutual exchange which is what THS is about.
No one should be asking for payment! But I’d say your sit advert is a little misleading as the pups don’t sound low maintenance to me. A dog that uses puppy pads would be a deal breaker for me (especially if they also sleep on the bed).
Perhaps this person was being a little annoying and trying to tell you that you should be using a paid for service given your requirements?
We’re with @Junipers on this one @Sidaleee - that number of walks and the restriction on not leaving the dogs for more than an hour or two to accommodate their potty habits and 5 mini walks is not a low maintenance sit. What will your sitters be able to do, see or visit in the local area as an exchange for your free pet care? 
I see you have 2 applicants @Sidaleee so I hope one at least is suitable. Otherwise you need to be quickly thinking about your Plan B.
I agree with everyone else’s comments that this does not sound like an easy sit. The number of walks required and the fact that the pets use pee pads are both reasons I wouldn’t consider this one. And with pee pads, no matter how much you clean and bleach the areas, you will always have a smell. However, your potential sitter was in the wrong for asking for money, absolutely.
No other sitter has ever said my dogs were high maintenance. And the older dog only uses potty pads as necessary. If someone is working from home and can take them out ever 4 hours, it seems like a reasonable ask. Anyway, I’ve had nothing but compliments about my dogs and compared to others that need a lot of exercise or are hyper, mine are angels.
Potty pads for a senior dog seems appropriate and I mention her age.
The sitter said the cost to come to my house was $80 and that’s why it was an issue. I think most sitters would consider that travel to people homes is a cost they take into consideration .
They can be left longer than that but the senior might use the potty pads based on her kidney disease
How is a sitter going to have time to go kayaking or SUP, to go the beach (“within 40 minutes to an hour away”) etc when there are five walks per day? That is definitely not low-maintenance. You compare to dogs that are “hyper”. But all dogs that I have cared for have been easier than yours.
If you consider this a reasonable ask, your sitter may equally feel the $80 are reasonable. It is just not allowed to ask for this on THS.
Agreed. I telecommute and spend more time with pets than most sitters and I lived for many years in the Bay Area, know transit and traffic well there, and I wouldn’t pursue such a sit. You’d be bound to stay at the home and neighborhood, which is not what most people go to the Bay Area for.
Note: Bay Area public transit isn’t anywhere as frequent or efficient as in say many European countries. Even if you went anywhere, you’d have to rush right back. And if you drove, you’d pay a lot in parking in most cases, even if you could find it. And I say that as someone who knows exactly where I’m going in most cases there. If you’re unfamiliar, it would take you even more time.
LOL. This thread made me think of other sits where the demands seem impossible for anyone who wants to visit a place and do more than stay at home or in the neighborhood.
Maybe THS could pitch a reality show where sitters have to desperately try to sightsee and rush back and forth within unreasonable limits.
It also makes me wonder whether some sitters accept such sits and simply lie about keeping within unrealistic limits.
Personally, I don’t pursue sits if I don’t think I can meet the asks, so I automatically skip such sits. I bet many sitters who act in good faith do likewise.
I wonder about this too @Maggie8K - we have taken a sit or two where the dog allegedly couldn’t be left for more than an hour or two. The timing was good and we were using the sit to relax, not be tourists, so it made sense. But I can’t imagine that’s a super common scenario.
I wouldn’t ever go against what the homeowner had said but the volume of what I see as unrealistic demands, you’d think some people must.
I also wonder if homeowners overstate out of a lack of trust. I applied to a sit once which said the dog couldn’t be left but both HOs had jobs which I was sure would require leaving the house. I asked them if the dog really could never be left and they declined me but then edited the listing to say the pup could be left for I think 3 hours. Lol - very strange. Nowadays I don’t go for these kinds of sits.
Right, @Junipers, it’s not impossible that someone might want to just unwind and stay in a neighborhood. It’s just highly unlikely that someone would spend a lot of time or money to do that, unless maybe they’re on the way to someone/somewhere else. And the number of high-maintenance sits makes it unlikely that so many sitters are making such efforts and spending such time and money, without reasonable value in return.
Like let’s say the pets are cute and lovable. Well, many, many sits offer such pets. And most don’t need diapers, pee pads, five walks a day, etc., as some sits do.
I’ve done enough sits on THS and otherwise sat for and hung out with many pets to know that I haven’t met an unlovable one yet. The more I sit, the more lovable I find pets in general. That means it’s hard for sits to be differentiated that way. Plus, if many of us just wanted to hang out with pets, we have our own and/or we could volunteer to take care of pets locally or sit for money. No need to travel for that.
And with pets, often humans are too narrowly focused. It’s like being a parent in some ways — some people think their pets are so wonderful that they don’t realize that nearly everyone thinks that way about their own pets (or kids). And the more you’re like that, the less likely it is that someone will tell you that your pet or kid isn’t wonderful.
@Sidaleee I sadly think your ad title is really misleading. 5 walks a day on a strict schedule starting at 7am for 2 dogs - one older lady with a chronic health condition and pee pads and requiring dogs on the bed isn’t low maintenance.
I’m afraid it really comes across that you’re an unrealistic home owner who doesn’t appreciate the amount of work your pets actually require.
Also your last review was a 4* with sparse information which also backs up the feeling 
The sitter shouldn’t really be asking for money but I can’t see much benefit for someone to do your sit for free when there are so many other sits with genuinely low maintenance animals.
So sorry
First, don’t pay this sitter the requested $80! I have had 2 HO tip me and I even felt weird taking the tip. The exchange of accommodations for caring for homes/pets, is enough.
Secondly, from the prior responses regarding the number of walks, potty pads, and sleeping with the host requirement, I would assume that you’re going to encounter lesser applicants (both in quantity and quality). I work from home (not a traditional 9-5) and I personally stay away from sits with more than 3 walks/day, as it would limit my availability to explore the area.
Lastly, I would recommend that you establish a relationship with a sitter or two, and potentially consider dog diapers. This would eliminate the need for potty pads and permit your sitter with the ability to leave the dog unattended for longer periods.
I when I speak with the sitter they know they can go explore and do what they want. I just ask that they take them out before being gone all day. I’ve never expected someone to stay home all day but I felt notifying them that my older dog may pee on the pads a time or two was being transparent.
Again, I think a lot of this is misconstrued like I’m expecting everything for nothing. If you read what people have said about my dogs there haven’t been any negative comments or that I asked too much. I always have tipped $200 , I haven’t ever been gone more than 3-4 nights.
I think if a sitter says this sounds like a lot and is expecting money it’s one thing, but that wasn’t the case. It was that they couldn’t afford to Uber to my house and therefore it sounded suspicious to me. I’m up front and expect others to be as well.
The comments here are more dramatic than the reality of the situation. And if someone is interested then they can ask me questions for more details. I don’t expect everything for nothing.
I tried to find a regular sitter but most of them are just traveling around so our paths haven’t crossed since. And when I say walks, it’s letting my dog out to pee a couple times. Most of the sitters I’ve had work remote and can take a break a couple times during the day to let the dog outside. Perhaps I should say that vs a walk.