Behavioural Issues not Declared

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

A few days ago, we confirmed a sit to look after 2 large dogs and a cat. In the welcome pack, received this evening, it states that one of the dogs - a Husky - sometimes messes in the house, especially in the bedrooms, and snaps at other dogs. A few other things are worrying but these are the main issues of concern.

We’ve messaged the pet parent and said that behavioural issues should be included in listings, not just in the welcome pack, and we’re not willing to do the sit (which starts on 9th May). The message has been read but not responded to.

I’ve contacted Membership Services via chat, stated our concerns and provided screenshots of the welcome pack and our message requesting cancellation (which is flagged as ‘read’). I am advised that despite all this, the sit cannot be cancelled without consent from the pet parent!

The MS agent kept referring to ‘cancellation guidelines’ and says we must allow 24 hours for the PP to respond.

Ive since looked again at my messages and see our cancellation message is now marked as ‘unread’. Checked the screenshot again and yes, it"s flagged as ‘read’, so not sure what’s going on there!

What are your thoughts / advice, please?

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Stick to your guns @Happypets as the important information re behaviour of the husky has not been included in the listing. There’ll be something in the T & C re this for your backup. If no response from the owner in 24 hours, follow up with saying you have notified THS, you could quote the relevant point in T & C, and say you will not be coming to the sit. You have proof that your message was read. Interesting it now says ‘unread’ though. Is it different on the app and website?

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3

If it were me, I would’ve simply told the host that I wasn’t going to do the sit, given the surprise info about the dog. The host can’t force a sitter to turn up. No one can.

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4

Sounds like MS are trying to gaslight you into doing the sit. I’d say you are well within your rights to cancel under the circumstances. No-one can be forced into doing any sit, these arrangements are entirely voluntary in the first place.

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5

@Happypets the hosts may not know to cancel on their dashboard, so mention that as well in your next communication with them, which could read something like:

“hello blah blah, as we mentioned in our previous email, we will not be doing this sit because of undisclosed pet behaviors.
Please cancel this sit on your dashboard. I have also notified THS’ member services of this cancelation. Thank you.”

You could also do a DISPUTE with MS, which I understand from the forum gets the attention it deserves rather than a “regular” phone call.

But mostly you just want the sit cancelled so you can open your schedule apply to other sits and you may not want to pursue a dispute.

But yeah as others have said, you are not “obligated” to this sit and as @Maggie8K says…the host or THS can’t make you show up.

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@Happypets That is terrible advice from member services. Was this advice from the chatbot Frankie or an actual human ?

There are at least 4 of the terms that the owner has breached so thereby Owners have nullified the sit agreement .

Go back and ask to speak to a different agent -state that :
•the owner has nullified the sit agreement by not disclosing this serious behaviour issues in the listing and thereby breaking these terms
(5.2.4., 5.2.5, 5.2.7. 5.2.11. )

• In light of this new information you have contacted the owner to request that they unconfirm you from the sit.
•Owner has failed to do that .
•You need THS member support to unconfirm you from the sit immediately so that you can start to look for a replacement sit.

These are the terms that the owner has broken

5.2.4. ensure that no pets to be left under the care of a Sitter have ever caused a person or animal any physical harm (no matter how minor the injury);

5.2.5. notify a Sitter of any special requirements or behaviours relating to your pet(s) in your Home Listing

5.2.7. ensure that the details of your Home Listing are accurate and up to date;

5.2.11. not have any inherently dangerous pets ………or any animal with a history of attacks on pets or people;

This last clause means that the Husky probably shouldn’t even be on THS

There is also THS definition of “Unliveable” this means a pet parents premise that fails to meet the requirements outlined in Our Terms of Service. These requirements include but are not limited to, a clean and hygienic living space no third parties present, and no dangerous pets.

The home is not clean and hygienic if the dog is known to mess “ in the house, especially in the bedrooms”

You can raise a member dispute e-mail
Support@trustedhousesitters.com
title “member dispute” include a screenshot of listing and the welcome pack as your proof that owner has breached the T&Cs .

Once you have got this sorted you could also make a complaint to THS about the lack of support from the first agent - they should be advising you of the T&Cs and helping you through the process of unconfirming a sit where the owner is clearly breaking the agreement- not the sitter.

Please let us know how you get on and the outcome when you raise a member dispute.

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7

According to Carla, this has been fixed:

But there are lots of discrepancies between the web interface and the app.

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Thanks, all.

@Silversitters it was an agent on chat who advised THS could not cancel without confirmation from the PP, despite him acknowledging that T&Cs had not been met and agreeing that my email requesting cancellation had been marked as read. He said they would investigate the listing. I was not happy with that response and advised I would post on here, for opinion and advice.

I’ve emailed MS this morning, quoting the relevant T&C sections and including screenshots as suggested (thank you).

@HelloOutThere I advised the PP yesterday how to unconfirm us via the messaging thread. It’s not happened yet. For info, this PP is new to the site.

Thanks again to everyone who’s taken the time to respond with your thoughts and advice, it’s very much appreciated.

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@pietkuip Itsnow showing as read, again. Very strange!

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@Happypets please let us know the outcome when you hear back from member services . I will be particularly interested to know if a large dog known to “snap “ at other dogs is permitted on THS or not ?

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11

Besides the screen shots of the Welcome Guide and your messages, please take screen shots of the actual HO listing.

I had a similar situation where I could not obtain MS support. I had taken screen shots of the listing which I was pleased at as the HO later changed to include the dog behaviour issues.

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@Itchyfeet Done, thank you.

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@Silversitters In addition to the snapping at other dogs concern, in this dog’s likes / dislikes section of the welcome pack, it states ‘dislikes small black curly haired dogs’. Also states ‘is mean to the cat’.

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14

There is a big difference in a dog who snaps at other dogs and one who actively tries to fight them or attacks people. I think its fine to have a dog or cat who is not friendly with other animals as long as you know to keep that dog away from other dogs and he/ she is not aggressive other than growl/ snapping and won’t drag you on leash to fight another dog. I have sat several dogs who were not friendly with other dogs so I just avoided dog parks or crossed the street/ distracted them when other dogs were around.

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15

In addition to sending an email, ive also been back on chat. Have been through everything again and sent screenshots etc. MS have now cancelled the sit.

I did ask whether dogs which snap at other dogs are allowed on the platform and was advised that, If MS is made aware of any aggression, they would need to gain more clarification regarding the dog’s bite history towards other animals or humans, if so then they wouldn’t be allowed on the platform. So, it seems that sitters must provide evidence of aggression and bite history, so each case can be independently judged by THS.

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@theloveofpets These situations might be easily handled in small breed dogs but in a large, powerful dog like a Husky - and one who already pulls on the lead (also not mentioned in the listing) we dont want to take that chance.

In any event, behavioural issues, medical conditions etc should be specified in the listing so that sitters can make an informed choice.

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Thanks for the update and glad to know the outcome .

It’s is disappointing that you didn’t get that support and advice the first time that you contacted member services with the same information .

Whilst I can possibly understand THS giving the HO 24 hours to act on your message - they could still be more supportive of the sitter given the situation ( HO has broken the T&Cs ) and knowing that all the time a sit remains confirmed you cannot apply for a replacement sit for the same dates .

For example they could actively monitor
to see if the sit is cancelled by HO by the 24 deadline . If it has not been cancelled at that point - THS could cancel it themselves without the sitter having to make contact with MS and explain the situation again .

Hopefully the homeowners being new to THS will now realise the importance of including this information in their listing and will update it .

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18

Do you happen to have the name of the MS person who helped you? I ask, because they need retraining and I’d flag it to their manager.

On the forum, we’ve seen repeat instances when MS reps have given members bad info and/or dismissed their concerns and/or given them less info than forums members have (and we don’t even work for THS, unlike those reps). This highlights the need for better training/retraining. Maybe they actually have bad managers or trainers, which we also can flag. But for starters, we need individual names of reps, so they can be reported for doing poor jobs.

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19

Totally agree, but it should be disclosed prior, as much for the homeowner who wants a Pet Sitter who can handle that kind of dog, As for the Pet Sitter.

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@Maggie8K Yes, we have the name of the agent on chat (took screenshots of that, as well!).

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