@Catgoddess_99 No, I would not have taken the sit had I known.
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I had a reactive dog on a sit; yet it was mostly with other dogs. The owner had it listed as well as in our video chat.
Most of the time, when people talk about reactive dogs, they mean a dog who barks at other dogs, people, skateboarders, bicycles, etc.
If the dog bites, usually it’s logical to specify that, rather than masking that by describing them as “reactive.” And pets that bite aren’t even allowed under THS terms.
Some hosts might be weaselly and pretend that their dog doesn’t bite, though, unfortunately.
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How awful! As a HO I would not have a sitter over with an aggressive dog. If I were you I would go to the doctor ASAP (and HO should cover any expenses related to that), contact the HO and tell them you can’t sit for an aggressive dog. I would give them a day to make alternative arrangements but if they don’t come through you have every right to take the dog to the local pound and have them hold it. The dog would be safe and that should send the HO running home.
I would not wait for another sitter since they are likely to get bitten as well.
@systaran I do hope you have had your tetanus shot and started antibiotics by now.
The following is from the T & C for pet owners:
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);
It would seem the Membership Services person is not completely aware of this. I would be contacting them again to push your case and make sure it is recorded against this listing.
The owners need to accept responsibility for their dog’s behaviour and be very concerned re your welfare. You should not be penalised in your review. They should also be informed by THS they can no longer use the service because of this happening to you as stated in the T & C.
I hope you recover well physically but can imagine your mental and emotional well being will take some time to recover. Thinking of you.
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I’m totally not advocating for you to stay in this situation and I hope alternative arrangements have been made by now.
But if you’re still in that situation, here’s what I learned from my first dog and which might help a little. There’s a ‘bite’, which is meant to hurt and draw blood and there’s a correction, which means ‘no’ and ‘don’t do that’. And since dogs have fur, the strength is meant to not injure the other dog, but warn them. People don’t have fur, so, the strength is often enough to pierce the skin.
If it’s the ladder, that means that the dog sees himself as being Alpha in your relationship and he controls what happens and corrects you, if you do things differently.
So, for my dogs that meant doing alpha things to tell the dog that I’m in charge, like going through doorways and gates first, walking the dog next to me instead of letting him in front, being the only one on the furniture/bed, eating first before I feed the dog etc.
But I hope you’ve come up with a solution by now.
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Yes go to the doctor if the skin was broken. Get a tetanus shot if it’s been more than 10 years and consider taking antibiotics to reduce the chance of infection; dogs’ mouths aren’t as clean as a lot of people like to think. Make sure the dog has a current Rabies vaccination.
If you’re going to stay there longer, I’d suggest asking the HO if they have pet gates you can put up so you have a way of escaping the dog. It’s so hard to get rid of inner fear when sharing the same space with the dog that caused it. Since walks help dog disburse dog energy I’m sure you’d still want to do that, but I’d go out and get a muzzle for your safety and the safety of others.
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@systaran, hope you’re doing better.
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This is not acceptable. I am actually a bit shocked. I don’t think that I will renew.
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Thank you all for your input and advice. I did get my tetanus shot and started on antibiotics. The wound isn’t deep, but it’s on the top of my hand and the doctor said that is an area that is more likely to get infected so I’m taking my antibiotics and watching it carefully.
The HOs did make other arrangements and a friend picked up the dog.
I was disappointed by the MS ‘support.’ While the person I spoke with was very nice and seemed concerned, there was no actual support for me. The suggestion was to stay in a different room from the dog. In this case the dog was mostly ok inside, it was when we went outside that the dog became aggressive and, unfortunately, we had to go outside 4 times a day. So, obviously after the first couple walks, being bitten and many other bite attempts, it wasn’t a situation that was feasible to continue. I didn’t need to hide from the dog in the house as suggested, but I think if a sitter was in a situation where a dog was trying to bite them in the house, telling them to stay and just go in another room is a ridiculous suggestion. She also said after the call she would send me a number that would get me right to her so I could update her on how things went over the weekend (this was Friday morning). I’m not sure why she would think I should be there through the weekend. The expectation was clear that I was to stay until when/if the HOs made other arrangements. Of course, we all care about pets and never want a pet to not have care. However, when we talk about prioritizing the pets, that should never mean at the expense of the sitter. A sitter should not be expected to sacrifice their safety, health and well-being, we are not expendable. An HO should always have at least a temporary plan they can implement within hours if needed (what if a sitter had a medical emergency – would they be expected to delay medical care?). Again, the MS person was very nice, but I think they are trained to tell sitters to stay regardless of their safety. I think they need much better training on how to support sitters (where is the ‘dedicated member support’ I pay for?).
And the next topic related to this situation is the expense of alternate accommodations. I would think if there is a situation of biting or anything that is a violation of T&Cs that effectively the HO is responsible for the cancellation. A sitter wanting to end the sit due to this violation is the result of the HO, not the sitter. A few months ago, I had reached out to MS for clarification about the insurance since it’s so vague and I was deciding whether to keep it when I renewed. This is what I was told regarding the insurance and violations of T&Cs.
“Please rest assured that if there is a breach of the Terms and Conditions and the sit is cancelled beyond your control, you will be eligible to make a sit cancellation insurance claim. The conditions stating that the cancellation can’t be agreed by the sitter is referring to a mutual agreement to end the sit early by both parties. The sit cancellation insurance is there to assist you if something out of your control causes the sit to end prematurely.”
Of course, what I was told on the call was that the insurance would cover only if I can provide something showing that the HO initiated the cancellation. She said it should be carefully worded to make sure it doesn’t look like I’m the one who wanted the sit cancelled. Since the HO had to contact MS to get the sit cancelled, I have nothing in my inbox showing that it was even unconfirmed/cancelled. It just disappeared from my dashboard. Our text conversations are about the bite and them making other arrangements. Expecting a sitter in this situation to beg the HOs to write something indicating they are choosing to cancel the sit is not reasonable. Showing that the T&Cs were violated should be sufficient.
Just wanted to give an update and share my experience.
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Thank you @systaran for updating us. I am so pleased you are out of the situation and have had your tetanus shot and taking antibiotics. You really have not received the “dedicated member support” that you should have.
What you have experienced is extremely serious and I would actually be putting everything you have mentioned in this thread in a formal letter to THS Management.
I’m thinking it is going to take some time for you to heal in all aspects from this horrible experience, including facing another dog. Thinking of you.
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Thanks @temba. I’m actually more upset about the lack of THS support for sitters than I am about the dog bite. This is my second sit with a T&C violation (the other was a third party) and my ‘support’ from THS was the same. Fortunately, the vast majority of my 35 sits have been wonderful. But after this membership year I’ll be done with THS.
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@systaran if you have had to pay for alternative accommodation then you should pursue recovering these expenses from the sit guarantee .
The previous written confirmation that you have from THS that this does cover when a HO breached the T&Cs is very useful proof that you are covered .
Unfortunately it appears that the majority of the support staff at member services are poorly informed ( perhaps deliberately so ? ) about a sitters right to receive support , practical advice on their safety and financial support from THS ( in the form of reimbursement for alternative accommodation expenses ) when a homeowner is in serious breach of the terms and conditions.
I agree a pet shouldn’t be abandoned-but that should be the responsibility of the homeowner to either return promptly or have a Plan B in place to take care of the pet in the event that a sitter must leave .
Telling you to stay in a separate room doesn’t help if you are still expected to stay at the property to feed and walk the dog where interaction is necessary multiple times a day .
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I would abandon a pet that had bit me and kept trying to bite me. I was not going to sacrifice my health for a dog, whatever MS would tell me. The owner would be responsible for taking care of it.
And I agree that the attitude of THS is a reason to abandon this company.
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Yes @pietkuip as I went on to say - it should be the homeowner who is responsible for ensuring the pet isn’t abandoned ( by coming back / arranging alternative cover) not the sitter
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I don’t think there is a way for me to even submit a claim. The HO had to contact MS to cancel. It disappeared from my dashboard and in my inbox it shows the sit being confirmed, but there is nothing showing it was cancelled.
Hey @systaran I don’t think anything about putting claim in with THS (or elsewhere) is an easy process on purpose but persistence likes the challenge. 
If your up for it… put a claim in with what you have including the email that shows a sit, any communications, texts with home host (perhaps they would write you a short note about the cancelation… you’ve got nothing to loose asking), the calls to member services, which are recorded, etc.
The onus is on you… which is a pia… Whatever you decide to do or not do is good and correct for you.
So sorry you had to experience this…
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The owners of the dog should be liable for your medical costs, at the minimum. They might be able to claim that on their insurance.
The THS insurance has so many exceptions that I never took it.
THS might have a legal obligation of care for you, you could look into obtaining legal advice. Certainly a moral obligation. And they should have a commercial interest in not appearing callous, even cruel. It is a commercial interest for them to be seen to help you, I would think.
Hi @systaran
I am so sorry to hear that you were bitten during this housesit, and also about the concerns you mentioned regarding how Membership Services dealt with the issue.
After reading your update I asked the team to review things again, and they agree that the support and advice you received from them should have been clearer.
In cases where dog aggression is reported, they do their very best to balance the safety of the sitter, while making sure that the dog is not left alone without care.
The team are sincerely sorry if they gave the impression that you had to stay in the property.
Someone from the Membership Services team will be reaching out to you soon, to see if they can help in any way, so if you have any questions about the above or the experience as a whole just let them know.
A huge thanks to everyone who has taken the time to pop on and give some support to Systaran, this must have been a difficult situation for them to manage.
Jenny
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