Hi! I’m new here, and just completed my first of three house sits this summer. I’m wondering if sits exist where a sitter can actually take their own well-behaved dog? I love sitting for other people’s pets and enjoy the travel. I’d like to do more, but I don’t want to leave my own dog too often. Do they exist? How to find them, if they do?
There is currently no way for a host to officially mark their sit ‘pet-friendly’ so unless they mention it specifically in their listing either way, you can only find out by applying.
From what I have seen, the vast majority of listings do not address this so you will probably get lots of rejections in the process as most people probably wouldn’t want to introduce a new animal into the home especially when they are already introducing a new person in their absence.
But there are people on here who state they sit with their own dogs so it certainly is possible. But again, you will probably have to apply to more sits to find the ones that are a match. So if you are willing to accept getting turned down more frequently, you will probably get some hits.
Yes, you can!
I haven’t done it but suggest you have a file of videos with your dog interacting with other dogs (and cats?) and people (dog park, sidewalk, festival, kids, etc.) to send prior to any interviews. You could reference the file in your profile.
You could also have a bunch of personal references on your profile with glowing accolades of your dog’s behavior and demeanor. Maybe letters from your vet (up-to-date on shots, healthy) and groomer, too.
Have fun adventuring with your dog!
That’s the beauty of Hosts and Sitters openly communicating. Sure there are hosts that would welcome an excellent sitter and a well behaved dog into their home.
I’ve seen a lot of posts and reviews from sitters who apparently travel with their own dog. Yet it seems like 4 out of 5 listings I review either explicitly state or imply they can’t accept sitters with other pets, or I’m told during the interview that they can’t welcome the sitters pet.
I have mixed feelings about it personally. I’d love to take my dog with me, but you never know 100% if your pet & theirs will get along — & if they didn’t, I’d be in a difficult situation that’s not easily resolved once I got on site. Plus, I’d hate to cause additional stress for either pet, when one isn’t in their home environment & the other is trying to adapt to owners gone+new person in their house.
So as much as I hate leaving her at home without me, mine stays with the hubby when I travel. 
I’ve seen reviews where the sitters mentioned that they brought their pets
I know a few sitters who take their own dogs with them. Asking will reduce your sitting opportunities but there are enough home hosts who will say yes to make it work.
A sit that we decided not to do ( because it would have entailed taking dogs in our own car for their daily exercise ) turns out to have been a perfect fit for another couple who bring their own dog to sits. They had a car suitable to transport all the dogs . The reviews state that they all had a great time together.
I suggest rural sits will be a good option to look at .As not all sitters have their own car available for the sit , these tend to get fewer applications . They also tend to have ample space for an extra dog without it becoming overcrowded . Also sits that already have more than 1 dog are more likely to accept another one into the mix . A solitary dog may not take so kindly to another one in the home .