Hi there, we are new sitters, just wondering what happens when on a long sit (6 weeks, etc.) and if an emergency occurs on our end and we have to leave, what is the policy/protocol if a situation like that occurred?
Thank you. Let us know if you can help with this question.
You need to talk to the HO about what their emergency plans are should you ever have to leave a sit before the end date. Are you thinking it might happen even before you’ve started the sit? The pets are the priority in all this so contingency plans are essential. If you do leave early for anything other than an emergency then the HO may report you & you could end up with a poor review too and as new sitters that’s a disaster @ritamaziarz . If there are two of you and one of you had to leave for say a family bereavement (just thinking why you’re asking the question now), then the other one could stay on in the interim. #mightneedmoreinfo
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Welcome @ritamaziarz this is a good question when considering a long sit.
This is something that both parties need to discuss prior to the sit - both parties need a Plan B in case of an emergency that means the sit has to be curtailed by either party. A host may need to return home early because of an emergency- we had this on our first long sit when the host became seriously ill on a cruise and had to be medevaced home for treatment .So we needed to leave the sit early and find alternative accommodation.
If you as sitters have an emergency as you are a couple it may be that one of you can leave to deal with the emergency and the other continues with the sit . Contact the owner as soon as possible - they will need sufficient time to arrange alternative care for the pets or they may have already provided a local emergency contact for this scenario .Communication with the owner as soon as possible is key .
Sitters can be banned from THS for life for abandoning pets - so it’s important to have these discussions with owner before sit starts so that you know if such an emergency arose what their back up plan for care of the pets is . They may decide to cut their trip short and return home so you would need to wait for them to get back . Each situation will be different but communication before and during a sit will be the key to successfully resolving it .
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@ritamaziarz If an emergency occurs during a sit - of any duration - then you’d first attempt to contact the Pet Parents or, if not available, their emergency contact (who should be specified in the welcome guide). Both pet parents and sitters should always have a contingency plan.
If you’re new to this and not yet confident, or if you anticipate some pending emergency, it’s maybe best sticking to shorter, more local sits for now.
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It could happen on a short sit too!
Others have given good advice but it concerns me that you’re asking this question, almost as if you expect an emergency. Personally I never think of worse case scenarios but would deal with an emergency should it occur.
The owners should have local emergency contacts should you need someone to step in and look after the pets.
We are a couple and we have several back up plans in place. I would write
a list of things that could potentially go wrong. For example:-
- Car - If our car breaks down, one of us will taxi to take care of our sit obligations, while the other stays and waits for the RAC. It has only happened once on the day a sit was due to start, and our plan worked perfectly, so we didn’t need to panic, because we had already pre-thought about what we would do if it happened. One taxi ride in about 13 months of sitting fulltime is a very small price to pay.
- Overseas sits without a car - If something happens, one of us will go to take care of it / fly home, while the other remains to fulfill our sit obligations.
- Illness - one of us takes care of our sit obligations while the other rests.
- Death
- it’s the only thing we haven’t got a back up plan for.
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We sit as a family and actually did have an emergency one time. I ended up having vertigo really bad and was very nauseous and disoriented. Luckily all responsibilities were handled between my husband and children so the animals and hosts didn’t feel any difference. Had it just been me, it would have been a different story.
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@HappyDeb
Regarding Death, its fine if only one of you dies as the other can continue the sit 
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You have a good point there 
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