I only sit in the UK, and when I am sitting for dogs I have a back seat “hammock” to protect the upholstery and restraints that clip the dog to either the rear seat belt socket or to fixtures in the rear. This is not only to remain legal but also to protect myself and the dog in case I brake suddenly and the dog is thrown forward.
I don’t mind taking dogs out and about with me, it’s part of the enjoyment of exploring with them. I once was asked to take a rather shaggy dog to the groomers (she eventually forgave me!) so I combined that trip with a grocery shop in an adjoining supermarket.
Yeah, I’m gonna go to Hawaii to a great place, but when I asked about taking their dog to the beach they said great…end of discussion. So I checked with rentals, and even the cheaper ones say no dogs…or a $250 cleaning fee if they find dog hairs, which, of course they will. So I’m not gonna take the poor dog to the beach, which sucks for him. Last summer I had a cat sit in Hawaii with a Prius included at no charge…I had it detailed, filled up the tank, and left her $300 cuz really she was not rich and I was so grateful. You see every type of person in this business, that’s for sure.
I have a dog myself. I think it is a big difference between me taking a dog somewhere because I would like to, and a host asking me to to accommodate their wishes.
I find it rather cheeky to ask someone to do that for you that will cause them work or expenses without at least acknowledging it. IMO I think one should offer a contribution towards gas and a car clean. It is not only the risk of hairs (there will be hairs!) and scratching, also muddy and/ or wet dogs, smell and possibly even motion sickness.
If it is clearly stated in the listing it is somewhat different, as then you can simply not apply. But I think even then one should consider a compensation as I think many would avoid applying, which would be a disadvantage for the host.
Another option for driving dogs is making a car available. The car of the host or a rental. For the dogs it could be an advantage to drive in the car they are used to with the sitter.
Personally I would not use my car to drive sit dogs (except for an emergency ofc).
We take the odd dog in our car if it’s a good traveller and we do so free of charge, but that’s our choice to do so. Whereas if an owner actually requested it, then I would expect them to pay for it, or to use their car.
We just put a blanket down, and wash/dry the blanket at the end of our stay in their home.
I don’t think we have ever been asked or required to drive dogs somewhere to walk. However we have done so out of choice. We like to combine our exploring of a new area with dog walks. We have taken dogs to the beach, up mountains, on a steam train and on a boat!
Exploitation. Absolutely yes if they offer to pay for gas, and provide equipment to protect your car or pay for it to be cleaned professionally after. Otherwise, they should offer you a vehicle.
I agrfee with you Smiley they don’t. The worse case I saw was when down in Sidmouth for the folk festival. The road behind Jacob’s Beach is free parking before 10 am and lots of locals come along to swim or walk their dogs etc. I was there early most days and found it ubelievable that a guy who looked in his 80’s and walked with a stick always travelled there and back with his dog sat in the front passeneger seat and unrestraied. It would have its head on the old guys shoulder as he drove off and then sit perfectly upright. I also saw a woman drive up who equally did not have her dog restrained, as she would open the back door of the car and the dog immediately jumped out. It seems to be one of those laws that are never enforced. If an accident these dogs could be serioulsy injured.
In the U.S., the worst case I’ve ever heard of someone not restraining their dog happened at Yellowstone National Park, which is full of boiling hot thermal pools. An unrestrained dog jumped out of a car, into a pool. Its human jumped in to rescue the dog, sustaining severe burns all over, while the dog died. And apparently it’s not the only time a dog has been boiled alive at that park, because some people are incredibly stupid and careless.
I wonder if a study was ever done (correcting for variables) comparing the number of times people were attacked by aggressive dog breeds such as Pit Bulls compared to attacks by domesticated leopards or cheetahs.
Every housesit we have done in the past 13 years, if there was a dog park close by we’ve never thought twice about popping a towel on the backseat and taking the dogs out. They loved it and it gave us a chance to interact with other local “doggie people”. In fact we always ask the owners if they have harness seat belt attachments so that we can secure the dogs safely in the car. Easiest way if you’re worried about the cost of petrol (gas) is to stop off at a grocery shop on the way home and grab whatever supplies you might need or even after the dog park, plan a visit to a nearby area that you want to visit. I would have thought that the cost of petrol even for a 20 -50 km round trip is far outweighed by the fact that we as sitters are getting fabulous accomodation absolutely free, and anyway isn’t the whole point of house and pet sitting is to look after the pets and keep them happy!!!
I had debated whether to respond to this one, often and on. I am a dog owner who posts about having the need for a vehicle that you can take the dog to a private dog park. If people are either not willing, or not able, to do that then they simply should not apply.
If I’m going somewhere without my car, then I post that there is the possibility that arrangements can be made for a sitter, as long as they have a clean driving record, use my vehicle and we will do the driving each other, and picking each other up, from the airport or the ferry about an hour away. Where I live, insurance requires that anyone driving your car more than 12 days in a year has to be listed on your insurance. And that’s quite costly to first pay for and then you put in for a refund and take them back off your insurance. Of course, it would be even more costly if the person does not have a clean record.
I provide a good dog cover for the back of their vehicle and also a couple of old towels as needed. I also cover the price of gas. I should mention that it’s five days a week, as my dog goes out with a group dog run two of the days of the week so it’s not every day that someone is expected to do that. It’s never happened, but, for example, if I found out my dog vomited all over the seat of their vehicle, I would certainly pay for the car to be cleaned.
I have had a few sitters use their own cars, all of them have been repeat sitters. I’ve also a couple of times the sitter was able to use my vehicle.
At the end of the day, isn’t this all about proper communication between the house owner and the sitter?
At some point along the “getting-to-know-each-other-are-we-a-good-fit” journey, we’ve always find an appropriate time to throw this in:
“A quick thought about airport plans and local drives — if it’s useful to you, we’d be happy to help, using your car. It would also make things easier for us, especially for taking [pet name/s] on outings or vet visits if needed. Does that work for you?”
It lets the HO know what we’re comfortable doing, gives them the opportunity to think on what actually would work best for them, and then together we arrive at a fair and practical solution.
Each HO’s journey is different, we know that, we respect that, and it helps us to meet them where they’re at.
I have taken small dogs in my car for outings and have always asked beforehand if they have a carrier or some type of restraint. Each time, I was told no and simply advised to put down a blanket. Unfortunately, the dogs did not stay on the blanket and ended up moving throughout the vehicle. My car still has a lingering dog smell, and I am left responsible for cleaning it at my own expense.
More importantly, this has become a safety concern. I have had dogs move into the front seat while the car was in motion, which is distracting and potentially dangerous. Going forward, I will no longer transport dogs in my personal vehicle unless they are properly secured in a carrier or with an appropriate restraint system.
We very rarely transport dogs in our own car. The main reason is dirt, dog hair and usually lack of space. On our current sit we have a gorgeous golden Retriever who hardly sheds at all. So we’ve been taking her out in our car with dog blankets on the back seat. The owners provided a special seat belt harness for her and she is as good as Gold.
You are absolutely right not to want to take unrestrained dogs in your car. It is a safety risk, especially if you are driving alone, and many countries do require dogs to be restrained. For us this dog is the exception and its just that we happen to know the area well and have a favourite walk 10 mins drive away which she loves as much as we do! This is our choice - to go there- as there are also plenty of walks from the door which we also do.
If an owner actually required us to take dogs to a special walking place we would expect them to provide a vehicle and the fuel.
@Lokstar, yep we have mostly the same mindset. If we housesit for a dog that is accustomed to be taken for off-property walks on a regular basis then we request use of pet parent vehicle. This comes after experience of a dog damaging our car interior - not again. We don’t however ask for fuel. For context, over 20 of our housesits have included use of pet parent vehicle. In our experience, when politely asked (and if available) then most pet parents are agreeable to this, perhaps especially when they reflect on topic as a potential dealbreaker for our application. Fair trade.
I think it should be something a house sitter gets compensated for, for the very basic reason of, what would happen if you were driving the dog to the required park and you ended up in a accident.
Would it be your responsibility or would you be getting the house owner to cover it as it was their requirement for the house sit to go through.
@GotYourBack if we have negotiated use of car for a sit its different e.g last winter 3 months in Australia use of car was a deal breaker. In such cases we would ofcourse pay our own fuel. I was referring to the cases where part of the sit duty requires driving dogs to a dog park or special walk. Then they should pay the fuel as well. Our preference is to walk dogs directly from the door. In the current sit we are choosing to take the dog in our car to walks when we could just go out of the door (which we also do)
Our choice- we pay fuel.
HO requirement - they provide the vehicle and pay the fuel.
