I started a sit yesterday and the owners have both indoor and outdoor cameras. They told me I could turn off the indoor ones, which I did for two of them but didn’t see how for the other one. Upon meeting the husky dog, he ran off instantly and the HO said he is shy. He is kind of warming up now but still darts when I move toward him. As a result, I can’t walk him because I wouldn’t be able to get the harness or leash on him. Trying to get him to go out the door to do his business is an ordeal. I have to open the door and walk away as he won’t go out if I stand there. I’ve tried coaxing with snack but it is not easy. The cat wants to go out but found out later that I won’t want to let the cat out because you have to fetch him to come back in.
So last night I turned my back for a bit to let the dog out and didn’t see the cat sneak out. Moments later I get a text from HO the cat is out and I need to go get it. And followed by a barrage of texts about how I shouldn’t have let it out and have I gotten it back in and every few seconds while I’m outside in the dark with a flashlight trying to find the cat I get hysterical texts asking if it is found or berating me and a couple helpful ones with pics because of the camera to locate it. In all the cat may have been out 20 minutes before it was located and retrieved. The exchange was unpleasant and now the HO wants me to leave. That was just Day 1. I have an incident report with TH but the pets are fine. But she’s blowing this out of proportion. Didn’t see that coming. What should I do?
You can ask the host to cancel the sit (they will have to do that via THS customer support), which lets you to apply for other sits, if you need a place to sleep. (I can also lead to a situation where neither of you can leave a review: the hosts can shorten this sit to one day, letting you look for other sits but still making it possible to leave feedback).
You can exude understanding and confidence. In texts, take all responsibility of what happened, give info on how you can make it better going forward, etc. This might save this sit. But at the same time, they have asked you to leave, there is not really a secure way to fix it.
Unfortunately once you’ve lost the trust of the people you’re working with it is not an easy thing to recover from, especially in temporary situations like sits.
It does sound like the dog was more challenging than expected and the attention required on him let the cat escape.
It is probably a better sit for 2 people, the people need to show up earlier so the dog can warm up to them, or a local paid sitter that the dog knows and trusts may be best of all.
But you definitely should leave the sit if they’ve told you to do so.
Unfortunately while I would hope I could keep a cool head of one of my pets were missing I don’t know that I would. While that doesn’t excuse their harsh messages to you - it is difficult to be far away and wondering about the safety of your beloved pets.
If she’s asking you to leave I don’t think you have any option but to leave. It sounds like an over reaction on the part of the owner and it’s possible that they might reconsider but I really don’t think you have room to negotiate: you’re in their home, they’ve asked you to leave. I also think that even if they did change their mind there would be every chance that there would be some other issue further down the line - not least because they have already broken THS rules by having indoor cameras which they had not disabled (a sitter should not be expected to do this).
I’m so sorry this is happening - undisclosed cameras are definitely not ok - and I’m glad you’ve been in touch with Trusted Housesitters about what’s happening. Membership Services are definitely best placed to help you.
Thanks to everyone who has shared advice and support so far, keep it coming, and please do keep us updated on what’s happening @ShellConn - we’re here.
The sit sounds like a nightmare. You can’t get the leash on the dog, and the cat which it sounds like is a strictly indoor cat that door darts got out. And now the homeowner wants you to leave. And cameras! (Updated, as I posted without reading @Jenny’s response.)
They did disclose them. But I had to turn the indoor ones off myself. The outdoor one is how she detected the cat out, which is actually helpful. But the subsequent texts were not except for when she spotted the cat and could direct me to it.
I have contacted the pet parent again this morning to show her the pets are fine and asking to not let our communication conflict wreck our good standing with TH. We have both been in contact with TH and I will update when I discover the outcome.
But indoor cameras aren’t allowed at all - they need to be off before the HO leaves. It’s not on you to turn them off, especially when there aren’t clear instructions (since there is one you couldn’t figure out how).
You are handling this very well, but honestly the HOs sound like a nightmare.
This sounds awful and I do really empathise with you.
It sounds like the owners weren’t up front with you about the dog’s behaviour and shyness. What did they tell you about the dog? Was he a rescue?
It sounds to me that you’ve done everything you could to resolve the situation and I would think you’d find it difficult to stay there anyway. Glad to see you have reported this to THS.
Keep us informed of the outcome here please
That’s a simple answer for a complicated situation. I will leave if she cancels the sit or gets a replacement. Otherwise I need to fulfill my end of the bargain
Did the HO have prior reviews that mentioned the dog’s behavior, and did you arrive early for the sit to get to know the dog while the HO were still present or was it a blind handover? For dogs you really do need to get there a day early for the dog to get used to you.
You win! That’s what happened. We agreed that our communication conflict is what it is but does not reflect on my responsibility to get pets and her home. And it will be a huge hassle for her to get someone else so I’m staying.
You’ve done very well, and have been the better person. They’ll be feeling a bit embarrassed I expect- and with people being on holiday you never know if communication is being impacted by a nice big glass of wine hic hic you took it down from Defcon 3 please reflect these shenanigans in your review though. Other sitters might not have the skills to resolves similar situations if they arise. Big hand clap to you tbh
Hello @Shellcon. Sorry for these challenges you have encountered. Although I can’t see an indication of the length of this sit, presumably you have some time to start working on your review of these HOs. I encourage you to ponder how you will be rating them on pet behaviour, accuracy of listing, communication and hospitality. They might deserve 5 stars for cleanliness (not sure, hasn’t been discussed) but I would be marking them down on the other categories.
Sorry, I would be irate as well if you let my cat out that wasn’t supposed to go outside. Not sure why everyone is downplaying that. The cat should be in a closed room so you can get the dog to go outside, not that complicated. Anyone that has ever been around a cat knows they will sneak out if given the opportunity. Glad it all worked out, but her being upset was justified.
I don’t deny that she had a right to be upset. But the constant barrage of demeaning texts were unnecessary and not helpful. When I asked how to best deal with it she could have offered suggestions instead of text screaming at be that I had to find him. I was doing that. He was out there or than 20 minutes total and eventually brought in. It was a situation I was unprepared for. Not dismissing my role, just the over the top response and lack of communication that might have prevented it from happening.
Anyway, animals are safe and I’m staying to care for them
hic hic you took it down from Defcon 3 please reflect these shenanigans in your review though. Other sitters might not have the skills to resolves similar situations if they arise. Big hand clap to you tbh