Hello there,
My partner and I are new to the house sitting world; and we are excited to embark on our first house sitting adventure. We have signed up for a couple of assignments over the summer; and I wanted to reach out to this experienced community for some advice and tips.
We both love animals and have had pets of our own in the past, so we feel confident in taking care of pets. Although; there are a few things we are unsure about; and we would greatly appreciate any insights you can provide.
What are some key questions we should ask the homeowners before accepting an assignment? We want to make sure we fully understand their expectations and any special requirements for their pets or home.
How detailed should we be when discussing house rules and responsibilities? Are there any common responsibilities or tasks that are usually expected but might not be explicitly mentioned by the homeowner?
What is the best way to handle emergencies; both pet related and house related? Should we have a list of local vet clinics and emergency contacts?
What are some ways to ensure both the pets and homeowners have a positive experience with us as sitters? Any tips on how to make the pets feel comfortable and minimize their stress while the owners are away?
Also, I have gone through this post: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/sitters/how-first-tableau-can-get-their-dream-house-sitting/ which definitely helped me out a lot.
Are there any unspoken rules or etiquette we should be aware of? We want to be respectful and leave a great impression.
Thank you in advance for your help and assistance.
Hello @Watson and welcome. Little confused here, you say you’ve “signed up” for a couple of assignments. Are they THS house sits? Are they confirmed? If so, then your questions would have been before this stage to the HO during the video call as you’re now committed to those. Did they happen or are the assignments (sits) on another platform? Bit more info please. You can also use the spyglass at the top of the forum to read old threads as there are loads of discussions on questions to ask on both sides of the exchange which will help you guys. #tellusmore
Hey there and welcome to THS!
It sounds like some of these articles may help you:
As @Cuttlefish mentioned, there’s a tonne of information that covers all your questions on both the forum and THS blog page if you just use the search bar to find topics. Make sure you do your homework and read up on THS policies & pet sitting etiquette and what to ask during video calls with pet parents. Hope that helps! 
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Welcome to THS and best wishes for happy adventures!
There is so much information available, but I would not get too caught up in it all! Most Owners are reasonable, kind people who want the best for their pets and trust you to provide safety and love while the Owner is away.
If you are already confirmed for two Sits on the THS platform, request the Welcome Guide for each Sit now, and if the Welcome Guide is not sent to you within a week, ask again. Reading the WG is a great way to better understand what the Owner expects.
Everyone is different, but most households operate similarly, in our experience. We have stayed in one bedroom apartments and four bedroom houses. Everyone has the same basic operations in their homes. (West Coast, USA) This is good, as it is fairly predictable, and then we can focus on the particular personalities and needs of the pets.
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