I just sat a reative dog, one of a handful i have sat. A few have been pit mixes, like this one. No issues with any of them. This HO is ocd, and had pages of instructions, then said i couldn’t handle complexity. In a not very pleasant small home in ann arbor. I believe that most sitters won’t sit reactive dogs, most HOs that have reactive dogs have been so appreciative of my care. So just want to find out, are you willing to sit reative dogs, big, reactive dogs, like pit mixes, that can really pull when they react to other dogs.
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I would definitely not knowingly sit a reactive dog. I have had one to care for which I was not told about until we arrived. It was one of the most stressful sits we have ever done. I am now very wary if the listing mentions rescue dogs. And there is a lot more questions asked and we definitely want to see the dogs interacting with each other and the owners during the video call.
PS. I have nothing against rescue dogs. Some of the best dogs we have sat for were street dogs when they were young.
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Hi @Huronbase, I have no problem dealing with reactive dogs, but it’s something personal and I’m aware that reactivity can turn into aggression and danger.
In that case, THS is not accepting pets with this behaviour/condition and they should be reported to protect the community.
Some official THS lines about it:
Are there any pets that THS don’t accept on the platform?
PS. We’ve done dozens of sits with rescue dogs, and while they can carry trauma, in our case, a spoiled purebred dog can be more reactive (regardless of size) than a rescue dog, who tends to be very grateful despite their past.
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“Reactive” can mean anything, from occasionally half-wuffles at passing wombats, to tries to kill every life form s/he meets… I think you need to be a bit more specific.
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Reactive as a Drop bear @fledermaus ? 
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You didn’t mention anything about the dog being reactive in your review. Just one sentence that it was a sweet dog and there was good communication
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Yes, it depends. We’ve cared for several large and strong dogs who weren’t exactly dog-friendly or kid-friendly. We’re both quite strong and experienced, and I would never let go of a leash – never have. Even if the dog pulls me to the ground, they’d still have to drag a 75-kilo woman behind them.
Reactive dogs can be amazing once you understand them, but it takes clear communication and mutual trust between the sitter and the owner – that’s key. For us, it really comes down to how well expectations are communicated and whether we feel confident we can manage the situation safely.
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When I said we sat for a reactive dog I probably should have said aggressive. When we fed them, we had to stand guard so he did not eat the other dogs food. He snapped once or twice and went for my husband once. Out in the garden we just left him to his own devices as he disliked human intervention. The food thing was obviously a throw back of the hunger he faced when on the streets.
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I never let go of a leash. When i saw another dog, i crossed the street, made her sit, and tried to make her look at me and not pull to go after the other dog. The owner wanted me to run away. And she wanted me to take the dog in my car to a sniff spot, somewhere in the country, dirt road–i had just detailed my car. Was not brought up until a few days into sit. I totally managed the walk. She was upset that i saw 2 other dogs while out walking and didn’t run away. But i just wanted to know how many sitters would be willing to sit a dog that was aggressive towards other dogs on walks. Because i have sat a few. It is not the best kind of sit. And before, owners were appreciative that they were walked as much as i did it.
I was trying to be kind. Didn’t realize she would be cruel and nasty. I hate it when rescue/problem dogs won’t be able to get care. But i responded to her review, that she should get paid sitters. The only good thing about the sit is the location so i could go to my dental appt, and run some necssary errands in that area.
I didn’t interpret the HO’s review of you that way. She actually complimented you on many aspects. It seemed more like she was giving you the benefit of the doubt that perhaps you didn’t understand the instructions versus purposely disregard them.
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I am good for dog walking and house keeping, not anything with complexity? I skipped 2 grades, do logic problems in my head, have a civil engineering degree, did strategy on wall street. She insulted me. She doesn’t understand the word. And her comments reflect that she viewed me as staff, not an equal exchange. I am surprised you don’t see that.
As I responded to you on another post regarding the same sit.
When it is a rescue pit mix i feel sorry for the dog. You are right. When i read the previous review, before sit, i figured it was a problem, and wrote same as she did. I could have written that HO doesn’t understand concept of cleaninrss. Their home is nore than well lived in. The dog takes up most of the bed. Sheets are scatcht, pillows lumpy. How many people actually do that? Because it was as it looked in listing. I pretty much guessed about all that.
Thankfully you did not do that. It would be unkind. You docked her a star for cleanliness and she commented that you left it cleaner than you found it. Everyone will understand.
We get it, you’re a smarty pie. But apparently not quite smart enough to simply not tell her that you encountered two dogs and handled it your own way, instead of the way she specifically asked you to. I mean, what exactly did you expect? Applause? You are a sitter, not a dog trainer.
Sometimes, true intelligence also means knowing when to hold back and read the room.
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We sit reactive dogs no problem at all, but reactive can mean many many different things. It just depends on how it shows itself for each individual dog.
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In that case, it’s an Absolutely Not from me.
Surely no HO should be asking sitters to look after a dog that may bite them. End of.
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I avoid certain breeds, no matter whether they’re reactive or not, because I don’t trust that I can control them. If they were triggered, I wouldn’t want them, myself or others to be put at risk because of their strength. Some dogs — like pit bulls — have much more powerful biting force than others.
Outside of such breeds, I’ve knowingly sat small dogs who are reactive to other pets, bicyclists, skateboarders or such. That’s because I’ve had a reactive rescue dog of my own and know how to avoid them being triggered and how to control and calm them if triggered. I’ve had no problems dealing with such dogs on sits. But I won’t sit dogs who are reactive and would try to bite me or other strangers randomly. If someone misled me about that and I found out, I’d quit the sit.
It’s against THS terms for hosts to list pets who have attacked people or other pets.
If I were lied to or misled and ended up bitten by such hosts’ pets, I’d consider suing for every penny possible, to teach them a lesson about disregarding others’ safety and wellbeing just so they could travel.
In the U.S., such hosts would probably be legally and financially liable, and their insurer would drop them if they were found to be lying. They’d also risk being blackballed by other insurers, so they might not be able to maintain a mortgage any longer. (Lenders demand insurance to protect their loans and can demand immediate repayment of an entire mortgage if the home becomes suddenly uninsurable.)
I’d also report them to whichever agency oversees animal welfare in their jurisdiction. That’s because dogs who attack often have a history of such. Some jurisdictions will sometimes force owners to surrender such dogs and put them to sleep, because they’re considered a threat to public safety.
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Rescue dogs do have care, though. It’s called, Their Owners. (I hate that term, but it’s the currency, so..) In my book, if you know your dog is liable to bite, you do not go away and leave it with a sitter. You work with the dog until you can be 100% sure it won’t be biting anyone.
I agree, it’s very sad. Like all of us, I feel sorry for the dog. But it wouldn’t be OK to say to a sitter “Sorry, but the bathroom floor sometimes gives way and you may just fall through. It only happens very rarely, though, so I’ll sure you’ll be fine..” Same with an aggressive dog, sadly.
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