Hi, after using TSH for years I’ve decided I’ve actually found it less useful and more stressful . We used it quite a bit when we lived in Canada, most sitters were outstanding with a couple not so much. We never gave less than 5 stars, the reasons being 1) how that would impact applicants’ perceptions of us 2) how that would impact their future applications . We have now moved to Italy , in an apartment versus a house with a yard, and our pets have gotten older and need some more attention and care. I now think it’s just not the best fit, I don’t want to ask myself …are my pets being cared for, is my home ‘perfect/clean’ enough, have I been welcoming enough, is my Welcome Guide complete enough, have I asked too much of the sitter? The Forum , and sitter’s’ evaluations of HOs and their pets, has had an influence in my decision.
I think with our pets needing more care it’s best to pay for a home/pet sitter who lives in Rome and understands the challenges of apartment living e.g. multiple walks per day We use our paid sitter every time now, she knows our home/pets and we have created a personal relationship e.g. Christmas dinner, watching her football matches .
So, when do you stop paying a THS fee and budget for the cost of a sitter?
Probably when you’ve reached the point where it no longer feels like a mutual exchange & now feels like too much of an ask for unpaid help. That said, being in Rome is on your side for spelling out clear sitter needs (very experienced, have lived abroad or speak the language, have at least 10 5 star reviews, multi walk keenness, happy to stay in a real home and not a show home and so on). There’s so few THS sits in your city you can probably call the shots for longer than most. #foodforthought
It’s a shame if the content of the forum has influenced your decision. In my experience (100 per cent positive after 30 sits) the forum does not reflect what is actually happening out there.
I’m close to there as well. I renewed for 2026 as I have a 3.5 week sit scheduled for April. But I don’t know about 2027 yet (and nothing to do with fees).
My pets are easy right now but the process of getting a sitter, prepping the home, and the ‘welcoming’ is a lot, especially when you’re trying to head out yourself.
For me where THS still makes sense is for longer trips, which for us is 3 weeks. But, that happens once every couple of years. So saving the annual fee goes a long way towards covering the cost of local paid sitters, and they are so much easier to work with.
Most shorter trips are domestic and we bring our dog, or leave her with a local sitter for the 1 or 2 where she can’t come, and use a drop in sitter for the cats. Those trips are so much easier and not nearly as much work. I have never used THS for trips shorter than a week. I’m debating about week long trips now too.
I do enjoy getting to know the sitters and hearing about their adventures when they are here, and one couple are friends now.
But I agree a lot with OP - so much easier using paid local sitters whom you get to know, your pets get to know, are local, don’t need to sightsee….and don’t have lofty expectations about your home or demands around food/welcome dinners.
And yes this forum has a lot of sitters who have made a life out of THS. While I respect that, their high expectations (most due to poor experiences on their end) aren’t really what most THS sitters are like.
And honestly that is one of the perks of paid sitters as they are local. You get to know each other. You see each other out and about in daily life, not just transient visits here or there.
And your paycheck goes to someone in your own community.
There is a lot to be said for using local paid sitters, I agree.
And yes you’re in Rome but I understand what you mean about being worried about your sitters being off sightseeing vs. caring for your pets. Peace of mind matters and sometimes is worth paying for.
I can understand this your decision, but I think people complain a lot on the forum. The experiences on the forum and the real life experiences I’ve had as both a homeowner and a sitter don’t match.
That said, I think a Rome sit would be popular even with dogs that had to go out several times a day as city dogs do, but I also understand concerns as pet age and have more “needs.” Even with my cats in a popular location, when one had more medication needs, it became more work to find the right sitter.
I think it’s an interesting question. We’re probably not going to sit dogs in the future and yes partly influenced by the forum and other stories on fb and elsewhere also our dog walking experiences at home, it’s getting too risky, not because of the HO’s dogs but a few other dogs you meet whilst out and about which seem to me to be increasingly out of control. Are these Covid dogs maybe? If we carry on it’ll just be horses I think, and maybe cats…. I’m still pondering this though.
The forum DOES NOT give a balanced view of what owners and sitters “think”, it only highlights things that go wrong.
We’re sitters and onto almost 50 sits with THS, and it’s been fantastic. It sounds like perhaps you’ve had different sitters all of the time. For us, we sit quite a number of older dogs with ailments, and return time after time to sit them, we love the oldies, and we’ve got great relationships with their owners, and we’ve become firm friends with many.
But you know what’s best for your pets. Shame the forum had an impact on your decision, because there’s a lot of people on here who’s experience is totally different to the posts that get created.
@KMMN, a great question. And sounds like you have come to terms with your own decision. As @Cuttlefish rightly noted, Italian listings are not common - we completed one housesit in Northern Italy in 2025 but it took effort to secure. We’re now back in Canada for several months and listings seem plentiful so almost fully booked for several months.
It’s possible that some aspaects of your sentiments may reflect tenure. There was a recent post by a housesitter “When do you know when it’s time to stop full-time pet sitting” that also framed burnout, albeit from perspective of housesitter.
We continue to believe that most THS members are good people, but there exceptions on both sides. THS Forum seems to attract people that seek advice; want complain; and/or share experiences. Personally, we don’t see the goal as ‘perfect’ anything, but rather the careful avoidance of bad experiences (we’ve had some). Probably tough for a good Pet Parent to appreciate that there are bad Pet Parents out there - and likewise for housesitters.
All the best with your pet care. Sounds like you have a plan that is working well. And enjoy Italy!
Hello everyone,
I completely understand KMMN, I’m in exactly the same situation. We’re moving from a house with a garden in the countryside to an apartment in the city and are currently staying in a ground-floor gîte. My dog is 13.5 years old and I take her out regularly for her hygiene needs.
Our future apartment will be upstairs and this will complicate our dog’s hygiene outings, it will take longer for her to get to the grassy spot, in the morning she is in a hurry, waking me up very early to go out.
So now I’m wondering if I should stay here with someone to take care of my pet or find someone to look after him at their place. I’m a pet sitter myself and I completely understand the difficulties and work involved in caring for older pets in an apartment.
Today is the day I’m going to contact all my past sitters and owners to let them know I’m leaving and, if they still feel like keeping in contact with me, I’m moving to Mind My House. I’m giving them my number, also, just in case they lost it. After that I’m canceling the auto renewal, because I don’t know if I would have been able to contact everyone after that.
I will keep taking part of the forum and I won’t cancel my profile out of respect to sitters and owners because I don’t want my reviews to get lost.
And I’m still waiting for my data (I sent my request on January 13th and they answered asking me a bill receipt, because apparently my fiscal data - which is also something they allow to use as evidence - haven’t been enough to check that I am who I am and I live in this house).
I started here years ago as a homeowner with two large dogs. I posted once to see if it could replace my paid sitter but the responses I got at the time were less than stellar and I knew that the trust I had with my paid Pet Sitter was invaluable when I was on vacation. Over the years my dogs passed, my husband and I retired and I moved from Los Angeles to Amsterdam. We wanted the freedom to travel so have not gotten pets, we are financially very stable luckily so TrustedHousesitters has been used just to get my pet fix, and we have sat for some lovely dogs and cats, we have loved them all, and most sits were fantastic. We went off Trustedhousesitters for one Dog we particularly loved in Amsterdam and have sat there several times without going through Trustedhousesitters. But now I’ve suspended my membership. I will probably go back for a while and see if it makes sense because we only do it once in a while and there may be other ways to get our pet fixes :).
In your case I completely understand wanting to have sitters that you pay and therefore feel like they are not there to vacation. We always take our sitting responsibilities as complete priority, and there are other sitters like us who will make your dog a priority but you do have to weed through. Congratulations on your move and I wish you the best.
@Marion I’ve reached out to a few forum regulars in regard to an upcoming sit at our property in Greece. I’d like to send you an invite but you aren’t currently accepting messages.
Agree! We’ve done 25 sits and have loved every experience except 1 … our 2nd sit before we knew how to screen. Once you know how to screen, I’d say most experiences should be positive.
We use our paid sitter every time now, she knows our home/pets and we have created a personal relationship e.g. Christmas dinner, watching her football matches .
