Good idea @temba, as always 
@iamplankton your ad is lovely and I would apply if I were available. One of your dogs is identical to my own much loved and missed Ziggydog 
Yes I have, it was local-ish and short notice. I was free so I accepted. I was very glad I did; the dogs were lovely 
Looks good! Lovely pets and home!
As a sitter am I able to direct message home owners with my possible dates? If so, how? Thanks
Welcome to the forum @Sirencall183 the answer is NO you can’t as a sitter contact a Homeowner.
However, if you have previously applied to sit for them you will be able to send them a message in your inbox.
There has been some discussion about this subject on another thread.
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Thank you - I don’t want to remove the ones further afield in case there is someone searching for those times and I don’t want to miss an opportunity as we don’t get lots of applications. I’ve certainly been concentrating on the February dates and am yet to find someone but will keep trying and hopeful that someone may apply by browsing listings etc
Don’t know whether it would help in your circumstances, but some folks in the forum have mentioned groups on Facebook and otherwise where sits are posted. Maybe there are groups in your area, so you might boost exposure for your sits.
Thank you, I will have a look!
@iamplankton just wondering… are you inviting mainly local sitters? Even though I am fairly new to THS I’ve had quite a few invitations to sit, but they’ve all been just a few miles away from home in areas that I don’t feel the need to stay away for. I tend to be more interested in sits that are in places I’ve not yet visited or which I want to get to know better.
I only message local-ish people who don’t have any reviews or very low numbers of reviews as a way to help them build a portfolio. I then tend to message people from the surrounding south west of England, midlands etc or further away but it’s a time consuming process so I tend to do a search for a certain area and message anyone who I hope may be a match
In this vein, I decided that if a HO reaches out to me, without me applying, this would be a paid sit. I don’t know if there are rules around this?
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@petnut the T&Cs that all members sign up to state
5.3. The following applies only to Sitters. You will:
5.3.1. not require or demand any form of payment for carrying out a Sit;
Many people don’t use the calendar. I don’t think it works on the app, each time I’ve tried it hasn’t. THS seem to use date info for the HO, as in blocking sits but not to prevent invites being sent when you have already confirmed a sit for those dates, which is a bit strange. So, the point I’m trying to make is, sitters calendars aren’t a reliable marker of availability. I’ve received many invites but don’t think I’ve accepted one (unless it’s a repeat sit already arranged on what’s app and then completed on ths site). As a sitter you know what you are looking for, where and when.
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So the sitter responds without explicit demands. But they can still suggest things…
Sorry but that’s utterly ridiculous. As a homeowner, we try to be proactive to find someone, so all you need to do is decline
I completely understand that and thank you for your input. As a HO, I think it’s just trying to be proactive and think outside of the box and make connections for potential future dates even if the ones invited for don’t work
As a sitter, I was happy when a homeowner reached out to me. Their sitter had canceled and I had marked their sit as a favorite, but didn´t apply. I wasn´t available to arrive the day of the sit. They were able to workout coverage with a neighbor for that time. It was a great sit!
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I’d suggest never paying sitters on THS, because it’s against terms and ethos. If you are willing to pay, there typically are other platforms and non-THS sitters who charge aboveboard.
If someone charges via THS, not only does it violate terms, I’d consider them sketchy. And why let a sketchy person into your home and trust them with your pet(s)?
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I’ve contacted over 30 sitters and each is is not available! But I go off their days also why is this happening it’s so frustrating as I need a sitter for 26th April till 19th may I’m getting so disheartened with the site as it’s constantly the same reply no .
How can I get a sitter any ideas please 
I stand corrected. My apologies.