I don’t arrive with a gift but every once in a while I might leave flowers. But I ask the pet parent not to leave that detail in my review because I don’t want future pet parents to think it’s an automatic gift. Taking amazing care of their pets and home are my automatic gifts
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This is the Choice of the PP/Sitter
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I think it’s a sweet idea to bring a little something when you arrive, especially since the owner has been super helpful. Maybe a nice candle or a cute plant? Those are always a hit and easy to carry. Either way, I’m sure they’ll appreciate the gesture!
Deleted my post, no point saying anything, I don’t need to have the last say, enjoy all.
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I don’t care if other sitters bring gifts. As to your Q about why some sitters might mind: Because they probably worry that they’ll be expected to do likewise, even if they don’t want to. It’s the same with other things that some sitters mind. Like some go above and beyond with cleaning or other chores, or leaving hosts cooked meals, etc. That can bother other sitters, who worry that expectations are being raised among hosts.
Personally, I don’t care what other sitters do. I’ll sit my way.
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No, however, it can happen occasionally and spontaneously, on the spur of the moment. For example, during a previous interaction, the host might mention how much they love X. While waiting for my flight, I might see X in one of the shops and decide to buy it. This spontaneity once got me into a bit of trouble. On my way to Melbourne from Seoul, I saw some very interestingly looking dog snacks at the airport and bought them. It turned out I couldn’t bring them into Australia. Luckily, I declared them, or I could have been in serious trouble.
But as it was, it only cost me some extra time at the customs.
Yes, I have had that! Not with THS but travelling from Kyiv to Polish couchsurfing friends. They are foodies, so I had bought some snacks at a Kyiv market.
I could bin the sausage, that was no problem.
The problem was the “caviar” (I don’t think it was really genuine sturgeon caviar, but the label seemed to say so) that I showed when they asked if I had bought anything else.
I was in contravention of the International Treaty for the Protection of Endangered Species!
So that took a lot of time. In the end I signed a guilty plea of sorts in Polish that I could not read and I was let go. And I few weeks later I got a letter by registered mail from the Polish public prosecutor that they had dropped the case.
The Polish border officials were nice though. They apologized for the wait while they searched for translations, offered coffee, etc.
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We will usually bring along a bottle of wine if they are cooking for us the night before they leave.
What I have done that has turned into a big hit is, I will cook dinner for the night they arrive home if we are staying until next day to leave. Most owners have been thrilled to come home to a home cooked meal (usually I do a pasta dish). After traveling all day, it is a nice treat to come home to a clean house, a well cared for pet and a hearty meal.
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As owners, we do not expect any type of gift at the start or end of the sit from a sitter. The biggest gift you can give us is reliable, quality care of our pets and home with open communication. We are entrusting you with our 4 legged children and just about nothing is more important.
That said, as we request our sitter to arrive the night before our departure, taking them out to dinner is part of our routine as a thank you. Or, if they are local and we’ve done a warm hand-off prior, we leave a gift card for a local grocery to help them get started. We also assure there is plenty of coffee, tea, and a bottle or two of wine for them to enjoy if they wish.
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We don’t usually take anything with us, and we play-it-by-ear as to what we leave (if anything). So sometimes we simply leave milk and/or bread etc, and on other occasions it may be flowers, biscuits, chocs, fruit, or occasionally something for an instant meal for when the host arrives. Just depends, we let the host set the tone, and expect nothing, but show how grateful we are when a host goes the extra mile.
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I found on etsy someone who paints pictures of certain cities, like the NY skyline, so I have printed off those on my sits to Chicago and DC and then just put a note on there thanking them. I pet sit a large parrot and found a plastic plate that looked just like him, so left that for his parent with some caramels from the city I grew up in. I typically will leave a thank you note at the least.
We dont always but have occasionally. We also have been given gifts as hosts and sitters.
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So far I haven’t brought a gift with me to give but I have replaced fresh flowers and left a little gift or thank you note on occasion depending on the connection with the PP.
We always bring a gift from Australia when we are doing International sits.
Nothing too expensive, just some local foods like Tims Tams, Caramello Koalas, Macadamia nuts, Vegemite!! etc.
There are some nice Australian themed reusable shopping bags that I put everything in and then finish the gift off with a clip-on Koala to hold the bag closed.
For International sits we usually organise to arrive a day or two early and the homeowner always cooks us a meal, so it is a nice way to say thank you.
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I always leave a small gift, a token of appreciation - even if it’s just a personalized card and some small candy, or local treat 
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We don’t bring gifts to sits, but we do usually make a pot of soup and leave fresh milk and a loaf of bread, in case the pet parents are peckish on their return.
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I read your bullet point list quickly and at first thought you suggested giving the HO’s a hamster. That would be really funny to leave them an extra pet. 
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That’s an extremely thoughtful gesture for the HO’s. It must be very appreciated to come home to fresh milk, bread and fruit. Lovely idea.
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Thanks for being a lovely host - here, have a hamster 
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For my next HO, I will be taking a carload of plants from my garden to help with her restyling of hers - in our initial video call we realised that our style of gardening is similar (“wild naturalistic”) and as I have been dividing perennials it seems timely to take some with me.
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