When petsitting, do any other sitters get attached to the pets? I lost my beloved bestie (Labrador mix dog) a few months ago, and now when I petsit, I get emotional/teary-eyed when the sit is over and really miss the pets. Does anyone else go through this?
Hi @anon49809275 welcome to our community forum and what a wonderful question to ask, and Iām pretty sure that I know the responses you will get ā¦
Here is mine to start. I have been sitting now for 14 years, with TrustedHousesitters since the very beginning, over 200 sits so many animals, all creatures great and small and Iāve shed buckets of tears. Admittedly Iāve gotten attached to some more than others but I get attached to them all, for the time Iām caring for them, they are mine ā¦ and I miss them when I leave but the joy is knowing there is another one just a sit away.
We are a community with pets and animals at the very heart of what we do and during COVID our sitter members missed one part of their lifestyle more than anything else ā¦ the pets!!
Thank you for being part of our amazing community, enjoy the forum and connecting with other pet loving members.
Angela and the Team
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Every time I leave a house , I have to adjust to be alone at night and look for them. I get up early because they go pee but nobody around. You get attached to some more than the others. That is why I love repeat sits.
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Hi @Angela_L
Thank you for the response. When I lost my bestie, I decided not to get another dog because it just hurt so much losing him. I joined THS because of the love I have for animals and to help with the hurt of the loss. It allows me to spend time with amazing animals. I just never thought I would get so emotional when I leaveā¦thanks for sharing that I am not the only one that feels this way.
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Hi @ Grandma
I did that after I lost my dog. I would get up in the middle of the night and swear I heard him outside my door or come home and expect to see him. I also love repeat sits where you are used to the animal and vice versa.
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Thatās exactly my story too ā¦I lost my beloved Holly and she led me to pet sitting to heal my heart and bring pet joy and pet people back into my life.
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I feel very uncomfortable for couple days after I leave a house.
Something , someone missing. I look the floor all the time.
Funny, I am not alone.
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My story sounds similar to yours sharondc, I also had a dog that was my bestie. After he passed away I was so heartbroken (for years) that I did not want to get another dog because I didnāt want that heartbreak again. Itās not fair our furry friends have such a short life is it? I also get attached when petsitting, last sit I was saying goodbye all teary-eyed. But like Angela said, itās nice to know there will be other pets in the future to care for.
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@anon49809275 i sure do! I have gone back to sits that in many ways were not ideal just because i missed a dog or cat and i always get excited on the way thereā¦saying goodbye is hard especially when you have been on good adventures with a happy to be exploring dog! its why most of us keep doing it i thinkā¦when i get a message saying a loved animal has died, i have really struggled with that and its happened a few times nowā¦it tells me my love for them was real
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Pets become family members. The thing is, when I lost a family member, even parents, it didnāt hit me as hard as when I lost my dog, Rocko. He was just thatāa rock. I never imagined seeing empty water and dog bowls that I would no longer need to fill. Or passing by his leash on a nail and realize their would be no more walks to take. So, no, it doesnāt seem fair when their life is cut short. But as we wipe away our tears, we remember that we do have the loving memories to help the healing.
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I also feel super excited in anticipation of spending time with the pets. It also feels great when they are excited to see you and going out and exploring the adventures you mention. Saying goodbye to a pet that has passed away is never easy; all we can do is reflect on the great memories created and shared.
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My first pet-sit was in the deep snow of January 2010. We looked after 2 funny dogs of no particular breed. While we were leaving after a week, saying goodbye to the dogs, I burst into tears, This completely took me by surprise.
I had been walking round with an undated letter of resignation for months, waiting for the trigger to set early retirement in motion. I went into work the next day and handed in the now dated letter and started my new pet loving lifeā¦
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It is just unexplainable how animals can move us emotionally with no warning. It is a bond like no other. They warm our hearts with unconditional love and when they leave us, there is an unimaginable void. Finding new love in pets always helpsā¦have fun in your new āpet loving lifeā.
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@Itchyfeet yes you can get caught out by some dogsā¦its the bright and alive eyesā¦the wagging tailā¦the excitement of going out the door for an adventureā¦and thats just the sitter i am describing!
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Oh gosh Sharon
I thought I was the only one that got emotionally attached to the pets I sit for.
There is always the odd one that stays in my mind.
I have even had a little cry when leaving such special ones.
My last sit was one of those times. With a beautiful German Shepherd who never left my side. Iād broken my foot & she stayed by me night & day she was my furry guardian Angel 
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@Crazydoglady @anon49809275 yes they get under your skinā¦i LOVE German Shepherds! I looked after one called Sienna down at Dorkingā¦a rescue dog. She was probably wrongly homedā¦five boys of different agesā¦a very loud houseā¦quad bikesā¦trail bikesā¦etc and she was SO timid. Well they all went away on holiday and I just went quietly about the place often having dinner on a campfire out the backā¦having lived in Australia for many years its what I know bestā¦and I think I might even have seen a few stars. Sienna would get in under my chair and just drift offā¦and that was the pattern Then the family came home and she crept under the chair and made herself as small as she couldā¦donāt get me wrong they absolutely loved that dog and boys will be boys BUT she needed a quiet place and it was not there. When I was leaving the next day she came out to the front of the house as I was putting my bag in the boot of the carā¦stretched her legs right up and around my neckā¦it broke my heart to leave that dog!
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That is pure joy in this German Shepherdās eyes.
Nicely put āfurry guardian Angelāā¦perfect way to describe dogs; they instinctively know when you are not feeling well and protect you in their own way by staying by your side.
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@carpediem
Aww that is heartbreaking 
she wanted to go with you bless her. Iām nearly in tears here x
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Wouldnāt it be wonderful if the pets could write our reviews
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@Crazydoglady ā¦donāt cryā¦Iām already crying for both if us!!
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