I’m the same age as you I have been a sitter for 3 yrs now but it took 20 applications before I got my first sit I’m fit outdoor lady & don’t look my age Some said my profile was great but I had no experience One said I was too small to handle her big dog Most did not reply
3 Likes
I must confess to favouring older sitters. My cats are more comfortable with older people and being in regional New South Wales, Australia there is not much to do of an evening. Sadly right now i can’t look forward to international sitters as Australia is closed to tourists and I am in an area (about 100k from Sydney) that is locked down and will probably remain so for quite a bit longer.
4 Likes
NSW is having a hard time at present but just keep in mind there are great sitters in our wonderful country who would love to look after your cats while you also enjoy what Oz has to offer.
2 Likes
Absolutely. I’ve been fortunate enough to have 3 decent holidays this year and hopefully more to come. It is sad though to have to cancel due to lock downs. Hoping my August booking can go ahead.
3 Likes
Thanks @Angela_L for linking this thread to a new topic. Very interesting read!
Age does matter to us, at least in some ways. We live in a tropical country, and the temperature and humidity are always rather high. So, sitters over 60 with no experience of living in the tropics might not be the best match for us.
We’re also quite careful with very young sitters, who appear to be looking for a free holiday to explore Bangkok’s night life.
In our listing we don’t state anything about preferred age of the sitter, because we know there are exeptions in both of these age groups, and we do not want to exclude those individuals from applying.
5 Likes
We are “experienced” “mature” sitters .
However having my age published on our profile is the one big thing on the THS profile that I really would like removed .
Whilst it might have gained us some sits from HOs who wanted “mature” sitters . In all other aspects of my life I don’t like disclosing my age.
I am happy to provide my date of birth for verification purposes and keep our profile photo up to date . We always offer to meet pet parents on a video call - we have nothing to hide and they can determine our maturity for themselves .
Why is it only the sitters age that is shown and not Pet parents too ? Also a PP profile photo shows up as a tiny thumbnail photo that you can’t expand.
I would like sitters age to be removed from all profiles as it’s not necessary and doesn’t indicate how experienced or responsible a person will be . Is it just me or does anyone else feel the same way ?
9 Likes
We’re with you @Silversitters - no need for listing a sitter’s age, it’s very old fashioned. Would also like a decent profile pic of HOs on all listings like ours too. We’ve “lost” sits because we’re too old at 48/51 and therefore not perceived as cool enough. Human interaction is very interesting is it not 
3 Likes
@Cuttlefish age discrimination! At your tender age!
I think its the hosts who are not cool! If they know what great & experienced world travellers you are!
We have never (knowingly!) been turned down regarding age (59/61) but we do tend to specialise in larger properties, where hosts are often a similar age, & where life experience would certainly be considered an advantage. But we’ve also been chosen by younger people for exactly that reason too- they feel reassured. I wonder what kind of sit(s) you got turned down for being too old?!
@Silversitters I’m not bothered about sharing my age but I would really appreciate seeing a picture of the hosts- they should be obliged to post one as part of their listing pics. We’ve done a couple of sits where we had no video call, no personal handover, saw no family pics in the house and still don’t know what the hosts look like!!
3 Likes
@Lokstar - thank you for the youth comments 
These spring chickens were turned down for a SE Asia island sit. They chose sitters their own age, early 30s. Win some, lose some as they say Only happened once though
5 Likes
Really interested to see this thread as it was quite timely for me. I am a new Home Owner (in my early 40s, and do have photos on my profile) and confess I was possibly slightly biased towards more mature sitters as I was thinking of experience.
The first sitter I had confirmed was a slightly more mature lady (65+). She ended up cancelling as she was going to have a new car following an accident in hers and she wasn’t comfortable driving on the motorway in a newer car.
It gave me another perspective on my bias which I found useful and interesting. i.e. mature sitters may be more experienced but there may be risk of a lowering in confidence (on occasion, obviously not generalising, everyone is individual etc).
Have just confirmed a new sitter in her mid-late 20s who I got a great feeling from so assuming all goes well I think my age bias might be gone for the future and I will instead rely on more detailed discussion about travel/transport and general “gut feel” 
4 Likes
I had a video call with a potential host recently and they said that I looked fit and healthy and they don’t usually choose sitters like that because they feared I’d be out hiking and partying instead of staying home with the pets. I reminded them that I’m about to turn 65 and my bed time is 9:30 pm. They chose me. 
4 Likes
I applied for a sit where they wanted to know if I was fit enough for uphill walks with the dog 
3 Likes
That is so funny, love it
1 Like
I had an experienced THS last time. This time I’m going with a young couple.
I just like the look of them !
1 Like
@pietkuip
How old were these people who asked that?
Just out of interest.
I am a sitter, but if I was a pet owner I’d choose the best fit, regardless of age.
If someone in their 60s and someone in their 20s seemed an equally good fit, I might go for the more mature (!)person.
I myself am in my 40s but still have trouble understanding that
2 Likes
Fortunately, after a varied career where I have sometimes been a “square peg in a round hole”, or “not quite the right fit” for whatever reason, I finally seem to have found a comfortable home with THS as an ideal sitter candidate. As a 61 year old single female (that works remotely, so spending a lot of time at home with a pet), I am deemed still fit enough to keep up with energetic dogs, having enough life experience to handle any surprises calmly and efficiently but also too old to be irresponsible or throw wild parties and trash the place ! 
Hopefully I am good for a few more years yet ! 
11 Likes
Hello @Sunnybunny and it’s lovely to see you back posting on the Forum again. It’s so lovely to hear that you are enjoying your THS journey, here’s to many more years 
4 Likes
They are in their 70’s but fit.
They asked because they had experiences with a sitter who had become too old to walk the dog.
1 Like
You have an exceptional story of a house sitter who developed into a great friend. I think it’s good to always stay open to those possibilities but in general, I have shied away from anyone under 25. My pets, garden and home require (in my mind) detailed care that I think most under 25 lack the maturity for–I know that was me back then! There is no way I would want me then to housesit for me now!
1 Like
Hopefully people who can’t walk a dog for the required time or can’t handle a dog because of its size, regardless of age, wouldn’t apply.
5 Likes