The dog sleeps in the house but the sitters are offered a cabin to sleep in 100 metres from the house down a path….you have use of the house during the day.
Hmm, not sure what to make of this listing. My 1st thoughts were what if the young dog was distressed we wouldn’t know, what if it’s raining we’ve got to tramp 100m down a muddy path to the sleeping quarters (it’s a winter sit in Southern England) in the dark….also what if there was a house fire we wouldn’t know as too far away in the ‘cabin’.
It sounds like a nice enough family just an odd set up…. And yes they’re new to THS so no Reviews.
I would never apply for a sit where the pets sleep in a different property for exactly the reasons you have stated.
Yes I saw that listing. Seemed a strange set up. They didn’t even offer main house or cabin option to a sitter.
I don’t think they’ve properly thought it through from a sitter’s perspective. I wonder if they’ve tested it out themselves to discover the practicality of the set up?
I’m wondering about the heating situation too.
It’s also got a ‘staff’ vibe to it….
I saw that listing a while back, or one very similar. I would never apply for such a sit. Why on earth would they not have the sitter staying in the main house with the dog since they’d be coming and going from it anyway?! It really smacks of staff/servant mentality- treating sitters like live-in staff, or in this case ‘live out in the shed’ staff! No way José!!
If you like the sit just tell them you prefer to sleep in the house. Maybe they think it’s a plus giving sitters private space away from the dog who may wake up very early and bother them. You never know the reason why they are offering this. They may think it will attract more sitters and may be thrilled you want to sleep in the house.
They might think sitters would prefer their lovely guest quarters cabin. I’d just ask if there’s a reason they don’t want you to stay in the house with the dog.
I think I saw this one and certainly wouldn’t apply, for the reasons you mention. Probably flipping cold in the cabin too!
If I knew which sit it was I would apply just to ask about the odd sleeping arrangments!
I feel the same, I always sleep with my bedroom door open so I can hear everything going on in the house, it’s not always a given a pet will sleep in the same room as a sitter, having them in an entirely different structure seems a bit cruel, to be honest, but they may feel that a sitter would be more comfortable in their own living quarters, especially if they’re new to the platform.
I’m pondering if others are sleeping in the house….
Or maybe hosts just haven’t thought it through …thinking cabin is nice and will be less disruption for us having to prepare the family bedrooms for a sitter .
Maybe they intend the dog sleeps in the cabin with the sitter ?
If it was a clear listing a sitter wouldn’t have to try and work out all the possible permutations or need to take up one of the 5 places to ask the question.
Totally agree with @twitcher that it shouldn’t be so tricky to work out. I would have messaged them to offer a few tips as they’re on low applications and they’re new, but we’re booked for their dates. The cabin actually looks gorgeous (as long as it’s warm), but leaving the young dog in the separate house overnight is the blocker for sure! That’s bad for the dog and the humans. #newhosts
This is an interesting one.
I’ve passed the scenario to the team to ask what the official advice is - I’ll pop back if I hear anything from them.
You’re more than welcome to send me the link via DM if you think seeing the listing would be useful!
Jenny 
Interestingly there’s something in the Ts & Cs that promises the sitter will provide on site overnight care for the pets as part of the sit. How does that work in this scenario @Jenny? If you look at East Sussex winter sits with a single cocker spaniel then you’ll find it. #intriguing
If the HO is offering you the cabin for extra time before or after the sit, then it could be that it’s easier for them to clean/prepare the cabin and not have to worry about preparing their house for you also.
Currently no sitter required. The dog is only 18 months old as well.
Just seen a listing where the dogs sleep in main house with the owners whilst sitter stay in an annex .
Responsibilities of the sitter to feed and walk the dogs whilst the owners will be living in the main house for the duration of the sit .
This is turning into a Boxed Set!