So there’s a lot going on right now. I managed to acquire 3 pet sits that begin and end simultaneously. I am leaving for the first house sit in a few hours from Hawaii to California. It ends on my bday Aug 26 and my second sit begins on Aug 26th in the same neighborhood. However, just a day ago I received notice my grandmother just passed and a funeral and burial in NYC is scheduled for 2 days into the three week sit. What makes things more complicated is I’m using THS to move off island to the area in Cali I’m pet sitting in and was using this as a tool to search for apartments. I don’t want to cancel my second pet sit to be away up to 3 days. I’m really distraught because this is the last thing I thought would happen on my journey of preparing to move and pet sitting. I still haven’t informed the home owner yet because I don’t want to lose the opportunity to sit from my birthday to mid September. Perhaps someone can watch the cat for the 3 days in between the sit during the time I am away for the funeral? That would be up to the homeowner. I’m not sure what to do😥
HO is the key here.
You’ll need to notify HO, tell them that you are willing to do the sit but will need to attend the funeral from «time» to «time». If HO would like to have you sit then HO can arrange other petsitter those days, or otherwise HO can cancel and get another sitter.
It is the interest of both of you to get this clarified ASAP.
@cwalthall so sorry for your loss and the unfortunate timing of it all.
You really only have 3 options here and only you can decide what you need to do:
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Complete your sits and attend the funeral service online. (Cheapest option, least disruptive, but emotionally hardest)
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Ask the home owners if they have an emergency contact person that can cover you for 3 days. And continue your planned sits around these 3 days. (Expensive last minute flights, a bit disruptive, but clear emotional conscious)
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Cancel sits and attend funeral (expensive, extremely disruptive for all parties)
Many owners would usually have a Plan B in place, especially if they are seasoned users, so you might be pleasantly surprised that point 2 could work if a neighbour or friend could step in. But it’s always hard to ask. Good luck with your decisions.
As HO, I would hope you’d talk to me about it before stressing out and also before making any decisions. I think @botvot presented three good options, any of which should work. A sitter of ours was asked to go officiate a wedding during our 5 week trip and we arranged with a neighbor to come feed the animals for a couple days. It was fine.
Hopefully this HO has a backup (they should). Learning from our own minor miscommunication, I suggest everyone is clear on the dates and times for a handover well before you leave. Also make sure you have the back-up’s contact info so you can check in before you go, when you return, and in case of any delay. I’m sorry for your loss, I hope things go smoothly for you.
Thank you so much for this advice! The second option is the ideal option for me. I plan on being present to the funeral and would like if someone could cover for the 3 days until I return. I just received notice the funeral and burial will be September 5 and 6 so this will provide some time for the HO to perhaps find a neighbor or relist the listing for the few days I will be away.
Given that the Sit is coming up very soon, the Owner will likely try to figure out how to cover for the 3 days, but I would not approach the Owner with the assumption that they are going to do this.
I think your odds are best to let the Owner know asap, and if you already have your plane tickets, that you provide the exact timing of your trip (both directions) when you tell them. If I were the Owner, I would probably want to “sleep on it” and brainstorm and let you know my decision tomorrow.
@cwalthall We have a very similar situation on our next sit which has been confirmed for 11 months .
We contacted the owner immediately to inform them , apologise for any inconvenience, stating when we would need to leave and when we would be back . We asked them if it was possible to arrange some alternative cover for that period . We asked them to think it over and let us know their decision on what would be best for them and their pets .
We really hoped they would be able to find alternative cover , but also are fully aware that if this wasn’t possible , practical or their preferred option that they may decide to cancel the whole sit and re-list . Whilst it would be really disappointing (and inconvenient ) for us if the sit was cancelled (it’s a sit we are really looking forward to ) We understood that this had to be the host’s decision and not ours .
The owner is very empathetic and is arranging alternative cover for the time we need to be away . We are really appreciative .
I hope you get a similar resolution @cwalthall . Please report back to the forum.