And those one finds among the “Recommended sits”, the default sorting order.
Tip: set your sorting order to “New sits”.
5 Likes
I am so sorry that was your first sit. Always reach out to THS SUPPORT LINE on app or phone or email. And all comms w host via THS app that way they are aware and it’s on record for them and you.
We’re here for you. So sorry again. We all learn as we go but that is a tough one. As a dog rescuer I can understand how you felt I would not have been able to stay.
In addition there are a lot of new hosts on the platform some/many taking advantage of a free sitter. We are not allowed to help them keep a business running - whatever that maybe and breeding for better or worse is a business. Report to THS now so they are aware of the breach of code of conduct and leave an honest review.
We have not had a THS Welcome Guide for the majority of Sits that we have completed.
1 Like
Thank you! I have 3 additional confirmed sits and have all of their contact details. Very helpful!
3 Likes
Thank you! I reported it to THS and they have been amazing!!!
2 Likes
@Mexicobound This is so horrible and I’m so sorry you had to go through this experience! My husband and I have been sitting locally for over a year. We’ve had amazing sits with welcoming, gracious owners and pets we have a hard time leaving because we’ve become so attached. We are asked back by many owners because of the mutual trust gained from a great sit. We have learned some lessons along the way, though. ALWAYS have a video chat or physical visit before committing. If it’s a video chat, you can ask for a quick video tour of the house. Keep an eye out for how dirty things may be. We’ve learned that we don’t want to commit to a sit where we’re having to spend the first hours cleaning so we felt comfortable staying there. If an owner has several past sitters that haven’t left a review, that’s a red flag. Sitters would sometimes rather not give a bad review so they say nothing at all. Also, there is not a responsible owner that has a problem with you asking for details on the care of their pet or home. Ask as many questions as you need to feel prepared.
3 Likes
This in spades
if they don’t like the questions then there’s probably an issue #askaway
3 Likes
Agreed. Some sitters are afraid to ask Qs and be turned down, which probably means they end up with riskier or crummier sits.
I can’t add much to what has been posted above but if the HO persist with a claim for damaged items, you could suggest to them that you are the one who will be making a claim for injuries sustained while separating fighting dogs.
I’m an HO, not a sitter, but personally find it difficult to exercise control over more than two dogs. Ten would be a job for more than two people even in the best environment.
1 Like
What a horrific situation to find yourself. The owners knew exactly what they were doing when they failed to list the number of dogs. It sounds more like a puppy mill if those babies were starved for affection.
3 Likes
What a horrendous situation. I also had an overwhelming experience with a chronically sick dog and then a passive aggressive review my first sit a few months ago so I know exactly how you feel. And I do understand your reluctance to leave a negative review. To not look like a whinger I gave five stars and focused on the positive. I was in shock at seeing what they wrote. I feel there might be a lot of demanding pet owners coming on here as compared to the past and as new members without reviews that is what is available for us mostly. We should not have to pay to be exposed to this abuse and then use more of our time to report members to animal authorities. TH must come up with something to prevent this. I would say TH refuse members with more than three large animals such as dogs, horses, goats etc. If someone takes on a load of animals in their lives they have to understand it is a job and responsibility to give them the best care possible and as such shouldn’t expect to find free services. This is a set up for abuse right off the bat because these kinds of owners might also lie about the situation as evidence in my own case and the case here. My next sit looks good but well…who knows. No guarantees.
By writing a review that glossed over a bad sit, you’re actually contributing to the problem, though. That means another sitter can walk into the sit and unknowingly face needless problems.
Why should THS do that when all of us sitters can just skip such listings if we don’t want them? Some sitters relish such sits.
6 Likes
@lollykaiser There is noneed tolimit the number of animals in a listing. Sitters shoukd only apply to sit for the number and type of animsls they are capable of caring for. We did a wonderful sit with 4 large animals (a Scottish Deerhound lurcher and 3 sheep). All were lovely animals, wasy to care for and well within our capabilites.
Limiting the number of certain types of animal is actually more likely to result in those very few owners who might be inclined to be dishonest in their listing being so. There would be almost no difference in the effort in caring for 3, 4 or 5 sheep. It really is up to the sitter to be aware of their own capabilities and limitations.
Iy is really important that sitters leave an honest teview when there are issues with a sit, to help future sitters avoid unsuitable sits. You will not be seen as a “whinger” if you don’t whinge! Keep it factual and word it in a pleasant manner. There are lots of examples on this forum where members have suggested wording for reviews. You can always ask for help.
4 Likes
Thank god you reported them to local authorities - poor pups. Sounds like you’ve done your very best in what sounds like a traumatic first sit 
1 Like
This is absolutely not normal. I wonder how it even got this far the sit should never have been approved by THS. It breaches so many rules. You should insist on the Welcome guide ahead of your sit. I have been a user of sitters and a sitter for over 10 years and have never experienced anything like this (mind you I wouldn’t accept a sit with more than one dog and generally do cats) please don’t give up on THS and enjoy your next sit.
1 Like
I am so sorry to hear your first experience turned out so terribly.
I think a situation like this is exceedingly rare --I can’t imagine there are lots of people utilizing a site like THS to get help running shady breeding operations.I also believe sits that would be this challenging and misrepresented are also pretty rare. But to say your experience is not commonplace is not to minimize what happened to you.
While it is possible for even the most experienced sitter who does the utmost due diligence to run into unexpected problems, there are ways to minimize risks considerably. I have been sitting a decade and while I have had some things happen that I didn’t anticipate or sometimes things went a bit differently than I expected, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. So just a few tips for selecting sits moving forward:
Trust your gut. If something seems off about a listing don’t apply. Sometimes this feeling won’t seem to be triggered by anything in particular and the listing will seem perfectly fine ‘on paper’ But trust the feeling and move on. This feeling doesn’t necessarily mean it may be some horrible experience, it just may mean it isn’t the most ideal sit for you.
Think carefully about your preferences and honor them when selecting sits. This is something that can evolve over time as you do more of them so there can be a bit of a learning curve here. But as of right now, think about what you are willing to deal with and not willing to deal with.
Think about if you have any strong preferences for the types of environments or homes you want to stay in, the types of pets, the range of responsibilities,etc… If you feel strongly about certain things, don’t compromise because the location is desirable, you are rushing to fill open dates,etc…
As someone who sits full time, my top priority is my day to day comfort–I always find myself passing on applying for sits in really desirable locations because I don’t think I would be comfortable in the home for a variety of reasons, and I know the location won’t compensate for that.
If something feels off when you connect with a host on a video chat or written communications prior to connecting and confirming the sit, don’t take it.
If the listing doesn’t contain information that is important for you to know be sure to ask–the best time is in your initial message when you apply. Don’t make any assumptions.
For example, if I see a listing that mentions a cleaning person and it doesn’t say how often they come, I will ask because I don’t do sits where they are in the house on a daily or near daily basis for hours at a time–this can be more commonplace in certain areas of the world, and having experienced it on one of my first sits, I know I don’t like it.
For a sit like this one, you would have been well within your rights to leave and THS would have supported that decision given your physical safety was in danger and the host was breaking a number of terms, namely having you help run a business. You could have left even if they didn’t, but in this instance your membership would have been placed in jeopardy if the host raised a complaint against you, and sitters need to decide if they want to take that risk or not. I suspect a lot don’t and they put up with certain situations, and that is fine–they just need to own their choice.
I think a sit being so bad that a sitter wants to leave early is pretty rare too, but it can happen. So another thing to consider in the future is if you were to run into this situation where you would want to leave, do you have the means to book alternate accommodations if you couldn’t find another sit?
Many sitters find themselves feeling stuck because of financial reasons. Again, I think this is a pretty rare occurrence but if it something that would weight heavily on your mind, this might factor into where you apply to sits as some places will have much higher costs for hotels and such.
5 Likes
This is UTTERLY HORRIBLE (even before the brdding issues are considered) and I’m so sorry that your first experience was so awful.
This is not the norm.
I do not mean this in a chastising way. I offer it as advice so that your future sits will be great experiences : Ask a zillion questions - about the pet(s), about the home, even about previous sitters and how they interacted, about how the owners walk, feed, play, and interact with their animals. The list of potential questions is endless so I won’t even begin to offer any especially because others have chimed in.
BTW - I would have reported these people to local authorities…but that is just me.
I have reported the sit to TrustedHousesitters and local authorities. The support at TH has been amazing! I am currently on my 2nd official sit and couldn’t be happier. Thoroughly enjoying my time with new pet babies and exploring local attractions. I will be sad to leave, which is a good thing in this sit!!! 
Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply to my post. I read all of the comments and it made me appreciate even more this wonderful community 
14 Likes
Thank you for letting us know you are already «back on the horse» and thriving! So happy to hear you had great support and are doing good! 
4 Likes
@Mexicobound So glad to hear you are alright. That sit sounds like very dangerous conditions for a sitter to walk into. I’m curious did they do a live hand over such that you were there before they left to see the conditions of the pens, # of dogs etc.? Being new, I can see how hard it would be to walk away but that might have been your best bet. I realize this is hindsight and you want to take care of the pets first and foremost. Good luck on your next sit! 
2 Likes