I have made it more boring now 
The quote from the THS terms & conditions and stating that I did not regard myself to be obligated to pay for limitless emergency home repairs or veterinary expenses was mostly meant to provoke THS, to see if they would force me to remove it. They never did contact me about that part (but they removed the link to my travel blog).
Hi, thanks for the feedback- Iām struggling to link my profile as on my phone, Iāll do it later when Iām at home.
All reviews and references are positive.
I am worried about potential hosts noticing the gap in reviews, like you pointed out, but thereās nothing I can do now.
See my post below about cancelling sits- I wasnāt clear, these werenāt confirmed they were just obviously going to be confirmed and then things changed for myself/owners- we do tend to go for families as they tend to be more accessible for us, and having kids is unpredictable 
Hi @catscatscats24 I have gone ahead and linked your profile for you. 
You donāt need to worry about this as homeowners canāt see any sits youāve done where no review was left by the homeowner.
Hi @catscatscats24 I read on your profile about Host a Sister. I only just discovered that site a few days ago and thought how wonderful it is. I am looking into signing up to it for my in between sit times. Have you used it yourself for accommodation or just as a host? A great thing for women!
@ziggy
Iāve recently stayed with someone through host a sister and it was horrible. Donāt think Iāll use it again in a hurryā¦
@andrealovesanimals oh really? Thatās interesting and the feedback I was hoping for. I guess some are ok but obviously not all. Thanks for the info.
Never mind.
I didnāt need an explanation.
Yes youāre absolutely right, thanks so much, I feel much better about things today
I hear you, but we usually only want to look after cats because my son can be anxious around them depending on the dog, and my partner isnāt keen (he doesnt always come due to work so itās not an issue). We have looked after a couple of friends dogs at our house for a week or 2 and itās fine, but Iād definitely rather look after cats only on ths than taking a risk with someone elseās pet, so I choose the sits I apply for carefully.
Iām no less of an animal lover because Iām not so keen on massive dogs. If anything itās being much more considerate and giving each application the thought and merit it deserves?
Much better! Fingers crossed for you.
Host a Sister is a group that women can join to host or be hosted during travels. Itās potluck ā you might end up sleeping on someoneās couch, for instance. Or it might be a guest suite. Itās person to person, without any promise of comfort. Some folks donāt mind, because saving money is their priority. Sisters also will help in a jam, say if someone is suddenly stranded and has nowhere to stay. You can find the group on Facebook and other social media.
@Maggie8K Thanks for explaining that to Katie. Iām not sure what host a sister means in the US but glad you explained it was a good thing, and just for women.
Host a sister is a Facebook group. No profiles or references or anyone to turn to when things go wrong. I was hosted by a woman whose behaviour was controlling and cantankerous. Obviously there are wonderful people on it too. I did one pet sit through it and that was great.
Now I can see your profile, if you want to try some mixed sits you definitely need to put something in to indicate that you like dogs too and would be attentive to their needs. Youāre quite right to set your boundaries in terms of what you are comfortable with, but bear in mind you donāt have to accept if youāre offered a sit with a big or boisterous dog, but youāre unlikely to get offered any if you donāt come across a bit more enthusiastic about dogs.
If I hadnāt just confirmed a sitter Iād have invited you to apply for ours- our dog is the perfect āstarter dogā for a nervous kid as he is shy but friendly himself, adores kids but will just approach to a few feet away and drop his ball politely for them to throw. But I wouldnāt have chosen you based on your profile without the conversation on this thread, so I do think you could make some changes that will help.
Aw he sounds perfect!
I think itās very hard to gauge a āstarterā dog from a profile 
But yes, good advice. Tbh I had no intention of looking for dog sits originally hence the cat heavy profile but as we had this spaniel stay with us I realised we could handle it. And I havenāt update since, so yes, youāre absolutely right.
Iām not sure where in the world you are but if you have dates in future give me a shout!
Thanks, I appreciate your words. I totally understand that people are more inclined to have a single/couple to sit - Iād be the same as itās less work. I guess the thing that appeals for me is that when we stay in homes where kids live itās a bit more relaxed in some ways. The first time we did our external sit, the owner left the house pristine, the second time, there was stuff all over (not dirty, just cluttered), and I took that as a sign she was comfortable with us, and we were much more relaxed overall!
So our external returning sit is via host a sister. Iām not gonna lie, we had a mutual friend who Iām sure we both messaged to check the other was ok, she is actually from the rural community I grew up in, so it was one of those where you know itās legit. Itās been brilliant and Iām hoping we can return for a third time this year. Iām not sure I would have done it if we hadnāt had those links- obviously having kids Iām more cautious. That said, we have had a couple of guests who have been really lovely, so I recommend but do the research,yknow?
I rarely apply for sits abroad as they usually go unanswered.
That said, the only dog sit I got a response from was in Sweden but I chickened out cos the dog was a rescue (not stated in listing) so I fwlt we were not well equipped!
I think petowners are perhaps nervous that something will go wrong when coming from afar, so Iāve decided from now on that if Iām applying abroad and ever happen to be successful, we will arrive earlier as it will be less stressful!
Rescue dogs can be sweet and easy too. The first dog sit I did was with a rescue dog. She must be the easiest dog on the planet. I still go back regularly to look after her. 
My second dog sit was with a huge dog, considered a dangerous breed in some countries, who was also super easy and gentle.
I guess it has to feel right. And you have to feel that you can do it. If you apply for dog sits but feel doubtful inside, owners can probably sense that.