Please, please add a filter that allows sitters to sort out listings by how long the pets can be left. The ability to check a box that would eliminate " pet can be left up to 2 hours", etc., from the results would save so much time. I will never apply for a sit during which the pets cannot be left for a minimum of 4 hours and this filter would save time for the thousands of sitters like me that won’t take those sits.
It would be a great idea to share with HOs that sitters can sort by this criteria as well.
I dunno. It just seems a bit odd to be going into caring for someone’s animals, if uppermost in your mind is how long you can get the heck away from them..
I don’t think it’s necessarily ‘uppermost’ in people’s minds but, in my view, certainly one of a number of factors to be considered. Most pets don’t require 24 hr supervision.
Odd? No, what is odd is being unable to comprehend that THS offers and exchange, not a one way free labor service. Most healthy human beings leave their homes for hours every day. Pets that cannot be left for more than 2 hours are in an unhealthy relationship with their owners or have serious health issues that make them unsuitable candidates for a fair exchange.
I agree @DTours , personally I feel some dogs have been trained to take on their owners anxiety. I might take on a 2 hour sit in extremely rare cases, but for the most part I would want to know I can get my groceries and have lunch without worrying the pet is going nuts. Have sat for excellent dogs who have gone everywhere with us on trams and into pubs, but were equally ok to be at home while we visited a castle. That’s true fair exchange .
My point wasn’t about pets needing “nursemaids”, but that it strikes me as rather skewed priorities, if one of your major concerns when signing up to look after an animal is how long that animal can be left unattended. After all, if it were a human child, no-one would question that. Yes yes, I know animals aren’t humans; but to my mind, the same criteria apply.
But then, I supposed it comes back to the difference between the old THS, where sitters were doing it for the love of the animals, with the bonus of a chance to stay wherever they wanted to be…And the new THS/“the Free AirBnB”, where all the focus and all the questions are about location, location, location… (Pets? What pets..?? Ach, must we?!)
I think you are profoundly mistaken in the belief that the majority of sitters ever sat solely for the love of animals. It has always been a trade of animal care for lodging first and foremost. I love most animals and enjoy the companionship offered on my sits, but I don’t buy plane tickets or drive cross country solely for the opportunity to snuggle a sweet dog or cat. I can do that right in my own home town at my local shelter. When I travel, I do so for the purpose of enjoying the location I am traveling to.
So yes, Location is the top criteria for me followed by the temperament of the animals and the reasonableness of the care expectations. To me “can’t be left for more that 2 hours” is wildly unreasonable and I would like to sort those sits out altogether.
I find some pet owners expect sitters to do things they would never be able to consistently do themselves. No one can consistently leave an animal alone for only two hours or walk a dog one hour, twice a day. . Doctors appointments, rain, snow, traffic, life in general will make it personally impossible to accomplish. We steer clear of persnickety pet owners. We are retired and do THS for the love of pets. We don’t need unrealistic expectations. There are plenty of other sits when we want one.
It’s perfectly standard for people to have time away from the pets and there’s many discussions about it on here. You can’t take dogs into museums, restaurants etc most of the time unless they’re guide dogs. People want to have a life, we’re not unpaid servants.
I don’t find these types of questions odd at all. I actually think a more detailed filtering process would benefit both pet parents and sitters.
For me, there are three components to a house sit: caring for the pets, caring for the property, and the travel experience itself. I consider all three before applying. How many animals are there? What level of care do they require? How long can they comfortably be left alone? Where is the home located? What is there to experience in the area? Those answers help me determine whether we’re a good match before either party invests time in an interview.
Asking how long a pet can be left alone is particularly important. If the answer is two hours and I know I would like several hours to explore the destination, then I know immediately that the sit isn’t compatible with my needs. There is nothing wrong with the pet parent’s requirement, and there is nothing wrong with my deciding that it doesn’t work for me.
Sitters are also investing in the exchange. We may be paying for airfare, trains, ground transportation and other travel expenses to reach the home, while providing our time and labor caring for the pets and property. Wanting enough free time to experience the destination doesn’t diminish the quality of care we provide.
That’s why I would welcome more filters, including number and type of pets and how long they can be left alone. It isn’t about determining which sits are “good” or “bad.” It’s about allowing both sides to identify compatible arrangements more efficiently.
Some of my best experiences have actually been with pet parents who encouraged me to get out, explore and enjoy their city. They understood that excellent pet care and having a life outside the home are not mutually exclusive.
I think this is where we simply have a different understanding of what constitutes responsible sitting.
Asking how long an animal can comfortably be left alone is not evidence of skewed priorities. It is information a responsible sitter needs in order to determine whether they can meet that particular animal’s needs before committing to the sit. If the answer is two hours and the sitter knows that does not work for them, surely it is better to establish that before accepting rather than afterward.
I also don’t think comparing a pet to a human child is particularly useful here. We don’t leave children home alone because children require human supervision for safety and legal reasons. Healthy adult pets are routinely left home while their owners work, shop, socialize, attend appointments, and otherwise live their lives. The appropriate amount of time depends on the individual animal, which is precisely why asking the question matters.
I also disagree with the suggestion that caring about location somehow indicates that a sitter no longer loves animals. These things are not mutually exclusive. A person can provide excellent, attentive care to an animal and also want to experience the destination they have invested their own time and money to reach.
Perhaps the “old THS” worked differently for some people, but I don’t think nostalgia establishes the correct motivation for everyone participating in an exchange. Homeowners have criteria for selecting sitters, and sitters are equally entitled to have criteria for selecting sits.
For me, asking questions before committing isn’t “Pets? What pets?” It’s actually the opposite: Tell me about your pets and their needs so I can determine whether I am genuinely the right person to care for them.
Yes it’s uppermost in my mind as I pet sit in order to visit my 90 year old Uncle in Jersey. If it’s an hour’s bus journey each way- then I can have a 2 hour visit with him so 4 hours away from any pets is my minimum I’m afraid.
Personally I think there are enough filters. Just read the ad carefully and ask the owners to clarify. The application process can take time and proper research but too many filters just makes it tedious.
@DTours, we applaud any competent THS functionality that helps to find a great fit between pet parents, pets and housesitters. One component of that - OP - is housesitter determining whether to submit an application to a listing. Presumably like most housesitters, we use multiple decision criteria. Those criteria probably vary a great deal across the housesitter community. So filters that somehow shortlist listings seem very useful to the housesitter and probably help pet parent too, as better applicants.
Thanks for sharing this! I did not know about this. Following your link, I played with it a bit, it is still being worked out (many of my queries were returned as “unsearchable”) but once they really get it working, it will definitely help.
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