My current hosts thoughtfully put all perishables in one fridge drawer and said I was welcome to them or to toss them all out. They’re all fresh and the fridge was left clean, with plenty of room for me. They said use whatever condiments I like and left me a selection of lovely teas and an electric kettle, because I don’t drink coffee.
I had told them at the outset that I don’t cook at all — I get takeout or prepped foods delivered.
They also cleared drawer and closet space in the master bedroom, which they’d prepped for me with bedding and towels. They even left an extra clean spread in case I wanted the dog to sleep with me, but left me to choose, because he normally sleeps in a kennel next to the bed.
The dog is so cute and well behaved. Whenever we head to the bedroom, he puts himself in the kennel right away.
Maggie8K - I know from your posts that you are particular about the sits you’ll take.
And that’s fair with your proven track-record of being an excellent Sitter. This pup looks like a sweetheart! We’ve had all types - seems to me pets generally reflect their owners. Considerate people = happy well-behaved pets! (Not always, but seems to be a thing!)
I actually think no one should sit for bad hosts. If everyone were more selective and bad hosts didn’t get sitters, they’d probably wash out of THS naturally.
It would be great if everyone did due diligence and wrote honest reviews. Sitters, as well as hosts.
And always have a backup plan, so you don’t end up trapped or stranded, whether as a sitter or host.
It seems THS has overdone their advertising - a lot of people who do not have the win/win mentality have joined, people on both sides of the equation who exploit the naivete of others and don’t get called out for it.
The other thing that annoys me is that THS won’t do anything about BOTS robo-responding. I saw a post I thought I might reply to: two dates in a place I’m interested in. It had JUST gone up (wasn’t there 5 minutes earlier). Within another 5 minutes it was “reviewing applications” for both sits. I don’t believe 10 applications happened in 5 minutes (5 per date) that fast with Sitters able to carefully read and respond.
That’s a formula for HO getting only a short list of perhaps the most eager but not necessarily the most conscientious sitters.
I don’t know whether THS’s advertising is necessarily leading to a change in sitters or hosts. It could be. It also could be that there simply is a ceiling on how many people exist who grasp the concept of a fair exchange and/or are a fit for such. It could be a combo of both.
Why I say that: It’s not unusual for companies to hit a ceiling or encounter diminishing returns on trying to attract a certain type of customer or user. They often have to deal with that reality. THS might end up staying a niche business for that and other reasons.
Some folks on the forum know THS accepted money from a private equity firm. When that was announced, they said the business was valued at $100 million. In the startup world, that’s still small potatoes. It remains to be seen whether THS can scale significantly.
ITA with this. House/petsitting as an exchange is a niche market. Just as coouchsurfing is. Just as the original premise of Airbnb (staying in a spare room - or even just a couch at the beginning! - while the people who live there are also at home) was.
If the emphasis is on expansion, and especially on the parent company earning more money for investors, something will change. The more people who join not understanding or caring about the original premise, the easier it is to adjust what the “product” really is.
I am happy to report we are currently on a 2 week sit in a gorgeous home in Southern California (our 2nd time here) where the fridge was meticulously cleaned, plenty of room was made for our food, an entire pantry shelf was also emptied for our own items and the guest rooms and bathrooms felt like an airbnb.
So grateful when we find ourselves on these sits. Don’t even mind that one of the cats has thrown up a few times this week! (not abnormal behavior, according to the HO’s).
Well, it happened again. I am presently on a sit where the fridge has lots of expired food. Not as bad as the previous time (no mold that I can see), but still gross. This time I am not going to throw anything out. HO can come home to all of the food that they should have tossed prior to my arrival. Not much room for any food I would purchase and really no place to put non-fridge items. So, I am opting to eat out when I would prefer to eat in at least some meals.
What has surprised me is seeing listings requiring sitters to take homeowners to the airport if they want to do the sit! Or asking them to pay the utility bill! Or asking for weeding of the garden for a short sit! I will never apply for any of these sits. I have been asked to take a HO to the airport and back after I arrived to the sit (not asked prior to the sit). In the end, I didn’t have to do it because a friend of the HO ended up doing it…but it put me in an uncomfortable predicament. I think there should be more clarity of what HOs should not expect sitters to do on THS.
HOs can ask for whatever they want and sitters can choose to opt out. The problem is when they spring things on you after you’ve applied/accepted/arrived.
I always mention in my pre-arrival communication that I would appreciate if they could clean out the fridge of all expired food so that I have space for my own stuff. Not everyone is going to listen but it may tip some folks into doing it.
I once was on a sit where I had to store bread and other non-fridge foods in the oven or in the microwave because otherwise the pets would get it. And there was no space for my stuff in other cupboards that could be locked.
Yup, I’ve done likewise to keep away the marauding cats at a couple of sits.
At one of the sits, my hosts described their cats as merciless food thieves. After I found that they’d knocked over a plastic food container in the laundry room, which I couldn’t even figure out how they’d gotten into, I put their food canisters into the washing machine, which I knew they couldn’t get into. They were otherwise lovely boys, who slept with me. But on the day I put their food canisters beyond reach, they boycotted sleeping with me.
I’m watching one right now and he is so cute. I’ve been thinking that I might get him an enrichment toy as we have play time but not brain time, but he’s not very food motivated so I don’t know how interested he’ll be.
Yikes, a loaf of bread! I’m now imagining a loaf-shaped cat.
I’ve never sat Maine coons. I’ve heard they can be more challenging than other cats. Would like to sit one.
These were two black cats — brothers. When my hosts went to adopt, the shelter made them take both if they wanted one, because they were so attached. They were smart and mischievous — by far the cleverest cats I’ve sat. So lovable and funny, too.
They’d meow endlessly for food and prowl the kitchen nonstop. When I got takeout, I immediately took all the containers out afterward to the outdoor garbage cans, because they’d try to break into the indoor trash and cabinets over and over, including trying to steal the dog’s food.
When it was time to prep their meals, they’d meow wildly and play-nip my ankles impatiently. They were otherwise super sweet.
They unfortunately had been usurped by a rescue pup in the house, who tried to tackle them and was intensely jealous. I had to keep them apart. Even then, they liked to taunt the dog, who always took the bait.
We are on a sit where the fridge was pretty full and we are here for 4 weeks.
I was going to make pasta and saw a pasta sauce jar in the fridge that clearly had been opened but we were told to help ourselves to whatever.
WOW. There were so many life organisms growing in that jar I gagged and put the lid back on and shoved it right back in the fridge.
I won’t be opening anything else.
Sadly, this is pretty common on our sits.
