Dear Super Sitters and Fantastic Hosts… no need for you to read on but if you do, your responses will be appreciated!
Sadly we’re perturbed and very disappointed at comments we’re receiving back from Hosts (now friends as these are often return appointments)about the way THS may be advertising the current THS concept rather than the excellent original one we signed up to. Hosts are telling us that more recently, Sitter applicants spend more time at interview asking about the region’s day-out opportunities, shopping, cafés, their friends staying and sightseeing, as examples , than they do seeking information on the pet and home responsibilities. We think this may be due to the ‘Free holiday with great free accommodation’ promotional advertising now being used by THS without emphasis on it as a reciprocal arrangement with a Host…you as a Sitter/s stay in the home and care for all, be treated as guests and experience the lifestyle. Yes, of course there’s free time but read what expectations and commitments are in the profile. On the other hand, we are hearing from Sitter friends that their recent Sitting experiences are different too. Some Hosts, that’s only some (and usually new to THS), have not really understood the same intended reciprocal concept, treating the arrangement more like the Air B’nB format. Amenities are not available as listed, contact pre-Sit is disregarded or very brief, the hospitality is a tad sparse and almost resentfully proffered. One Sitter couple we know had condiments and products such as cooking oil, sugar, baking ingredients, toot rolls, etc., actually measured and delved out for them with the original packets locked in a larder (it had a glass door so they could see them on the shelving!). So is the theme from THS current advertising, the culprit???
Yep something has incrementally shifted and we’re all maybe feeling it in different ways. It’s like when a small boulder nudges a stream in a slightly different direction, certain areas dry out and other new areas get wet…..
I think advertising is just that - there is only an instant to attract eyeballs so the catch line has to be attractive and simple.
In some cases advertising does have to be toned down. For example in the US there is a requirement for pharmaceutical companies advertising drugs to also name their side effects. This was in response to ads where drugs for serious illnesses like cancer where presented as miracle cures when they were not - eg dancing chemotherapy patients.
But in this case I don’t see the advertising as the problem. I do think experiences sitters are leaving and newer sitters are learning the ropes. As with all people, some catch on quickly, some take more time, and others realize it’s not what they were looking for and leave.
From my personal experiences recently, I have noticed a huge shift from how things were before. My frustrations are growing and I’m ready to throw in the towel and fly home. It shouldn’t be like this after so many years of wonderful experiences. Times, sitters and homeowners have definitely changed without a doubt and I can only see it getting worse going forward. Such a shame, a real travesty for what was once so fairly straightforward and exciting. I’m feeling quite letdown to be honest 
Hi @Tasmazias
Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts with us.
I’ve passed your feedback over to the team. If there’s anything I can bring back to this discussion, I’ll certainly do so. 
Jenny
I would love to see ads with an emphasis on the exchange. I never see ads for sitters, I only see ads for HOs. The ads are all about free pet care or low-cost pet care (‘get unlimited pet care for $149 a year’). As a sitter, I’ve seen a huge shift in listings over the last couple years. It’s clear in many newer listings that HOs don’t understand the exchange - cluttered, dirty looking homes, lists of responsibilities that go well beyond what should be expected as part of an exchange, and just a very unwelcoming tone. I scroll past so many because I would rather just get a hotel than do a bad sit. I don’t even consider new hosts anymore and I’m very intentionally sitting less than I used to. I’m focusing more on repeat sits in locations I enjoy and airbnbs or other short-term rentals in new places I’m planning to go.
I’ve said it before and I say it again. It’s fine to advertise but in doing so, THS needs to EDUCATE both new homeowners and sitters as to exactly how things work. I can’t begin to tell you how many sit applications I have written recently, only for those listings to remain on reviewing or just openly listed, with no responses, no acknowledgement, nothing. I watch them closely after I withdraw my apps and it is just mind boggling how long, if ever, they are actioned on. And like @systaran I am now thinking a hotel is easier as the requirements/listing essentials have become utterly outrageous on so many points. Unless you want to sit for 4 dogs, two cats, a duck, two horses and a partridge in a pair tree, walk said dogs for 4 hours a day and don’t leave them alone for more than two hours, not a lot left to apply to! (Slight exaggeration of course) 
But there is always those that are great, I can’t say there isn’t any, just becoming less and less. But for me, never in all the years I have been on the platform have I experienced anything like this. Sorry but new members just don’t get it. One wants free labour another wants a free ride. It used to be about making memories, it’s now about making money 
I recently had a invitation for a sit, with the HO writing “And we’re not above bribing/enticing you with some baked goods! :-)”
Edited as I followed up with a retraction, yet certain people are still commenting/criticizing. /eyeroll
Yes today I saw a sit with multiple pets at home including 3 dogs but also 2 horses stabled a drive away! Somehow the HO thought a sitter would like to experience how they live. It’s an interesting perspective but not very appreciative that sitters might enjoy that for days 1-3 but after that it would become a hard slog with no other obvious benefits available. It read more like a full time job than an equal exchange.
It’s a feeling (and it’s just anecdotal) I have too in the responses I received to my most recent listing. Lots interest from many with little or no experience of pet sitting and very thin references eager to visit the area (high summer, southern France)
I remained polite, and thanked them for their messages but spent a lot of time unnecessarily declining applicants (hate to use that word, but it seems to be becoming more appropriate) that clearly were looking for a summer holiday.
Frankly, THS has become a nightmare to navigate (as a host): constantly declining the chaff to leave room for the wheat (thank you five applications). I dread to think what hoops established and reputable sitters have to go through.
I think we all know where this is headed, sadly
There are still good sits and good sitters out there. I have faith they find each other for the most part.
There are only a limited number of people who are good with strangers’ pets and their homes, and who want to handle such while traveling. (Some promise, but under deliver.)
That’s especially so, because most people who work get only so much time off and most don’t telecommute, so their travel is limited, even if they’d actually be good sitters.
Meanwhile, there are many people with pets who’d like to avoid paying for sitting. It’s easier to sign them up than it is to sign up good sitters. And various potential hosts live in places that aren’t popular and have sits to offer that aren’t especially compelling to (good) sitters.
The number of good sitters possible in the world actually forms a natural ceiling to THS’s ability to scale. And that ceiling is limited by their availability and their ability to afford travel.
Hi @Tasmazias 
I think there probably has been a subtle shift in how some newer members arrive onto the platform - on both sides.
When we first joined THS, the emphasis felt much more centred on reciprocal lifestyle exchange… trusted care for pets and home in return for a comfortable stay and local experience. The “holiday” aspect was secondary to the responsibility.
Now, some of the marketing language can understandably attract people who first see “free accommodation” before they fully absorb the care, commitment and mutual respect side of the arrangement.
That said, we’re also hearing the reverse from experienced sitters - some newer hosts seem to approach sits more like unpaid house management or a very controlled Airbnb arrangement, rather than welcoming someone into their home as a trusted guest.
Usually the best sits still come from people who understand the balance:
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pets’ welfare comes first,
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responsibilities are honoured,
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communication is warm and clear,
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and both parties treat each other generously and respectfully.
When either side leans too far into “free holiday” or “free labour”, the spirit of THS starts to wobble a bit.
Thankfully there are still many wonderful hosts and sitters out there who absolutely get it
And how long was this wonderful experience for @BonnyinBrighton??
I know my approach has become much shrewder with the knock on effect of mean hosts - no food, no toiletries, the minimum of toilet roll! I’m not kidding . I got offered a cup of tea with soy milk, to drink on my own while details which should have been in the Welcome Guide were suddenly sprung on me at the 11 th hour.
So yes I don’t generally recommend THS as a fail safe experience. Like many I return where I am appreciated and some thought has gone into how to make my time as enjoyable as possible. Here are some recent examples:
We will keep getting the newspaper delivered while we are away
A decent meal with generous leftovers to start the week or longer.. some basics in the fridge.. soap at a basin, shower gel in a shower .
I sat for a week at Easter and no I couldn’t find the very well hidden chocolate Easter Egg lol.
Honestly I would be ashamed of such thoughtlessness to any guest visiting me. Aren’t we guests? But more than guests with responsibilities and let’s face it some unpleasant chores connected to the pet care or household?
I don’t knock off stars for hospitality because I have come to expect very little. Some hosts do very little to “ earn 5 stars at present.
But for me the review focuses on the best of it. It’s not an opportunity for point scoring. Sometimes there is no team spirit or rapport.
But all these negatives get cancelled by my many positive experiences..
When I get a “ it wasn’t as clean as I left it”
It makes me think Home Owners now want sitters with housekeeping diplomas, regardless of how their pets were royally entertained in their absence.
My tribe place the happiness and welfare of the animals at the fore and of course a good attempt at returning the home as clean as it was presented to me.. but let’s not get petty about pet sitters … it appears we are a dying breed.. not enough appreciation and slack is being afforded to many it is becoming increasingly apparent.
Where are we heading indeed ? Fortunately I can stop whenever I decide enough is enough.
It won’t be the animals putting me off though- let’s be clear about that!
I expect I will just get my own pet and stay home! Sad but true.
It’s getting increasingly harder
I have applied for four sits this year and got one. Have been invited to about ten or so, all of which I have declined. I definitely think the advertising skews it unrealistically for both sides. As retired people with lots of time for travelling I hope the value will continue to be there for me. I love the original idea of a fair exchange, fair for both sides. Not everyone gets this unfortunately.
@Cathie I’m getting the invites from Oz to sit in Oz also, lots. But UK homeowners have definitely changed.
that’s sad to hear.
I’m retired too but that doesn’t make me feel I’m out of the running. I get knocked back by some comments I receive but as long as my reviewers are evidently highly satisfied I guess I will keep striving. My joy comes from the amazing people I meet and their pets. The ones who book you six months ahead and want to “ firm up the dates” because they can see “ you’re a busy boy” ( 69 last month! )
People booking me realize I will be spending most of my time out exercising the dogs or home cuddling the cats. I send photographic updates daily. I send me steps averages occasionally, especially to new Home Owners trying me out.
Getting invited back is what I’m after. Returning to familiar pets and grateful Home Owners is my safe ground. They get priority.
New sits are increasingly risky for the reasons mentioned by others here.. sticking my neck out when I’m no giraffe is becoming less appealing.
My approach now is choosing my favourite areas and getting familiar with my Home Owners so they just WhatsApp their dates. Trusting them as they now fully trust me to deliver what they want.
It’s never a free holiday I’m seeking. But it’s a relationship that I feel is worth nurturing. I’m not in the business of casting my pearls randomly any more. Know your worth and have your worth recognized and appreciated.
