The level of filth in homes that we have experienced lately is beyond disgusting. Add clutter to the mix and it puts me off completely. The last one was so bad I spent two days cleaning on arrival. I photograph everything and keep the photos until well after the reviews and rebuttal comments so I have proof of what we dealt with. When there is cat pee in the laundry room, stuck on urine and feces on the toilet, when every glass and cup and plate needs washing and all the cupboards need the sticky residue scrubbed off, it’s enough to make me rethink THS entirely. In fact we have switched to HOs only on the site rather than both HOs and pet sitters just so we don’t have to deal with full on house cleaning for people that can’t be bothered to make their home habitable for us.
I suggest not staying in a disgusting place. That violates THS terms, which require a habitable home. It’s not a fair exchange and no sitter would knowingly sign up to live in a stye.
THS needs to drop the word “free” in all advertising. It sets people up for failure.
Agreed. We should have left.
My reply was based on your extremely negative reaction. Maybe the HO thought you might be interested? But to assume she is out of touch with reality is a stretch. When I’ve received invitations from across the country, I let them know where I’m located and that I’m not able to help out right now.
It is my perogative to call it as I see it when I feel I am being taken for a mug by a home owner who hasn’t thought things through. You don’t get to tell me how to think.
It’s not free to sign up. So it’s misleading in the first place. What would be a good a good way to represent the exchange that is marketable.
Experience rich home exchange?
The advertising should emphasize meeting new people, making friends, getting to know each other before they say one single word about a free holiday or free pet sitting. In other words, they should be playing up the mutual exchange aspect of pet sitting.
Yeah, me Too! I’ve gotten 3 Invites here in Hawaii from Word of mouth for June…but I’m taking this year off cuz we Just bought our dream house! THS has been such a Fantastic experience for Me, I’m So grateful…and the forum has been invaluable! Thank you all
So agree with you about the wonderful overall experience and how the forum too has provided a mine of information, considerations and opportunities to make further connections through video conferencing. No one needs to feel they are solo sailing in a treacherous storm.
I know I over share but I’m here for interaction with my tribe!
So lovely you now have your own dream home to enjoy! I always feel I appreciate mine more by returning to it after sharing other people’s. My home has no pets so I always come back for more pet care.
Wishing you joy in your sabbatical! Ready to welcome you back on your return! I love this club of volunteers!
I wholly encourage invites or word of mouth referrals, but they should at least be from my own country, or within 100 miles, so that they are economically worth me considering. Not from 421 miles away, 7.5 hours drive away.
I think you raise a very good point @Maggie8K in that there will be a much smaller pool of animal lovers that will travel to look after other peoples animals as opposed to people wanting free holidays! And ultimately THS is now owned by investors that invested a whole load of money and need to see a return from such.
I don’t think that applies to a lot of sitters though. We aren’t interested in sits down the road & in the last few weeks have been invited to a jungle sit in Belize, a Christmas chill in Winchester and an off grid Peruvian adventure. They all appeal for different reasons regardless of cost and distance. #adventuresabound
I’m open to doing local sits — if they’re different and better (as defined by me) — but I agree, I wouldn’t want to be limited to local sits.
It’s fine for hosts to invite me unsolicited, even from afar. The first sit I accepted was across the country from me and turned out well.
Of course, each of us decides for ourselves, but hosts have no way to figure out what we all prefer individually. I don’t see invites — even those off target — as insulting or entitled.
All I say when they’re not a fit: “Unfortunately, I’m not available for your sit. Wishing you the best in finding a good sitter.” That’s easy, and I even put that message on a keyboard shortcut, so I just hit three characters and it spits out.
I suspect that the pool of sitters willing to travel to more exotic and remote locations is quite small. From a selfish perspective the more “local” or “only easy” sitters there are the better for me.
Am sure it is. My point was that I don’t mind where the invites come from as no-one knows what the sitter is looking for and I’m not offended if they’re a curve ball or unusual. It’s always worth an ask as they say… #lifeislikeaboxofchocolates
I take any invite anywhere as a big plus! They have selected me! That’s so lovely.
I said no to a couple of weeks in the Black Forest … still wonder if I should have gone!
I’ve jumped countries with a young family in tow so never say never to invites!
This morning I was invited by pet sitters to come visit .. no pet duties just chill!
What a wonderful world! It is if you keep positive.
Nothing is really changed for us, we always look at their accommodations that go with the Animal and that is important to us but during an interview it is all about the Animal, we pride ourselves on being extremely courteous, we always try to bring our own stuff for the kitchen and don’t use The homeowners. And we read reviews, so if they are decent like-minded owners it is a great match. I don’t know if maybe they’re attracting more people now that are digital nomads as there are more but for people like us who pick and choose because we want to sit with animals and have a great place to stay in a new country or area Nothing has changed, at least for us
I take invitations as a compliment that somebody trusts me enough to invite me to look after their pet. It’s not a case of being taken for a mug at all. If the sit appeals to me, I will definitely consider it. If not, I politely decline. I too live in Scotland, and I was once invited to a sit by a beach in Tasmania for a month. Unfortunately, the small matter of work put paid to that one. But I would have been happy to pay for the flight. Equally Somerset is a very attractive location - I’m sitting there now.