I’m currently on a sit, just before the HO left they demanded that I update them every other day on how things are going. I told them that I don’t use my phone often and that I felt it was a little unnecessary to be updating them so regularly.
I messaged them 3 times during the first week to let them know their cat was fine and on the 9th day I received quite a rude message from them complaining that I am not updating them enough.
So I’d be interested how often other house sitters communicate with the HO during a sit and if this is normal to be expected to message them so often.
Hi @Baissier , we always ask the pet owner how often they would like to be updated and are proactive to provide this reassurance for them.
A daily update is not unusual request . It only takes a few moments to reassure the owner that the pet and home are ok . WhatsApp is a great way to do this quickly and send a photo too.
We would not update more often than once a day though (have seen that some owners ask for several updates a day ).
Sharing news about their home and pets will help to maintain a positive relationship and keeping them informed of any developments back home- you know everything is ok - they don’t and for some owners this causes anxiety.
A simple text - just a sentence or two goes along way to provide reassurance .
I always ask and a daily update with a photo is the usual request. I think that’s quite reasonable, after all they have left their home and pets with someone they don’t really know. It allows people to have a relaxed time away if they feel confident things are ok at home. WhatsApp is great for that
Hi, Updates vary so much between different owners. I have had some say they do not want continued updates and only message them if a problem. Then others want a daily message. If able to contact on WhatsApp it is not a problem. Three times in a week sounds sufficient to me. It is only one cat and not lots of animals. If this owner is getting awkward may be worth just sending a message every evening to say all is fine and no problems.
We’re full time sitters with 32 sits under our belt and it’s rare for HOs to not want a daily update. We always ask before they leave (but do draw the line at anymore than once a day), it’s something that seems pretty important to people using sitters, part of the comfort blanket if you like. As @Silversitters says, it doesn’t take a minute and you can just send a quick pic with a few emojis. It’s better they tell you they want more now than fume and write you a bad review. Good luck
I am happy to do whatever the HO wants for update frequency. However, please be consistent with your requests. One HO indicated that she didn’t require any updates at all and then messaged me two days in querying why she hadn’t heard from me. Huh?
During the first week, I would send a picture more often than just three times. After that, it depends on how the owners respond. Some are very hands-off, others get worried easily.
I always ask in advance, and I start out with a bit more than what they asked for.
I always ask the pet parents during the initial video chat how often they would like to receive updates. Most prefer daily. I had one pet parent that specified she only wanted updates after her working hours as she was traveling for work. My general rule is to send pictures or videos daily and periodic updates on the overall health of the pet - they are eating well, have lots of energy, using the toilet regularly etc. I also mention if I notice anything unusual with the pet - seem sluggish, not eating, etc. and any updates with the home - mail, parcel delivery etc.
I drop HOs a line every day as standard. If they receive no message, they’ll quickly know that something is wrong, which could be helpful for both parties.
Messaging doesn’t have to be a big deal. Quick WhatsApp notes like this are all that are needed, or you can send a photo, or a video:
“We had a lovely morning in the park. Fido was barked at by a feisty chihuahua and was a little spooked, but then he saw his friend the cockapoo and they had a very happy runaround. He’s fast asleep now, so it was obviously a good bit of exercise! Hope you’re having a great trip. ”
Frequency of communication, in my view, needs to always be determined, before agreeing to the sit. As a sitter, I always ask how often they’d like to be updated.
I’ve only ever had one HO who had no interest in hearing any news about their pet for the entire duration of the stay but this is most unusual in my experience. I’ve been doing this for 5.5 years.
I’d say photo or video updates every other day is a fairly standard expectation from a HO. At least in my experience.
We tend to update once a day with messages and sometimes photos. It doesn’t take long and I think it just helps reassure the HO that everything is Okay back at the ranch and lets them relax and enjoy their time away. Perhaps if it was a month long or longer sit, less frequent updates would be appropriate after a few weeks.
Thanks for your comments, it’s good to know. I’ve done many house sits and never been asked for so many updates before. I guess this particular homeowner is just more anxious than my previous sits. I’ll keep your opinions in mind from now on.
The host and you should have discussed this before you accepted each other for the sit and, if there was a mismatch and that was a dealbreaker, it would’ve been better to not have accepted the sit, because communications and expectations are key parts of arranging any sit.
Daily updates are typical and don’t sound like anxiety. It simply sounds like you consider such frequency burdensome, which is your right, but which is atypical.
I update at least once a day. Some hosts prefer more and I don’t mind at all, because I telecommute and spend a lot of time with the pets. It’s low effort to send a photo and a few lines.
When I travel, my husband sends me at least daily updates of our dog. I’m not at all anxious that he’ll take terrific care of our dog. I simply miss my pet, and that’s not unusual for many folks.
If the HO has specifically requested an update every other day, then that is exactly what I would do. Every other day sounds normal-ish.
Some want daily, some want less often, we do whatever they ask for. With the daily or every other day ones, we only send pictures or the odd video, just to to give re-assurance to the HO. Our first couple of messages may be about how their pets have settled, but after that we just send pics so it only takes a minute or so to do, unless theirs a reason to say more, like if something funny or amusing has happened, or if they are unwell.
They aren’t asking for a lot, they probably feel guilty leaving their pets with someone they don’t know-know, or maybe they are used to taking their pets with them on holiday. It doesn’t matter what the reason is. A lot see their pets like their babies.
Fortunately we haven’t had that yet. But I always consciously look at the photos we have taken to help make sure there isn’t anything that could potentially ‘look’ bad. For example, I don’t send any photos with wet coats in the background on the back of chairs, in case it makes the place look untidy, when it isn’t, it’s simply coats drying out.
Was there any hint in retrospect that this host would be such a pain? Like any signs during your communications before the sit? I ask, because I’d want to avoid such a host like the plague.
BTW, if that were my sit, I’d paste such msgs into my review. It would help prospective sitters know if they want to avoid such a host.
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