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Interior house pics are important! Our only bad sit was with house /furniture problems (very old, shabby). It could have been avoided with a video chat or request for interior pics. We left a review saying the pets were fine, but the condition of the house was not.
Hi Botvot, Yes it was. I don’t know why I kind of stressed about getting back before any wees as never any, but always after I arrived back. The owner was lovely and left lots of yummy food etc. in fridge for me. Think that was the problen though as over indulged her dog and had never been strict with her. Meals were a nightmare, as for a dog who supposedly could not walk too far, was extremely good at hopping all the way around the table on just her two hind legs for the entire meal. Clearly had always been given lots of titbits from the meal plate.
I actually saw a review like this. I was looking to apply and saw an honest review from a sitter. She started with a bunch of positives then stated areas of improvement. It was one of the first times I’ve seen an honest review and I appreciated it
I had a video call with a HO, she looked about 10 years younger than me but the tone she used with me was less than appealing. I felt like she was speaking to me in a condescending way and told me her husband would want to check references to make sure I was trustworthy. I just wanted to say “I have 2 masters degrees and want to watch your dog and be in a cool place at the same time, I can afford a hotel if I want. Don’t talk down to me.”
I wish you had!
@IHeartAnimals how condescending, the video call should be an equal opportunity for both sitter and HO to discuss if they are a match .
As sitters we are verified whereas HOs are not so if anyone was going to ask to check references it should have be the sitter ? 
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Did d you go ahead with the sit ?
A few months back we did a sit for a dog that peed inside pretty frequently. I wasn’t aware of these issues until the HO discussed it in the welcome guide. I wasn’t thrilled but I imagine she wasn’t purposely trying to hide this information to secure a sitter so I didn’t feel duped or anything like that.
It was a small dog so I figured it probably wouldn’t be that bad. It was frustrating though for sure-though I found if we let him out more frequently along with the other dogs and went out as well, he peed outside more and less inside.
But because he was a small dog, the accidents were easy to clean up and ultimately it wasn’t a huge hassle. I did note this in the review since I think it is important for people to know that. But I think I was able to do this without it sounding critical or like a complaint, just more like an FYI. I did stress that because he was small, the clean up was easy, and that it wasn’t on a daily basis.
There have been other instances as well where the dogs have had some problematic behaviors , and like this situation, I found a way to state these things more diplomatically so future sitters are aware.
While ultimately we can’t know what is going on inside anyone else’s head, I imagine in most cases, a HO isn’t deliberately trying to hide certain information about their pets. They may be so used to certain things they don’t even think to mention it. Though in the case of a dog going to the bathroom multiple times a day in the house on a daily basis, that would strike me as a pretty obvious thing to mention.
This is a good example of how our experiences help us choose better sits ,or avoid similar problems in the future. Whereas before you may have assumed a pet doesn’t have incontinence issues because of course that would be something a HO would mention, now you know to ask based on this experience.
We will definitely add this question to our list! It’s hard for me to believe this was not an intentional omission. If the dog occasionally had an accident, that would be annoying but not so bad. Peeing and pooping in the house multiple times per day despite being taken out regularly is unacceptable. This homeowner had a housekeeper we met during the sit. She confirmed that this is “normal” behavior for this dog even when the owners are home.
I would report them to THS directly and ask THS to not allow a retaliation review. They really should’ve hired paid care the amount of work that wasn’t yours to do. Misrepresentation is not fair to you as a sitter and they knew that all along.
This is why we need Airbnb style reviews so that people can be honest without retaliation.
We had one sit too where the dog marked repeatedly. It was also only mentioned in the welcome note the day before. I definitely mentioned it in the review. Not impolitely, but just said the dog seem to have a nervous bladder.
That was a very tactful way of putting it as it doesn’t place a judgement on the dog that the owners could react to.
After reading your post, I have added a bit to my profile that specifically states that I only care for house trained dogs and that while accidents happen, I am not compatible with someone who has not trained their dog to use wee pads/diapers or to go outside.
Thank you, I hadn’t thought of adding this until your post. Let’s see how it goes.
Excellent idea! I think we will do the same. Thanks!!
I put on my application that I don’t do sits where I have to do overnight care. One time I applied for a sit, listing said nothing about overnight care, HO messages me and says she would like to confirm me and then casually mention the dog needed to be let out middle of the night. I declined. Now I put that in all my applications. I was sleep deprived after raising 3 kids all in diapers, I can’t lose sleep anymore
If HOs has to fill out a form style listing instead of being able to free write, these problems wouldn’t happen as often.
Does your pet urinate inside the home? Y /N
Is there overnight care? Y/ N
Do all your pets get along? Y / N
Great idea!!
Amen to that! 
I think this is a phenomenal idea THS should incorporate into a H.O’s initial contact form.
@admins please check this out!
We have passed this suggestion along to our product team.
I’ve had something similar to this but not as bad. The dog in question was only incontinent in peeing though thankfully. On the owners’ instructions he had to be crated when left alone but he was usually pretty calm inside the crate. In the evenings I had to crate him again because otherwise he destroyed soft furnishings, shoes, rugs and even bit into corners of walls when everything else was put out of reach. This was the first sit I did on my own without my husband. I survived it but would not go back!