Hello, I’m new to this and just made my first listing for a sitter needed for the months of January and February. I’ve invited several sitters and some have declined and some have read with no response back and some are just unread. I’ve had one sitter apply and send me a message and I messaged her back and they are unread for 5 days now.
When I search, it brings sitters up in my local area. It’s getting close to leaving and I’m starting to panic. Any advice?
Hi. I noticed two things about your listing that might hold you back:
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if someone isn’t familiar with your town, they might not open the listing. Could you list it as an Indianapolis suburb instead?
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the barking/nipping is likely an issue. Does she only nip at small children? If so, maybe indicate that it isn’t suitable for a family of sitters. Is there anything that you do to curtail the barking, or is it constant? Does closing the blinds stop it? This isn’t a judgment at all, I had a rescue that did the same thing and we weren’t able to fix the issue so we just lived with it. But for someone that isn’t used to it, 2 months is a really long time to be in a home with a dog that barks.
I really hope you find a great sitter and get to enjoy your winter in the sun.
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Great advice and thank you! She barks in the back yard but inside she barks when she hears the mailman or UPS truck. We do keep the blinds closed to prevent barking at the walkers. I love the Indy suburban.
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Oh…then maybe the barking isn’t as bad as I thought! In the backyard, you can have the sitter bring her back inside to calm her down. And of course the UPS truck…that was my dog’s favorite target. He was barked at even when he didn’t stop at our house.
I think you’ll find someone. Longer sits are very sought after, because it allows fulltime sitters to get to know a pet and an area better. Hang in there!
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I would write how many walks she usually gets and how long they are. Not sure if I entirely understand this sentence: “Her border collie mix, she tends to herd, I DO NOT recommend any families.” Maybe rewrite it and clarify why the herding is an issue and why you don’t recommend families. It’s good to specify how much Dusty barks exactly. PS: It looks like you are in a fairly large suburb, is a car really necessary or just not provided? Good success!
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