My husband and I had confirmed a sit last year, but had to cancel 3 weeks before as an unanticipated serious health issue arose for him. We are in our mid 60’s and have not had this happen before.
Now that he’s recovered from his surgery, we are considering applying for sits, but I’m a bit worried now that something could come up again. We pride ourselves on being very reliable, and I’d hate to have to cancel again.
If you’re an older sitter, or a person who has had serious health issues come up unexpectedly, are you still applying for sits? Do you find that HO’s are hesitant to choose you after having to cancel one sit?
Hey @petlover - there is no record of sit cancellations on member’s profiles, so no host will know about any prior cancellations, unless you choose to tell them. Health issues can happen to anyone, and cancellations due to sudden health problems happen all the time, from both sitters and owners - nobody can forsee or control this.
We were set to sit for somebody for 6 months this year, but unfortunately due to unforeseen health issues from the host’s side, they had to cancel. And that’s okay, life happens!
Don’t be discouraged, just apply for sits that you’re interested in and feel that you can manage. You really can’t control if something happens or not, that’s just life, so just apply and live your best life
We’re in our 50’s and 60’s, and nothing urgent-urgent health wise has come up so far, but we’ve always had a plan in our minds that we would just split up if something happened, and one continue with the sit.
However, if we both needed to be there because of the nature of the health problem then we’ll deal with that as and when it happens. It can happen to both owners and sitters, and neither should be living their lives around ifs, buts, and maybes. The fact you are sitters doesn’t matter, it’s the exact same scenario for both HO’s and sitters.
Future HO’s are not aware you’ve had to cancel a sit. Of all the sits we’ve completed I don’t think any HO has ever mentioned that they’ve cancelled a sit before, which is actually quite likely, because a lot have talked about old pets which have passed away, and so it is possible that they cancelled a sit because of it.
It can happen to either party, so go live your life to the full! But if you want to be ultra cautious to ease your mind, just don’t plan as far ahead.
Unexpected health issues can happen to anyone of any age, and so long as your husband is in general good health now I don’t see any reason not to apply to sits.
It would be a different story if someone had more chronic issues going on in a given moment, or wasn’t fully recovered from a procedure, bout of illness, etc… and they know there could be a strong possibility of having to cancel upcoming sits and then applying anyway, potentially leaving hosts scrambling after being let down last minute.
I had to cancel due to a follow-up post-surgery at the hosital - the sit was not yet confirmed, though. So that was great. It was supposed to be a check up one year after, but got the appointment approx 10 months after. Patients for these appointments are not supposed to be «ill» as such, and for that reason are not prioritized, so if you’re lucky enough to get a time it is best to hold on to it, as nobody knows when the next opportunity would be. So !
As others have said, things can happen to anyone at any stage of life that might lead to a last-minute cancellation. Don’t let past events put you off applying for sits, but do have a think about what your back-up plan would be if you both needed to return home midway through a sit, and tailor that plan according to the individual circumstances of each sit. I always ask home owners what their back-up plan is as well, in the event that I need to leave a sit unexpectedly. Although most don’t really seem to have one, at least it raises the question.
Depending on how concerned you are over the chance of something happening again, checking out the available healthcare options near potential sits may give you additional peace of mind.
If I had a serious health issue and had received treatment, I’d ask my doctor what my odds are for a relapse or complication and whether there was a window of time during which that would resolve or I’d be out of the woods. Then depending on those odds, I’d apply (or not).
Personally, I wouldn’t apply if I had an illness or condition that wasn’t resolved yet (or in the case of on ongoing condition, I’d consider medical advice on a potential relapse or complication).
That’s not only in the interest of hosts — whom of course I’d consider — but also because if you (generic “you”) have a serious condition, it’s often preferable to be seeing your regular doctors.
Plus, depending on the health issue, you want to consider whether your health coverage would be mobile and cover you, and how you might need to be transported back home / to medical care near home, if an emergency happened while you’re away. For various health coverage, going out of certain regions or countries could get very expensive. And travel insurance often won’t cover pre-existing conditions.
I’m pushing 60, no major health issues, yet, fingers crossed, but I do think about these things as I get older, especially as I am a solo traveler. The reality is that anyone can have a health issue happen at any given time, so keep on keeping on with pet sits.
You did not cancel a sit because you saw a better one you liked but for an unforeseen circumstance. Even if cancellations were mentioned on one’s profile which they are not, you would just mention in your interest letter the reason why. A PP would surely understand and not hold it against you at all. But as others have mentioned there is no record of someone’s cancellation record although some have asked TH to incorporate it.
You say you are a little worried
of this problem recurring. I would wait a good amount of time after the surgery and start applying for sits when you no longer have that feeling.
If you start applying while you still have this feeling, it may show in your letter or interview with PP’s
I’ve cancelled 4 sits for health reasons.
2 were because of Covid - when the UK was still testing on arrival, I was tested the day before leaving in the US and came back positive. I immediately contacted the sits and both understood. Fortunately, the first sit was still a week away as I was flying in a few days early. The second was 3 weeks away. Everyone understood.
More recently, I had a long leg cast put on in early January and the doc wasn’t sure how long it would be on - I immediately contacted sits for 2 sits in the first half of February. Both understood and were able to find replacements.
It does work both ways, though. I’ve had 3 sits cancelled on me because of HO’s health. Fortunately, in the US now with most airlines you don’t lose the value of the ticket and have a year to spend the credit.
tom
Wow Toml.
I just had a quick Look at your profile and you have over 90 sits and at quick glance shows all 5 stars! If someone kept a diary of their sits, it would make a real interesting book. I sit so sporadically that my book would be more like a short story. I would say with all those sits that canceling those few times is pretty good.
So 
!