Hello travellers and fellow pet owners. WE ARE LOOKING FOR OUR FIRST PET SITTERS.
I did many sits for other people in my twenties and now here I am 20 years later, with the boot on the other foot as they say. We love meeting people of all cultures and regularly host language students both adults and children. Now we would like a few weeks visiting family ourselves. Pets are family but they also like their routines and home surroundings. I worry about finding sitters that fit rural life (dogs on sofas and chickens walking into the kitchen!) and basic surroundings ( shops a car drive away, free-standing not fitted kitchen).
11 Likes
Hi @Lizzie1 and welcome. I LOVE rural pet sits, and dogs on couches and, yes, chickens popping into kitchens seems very natural to me. I always spend three months a year in France, and hope to extend that with a long-term visa this year. Where are you located?
You may want to add your link to your forum profile — it will let members easily find you. Instructions are below.
Good luck!
4 Likes
Hello EDITH, We made contact and yes your in my favourites 
If you are now available for the longer or even part of my dates let me know I’VE ADDED MY LINK NOW - I think!
1 Like
Oh, yes, of course! Sorry, I didn’t recognize your forum name.
I won’t be in France until February. I’ll be staying in Nice and will have to leave after 90 days, unless I get an extended visa. Wish me luck, and good luck to you getting a great sitter!
(@Therese, I had to copy and pasted @Lizzie1’s link. Is that because she’s new to the forum or can you make it “live”?)
Sounds idyllic!
Hi @Lizzie1 and welcome!
Thank you for joining our community forum. You are going to find it is filled with answers to most, if not all, of your questions and enquiries.
My name is Debbie and I am one of the forum moderators, as well as a sitter member of TrustedHousesitters. I was an owner member for three years and have now moved over to a sitter membership, so I have insight into both sides of the memberships.
I am hoping this info will help you find your way around the platform and interest you to join in the conversations. It can be a little daunting and confusing at first, so we included this handy guide
How to use our Community Forum | TrustedHousesitters.com
Our members are connecting every day and the forum is a great place where you can get to know one another. Please take a moment to introduce yourself About the introduce yourself category - Introduce Yourself - TrustedHousesitters Community Forum by giving us as little or as much info as you prefer. If you are confused on what to say, we have some great suggestions:
- How long have you been a member of Trustedhousesitters?
- Where is your home location?
- As an owner, tell us about your pets.
I did take a look at your profile and if I could make a suggestion or two to help you with getting that first sitter…please add a few more pics inside your home (what you have are beautiful) showing the kitchen, bath and bedroom where the sitters will be “living” while taking care of all your babes. If you go to How to create the perfect owner listing | TrustedHousesitters.com you will find more step by step help.
We are always here to help, so please don’t hesitate to message us with any questions or concerns.
Also, can I just ask how you came upon the forum and decided to join? I am always curious as to what drives someone to a certain site.
Have a great day!
Debbie – Forum Team Moderator
eHH
1 Like
Thank you Debbie, I will take some more photos.
Thank you! Its my idea of heaven :slight_smile
2 Likes
Hi @Edith
How the forum system works, and to protect our community from spam accounts, Discourse (our forum provider) requires a level of engagement from all new members before links go live in bios/profiles. This is an internal algorithm but it involves reading comments and posting some replies. Most users find they reach this trust level very quickly as they explore the forum naturally. It happens automatically and isn’t something that moderators have control of.
@Therese I thought it was that, but sometimes I’m surprised that links do seem live for people introducing themselves. But it turns out I’m just confused! Thanks for responding. Hope everything’s great by you. 
2 Likes
Lizzie - eventually I will make it to France for a rural sit. That comes after I fully retire - a bit down the road yet. I am sure you will find great sitters among our members.
2 Likes
Hi @JEHFromVA and welcome! I took a peak at your profile on TrustedHousesitters and I would just make a suggestion that you add a few pics of you with some furry friends. Potential sits want to know that you interact with them and honestly can usually see this with the pics and the way the pet is reacting in that pic.
Thank you for joining our community forum. You are going to find it is filled with answers to most, if not all, of your questions and enquiries.
My name is Debbie and I am one of the forum moderators, as well as a sitter member of TrustedHousesitters. I was an owner member for three years and have now moved over to a sitter membership, so I have insight into both sides of the memberships.
I am hoping this info will help you find your way around the platform and interest you to join in the conversations. It can be a little daunting and confusing at first, so we included this handy guide
How to use our Community Forum | TrustedHousesitters.com
Our members are connecting every day and the forum is a great place where you can get to know one another. Please take a moment to introduce yourself About the introduce yourself category - Introduce Yourself - TrustedHousesitters Community Forum by giving us as little or as much info as you prefer. If you are confused on what to say, we have some great suggestions:
- How long have you been a member of Trustedhousesitters?
- Where is your home location?
- As a sitter, please share with us where you prefer to sit (dream location, bucket list, etc.)
- If presently on a sit, tell us about the location and the pets you are caring for.
- Share pics of you, your own pets, or pets you have cared for or are caring for.
We are always here to help, so please don’t hesitate to message us with any questions or concerns.
Also, can I just ask how you came upon the forum and decided to join? I am always curious as to what drives someone to a certain site.
Have a great day!
Debbie – Forum Team Moderator
eHH
I seek our rural sits anywhere I go. I was raised in one on the most rural areas of Missouri, US. I haven’t personally had a chicken walking in the kitchen but it cool as long as you tell me she is supposed to be there. I grew up baby pigs tucked in boxes. Being bottle fed by my mom. You can’t be a farm girl without a calf in the bathtub at some point when it’s below zero F. These are just parts of rural life. In my book it’s the best life available.
Regards,
Suzie
3 Likes
@Lizzie1, your home & pet situation sounds very appealing, wish I were in a position to do it, I’d apply in a heartbeat! Chickens are such cool little creatures, it’d be a joy to watch them pop in and check things out. Une prochaine fois peut-etre. Bonne chance (though you’ve probably already found someone by now).
4 Likes
Hello Pdxgal, Thanks for your response. Yes we have sitters arriving on the 10th of November but they may not be able to cover the whole sit, due to work commitments, so I will be returning early. We will see how it goes. Keep in touch as it is nice to hear from everyone and I want sitters to enjoy their time here in my querky surroundings.
@Lizzie1 I notice your listing is showing as reviewing applications, which means your sitter is not confirmed. I just want to make sure you realize that.
ooops no! , I didn’t realize! Thank you! I will see if I can change it now.!?
1 Like
Now your active listing shows November 2023. I hope that’s correct. 
I know I will need sitters November to January next year too. I left it very late to start looking this year. There many be a week in June too but thats not certain yet.
1 Like