Hello from San Francisco

Introductions
#1

Hello THS fam.

Kate and I have been hosts in San Francisco for the past three years. We have hosted over twenty times as of now with a few repeats.

Being able to travel was a huge worry for the two of us when we decided to get Tali and Marcel. Our two Greyhounds, ex racers who we rescued from the track. Though they enjoy getting outside they are also fantastic lazy dogs who sleep most of the day. Finding trustedhousesitters and have the ability to let them stay in their own home as we traveled was life-changing.

From trips to Japan and Jordan to weekend getaways here in California we have loved the flexibility that opening our home has given us.

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#2

Itā€™s a great organisation isnā€™t it? For owners and sitters alike. Glad you have found it so useful and managed to have so many worry-free trips away. Thatā€™s what THS is all about.

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#3

Welcome @Gabe.westheimer so glad you and Kate could join the conversation ā€¦ enjoy meeting your fellow testers and community members.

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#4

@Gabe.westheimer. Weā€™ve heard so many Owners feeling just the very same at finding out about THS, knowing their precious pets are cared for in their own home when they travel and the pets donā€™t have to be placed in strange kennels and of course there are alsivso many benefits to Sitters (my side) the main one getting to be the ones that get to care for your pets :blush:
Also, I really think itā€™s a very very small number of owners that use THS to save on kennel fees.

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#5

The savings is a double edged discussion. It is absolutely on the minds of many hosts. In SF we could rent our home out on Airbnb and make a hefty profit. A two week trip could bring in 5-7k for our home. However, we choose to welcome folks like you in for ā€œfreeā€ and to care for our pups.

I feel that the fact there isnā€™t a monitory exchange make the sitters feel more like guests in our home, caring for a member of our family. Rather than someone on vacation paying for a place to stay. It creates responsibility and respect that one may feel differently with a rental.

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#6

Absolutely, we give 100% to all our HO looking after their home and pets and getting to know the area whilst walking the pets and info given from the owners and then we explore more in our own time after the Sit. The extra reward isvwhen the HO comes home and feels you have done a great job. Love the concept that no money changes hands, pretty sure I could barter my way around the world - that would be fabšŸ˜Š

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#7

Hey guys! Iā€™ve been traveling from AZ since July and currently staying in Northern CA for the next few months doing sits for repeat customers. I do travel with my 14 year old Jack Russell but she loves other dogs. Let me know if you ever need me!

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#8

@Julie, iā€™ve put my drathaar, quite agressive regurarly in a kennel 25 years ago. Jim looked happy when we went back. He was OK

I put my 2 following dogs, in a pension and it was such a horrible vision after one week (cushions torn, dogs muddy and obviuously traumatised) i sware i would never do that again to them. Foudre had been abandoned 3times, Nuage found on the road, abandoned, they might have thought they were abandoned again.

My vetā€™s assistant kept them in her garden when we traveled if our home exchangers did not want to take responsability although they had not to walk them, garden being big enough

I 've been told pet sitters existed only in 2018. But i faced a nightmare with my first sitter (through Nomador) and lost Foudre my huge dogā€¦ Left a 44kilos and found ashes in a jar coming back. So you can imagine how anxious i am now.

Iā€™ve put once Nuage 3weeks in a pension where 15dogs were left totally free in a park. All happy.

Receiving photos I feel sometimes jealous (see below)

Itā€™s not a question of saving money (or not only when you travel during a month and have 3 pets, the bill goes pretty high) itā€™s the pets happiness

!

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DSC_03824928Ɨ3264 1.94 MB

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#9

Hi, I understand your thoughts completely. Oh I am so sorry for your loss, Foudre, so very sad, devastating for youšŸ˜„
awww that is such a gorgeous photo, adorable :dog::smiling_face_with_three_hearts: