I will definitely do this from now on. Thank you. 
I’m not sure what you mean about connecting with the sitters to hear ‘their side of things’ as it seemed pretty straight forward to me. A fountain wasn’t cleaned and a cat litter box wasn’t poop scooped…
The WG is available to the sitter to refer back to while on the sit. I will refer back to it on a sit. So there is no excuse for the sitter if all the information is in the guide.
@catwoman4369 My current hosts have their comprehensive Welcome Guide in plastic pockets in a clip folder, along with Places to Visit, Walks nearby, menus from local restaurants/cafes etc. If you did something similar, it is usable by all your sitters. Any updates could easily be added to it.
I love a printed Welcome Guide to read and re-read once at a sit. Our memories are def not photographic and the home is new to us so we don’t have the routines down. I always go back and read everything almost daily! Having it on paper vs having to log into our THS account to read it is much easier and more practical IMO.
And this is one odd example just for possible reasons why the one litter wasn’t cleaned from my own experience;
We did a sit in a home with multiple litter boxes but when we arrived and were given the tour of the home, they did not show us the litter in the basement. We didn’t know it was there until we went looking for one of the more elusive cats - and then WHAM!! It stunk to high heaven - it clearly had not been changed since well before we arrived. I almost didn’t want to change it bc they clearly had not done so before we arrived nor had they mentioned it (also, no welcome guide). I mean it was piled with cat poop and needed to be totally dumped out. Not saying this was your scenario but stuff like that can happen as well.
YES this is my argument with my husband about leaving less than 5 stars for HO’s bc the ones that earn them, deserve the full credit and it’s not fair to those who really make the effort.
@SeniorSitter1 oof, this makes sense but it’s hard. We often click with hosts and do become very friendly even staying in touch before and after the sit, but I agree it makes it MUCH harder to leave a truly honest and unbiased review. I mean, right away we usually have something in common, right? The love of travel and the love of animals - sometimes we have tons more in common, too. We just booked a sit for the holidays this winter where we had some wild “you can’t make this up” kinds of things in common . So then I hope and pray the sit is great so I can leave a great review!
Yes, other home owners print out the Welcome Guide. For me, it is really nice to have the paper. Apparently it is a “pain in the neck” to print out the THS Welcome Guide, so many home owners create a Word document instead, or similar (Google doc, etc). It is a lot of information to digest. In addition to the Welcome Guide, perhaps a separate piece of paper with only this essential information can be created (regarding the 3 litter boxes and 3 water spots). That would provide the emphasis needed and a constant reminder to the sitters while they are at your home. The video would be helpful too.
Whenever a pet (or two) has a complex feeding or medication regime, I always create my own hand-written document that I use during the sit, listing what needs to be given, and when, like this:
Apollo
AM:
- X
- Y
- Z
PM:
- X
- Y
Maize
AM:
- A
- B
- C
PM:
- A
- B
One HO left a casual checklist, as the cats had varied eating scheduled and there was a hi-tech litter robot contraption that needed “interaction” 3X daily and changing out/refilling weekly.
You wrote a perfect review under these conditions. Honesty is what benefits every single person - HO and sitter - using THS. Please do not second guess yourself.
TBH, I would have left fewer stars as two of the important pet care tasks you requested were not respected ! Pretty simple that.
And, after looking at your review, I see that it took some nudging on your part to get pics. I would have dropped a star on communication, too (assuming that you asked for pics ?).
What they wrote was their perspective (…possibly with a bit of gloss ?) and what you wrote was yours.
As a sitter both locally and internationally I sometimes wonder is it really worth being so petty about a few things the House Sitters may have overlooked. Surely there are far more serious concerns (?) such as a healthy and happy pet. After reading numerous reviews with petty comments I want to mention a House Sit I did in Texcoco, Mexico caring for 2 cats, 2 dogs and a parrot which left little time for anything else. The one dog urinated and defecated inside the house which I stepped into one night on my way to the toilet. What a mess I had to clean up! And a friend showed up without been told and made herself at home sleeping in the master bedroom with TV playing loudly. Eventually asked her to turn it down. House located close to a very busy road there was no field nearby to walk the dogs only a small area so they could do their business. I spent 75% my time caring for the pets with short trips into Texcoco for a massage or to relax and unwind at a coffee shop. The HO lied in her review that the dog issues had been mentioned! I looked at the HS Guide again there is no mention of it! I dealt with a dog throwing up immediately got hold of the HO and asked if I should call the VET. This was never mentioned in my review. No credit given only criticism! This was the toughest most draining sit Ive done with the least amount of appreciation.
I am sorry—it should have been a nice adventure…
Hopefully, this is your last bad sit!
I’m a homeowner and we have a 3 ring binder for the Welcome Guide. My husband put it together with photos because of our television. I email the guide to the sitter once the sit is confirmed and we also have a print out that I leave on the counter.
*Hi catwoman, As a sitter I do prefer having a printed Welcome Guide or Instructions printed out. It is so much easier to just pick up and flick through and refer to. However I would never forget that litter trays do need cleaning out regularly. It is usually for what days and what bins go out for refuge collection and that kind of thing, or what time and day the cleaning lady is coming, if they have one etc.
Indeed, a happy, healthy pet is the highest priority but having a clean litter tray and a clean source of water is part of their wellbeing. On the other hand, reviews are not black or white, there’s a whole range of different aspects that can be considered and mentioned in the review that are really helpful for everyone.
I am really sorry that you had this terrible experience in Mexico but I find it hard to see the connection with the topic of this thread. I hope that you are not implying that you didn’t mention these issues in your review or that only extreme circumstances like these are worth mentioning in a review.
UPDATE: My sitter has now responded. This is what she wrote:
I would just like to clarify a couple of points. Firstly, as requested, the bathroom litter box was cleared each morning and sometimes more often. Secondly the water fountain was cleaned as requested half way through our stay as the pressure had dropped and it was bubbly. We checked this daily and it was fine up to our departure.
This is so obviously untrue as the litter box was FULL of clumps of pee and although not as much poop, still plenty. It had definitely not been cleaned out for days. I live with them and I should know. Why tell lies? It makes me look like a liar for writing it in the first place. What frustrates me is that I’m not able to comment on what she wrote so who, then, are home owners supposed to believe?
Regarding the fountain - when we cleaned it the day after we got home the insides did NOT look as if they had been cleaned at all during our holiday, although we have no proof, obviously.
I know you left your review till the last minute @catwoman4369. Did your sitters leave you a review? If so, how was it? You get to respond to it just as your sitters have responded to your review of them.
THS purposely only allows one opportunity to respond to avoid the “he says, she says” back and forwards comments.
Yes, I know - but it just shows that it doesn’t necessarily always pay to be honest if the sitter comes back with a response that to me is clearly not true, sadly.
I understand how you feel @catwoman4369. Remember, though, their response is on their profile not yours.
I have now read your listing and both reviews. 12 indoor cats are a lot to look after and a lot of poop and pee to clean out daily! Also a lot to drink from a water fountain that only had to be cleaned once according to your instructions. I think you both should be content with the 5* reviews you each have been given.
I don’t quite know what you’re implying by your response… Yes, 12 cats is a lot, but they knew this before they agreed to the sit. Also, it stands to reason that if I come home to a FULL litter box it means it has not been cleaned for several days at least; like I said, I know my cats and their habits - I clean that box all the time and for it to be that full it would have had to have been left for days.