A seam split in the water piping in an older home happened to me on a sit. Knowing where the water shut off was and having a responsive homeowner who OK’d a plumber visit made it all so much easier. The HO was so glad they had a THS on site because otherwise they’d have come home a week later to a flooded home. Now I make it a habit to find things such as the water shutoff, electrical box and fire extinguisher at a sit. Kudos to HOs who prepare their sitter(s) by outlining these things in the WG! #stuffhappens
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Right, because foremost when sitting, you’re taking on responsibility for someone’s home and pets. Emergencies can happen on your first sit, your 100th or your 1,000th. It’s unrealistic to think otherwise.
You can’t control everything, but you can at least be prepared. Like I sat an elderly, sick dog who ended up having back to back catastrophic seizures. I had to rush her to emergency care late one Sunday. You can bet I was glad to have her vet info on hand, so there was no delay in calling, mapping directions and such, because everything was accessible via phone, stored in the cloud. Her family was on the other side of the world.
With my current sit, the dog is getting on. His humans took a ship without reliable internet. Then they got on a helicopter and then drove into mountains with iffy reception. Would I want to be struggling to reach them for pet or home info in an emergency?
I’ve also lived in earthquake and typhoon or hurricane zones, where sometimes homes are damaged and you can’t go back in, given the risk of gas leaks, fire or structural instability. If you know where an emergency shut-off is, you can help emergency workers do their jobs quicker and more safely. I sit in such regions, too, and stay mindful.
Sure, you can have fun while sitting, fall in love with pets and such, but the best sitters are prepared for when things go wrong. Hosts have a responsibility to partner well.
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That would just be a mismatch then.
The WG is such a PITA, I don’t have a redacted version. I rely on the video call to get all questions and information that may not be explicitly spelled out - if something comes up that makes me realize it needs to go in the WG (because every sit provides new information), I add it.
This may be a moot point for me because I have one healthy middle aged cat that has a couple of quirks but doesn’t require a ton of special handling.
Since the THS welcome guide is viewed in sections, couldn’t you just take screenshots without the address and share those? That’s if you wanted to.
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That’s a possibility, sure. Never say never, but asking for it prior to confirmation would probably put me off a bit.
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Would you sign an agreement prior to reading it? Pretty much the same thing. Many HO’s put in items that Sitters/Guests would never agree to. So for the other party, the refusal to send prior looks like you’re trying to pull a fast one.
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I’ve been nearly 10 years on this platform. It’s never been possible to get a Welcome Guide before agreeing to sit. I’ve never had a really bad experience though - it’s up to the sitter to vet based on the listing and subsequent video call etc, before accepting the sit. That’s not a guarantee but in 45-50 sits I’ve only encountered minor annoyances that were not disclosed prior.
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the Welcome Guide isn’t a contract.
And this issue has never come up with any of the sitters I’ve chatted with, much less confirmed.
I think it’s just one of those “find the right fit” situations.
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I must say your message is clear and concise. No dog in this fight. In concur 
!!!
Kinda of how I felt at 15 sits. Now you’ve given me that mentality back that kept me a float with wonderful memories of house-sitting. Albeit, let’s revisit this in three years. I’d like to see if you’ve been able - unlike the rest of us to keep perfectly perfected in this thing.
I don’t doubt you will. Well with your conviction and our horror stories. Honestly, thank you for redirecting me back to when… When my critical thinking and self awareness was more keen-I’d imagine. 
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Yes exactly Bluehorse. The overwhelming factors, people, pets, situations, scenarios… Have certainly been above par.
Like Maya Angelou once said, “I wouldn’t give anything for my journey.”
And what a journey hers was!!!
Au contraire! If it’s not in writing it was never there!
I learned this the hard way. Video chats are perfect for getting to know one another. Of course that is if everyone is being honest in the video chat. There are thespians amongst us. Ha!
On a much more serious note; If an issue arises somewhere down the line, that conversation never existed. I’m just saying
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Shrug. Who knows whether I’ll be sitting in a few years. Why: I telecommute during all of my sits and it’s just icing.
If or when I join my husband in retirement or semi-retirement, we might just split time between homes and do slow travel without dependencies. He’s been on sabbatical and is leaning toward not returning to work. And he’d never want to sit. Luckily, because he’d suck at it.
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Aka honest … please be honest in your welcome guide abd interviews
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‘Now I am wondering is it even worth it to have a Welcome Guide because HOs do not disclose the overall health, personality, and behavior of their pets’
That’s a very strong generalization. I do disclose in my WG and in a video chat. Sometimes reading the forum makes me feel, as a HO, sitters often feel taken advantage of. This is a reciprocal arrangement and I feel on the forum HOs are portrayed poorly. We are on the THS platform to exchange to the benefit of the Sitter and HO. As I said, it’s my FEELING ,therefore, not necessarily a FACT.
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You have a right to feel what you feel. And so does everyone.
And the same can be said that sitters are viewed poorly on the forum. There are some HOs and sitters that will try to take advantage of the other party. However, bad sitters or bad HOs should not reflect poorly on either side. There are excellent sitters, just as there are excellent HOs.
Communication and having all information upfront on each side can help alleviate each party from being taken advantage of. A HO posted about a couple whereby the girlfriend left while the boyfriend stayed. A sitter posted about feeling uncomfortable as she felt like ‘free labor’ to care for a dog even after the HO returned home. In both examples, both sides felt taken advantage of.
The forum is considered a safe place where each person (HO / sitter) can seek advice, express their views, experiences, and sometimes frustrations.
If it pertains to us great – if not, move on and have a great day!
We have completed loads of sits and I have only once felt exploited by the HO. I have usually found HO’s to be welcoming and thoughtful. Must have been lucky with our sits as there has always been a good Welcome guide. Will make me more mindful about this in future though.
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HO welcome guide will appear on in the dashboard.
I also insist they complete thr WG it’s the least they can do don’t you think(?)
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The older I get the more questions I have for Homeowners!
Two of my previous pet owners have either played down or failed to mention that their dog pulls a LOT, due to never having been trained. So now I try to visit as many sits as possible beforehand. And two of my first questions are Does your dog pull? and How does your pet get on with other pets?
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When I first started sitting, I did not have as many questions as I have now. I had based sitting for dogs on my own experience for how I had trained my dog, Rocko. Within a few sits, I soon realized that not all dogs are trained not to not jump on people, not to beg for food while I eat, not pull on leash, etc.
The not pulling on leash is a big one because I love taking the dogs out for walks / hikes and when they are pulling and are leash reactive to other dogs, it is not pleasant.
I had gotten my dog Rocko as a rescue and our first walk together, he was pulling me all over the place. He was not pleasant to walk and barked at anything he saw—including a piece of paper or a leaf blowing in the wind. 
One of the pet stores where I lived was offering obedience training. I signed up and I learned the basic dog commands that I reinforced at home. In teaching him heel, whenever there was tension on the leash, I would stop walking. So we would walk, tension, stop, repeat. That let him know that the walk would not continue any further if there was tension. And when I stopped and he was ahead of me, he would back up until he was by my right side. With practice / repetition, Rocko was no longer pulling.
One of the questions I also now ask HOs, “Does your dog pull on leash?”
If dogs are pulling, it is because they are being allowed to and they have not been taught how to walk nicely.
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@sharondc i totally agree with your comments. I’ve noticed lots of listings mentioning things like ‘looking for a sitter who has experience of handling big, strong dogs’. To me, that suggests what they actually mean is, their dog pulls like a train!
It astonishes me, how many dogs are not taught the most basic of manners.
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