House and Pet sitter manual

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
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Hello! We are very excited to begin our relationship with TrustedHousesitters. As frequent international travelers, we were so glad to learn about this site. Our two dogs, Beau-Bo (10 year old Sheltie) and Mailie (3.5 year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) are our pride and joy.

I see on the T.H. website there are places to input all manner of information for sitters (vet numbers, car information, etc…). I’ve begun creating a hard copy of a “House and Pet Sitter’s Manual” for our sitters that includes (so far) Important Contact Information, Dog Feeding Details, TV Remote, Pool, “Where is it?,” and a couple of other pages.

What has worked well for others? Has anyone found a hard copy in the house is better for you/your sitters or do folks prefer putting all information online? (If this document of mine proves worthwhile or helpful to anyone, I would be happy to share more details.) Thank you!

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As I sitter I am happy to receive a copy online to study in advance of the Sit but I ALWAYS appreciate having a hard copy of the manual at the house for ease of reference.

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We prefer the online THS template as so much gets forgotten when owners use their own template.

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Hi @PapaDaddy and welcome to the forum! Your question has been asked many many times by not only new members but even older members who just aren’t sure what works best. It is pretty imperative to create the online guide for your sitter with all the pertinent information, but I, personally also always had a hard copy for our sitters with even more info, including local stores, restaurants, places of interest and distance to each of those.

There is indeed a template within the dashboard that will guide you through all the different categories of information that will help your sitters once you’ve selected someone for your sit.

This will guide you through the process, and becomes an invaluable resource for sitters with all the information they might need about the property, the pets, the location. You can always supplement this with other information you feel is relevant, but as a sitter, having this information in advance is so very helpful. It also helps prompt any questions that might arise for the pre-sit chat or at handover.

You may find that some members will give you suggestions of other useful information not covered in the guide, but it is pretty comprehensive as a starting point.

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 pet parent, tell us about your pets.
  • Share pics of you, your own pets, or pets you have cared for or are caring for.

Also, you may want to link your member profile to your forum profile for additional exposure when you are using the forum. To do so just go to How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile

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

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Thank you so much for your thorough response. I will certainly complete the Welcome Guide.

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I am a newbie here, and sometimes technology is not my friend. When I followed the instructions and clicked on my name, then dashboard in the drop down, there did not seem to be any Welcome Guide section there. I can not find that template! Help!

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HI @JudyY !

Welcome to the forum! The forum operates separately from the THS website.
Am I correct to assume you are a pet owner? Are you looking to complete your Welcome Guide for a sitter you have confirmed?

We’d love to meet you. Where are you located and what pets do you have?
And anything else you’d like to share.

You can add your Sitter Profile and/or Home Listing to your forum profile by following these instructions:

How to Add Your Profile to Your Forum Profile

If you can be a little more specific, I am sure someone will jump in here to help you out.

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Hi @JudyY Hopefully you will find this link helpful

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I see now that I jumped the gun. Once my listing was approved, I followed the directions, and there it was! I just wanted to get a start on it while I was waiting. A little patience pays off!

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Thanks for the detailed instructions, Mars! I’m kind of a techno-idiot, so the more step-by-step the better!
We are in Highland Park, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. We have one dog, Kiwi. She is about 17 years old, we believe a silky terrier/poodle mix (DEFINITELY more terrier!). Many people think she looks like Toto. She is old, but has a lot of pep and TONS of personality.
We’ve been married 30 years, so I was never on dating apps, but I kind of imagine this is what it’s like! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get “a match”!

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Hi @JudyY , your listing looks great. and Kiwi looks like a doll baby. You have some time before your dates so no need to get concerned. You say she can be left alone for a few hours, you may want to be a little more specific, how many hours? Can she occasionally be left for a longer time if the sitters want to spend a day in the city? How is Kiwi in the car?

All in all, I think you did a very nice job with your listing. I hope you find wonderful sitters for her!

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Thank you SO much for this feedback! I will update the listing pronto! I wasn’t sure how much lead time most sitters want. I just like to have things set so I don’t have to stress out about it. I’ll try to calm down!

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HI @JudyY , Kiwi looks adorable! A couple of suggestions from me:

  • put a better picture of her first (eg, one of the ‘full face’ ones). The picture you have is cute but can be used elsewhere. Then prospective sitters will have an immediate view of her size and perkiness
  • shorten your strapline (from ’ Stay in a nice house in a lovely neighborhood with a sweet little older dog’) to something like ‘Sweet lively elderly terrier in lovely neighbourhood’

Best of luck finding a sitter :smiley:

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Thanks so much for the feedback!