I keep reading “It’s all about the pets” so it got me wondering do you consider yourself a Housesitter or a Petsitter?
50%/50%? - 40%/60%? - 20%/80%? - 1%/99%?
If you get asked what do you do?
Do you say" I’m a Housesitter" or" I’m a Petsitter"
Is the name of the site Trustedhousesitters confusing? Would Trustedpetsitters have been a better name?
I’m a pet sitter, they are the most important aspect of the process for me. However we have “housesat” once and it was a very enjoyable experience. Next door had a beautiful collie pup who we took out for a five mile walk everyday so we didn’t lose out.
Personally, I think that both are interchangeable. We are housesitters that look after pets and petsitters that also keep your house safe and secure.
When someone asks me - I say I am a house sitter because more people can understand that. But in reality we are pet sitters.
I agree with the response from @ChrisAndSuzeGoWalkies. However, I do now make sure to add ‘volunteer’ in front of it as often as possible. I find it generates far more interest and respect.
Though 95% of sits happen because of the need for pet care we often spend as much or more time invested in house and garden care as well. We primarily say house sitters, but that is often while we’re out walking the dogs so it’s kind of obvious.
I just realized that I say I’m a volunteer house and pet sitter. Maybe that’s the solution to your question 
just cover both at the same time 
We’re on our 33rd sit and all have involved pets. A sit without pets would seem a bit boring, I think. House-sits without pets do exist but we couldn’t have the pets without the house, so we say ‘Housesitting’ as this is easier for people to understand. There are a few non-resident pet-carers who offer a service from their own home.
I think we need some new words. We sometimes use ‘tempet’ for our animals.
@Colin @Angela_L yes i have wondered this also…i guess its 50-50 for me as there is the responsibility for the animals but also house security etc. When you think about it, thats alot of responsibility especially when its taken seriously as I’m sure most sitters do. You will have been following the thread on use of cameras in homes and for me the issue is more to do with the Trusted aspect of the naming of the business…use of cameras within a house makes a real dent in that logo to my mind! ‘How trusted is a sitter really?’ might be a question to debate!
This is an interesting one @Colin … how do sitters see themselves and how to owners see sitters, pet sitters or house sitters?
We’ve moved this to Owner & Sitter exchange will be very interesting to get both views and who knows we may come up with something unique to TrustedHousesitters … what do you think?
I choose to say that I am a home and pet sitter. I have at times referred to myself as a caretaker.
I find a tremendous amount of satisfaction not just in taking care of the animals but in doing things in the home. I like to help with anything In the house or garden. I always ask about a project and permission.
Can I ask, what is the difference between Pet sitters, and House sitter, I thought the house sitter would just look after the house, but when I looked they are looking after pets as well.
Hello @Niveacream and thank you for your very valid question. It’s a topic our community has discussed at length, so I’m going to move your question on to that thread so that you can join the conversation and see what others had to say. All the best, Vanesa