How much communication during a sit, and do you like to hear from host?

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

I’m curious, for both sitters and hosts, what do you think is “enough” communication? How much do you like? What is too much?

I’m a sitter who promises to send one pic a day. I encourage hosts to send me at least one trip picture. But have a great vacation, and don’t worry about responding to my texts, unless it is a house/pet question. As you can tell from this message, I like to write, so my hosts get daily 4 pictures and a short text story, 3-6 sentences, about their pets’ adventures. Although THS encourages us to use their site for communication, all our hosts have asked to text because its faster and more direct.

I’ve sat for 3 families now, all with great communication and questions answered promptly. This happened on a return sit to a family, who had been great communicators over the first 2-night sit. This time, the hosts went to a remote place to camp, in the shoulder season where it snowed, and I suspected there would be no cell service. The website says cell reception is spotty, but the hosts assured me it wasn’t that remote. I heard from them once on their way…. And then nothing for a week. I kept telling myself there was no service. On the second to last day, I sent text only, no photographs to hinder download speed, and I also sent to him, as well as her, in case there was a lost phone. I let them know if they had sent me any message, I hadn’t gotten it.
On the final, “leaving day,” I had not heard, and searched the internet in case of an incident with a large animal, or vehicle crash. Indeed, there had been 1 each of those incidents during the week, but nothing matching my hosts. Still, I started wondering about backup plans in case they couldn’t make it home as planned. Finally, I got a text saying that they had not had cell service, and all my pictures from the last week were downloading slowly as they started their drive home. Whew. Glad they were safe!
So again, no problems. But I realized I’m the type of sitter who is reassured by the “like” on my messages, and knowing that everything is fine on both ends. Even though that wasn’t possible with this particular trip.

I’m sure there’s a certain “match” with hosts who like communication to find sitters who like sending updates. And also the reverse.
Again, wondering, what communication during the sit do you like to provide and receive as sitters? And what do hosts like to receive and provide?
(In addition to THS reminders about getting in touch to confirm start and end times, and one update.) Thanks!

1 Like
2

When we have the hand over at the start of the sit I just mention that I’ll I send HOs several photos a day via WA (unless they don’t want to bothered - and in 30+ sits the HOs have always said they’d be very appreciative of photos/updates), usually from the morning walk (dog)/cat interaction and then later in the day too to let them know how things are going. I just keep the captions fun and lighthearted.

I never communicate via the THS site once the sit has been confirmed because WA is so much more convenient/reliable.

I do not expect (or want) photos from the HO - they are on holiday and I am a carer of their animals for that time. Hence why it’s important to have all info like vet/emergency contacts etc ahead of the sit. I don’t expect ‘likes’ to my photos etc and it does not bother me if I don’t get them.

As far as I’m concerned I’m a complete guardian of their animals and home while they are away and any questions about anything necessary (including communication) should be asked in advance at the initial video/in person meeting ahead of the sit.

3 Likes
3

We are sitters and HOs.

As sitters we communicate via text on whatever frequency requested by the HO. Which is usually only once a day.

As HOs, we ask for a once a day update with pics of both our pets. We also want to know the sitter is well, too. We do not send sitters pictures of our vacation.

5 Likes
4

I just ask PP how often they want me to send pics and go with that. Most say every other day. I may write a caption under the pic but that’s it. I don’t expect pics from their vacation although a few have sent them. I just want them to feel stress free that their pets are in good hands and don’t have to worry about that.

7 Likes
5

I always use WhatsApp for communication, I check that once a day is enough for a photo and confirmation that everything is good. I also arrange that they will let me know when they get to the airport in case of delays. I usually leave before they return unless asked to stay.
Some people take holidays to very remote regions with no communication at all. One was Antarctica and I knew they would be out of contact for a week.

5 Likes
6

I love when the home owners send me holiday photos! I encourage it! But I’m not a fan of prompts such as ‘how are you getting on today?’ before I’ve even woken up. I send photos once or twice a day in my own time, with a few lines on how the day went, depending on what we did.

6 Likes
7

I usually update hosts at least once a day, during the morning. Some like more updates and I don’t mind.

Some hosts will be out of pocket for spurts, like go on sailing trips with sporadic online access. In such cases, we’ve agreed that I’ll update as usual and they’ll see the messages and photos when they see them, no worries.

I often let hosts know that I don’t expect them to reply unless I have a question or such. But I’ve yet to encounter any who haven’t. All of my 20+ sits have been mutually friendly and supportive.

I often receive vacation photos from my hosts, though I don’t expect or ask for them. I think they send them, because I send fun updates and photos. Hosts have mentioned enjoying them.

If a host didn’t want any updates, I’d be fine with no communication unless there were an emergency.

When it comes to knowing when hosts will leave and return, we discuss that at the outset, before the sit. And all of my hosts have been good about returning on time and not surprising me or leaving me in the dark. Even in the case of two emergencies (host injured on vacation and needed to return home early for follow up care, including surgery, and an elderly, sick dog having catastrophic seizures and needing to be put down), the hosts communicated well about their revised return times.

3 Likes
8

In my own life I’m very much «no news is good news», for instance if kids have been on camps etc.

As a sitter I send one update daily, usually with a photo and a couple of sentences. I usually send in afternoon/ early evening, approx. in same timeframe of 2 hours or so (it is my vacation also, so not a specific time). For instance some time between 1700 and 1900.

For sits +1 week it starts to get repetitive, so every 2 days or 2 times a week could be better for a long sit if nothing happens. Also because those daily messages could be disruptive in being
«present» on your vacation and your mind being dragged home. But we’re different. I think sometimes it can be difficult for a host to say that they are good with longer intervals, as they can think it will come across as not caring for the pet. While in reality it is because they think they have a caring sitter.

4 Likes
9

One of my hosts said they didn’t expect any pet updates at all, because they trusted me. But we communicated anyway, because they asked me to look out for a bill they were waiting on in the mail.

4 Likes
10

It’s definitely now on my list to ask before I start a sit.
Once a homeowner said, “Only mesage me if the house is burning down, I’m on vacation!” It was a bit of a joke, but I took the hint.

Everyone is different, and it’s always a good idea to ask.
Likewise, if I don’t get a text from them on their flight/ way home, I always ask because I’ve also had a homeowner come home unexpectedly a day early, or have a flight delay.

3 Likes
11

Daily updates have been the norm for our sits. Daily is much easier for me to remember than every other day. A photo or two with a brief caption. I don’t expect any response from the owner unless I have a question.

About 2-3 days before the last day, I again confirm the owner’s travel plans (day/time) and make sure all is “on track” for their arrival and my exit.

I can understand why you became worried about these owners. Did you let them know that you were worried? If they go camping at the same place in the future, they should certainly let the sitter know about the poor cell service. And this is a good reminder of why owners should always specify emergency contacts in the Welcome Guide.

3 Likes
12

As a sitter, I usually send a text early in the day with a photo and a short message. I don’t worry about being cute or entertaining. I want them to see a happy, normal looking pet and to know that I am still there and everything is okay, so the message might be along the lines of: “Tom and Jerry are doing great. They both ran to automatic feeder this morning a few seconds before it was time like they had ESP!”

It’s nice when the owner acknowledges, but I don’t expect a long reply and don’t take it personally if there is no reply.

As a homeowner, I know that cats can go downhill fast, and in this crazy world anything can happen, so I like getting daily updates that let me know my pets are still okay and the housesitter is still alive and around.

6 Likes
13

It’s about what the owners wants on the update front, it’s their pets and their breakaway, but I understand why you got concerned towards the end of your sit. There are no rights nor wrongs regarding the frequency, each individual sit is different, so personally I’d ask the owner and go with what they say.

In the majority of cases owners have requested updates every 2-3 days, occasionally some ask for a daily update but that’s much less often, and others are happy with once per week.

Owners typically let us know if their phone reception was going to be poor ahead of time, but sometimes it’s just not possible for them to predict.

3 Likes
14

We discuss this with the hosts before they leave for their trip . Some have said daily , others said we don’t want to hear unless there’s a problem , once a week for a 6 weeks cat sit which was good as the cats didn’t do much ,it varied a lot with all the different hosts . Many have sent photos of their trip ,( it’s something to say in return) .

2 Likes
15

I always ask the HO. Some need daily updates (luckily, I’ve never felt it was because they didn’t trust me!) and some only want to be contacted if there’s a problem. The best reply I’ve ever had to “Would you like lots of photos of Rex?*” was “Nah, not really. We know what he looks like.”

*Not his real name.

A few times, I’ve got on so well with the HOs that we’ve just chatted via Wozzapp.. They’ve told me about their travels and I’ve told them about the stuff I was getting up to, with or without their pets. I reckon you ask outright at the start, as a basic guideline. Then play it by ear..

6 Likes
16

I always use WhatsApp when we are travelling outside of the US, and often use it domestically instead of regular text because I get fewer junk messages. Usually, whether we are sitting or hosting the conversations get friendlier. I love knowing sitters are having a good time seeing the city, and we discuss recomendations. I’ve had sitters ask me where to get a haircut and recommended the one-chair shop up the street, and sometimes questions about getting tickets to the opera or which museum is “worth it.”

3 Likes
17

Thank you! I appreciate all the experiences, thoughts, and suggestions.

2 Likes
18

We send one photo a day showing various normal activities- sleeping/on walk/eating etc I suggest to the HO that they don’t need to reply as I can see they’ve read the message. Occasionally they’ll heart a photo or laugh…I did send a photo of a poo up a tree once as it was pretty impressive behaviour by their dog! This feels like the right amount of communication to me as a sitter.

2 Likes
19

It is not just about what the owner wants. When I sit, I want to know if hosts might be offline or unreachable for a few days. No problems if they are, as long as I have emergency numbers to call in case something happens.

Like others, I ask pet owners about how many updates they would like and most say once a day, or some are happy with less.

5 Likes
20

Exactly, Garfield! I’m on a sit now (and it’s my favorite sit so far) where the HO has twice told me “no news is good news!” I’ve texted her about two logistical issues, she’s responded promptly. We reassured each other things were going well, and I don’t expect to hear anything more from her for the next two weeks. She’s in Europe at her son’s wedding, I suppose being happily “in the moment.” That’s fine with me, tho I’m a wanna be photographer and I’m taking pics of the vacation with her pets nonetheless…whatever the HO wants, I’m good!

2 Likes