Many of the community members report
a repeat session at TrustedHousesitters, as it is a wonderful opportunity to deepen the existing relationship with a pet and its owner.
After two years of part-time sitting, we received an invitation to a repeat session in Saint-Gingolph, on Lake Geneva, over the Christmas period, which we were really happy about. And this despite the fact that we never met the hosts in person, apart from the first video call.
What experience have you had with repeat sit? And what aspects were or are that make a repeat sit special?
I look forward to your thoughts and reports of your experiences.
I am scheduled for my sixth Christmas sit with the same host this year. It’s in a charming cottage on a lake in a beautiful rural setting north of New York City. I love the host and her pup. It’s become my Christmas tradition and I look forward to it every year.
Lake Geneva sounds like a nice place for a possible tradition to start.
If you liked it, go for it.
Great question! My partner and I enjoy doing repeat sits for many reasons. We are very picky about our sits, so when we find one we like in an area we like to visit often, it is a bonus for us. We enjoy the friendships and connections we have made through THS and we become very attached to the animals we take care of. I am an anxious person (and an over-thinker), so repeat sits are a comfort for me as I already know what to expect in terms of pet care and house care. Many of the sits are also near family, so it is nice to have a familiar place to stay, as well as our own space. We have also received other sit opportunities for friends of those we have sat for in the past, so it is great networking.
We are also semi-retired with a very flexible schedule, so when a HO we have sat for in the past contacts us and we are available, we gladly take the opportunity to take care of and hang out with their pets again.
That sounds super interesting. I’m glad to hear that you’ve found such a lovely Christmas tradition. A beautiful cottage in the rural setting north of New York City sounds wonderful.
I wish you a fantastic time and lots of fun with the animals.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I love repeat sits as it allows you to return to a familiar area, home and pets, and often makes it easier to make connections in the area. I have several regular sits, one of which I’ve just completed. The owners recently retired and are travelling the world, tending to stay in England during the summer months and escaping when it gets cold.
I’ve become close friends with their neighbours, who I have spent many an evening with, and even did a bit of Christmas shopping with recently. Repeat sits definitely feel more like ‘home’ amidst other, new sits. I like a good balance of both!
Thank you so much @Eliane. I wish you the same. Post a photo from your Christmas sit near Lake Geneva, or from wherever you choose to make the season bright.
@Elaine, sounds super.
We have completed one repeat housesit. And are scheduled shortly for second repeat housesit. We have received multiple requests for repeat housesits but dates/locations haven’t worked.
We encourage you to embrace the opportunity, provided that you had a good experience the first time and provided that the repeat dates work for you.
We do repeat sits all of the time, we love returning, they are brilliant if you want to be in a certain area. We seem to feel like there is so much more time, because we already know everything from pet routines, personalities, where the kettle & cups are, whether the beds a comfy, where the vacuum lives, what the best shops are, it just removes ‘thinking’ time. I know all of those things are easy to discover, but when you return you’ll realise the difference. Also, the pets remember you and so get crazily excited when you turn up, which is lovely.
I’ve been invited for repeat sits about a dozen times but only able to accept 3 because I’ve already been booked. And of 90+ sits, there is only that I’d definitely not return to and 1 that I’d have a conversation with the HO before saying no. I was her first TH sitter and the house was very cluttered and looking at more recent reviews I think that has been ‘remedied.’ The location and the pup were a delight.
Maybe I’m lucky? Maybe I’m discerning at picking sits!
My husband and I have a few repeat sits we do in an area where we have children/grandchildren. It’s also a place that doesn’t get snow so we get to leave the cold weather of Michigan and head south.
This will be year five for one sit and year three for another. The pet parents usually check with us for availability and are happy to work around our schedule. It’s a great situation for everyone.
We also pick up a few new sits to fill in the gaps and end up spending about four months in the area.
We have made many friends in the area and I even have a local library card! We love the pets and enjoy returning every year. It feels like home!
I’ve only done 1 repeat sit. For me it was more amazing than the first sit as they spoiled me as they knew their pets and luxury property was in good hands. I should explain I was the second THS sitter they had ever used. They had a disaster with the first sitter who decided to leave a room full of rubbish despite the on street bins being across a side road and they also left the property post sit with the patio door wide open!
