Thrilled that we now have our 6th housesit booked this year with my boy Colt!
We’ve had a few people decline us but I completely understand that. Lots of other dogs are reactive and don’t like other dogs in their home. Colt is 20kg so I also don’t apply for sits with small dogs because even though he will be completely fine with them, I know their owners would be worried. We only apply for sits with other dogs and also dogs that are aren’t senior as Colt is 16 months now and full of life. An older dog really wouldn’t enjoy having him around.
I’ve spent lots of time compiling my application which details his age, his breed (he’s a GSD x Lab x Collie), his size and the fact that he is neutered. I also reassure owners that their pets will absolutely get as much love and care as Colt does. No favourites!
Most of the owners who accepted us to sit have more than two dogs and they are usually large ones. There are lots of people looking for housesitters who can confidently handle more than one large dog so we seem to have found our “market”.
Having Colt as my travel companion and has been the best decision ever and there are certainly home owners who will welcome you.
I am sure our helpful members will have some great insight and personal experiences to share with you regarding this. However, we do have a useful helpdesk article that answers this exact question -
@Sallyann I would like to just add to what @Lucy-B said and make sure, make sure, make sure, you never apply for a sit that states they cannot accept a sitter with their own pet. That was a deal breaker for me if I got an application asking, because I had in my profile that no pet could be brought in…thus leaving me to believe they really didn’t read the sit and just applied…leaving me to wonder what else would they not follow once they got to my home.
Hello @Sallyann I’ve just moved your question here as you’ll find lots of good feedback on this topic including a recent post by @ShelleyFinch who talks about her experience of sitting with gorgeous Colt. There are definitely many more considerations, not least around socialisation, so do carefully think this through and take on board all the pros and cons you’ll read about on this thread.
Are you asking this from an owner or sitter perspective?
This year we have taken our dog, Tuppence on 4 house-sits with us. Initially I write a fairly short message to the owners testing the waters asking how they feel about us bringing our own pet. All the house-sits have been with one other well-socialised dog, no cats. In our most recent sit in Stavanger the owners were really positive about us bringing our own dog as they believed their dog to be missing the contact of another dog. They even waited for us to suss out our travel plans with KLM (if taking a dog in the cabin then no other pets can be present so instant booking not possible). Happy to say that Tuppence and the owner’s dog got on really well.
They both went into a lethargic mood at the end of our stay, missing each other’s company. Just a few pics to show how well they got on despite the vast difference in size!
I love this @Tuppence, thanks for sharing. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but it does work for some, and more than we imagine. I have a friend in the US who looks after dogs in her home (until she starts traveling again) and I learned that she’s never had an issue with the many dogs she’s hosted, but she does always do a “meet and greet” and approaches it very professionally as you obviously do too!
Tuppence is the small one. Our little pocket rocket! Thank you for your kind comments and Indeed it’s not easy house sitting with your own pet but there are unexpected rewards!
Hello!
We are a family traveling with a cat and yes, some HO says no - but some are totally fine with us bringing a cat.
We spend 6 months in Tuscany where our cat was welcomed both inside and outside. Our host had three cats outside and a dog.
We’re going on a pet sit in Spain and our cat is also welcome there even though our host is allergic to cats! We just need to cover the couches with bedsheets.
Our cat is also used to just stay in our campervan and walk on a lead. So that’s also a way that we can handle a house sit.
my name is Michael and I just joined the community. We (my wife our dog and I)are living in Germany and have plenty of time.
We think to be house-/pet sitter is a great idea. Our problem might be our dog.
Does anybody have experience with this issue?
We are interested in sits all over Europe. Regards from Germany
Michael
Hi @Michael57. We are sitters who have pets, so we signed up as Hosts too. That way, we can book a sitter to cover us at home while we travel and look after pets elsewhere.
Hello I’m considering joining as a sitter for other people but would need to do some with my own friendly and sociable small dog as he travels everywhere with me. He is a professional dog model and actor so very well trained and behaved! He’s toilet-trained, neutered, vaccinated and gets on really well with other dogs, animals (not cats, so we wouldn’t chose this) and people / kids. Is this doable if I joined as a sitter? Don’t want to pay membership if not.
Thank you!
Mimi
Late reply, but anyway. Of course there can be good reasons why a home owner would no want other people’s pets visiting. However, for example a pet hamster in a cage who just stays in your sitter’s bedroom all the time, is not comparable to a strange dog sharing your own pet’s territory and - in the worst-case scenario - his food bowl!
Myself, I travelled with my own cat to a few house sits and in most cases she just stayed in my room and didn’t bother the home owner’s pets at all. In the few occasions when I introduced her the home owners’ pets were very welcoming and showed a similar behaviour toward her as they showed toward me. I think most domesticated animals don’t make a big distinction between a visiting human and a visiting animal, they treat all guests alike.
While I would keep my own cat just in my bedroom during shorter sits, in longer sits I sometimes introduced her to the home owners’ animals and we never had a serious problem. More than anything, the home owners’ pets considered such encounters
and Indeed it’s not easy house sitting with your own pet but there are unexpected rewards!
