I think that if there was a simple option for home-owners to tick a box, pets welcome (like they have on housesittersuk website then it would save both HOs and sitters a lot of time in correspondence. I wouldn’t have thought it was that difficult to add this as a binary choice. Most accommodation sites such as Booking dot com and Airbnb have wised up to people travelling with pets and their need to know before travelling if pets are welcome so why of all places is THS lagging behind in this regard?
Tuppence, I don’t think that this is the best solution, because when most people see the word “pets” they think of dogs and cats. I would not want to be excluded from being considered for a house-sit if I have a hamster or pet rat who lives and can stay in a cage in my van while I am housesitting. I actually wouldn’t even mention this hamster or rat in my profile, but would only tell the HO once they have shown an interest in me, and I would ask at this occasion whether it’s okay if I bring the cage into my bedroom, or not. Different pets cause different levels of “issues”, therefore in my opinion the communication should remain at a personal case-by-case level. I actually like the way how THS is handling this topic and wouldn’t change anything from the management side. My question was rather an attempt to get advice on which pet I should choose as a travel companion to NOT be excluded from most house-sits. I have meanwhile cut my shortlist to either a Syrian hamster (easy) or a chinchilla (interesting new challenge).
Well then it would just be a question of not putting ‘pets welcome’ in as a filter when you are looking for house sits. My suggestion wouldn’t disadvantage anyone. It’s homeowners who would tick the box ‘pets welcome’ You as a sitter would still remain free to approach whomever you like.
Hi @Tuppence I see the reason for your suggestion however there would be considerations to make it isn’t as simple as a pet parent/owner going into pet friendly accommodation like an AirBnB or hotel.
There are other animals in residence at the destination and there may be a number of “conditions” attached regarding the animals that might be welcome, a simple “pets welcome” may not be suitable for every situation.
It is an addition to listings for consideration but we need to determine the best way to include.
Hi Angela, thanks for your reply. Yes, I realise it would entail much correspondence after the first contact with an owner to see if respective pets were a good fit. Otherwise I might turn up with my well-trained boa constrictor! 
From my point of view it would save time on the INITIAL correspondence, i.e. testing the waters to see if the owner even entertains the idea of sitter coming with a pet. As I mentioned it is an option on HousesittersUK and I’ve now set up an alert for those house-sits where pets are welcome which may mean that I spend more time on that company’s platform when looking for sits.
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Hi Loraine,
I totally agree with your point and we have no direct family where we live in the NL and even if we did I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving our mini JR with them for longer than a few nights.
We are now in Feb 2023 and moderators on these threads are still pushing back the option for HOs to state pets welcome/or not. They seem to regard it as some highly controversial addition so I think we have to be aware this isn’t going to happen on THS…
Since I have my little dog I HAVE been accepted on s3veral sits and all worked out well. So just need to keep applying and asking if my dog welcome.
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I have been on TH for about six months and have done three sits with my pooch, and I’ve been accepted for three more coming up. I only apply for sits with dogs, or at least not cats, since my dog does not get along with cats, and it hasn’t been an issue. My Flaco is on my profile and I always mention him in the application email as if it were no big deal. Some HOs mention no dogs in their listing, so I always pay attention to that.
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Hello @jpr823, welcome to the forum community and thank you for your contribution to this topic. It is great to hear that you get to travel with your dog! I would love to see a photo.
Best wishes Carla
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Hello Forum! In the United States, does anyone have an idea roughly what percentage of housesitters travel with their own pets? And what percentage of housesittees would welcome a dog into their house as company for their pet while they are away? My dog has housesat for at least seven ‘friends’ but these are all people already known to me. My dog is 11…not crazy all over the place…a moderate socializer…and likes to sleep in bed. I know that’s not for everyone, but just curious if it would be worthwhile for me to join?
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Hello, @Stevenlark I would like to wish you a warm welcome to the community forum. Here you can connect with like-minded members and search previous topics using the spyglass.
It is great to hear that you are interested in joining TrustedHousesitters as a sitter with your dog. The thread above will give you some more insight into this and answer your questions regarding travelling with your furry companion.
Best wishes Carla.
Hi @Stevenlark. Welcome to the forums. I’ve seen so many diverse success stories on TH, I want to say it’s always worthwhile for someone to join if they have the time, energy, and flexibility to put into it. The sits are out there.
Your dog is 11 … what kind of dog is it? Post a pic? Then, hopefully others with experience bringing their dogs will hopefully chime in. You can also tag some of the earlier posters in this topic, and that will bring your question to their attention directly.
What would be your ideal housesits? (where, when, how long, etc.)
It’s been helpful for me to travel and dogsit with my dog Mackenzie. I recognise it means less opportunities as some HO are worried about it, especially with lockdown pups.
In my experience, most dogs welcome the distraction of new pal/their family being away. It’s their humans that need convincing of this! My perspective is that, my day already centers around making sure we have walkies and adventures and play time, so their dogs are part of that for us. Additionally, it’s amazing how much better behaved some dogs are with another dog in the house. Bit like us, on our best behaviour for guests
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I’m wondering if sits are available to sitters when you bring your own little dog. Have you ever gotten a sit or seen them available on this site? Thanks.
Hi @KarenU111. Welcome to our community, and thanks for posting your question. You raise a good question, one that comes up from time to time. I moved your question to this existing conversation, so you can see what other members have experienced
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Hi @KarenU111
I’ve taken 2 Labradors on sits previously. Unfortunately I currently just have the one lovely Lab and he recently came with me on a repeat sit in Northumberland Uk.
Unless HO specifically mentions not bringing your own pet, I’d always see if it’s a possibility.
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Of course. It totally depends on the owners and their animals. My doodle Mia always helps me with housesits. I would never travel without her!
I’ve seen on various forums some that THS sitters have been able to bring their own dogs when they housesit. I have (understandably) been rejected for all applications where I have asked if my pets can come with us, and accepted for all those where they haven’t. I have two small dogs who are mega friendly to other dogs and very well trained, but I understand why in some cases it it just not possible and in others just not preferable.
For those of you who have succeeded with their applications and brought their dogs, what kind of sits were you successful with? Homes with only dogs, cats or small animals? Large homes, small apartments, farms etc?
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I just applied to a lot of sits until I found one that accepted my partners’ dog! 
I think I applied to 10 that rejected the idea. The person who agreed has a younger dog and lived in the mountains! She thinks it will be great for her dog to have another to play with. And I have ensured lots of hiking for her dog 
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I think, with dogs it is most difficult, as most home owners will worry that the pets might not get along, the sitter’s pet may cause damage, or the sitters may give more attention to their own dog than to the pets they are supposed to care for. The same concerns came up when I travelled with my own cat, but I could still get a few sits when I promised that my cat will stay limited to my bedroom only.
Recently, for the last two months, I have been travelling with a Syrian hamster and have not encountered any problems at all. I even got a second hamster now, in a second large cage (I travel with my own vehicle). Not a single home owner considered my hamsters a problem, as long as they don’t run free unsupervised. I guess it will be just as easy if you take any other caged animals along who can stay in your room, be it a rodent, a bunny, a reptile or a bird. At its best, watching them will give great joy and entertainment to the HO’s pets, as you can see on my picture.
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