It’s a funny one because essentially I think all of us, to some degree, use the app for reasons beyond a simple love of animals. I do adore the animals and I think that comes through in my applications and how I approach sits but I’d be dishonest if I said that was my only reason for applying to sits. We do it to check out new neighbourhoods or places we want to visit but could never afford to usually. It’s a balance though and I’ve seen a few sitter profiles which hardly mention pets and focus on how much they want to travel which doesn’t strike me as the right approach.
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It means the other party can’t see what you have written and take umbrage (or glee). You both post anonymously and once that’s done they publish them 
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@JamesandMarilyn are you familiar with the airnbn review process? THS is like that now…I’ll find the link for you.
Before THS was an open … post anytime… review ststem, so THsitters and HO’S didn’t always share the “truth” about the exchange because there ciukd be a retaliation review.
I would agree with a lot of the replies here. The animals and homes I’m entrusted with are always the priority. That said, there is a trade-off here. I don’t get paid, I get a place to stay. That’s the whole business model of THS. I feel like a lot of HOs have posted things like this and I’m just not sure what you guys are expecting. Are you not wanting the sitters to be able to leave and enjoy the city? I’m a digital nomad so traveling is just a part of my life. And yes, I am often choosing to go to a place b/c I want to explore the area. Sometimes I’ve been in an area visiting friends or family so I take up a sit while I’m there. Other times, I have been somewhere I love and just want to enjoy it more. But again, I full-time travel, I work remotely so I am just living life differently right now. Surely HOs know that people want to go do stuff outside the home. I always try to do my best in keeping to the routine of the animals and making adjustments where necessary to suit everyone. I don’t apply to sits that I don’t think are a good fit for my abilities, especially as a solo sitter, or that would hinder me from being able to enjoy the area some as well. I started using THS as a nomad b/c I love animals and being around them brings me a lot of joy. I also wanted to use that desire as a way to help people. As a solo traveler, it also gives me avenues to meet amazing people and make new friends. I think that’s the definition of a win-win, lol.
I think there’s probably some due diligence here for HOs to choose the right people. If you aren’t happy with the people or their abilities to meet your/your pet’s needs then don’t choose them (though I realize you may not know that until after the fact). I feel like as a responsible sitter I am missing the chance to even apply to many sits b/c of the new 5-applicant cut-off which actually can be bypassed if you review quickly and decide you don’t like one or all and you just decline it so that it reopens until you have 5 again. You don’t have to choose from the first 5 you get. You could also address that with THS b/c they will want to know that users aren’t having a good experience with the features. Maybe they could increase it to 10 or 20 or whatever HOs would prefer. But they don’t know if you don’t tell them.
I hope that helps.
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I’ll step in it a little, because I think I know what the OP is getting at. As an HO, of course I expect sitters to be doing my sit because they want to come to my very expensive city. I want them to get out and explore! But there’s a difference between sitters who are traveling and enjoy taking care of pets/homes as a means of doing so affordably, and people who are just trying to travel as cheaply as possible and will agree to whatever without really caring or even understanding what that entails, and aren’t interested in the pets, or caring for the home at all.
Sitters know the difference between HOs who provide a welcoming and positive environment vs those who just take advantage of free sitters; is it so hard to imagine that HOs experience the same?
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If you don’t want younger nomadic folks, don’t choose them. I am 62. Love animals. My first responsibility is the care of the animals but I do TH also to travel…that IS the selling point. If I ONLY did it for the animals then I would not bother. I would stay home + have 2 cats + a dog.
Sorry but just get tired of seeing posts that “these people want a free place to stay.”
Yes, that is the whole idea!
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I’m sure that’s what many HOs are referring to. I can imagine it can be hard to filter those people out sometimes. Just don’t assume we are all like that which is what I was getting at in the rest of my response. Hopefully HOs know that they don’t have to choose from the first 5 applications they get and can decline one or more so you can get more options that are what your looking for, people who actually care about you and am your home. Trust me, it’s frustrating for sitters like me who are genuine because I see reports of these awful sitters and I know there were other more qualified sitters who didn’t even get the chance to apply. 
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I completely agree. I joined this site for BOTH the love of pets and the love of traveling and I admit the travel is the #1 reason. If the homeowner would rather pay me to stay there instead of allowing me to use the time to also visit the area, I’d be ok with that, but that’s not what this site is about. It’s about the WIN, WIN for both sides! But to expect to not have to pay me and then be put off that I want to pet sit a cat or no pet so that I can enjoy my half of the deal (travel), then they should probably just pay someone to sit for them.
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Maybe it’s the wording here, and I know there is a similarly titled thread somewhere, but sometimes it feels like some homeowners have no understanding of why sitters sit – just as some sitters have no understanding of why homeowners would use this site.
To me this site is wonderful. I’m on day 8 of a ten day San Fransisco trip/sit and having a great time. I’m sitting for two cats – one a bit nervous and keeps to himself, the other an adorable playful guy. My spouse and I have gotten to do what we love to do in San Fransisco – go out for very long exploratory walks and discover cool things about the city we never knew. Meantime, back in our apartment, we’ve got a free sitter who is considering moving to our city and having a great time.
Ironically, our sitter is from Northern California, about an hour north of where we are now. I would never have expected her to fly across the country to take care of three random cats. She wanted to be in our city, didn’t want to or couldn’t afford (none of my business) hotel accomodations, wanted to “live like a local” for a few days, and doesn’t mind the responsibility of feeding, playing with, and cleaning up after my cats. Is that a free holiday? Sure, I guess – though she’s also working remotely most days. I don’t care what motivates her – as long as she’s responsible and loving to my cats.
And I think the people we’re sitting for get that we’re responsible cat lovers who know how to take care of an apartment and not leave it looking like a disaster area, but I don’t think they think that we flew across the country just to experience their cats. We would not be doing this without the free acommodtion and the wonderful location.
There is a circle of gratitude here. I am so grateful to the woman watching my cats and my home. She is saving me the money I’d pay for a sitter and I trust her to do a great job. She is grateful to me because NY has banned Airbnb and she isn’t stuck on a friend’s couch. I am grateful to my current hosts because living “like a native” for 10 days in their town would be too costly for us any other way.
I do understand the objection to some “sitters” who joined just for the accomodations and aren’t really “pet” people. That’s a problem. They are easy to screen out. They aren’t the majority. I wish THS did more to prevent those sitters from joining in the first place. But this isn’t a volunteer opportunity that some people do so that others can have a stress free vacation and save money. It’s an exchange.
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Thank you for saying this. That’s exactly what it should be. Also, it helps your home insurance. Not sure how it works elsewhere, but in the UK you’re not supposed to leave your home empty for more than 30 days so if you want to go away for longer, you’ll have to pay a premium. And actually, I’m not expecting pristine when I get home. As long as our home isn’t wrecked and the cats are good - perfect! Catteries here are around £10 pcpn (super cheap and in a farm setting) but they’re not the same as leaving your cat at home esp if you’ve a scaredy cat like we have. She’d hate me! So of course sitters choose from the locations on offer, what’s around for them to explore and use their sit as a base either as a step to where they want to go, or a base to explore. I’m just grateful someone wants to sit our cats. I know dogs are different though and on the whole are more needy.
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@Elsa1 Thanks for your refreshing post, I love owners who don’t expect pristine!
I am currently looking after 3 dogs, one of which needs medication several times a day including an oral one I need to administer, the meds make the dog pee a lot and I either need to be there to let them out like every hour, or there is pee to clean up in the house. It’s not a holiday! I still love it though because the dogs are all adorable.
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Can you get any puppy pads? At least then if they piddle, it’d be soaked up….if they aim correctly!
I’d hope to take that pup outdoors to explore. Finding rental cars which will allow dogs to be transported is not easy. I really appreciate the use of a car so I can have the pups out and about with me.
I hope there are at least pee pads. When our dog had cushings the pee pads were a kind of Hail Mary pass. We weren’t sure if they would work, but there was no way to keep up with her no matter how much we walked her and without the pads the apartment would have been smelly AND a dangerous slipping hazzard. She mastered the pads easily. We were able to reduce placement to one spot. She felt happier I think to know it was okay for her to go there. It was easier for us to deal with than the cat litter. She rarely used the pads to defecate, but if necessary she would, and one of our more fastidious cats, would attempt to bury the evidence by turning over a corner of the pad.
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Have yet to meet a dog who has aimed correctly! Normally, it’s the worst of both worlds, half on half of. As one owner put it in the initial chat he thinks he is on the pad because his front paws are on the bad even if the other 3/4 of him are not…
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I sat a couple of dogs who’d spent years using pee pads at night, when they slept in the garage (in a temperate area). They had beds and blankets and were free to roam the garage. The sit required laying out fresh pee pads each morning.
They peed on the pads without problem (at least by the time I sat them). They were less accurate with poo, but it was never messy, because they ate a fixed diet and the floor was concrete, with parts that were industrial sort of carpet. Spray disinfectant and wipe, if needed.
That was in addition to having outdoor access during the day whenever they felt like.
I tried a pee pad once with the dog I mentioned, but it didn’t work. She did one pee half on it and another randomly on the floor. It was a short sit though and the floors easy to clean, plus I was there a lot to let them out (there were 3, so not an option for me alone to take them out in my car).
Thats why its so important for HO to look carefully at potential sitters profiles. I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to tell real animal people from any that may be looking for free accommodation basically.
I suppose that most “real animal people” have their own pets, which they would often take with them if they went on a vacation somewhere. So I guess that most sitters on THS do not have a pet, at least not currently.
Speaking for myself, I am not a “real animal person”. I try to avoid pets with issues, I apply for sits that leave me free time.