We had such a wonderful first TH experience, albeit somewhat last minute interest. Positive reviews both ways for that one!! Our current listing no one viable as of yet and it has been about a week with no interest after the first 2 applications. Worried we are just not enticing enough? If anyone would like to take a look at the listing again and provide pointers to make it better, we would appreciate it.
One sitter applied and within 45 minutes had taken another sit. I try to be super responsive, but was driving at the time.
One sitter applied, but must have not read closely a car is needed in this rural area and withdrew. I added another sentence to make that more clear.
I’ve had a quick look at your listing and would think one of the problems is that Bucky is walked 4 times a day. Is that really necessary, because that would really hinder the chance of a sitter exploring for the 4 hours he can be left at home? Also you say a car is necessary. Are you able to loan the sitters a car? If they arrive by public transport (which you say is a mile away) can you pick them up at the beginning and drop them off at the end? Maybe take them to the supermarket to start them off initially? It wouldn’t bother me to walk a mile to the supermarket or bus stop/train station.
Some of the pics are a little dark but it does look like a super place!
You might remind people it will still be ski season! Mention driving time to some of the skiing places, plus cross country. If you have any stuff like snowshoes you can lend, consider it. I get that you might not want or be able to loan your car, and someone getting away from Boston or NYC or other might have their own, but if you know of local rental Toro type availability you could try mentioning that.
It’s a lot of responsibility and you’re remote and not offering a car. I can’t really see the incentive when it would cost so much to rent a car and Bucky can’t be left more than a few hours and has a very demanding schedule.
Thanks will add about winter activities. Ski slopes would be a longer drive and harder. But snow shoeing and cross country is around when there is enough snow! Thanks for the advice!
Thanks for your thoughts! Rural Vermont isn’t so much like rural Europe with frequent public transportation. But added a link to the schedule and noted rental cars available in town. unfortunately don’t have an extra car to share either. We’ve found that folks who are working from home are the best for Bucky (like he is used to), who explore some, but not for whole long stretches in a day. He can be left longer, he just gets pretty anxious when you get back and then the next time you leave it sort of ratchets up the worry. He’s pretty flexible though, so I understand where you are coming from. Thanks again!
Many telecommuters won’t take sits that require three or four walks and other outsized care. That’s because it’s pretty easy to get sits with greater freedom, even if just to work or go out. I mention that, because it looks like you’ve had only one sitter before, and they stayed during the holiday season.
Personally, I not only telecommute, but have a lot of control over my schedule, and I’d avoid all such sits.
@AnnaALVT I love Vermont and have done sits there before. I tend to book several months out though.
Maybe clarify the walk schedule because it looks like it’s a minimum of 5 walks a day.
7:30 for first walk
Mid morning walk
Walks in afternoon
Evening walk
last walk of night about 10pm
Also - “Must not exercise outside hard an hour before or after to avoid bloat.” It would be good to clarify this too. What is hard exercise for your dog? Would a long walk be hard exercise? I would need to know this in order to plan some type of daily schedule. It’s a lot of walks as well as requirements about timing of exercise.
You said it’s good for people who work from home, but as someone who works from home, I don’t think I would be able to get my work done with this schedule. I have lots of flexibility with my time, but I do need blocks of time where I can focus. It might be great for someone looking for a rural retreat or who wants to go snowshoeing. There wouldn’t be enough time open to go skiing. Possibly, cross-country if there are trails that are really close.
I hope you are able to find a great sitter. Vermont is beautiful!
If the issue with ski slopes is not being able to leave the dog, you might think of what you and your family do in those situations. Is there always someone designated to be home to watch the dog? Are there neighbors who can help out with a walk or even a neighbor/doggy day care in case a sitter wanted their own skiing snow day? It sounds like if you created a profile for your ideal sitter it would be a dog person with a car, but that person or couple even if working from home some of the time, would also probably want to enjoy the surrounding area some of the time.
Ah ok. I thought there was concern when multiple folks are coming and going unrelated if something went wrong, but I could see how this would be something to look into. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback. We may just be in the wrong type of service where folks are looking for free and unhindered vacations and we are looking for our pet to be attended to. Thanks for checking out expectations!
Sadly, we are in the same boat, a lovely place to stay, wonderful pets but no takers this time. The number of sits goes up and there are just not enough sitters. If you’re not in Bangkok or the French Riviera you can no longer count on THS. We are retired, have some great trips planned, flights booked and I am in panic mode. My husband and I are arguing because I want to inconvenience friends and family with our two lovely sheepdogs rather than cancel our trips and he won’t have it. At wit’s end here.
Plenty of folks get their pets taken care of. Otherwise, THS wouldn’t exist. But THS isn’t a fit for everyone. If your needs are outsized vs. other sits, it’s logical that you’d have a harder time getting sitters. Then on top of that, to post your listing close to your trip further limits your potential pool of sitters. If you want sitting on demand, your best bet is to hire professionals.
THS is essentially a match-making service involving bartering. For bartering to work, both sides have to think they’re getting a reasonable exchange.
There are definitely concerns with third parties coming in and privacy issues for people staying at a sit, but I think many dog sitters would welcome “help” if it meant some kind of opportunity to be out for a longer period of time, as in, “If you’d like to go skiing and might be out for more than 5 hours, you can call my nephew _________, as he lives nearby and can sometimes take the dog for a few hours or drop by for a walk.” Certainly, if there is actually a neighbor down the road who runs a doggie day care, then offering a day or two when the sitter could drop off the dog would still be much cheaper than boarding your dog an entire trip and might make finding a sitter easier. (Note: I’ve done some sitting for a relative of mine who offers that option if we’re working from home and her dog is a bit bored and restless.)
@AnnaALVT The schedule of care for your dog is quite demanding compared to the schedule for most dogs. It’s hard to see where a sitter could even get away to do grocery shopping. 5 walks a day?
Your comment that sitters are looking for a “free and unhindered vacation” if they aren’t interested in your sit due to your exacting requirements is a bit much. If that’s what we wanted we would not be looking to sit at all. We would take a free and unhindered vacation.
Best of luck finding a sitter suited to your needs. You may be right, for such a specific and demanding schedule you may be better off with paid sitters. For 5 walks a day that would cost you about 150 dollars a day here.
I ain’t even looking at America (apart from when I’m daydreaming about affording the airfare!), but browsing through your listing as if I would when browsing closer to home:
Amenities - you’ve ticked the Amenities boxes for Wifi and TV Streaming services - but it’s helpful to be more specific about what’s available in the “Home” section.
Snow - people might be concerned that their car wouldn’t cope in the snow. Offering to pay for a suitable rental may help. (One extremely remote property in Scotland offers the use of the 4x4 to get from the house to the end of the miles long dirt track, where the sitter’s car can stay parked.) Or, offer pick up and drop off, and advice on whether they can get groceries delivered, in case someone without a car is happy to just stay at the house for a week.
Bucky’s behaviour - he’s a Big dog, and has to be on a leash - does he pull? If he’s very well behaved and doesn’t pull, mention it! If he doesn’t beg for food - mention it! Is he a cuddle bug or pleased to see you then is pretty independent?
Amount of walks - how long is each walk? Are the first and last ones just a 10 minute stroll to do wees and poos? Or is it 5 x hour long walks? The average in the UK seems to be a couple of hour long walks each day, and 5 minutes in the early morning / late evening. Plus some enrichment (e.g. ball / tug play).
Fix the spelling error and write more clearly the instructions on how to avoid bloat (ChatGPT is great for this). Little things like that make it look to me like the homeowner isn’t that bothered about attention to detail, and if they’re not bothered about that, then what else aren’t they bothered about? (e.g. clean sheets… ew)
Your pictures are beautiful, it has a Wow factor. (And I liked the superhero dog pic!) But personally, for the bullet points I’ve noted above, I wouldn’t apply because it’s too vague for me. Bucky looks awesome though!
Your house is a dream sit! If I was being particularly picky, I’d want to know how close you are to town, as it looks more remote than suburban. Also, and this is likely just me and my reserved Britishness - I’m put off by the idea of a neighbour joining me on a walk - but then again, it depends on how remote it is and how much big wildlife may be about! (Again, I’m British, our largest predator is the size of a raccoon.)
I really think offering the use of a vehicle would help a lot as hiring is so expensive in the US and as Bucky needs to get walked a lot sitters couldn’t use the car to explore much.
