I am a new member and ready to experience my first travel with a trusted pet sitter from this site. I am wondering if home owners ever leave some money for the sitter to help with travel costs( gas etc) or for food?
thanks-
Hi there,
There are numerous threads on the forum that already answer this question. Here’s one:
Petty cash for sitters - my experience so far
You are by no means obligated to leave any cash for sitters, and sitters are expected to cover their own travel costs and food, unless otherwise specified/offered by the owner (which is certainly very generous but isn’t usual). It may be helpful to leave some petty cash in case of emergency or if the sitter may have to buy pet or home supplies during the sit, but it’s certainly not an obligation and is really up to you.
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Yes. Like my current hosts left cash in a drawer, in case of any unexpected expenses. I haven’t touched it, because no need, but good to know it’s there. My hosts have been ordering stuff and having it sent to their home anyway, like refresher cat treats. They have a full supply of cat food and such otherwise.
They also have a huge pantry and other foods and told me to eat or use whatever I like, but I always buy my own food and supplies, because I want to consume or use whatever I like and I’d be taking care of myself even if I weren’t sitting.
Among sitters, we typically appreciate generosity from hosts, but some sitters are more well off financially than others. For some, money might be tight, so spending on sits is done carefully and they might lack cash flow to cover expenses on pets and such.
Personally, I’m not in that position, fortunately. I don’t even care if I say spend a little on pets or home care and don’t get reimbursed. It would be different if there were significant amounts of money involved. I often buy treats or toys for my sit pets, just because I enjoy making them happy.
My current hosts have asked me to repeat sit soon and have bought me airline tickets. They offered. I wouldn’t have asked.
With my last sit before this one, I mentioned to my hosts that I wanted to take their dog to the beach, about 1.5 hours away. I had my own car, so I was just making sure they were OK with my taking their dog on such adventures. But they volunteered their van, which had already been outfitted for their dog’s comfort and safety. And they purposely gassed it up before leaving, saying I shouldn’t have to spend to take their dog on adventures. They loved that he was going to have fun with me.
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Nothing is expected, everything is appreciated.
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We never expect anything but we really appreciate it.
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Sometimes people leave petty cash or cash to buy something specific that they didn’t get before they left – some wheatgrass for the cats at the farmer’s market, more dish detergent. I’m sure leaving gas money would be most welcome especially if the sit involves taking the dog on excursions! Just make sure the purpose of the money is 100% clear to the sitter otherwise they may be reluctant to spend it.
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I leave cash in an envelope for emergencies. Less for a shorter sit, more for a longer sit. And I let the sitter know that I will provide more money immediately if needed. I paid for the €60 train fare for one very young sitter who was a student (and who did a great job) but I haven’t done that otherwise.
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One of my hosts offered to pay for my round trip airport shuttle, which cost $80 USD. When I arrived, she had clipped a $100 bill to a folder full of sightseeing info for the area. I ended up not taking the money, but I appreciated her offer.
They took me to a nice dinner on arrival and offered me breakfast and lunch at their home the next day, before leaving. Told me to help myself to any food in the house. They left me a car, golf cart and bicycle to use.
When they returned from their travels, they gave me a hand-blown glass Christmas ornament. An artist had made it as part of a demonstration that my hosts had attended in Europe.
They ran out of dog food during my sit, so I’d ordered a case via DoorDash. My hosts gave me cash for it as soon as they saw it, without my having to ask.
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Homeowners are not obligated to leave money for food or travel expenses. We are sitters as well as homeowners and we have never done this, nor have we received it.
The THS exchange states that sitters get free accommodations in exchange for free pet/house sitting.
Providing your sitters with pets as described, a clean house, comfortable and private accommodations (no cameras, no third parties) is what is expected of homeowners.
However, we do leave treats to get them started. For example, we leave them food and coffee for their first breakfast and treat them to dinner the night they arrive (since we leave super early the next morning).
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I think many sitters would be reluctant to taking cash, to be honest. Unless the purpose was driving with the pet - for instance to a dog park. But an envelope in case of emergencies for pet or detergents or similar would be fine. I think many would then leave the receipts.
I leave petty cash for emergencies, and a transit card with a balance on it. In my mind I consider the petty cash gone, but no one has taken/used it.
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Leave what you wish in good faith but be clear what is a gift and what is an emergency provision.
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I leave money for household items and cat stuff. My sits are typically 2 weeks to a month, so the sitter will likely run out of some basics. I will buy then foodstuffs for their arrival (although most decline), but don’t leave money for food.
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Exactly my experience and the way I handle it. I think it all really comes down to chemistry. That’s my main focus when doing sits: finding incredible dogs and enjoying a good, relaxed time with a mutual trust relationship with the dog owners. As long as the chemistry is good between us and the HOs, there’s hardly anything that could throw me off. We’re totally fine with going the extra mile if the HOs ask us, as long as we feel like we all get along and no one is nitpicking over every little detail. Honestly, we’ve been really lucky so far – knock on wood – to always find such great people.
I usually ask in advance if there’s something like a small emergency fund in case something breaks and a handyman needs to be called, or if the dogs are insured for vet visits and whether we’d need to pay upfront. Almost everyone has left us some money just in case, and I have to say, I’ve never actually checked how much it was. I only knew where it was in case of an emergency, but we’ve never needed it.
I also always make sure the owners have enough food for the dogs, or that it’s been ordered and will be delivered if it runs out. Most of the time, I end up getting each dog a small toy or stuffed animal during the sit, which I pay for myself, of course.
As for anything we use, unless it’s explicitly mentioned as a gift for us, we always replace it. But that doesn’t mean we count every teaspoon of salt either. That’s what I meant when I said “not nitpicking.”
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We never ask for money or expect it. We also wouldn’t take money if given to us personally. If this come up that need fixing (AC, plumbing, etc) then we would just expect HO to pay over phone with CC. If small things come up, replenish treats, TP, essentials around the home, we will usually just cover this. That being said, we have had HOs leave money in case anything happens. We didn’t touch it. We don’t exactly like the idea of money changing hands. Seems to put more expectations and responsibilities on us. The one HO that did leave $200 for in case of emergencies, tried giving it to us at the end of a sit…we didn’t take it, to which they were amazed and very appreciative.
If you want to be paid, be a paid sitter. Otherwise, we are perfectly fine with small gifts, bottle of wine, access to food, etc. Money just adds more of a “job” title to the sit versus a mutual exchange.
We can all choose for ourselves. Personally, I don’t want payment or tips, but I don’t begrudge others who want them. Live and let live.
I think it would be nice if all hosts left some petty cash. There have been many times that’s I’ve bought pet food, treats, or cat litter and I’ve never asked to be reimbursed.
In regards to gifts, I certainly don’t expect anything, but it’s a nice gesture when hosts leave something. I’d say about half of my hosts have left something along the lines of a bottle of wine, treats such as chocolates, or gift cards for a local restaurant or grocery store. These things are appreciated but never expected. I often leave a small gift for them too, along with a welcome home card.
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