Since the new ‘features’ have started to trickle in I am seeing a lot of sits where the dogs can only be left for two hours. I scroll straight past these and wonder if many others do too? I will only sit if the pet can be left for a minimum of four hours. I think this is a perfectly acceptable length of time. I’m curious how many pet owners actually leave their dogs for only two hours. Whilst I sit I give the pets in my care plenty of exercise and love and they are always extremely happy. I wouldn’t go out for four hours every day but it’s nice to have the option as there are places I’d like to visit where taking a dog along isn’t always a good idea. I also have quite a number of sits I’ve previously favourited that, as they come up with new dates, have also suddenly gone to maximum two hours pet can be left, so I immediately unfavourite them. It’s not a big problem for me as there seem to be loads of new sits coming in daily, it’s just frustrating and I think it’s unrealistic for owners to expect a sitter to only leave a dog for two hours and feel they are probably doing themselves out of good sitters.
This has been discussed on other threads.
I agree with you, I scroll past. I think owners are just taking advantage of the new feature and see what they can get away with.
I am carrying out a repeat sitting where the dog could be left for 4 hours when I did the sit but I now see the listing saying up to 2 hours. I am ignoring that and will carry on as I did last time.
I do see many applicants though for these listings
In addition if you use only the App you can’t see these sit “essentials” so a sitter would have no idea that the host has specified this .
I also see endless sits where the hosts (with dogs) state you can get to London within an hour or so, visit stately homes, spas etc but then state dogs can be left for between 2 and 4 hours. How does that work, unless you are a couple and one goes on their own)?
My “favorite” is a previous host of mine, a doctor, who does regularly 10 hour days at work. With the new feature, he has written “max 4 hours”. It speaks volumes about his character (and not goo thing).
I’m actually starting to wonder if the 2hrs one is the default setting! I’ve just started a sit where it said up to 2hrs and when I asked the home owner about this she said the dog could be left for up to 4hrs and hadn’t realised it only said 2! My cousin has also just joined and I checked out her listing which also said 2hrs, I questioned her as I know she leaves the dogs longer than that and she also hadn’t realised.
Oh, that’s interesting. Well it would be good for HO to become wise to this as it could be putting lots of people off from applying!
I have looked at many sits recently that the essentials state 2 hours then in the text of the listing the HO states can be left for like 4, 5 or 6 hours. I think maybe the default is set at 2 hours also. I mean, guests allowed is set as the default, possibly the 2 hours thing is set as default also. What a mess these new additions are when they weren’t ever needed.
Were these “enhancements” worth the new sit fees?
My dog was home for 8 hours on her own as I had to go to work. This 2 hours business just seems like insanity to me. I will never apply for a sit that states that. Even 4 hours can be tough if you want to go explore that area and need to take transportation, etc. I tend to apply for pets sits with cats for this exact reason.
Maybe THS should put the fee to tears based on this: max 2 hours alone time = 40€ fee. Min 6 hours: 5€ fee. Would sort out hosts in no time. (Of course I dont really want to penalize hosts who are honest, and have actually needy pets. They are already penalized by less applicants. But everyone who sets the times based on their ideals, not based on the reality their pet faces, would fix their listings real soon).
My profile states 4-6 hours and when I video chat I explain that we both work full time and the dogs are comfortable outside with all their home comforts. If sitters want to be away for a full day it’s fine.
Yes, I’ve seen a load more with 2 hours, I don’t think owners realise how off putting it is, it doesn’t even give enough time to pop to a cafe or shops.
We’ve only ever done a couple of 2 hour sits for very good reasons, but in those locations we weren’t bothered about going out for longer times, and the nearest food shop was close by. But the influx of ones that seem to pop up nowadays don’t seem to have a medical reason or a pee-time reason for the 2 hour, they’re ticking the box without realising how hugely limiting that is for a sitter, especially if the dog doesn’t travel well in a car.
Pre-Covid, When HO work full time, dogs are left alone for 8 hours plus. Very few people worked from home in those days. So, yes dogs can be left for more than 2 hours. Most dogs sleep during the day anyway.
I’m retired so I’m home a lot during the day. I have on my profile 8 hours. I have an active dog so he needs his exercise. If he gets it in the morning, he is fine all day. There are so many places to see and do where I live, that it’s not fair to the sitter to be stuck at home all day. I go out all day myself to do see and do stuff and my dog is perfectly fine.
Maybe the 2 hour window is a default setting and HO is unaware.
I agree, 2 hours is not an acceptable fair trade! I’d think it’s ok if it’s a paid sit, that’s a job. My dog is really needy and can’t be alone for more than 2 hours. I have this worked out w a neighbor, but I’d never ask anyone to dog sit for me unless I paid them if I needed a dog sitter! It’s a ludicrous ask IMHO. But there you are.. perhaps these HOs will be self extinguishing….
Here is something: covid puppies cant be left alone. So that is how we have so many hosts genuinely needing max 2h out time. In addition then all the needy hosts.
My own dog is hardly ever left alone, because my husband and I have worked at home for many years (plus, he retired a few years ago) and we take our dog nearly everywhere. But we wouldn’t expect anyone else (including paid, professional sitters) to watch him constantly.
If needed, it’s our responsibility to train him to become more independent, so he can be more comfortable even with professional sitters. And if we’re away for a few weeks, it won’t permanently damage him to have a temporary change in routines. He’s a rescue and had no routines at all for however long he was wandering on his own.
Some people seem to forget: Humans domesticated dogs to be our companions and not the other way around.
“covid puppies”, my daughter’s friend has one of those and he is a nightmare. You raise children to grow from dependence to independence, need to be similar with your pets.
“Unrealistic” is…..unrealistic.
Whatever pet owners say is best for their pets is best. It is not for any of us sitters to decide what is “unrealistic” for a given sit (even though it may be unrealistic for US).
Their animals. Their rules.
Whether you believe that sitters are being taken advantage of is irrelevant. This is what the pet owner wants for their pets and this is what is required for that sit.
And, just a reminder that your wantng to visit areas (a reason many of us choose particular sits) needs to be taken into context with the needs of a particular sit. If the two don’t match……Scoll on for a sit that works for you AND the petowner.
Excellent observation !
I just confirmed a sit where the 2h limit for pup was noted on the offering (ok because I’m local). Upon meeting the owner yesterday, she said that 4h was the limit.