Hi there,
I’m on the look out for some pet sitting opportunities in the UK (ideally Scotland) around Easter. I’ve been waiting since Jan. It just seems unusually quiet with very little coming up. Maybe it’s a bit last minute. Wondered if anyone else noticed this?
Hi @Betsy99
I can see 100 sits currently accepting applications in Scotland, 16 of which are between March 15 and April 15 (roughly a fortnight either side of Easter), and of those 16, 7 of them are between March 22 and April 8 (roughly a week either side of Easter). Are you seeing fewer than this? If so, check you haven’t accidentally got some filters activated when you search. I’d say that’s a reasonable number.
Well I suppose I mean Easter weekend - 29 March to 01 April. Friday and Monday are public holidays in the UK. Usually plenty of people travelling then.
You are very restricted if you want those definite dates.
However, I can see 5 available, 4 of which have Low Applications
Good luck
It has been interesting monitorIng the number of UK listings recently.
The numbers usually average around 3000 give or take a couple of hundred.
Recently they have dropped to sub 2000.
Either less homeowners are listing or there is a huge take up.
It will be interesting to see if numbers increase in the run up to Christmas/New Year.
@Twitcher I’ve been watching that too and there’s certainly not the number of UK sits advertised as in the past; same pattern in Oz.
Christmas/New Year listings are appearing regularly now too. As you say, it will be interesting to see the effect these have on total numbers.
My guess is that the economy is impacting a lot. Most people I know in the UK are happy if they can pay their bills, much less go on holiday.
I notice that around 400 of these U.K. sits are for the Christmas/ New Year period
600 are for 2025 and there are a few already listed for 2026 !!
I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but I’ve been on here since 2022 and I was sure I had seen the number of sits drop! Thanks for sharing this data 
Could it also be that there are more sitters than ever before? I know THS are advertising on YouTube, for example, so probably reaching a wider audience.
I’ve noticed some sits in less than popular/ accessible areas disappearing quicker than usual, so many the dearth of sits coupled with increased demand = tumbleweed in the UK!
Do you think there is an imbalance between sitters and HO? It’s hard to tell. I have definitely noticed I don’t get sits as easily as I used to, it’s much more of a chore now.
Difficult to tell, as I don’t really know other sitters, but it definitely seems more difficult to secure a sit. I’m still looking for a suitable Christmas sit, and have been a bit complacent, i.e. ‘that one looks good, I’ll apply at the weekend’ and then it goes pretty quickly. Not sure if it’s just the time of year or if there are indeed more sitters than usual!
I’ve only been here a year, but I’ve always found a sit I like (right combination of location, dates and pets) with few/no applicants. And there have been a lot of open sits to choose from, even close to the start date.
If I were one of these HOs I’d be worried about fewer sitters for the UK - no wonder HOs are sending invitations (my sit starting next week was one of these)
Latest statistics on the THS website state 95,000 sitters and 98,000 homeowners (or pet parents as they prefer).
Not all will be active at any one time so the numbers don’t really mean anything unfortunately.
Last year around this period the site was flooded with Christmas sits
Do you know at what time of year the Christmas sits become more abundant?! Granted, I haven’t been in this position before as I have booked well in advance for Christmas over the last couple of years (longer sits that encompassed the Christmas period). However, this year, I am hoping to be closer to family so have left it later in the hopes something might come up…Nothing much so far!
I’ve seen quite a few. I applied for 5 and accepted a lovely one perfect for me. What area are you looking for ? @strawberryjen
We have received 6 invitations to sit in U.K. for this period .
Which country are you looking to sit ?
There are currently around 325 Christmas and New year sits listed in U.K. -( between 20 Dec and 5th Jan )
Somewhere warmer ?
Is it for a specific pet ?
Hi @Newt and @Silversitters,
It would need to be in central Scotland. I missed last Christmas with family so want to be there for this Christmas. Dates between 12th and 30th December and would rather do one sit rather than moving around a lot at this time of year. Don’t mind if the dates aren’t exact (i.e. 13th to 28th December) but I haven’t yet found a suitable sit to cover that period without having to break it up into small sits, which just isn’t really feasible.
No specific pets, but no puppies and no more than two dogs is the preference!
@strawberryjen have you changed your location on your sitter profile to the location you want to sit ?
When hosts search for sitters the ones in their location come up first - you might get a direct invitation?
You can add a sentence at the top of your profile explaining where you are looking for a sit and the dates you are looking for .
#worthatry
Thank you for the suggestions. Yes, my location has always been my hometown. I have received quite a few invitations for sits elsewhere in the UK over this period, but have declined them all. Will try adding a sentence to the top of my profile and see if this makes a difference, thank you!