I have been seeing more and more listings that expect sitters not to leave pets alone for more than 3-4 hours.
I travel to places that I am excited to explore, and I do not drive.
A 4 hour maximum really limits how much I can enjoy a new city or countryside, not to mention needing time to to run errands, get groceries, join a community activity, go see a movie, volunteer, etc.
I just do not understand why these folks are on THS.
I suggested to one pet parent who invited me to sit for them that they reach out to couples or families who can divide up the responsibilities and still enjoy the location.
If it’s a dog sit then leaving the pups for 4/5 hours max is fair enough. Any less and it’s very unappealing (we did a sit for a velcro PWD that couldn’t be left for an hour and never again!). Any more and pee breaks are an issue so fully understood. We love sitting dogs so it comes with the turf. Cat sits, IMHO they can be left all day so maybe they’re the ones for you @Zeefriend if you’re not choosing those already? Or bunnies or tortoises/reptiles? A sitter on here had an HO quote at her the other day “THS is not for sightseeing, it’s for home and pet care as your first priority”, hmmnnnn, it’s actually for both lady. Also, it’s all about matching your needs with good hosts who understand the mutual exchange model. #feedbacktime
Some sitters are happy to stay home all day enjoying what the homes has to offer / or are working from home . Others specifically choose sits for the location where they can take dogs out with them hiking and exploring the area .
Here are some examples from previous threads
@Zeefriend Not all sits suit every sitter . When searching for sits you can filter for the type of pet that you want to take care of. For example if you filter for sits with cats only , generally you will have more free time ( although you still need to read the responsibilities section carefully - I did see a listing recently where the cats had to be fed 4x a day at specific times and taken for 2 walks ) .
I think what the HO is looking for is someone to look after their pet/s.
For maximum exploring time when in a new city a hotel works best. Everything in THS is going to be a compromise between all day out exploring and all day in the home looking after pets. Yes there are some owners out there with insane expectations but then just move on and pick something else. Dogs in particular are going to higher maintenance in terms of how long you can be away so just avoid dogsits.
I think 4 to 5 hours is a fair exchange. You are there to provide companionship for the pets as well, just not feeding them. I would feel bad leaving an animal home all day alone even if they were mine. I enjoy playing with dogs in the house and out in the yard and that’s part of the experience for me. Indoor cats enjoy a lot of play time and I am very conscious of that plus I absolutely LOVE cats!
Thanks for the illuminating answers. To clarify, I was not looking for advice, I have done over 30 TH sits and I have a system for choosing my petsits that works well for me. I am just amazed that more and more hosts are expecting 3-4 hours (not 4-5 hours!). I work from home, but I still like/need to go out for the above-mentioned activities. But I guess if you are a couple/family and/or have a car, and don’t want to go out much, 3 hours would work.