I’ve just be notified of a sit in one of my preferred search areas, that includes this statement right up front ‘the dog has bitten a sitter before’ 
surely listings could be put through automatic keyword checking software to be filtered out. Bite/bitten/bit as Keywords should be an automatic pause in allowing a listing.
NB I’ve reported the listing to support.
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THS do say they they check all new listing but there’s a whole thread of listings that “slipped through” the net
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/listings-slipping-through-the-net
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Perhaps this one can be added to the list by a moderator please.
Not going to happen. The THS policy against “dangerous” pets has nothing to do with protecting sitters or hosts and everything to do with protecting THS from legal exposure. Read the policy. Strictly interpreted, it prohibits pretty much every pet I’ve ever had including my 100 gram cockatiel. There’s nothing unusual in THS’s approach to meeting their lawyers’ recommendations other than it’s laughable.
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@Jenny, encourage that THS MS investigate such a listing that appears to be in clear breach of THS Terms of Service.
“5.2.4. ensure that no pets to be left under the care of a Sitter have ever caused a person or animal any physical harm (no matter how minor the injury);”
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So what pets would NOT be disallowed under that THS policy?
The dogs, rabbits, hens , fish and aviary birds that we have taken care of on 40+ sits have not ever attacked / bitten or injured any other pets or humans .
But most of the outdoor cats were rodent killers .
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Every kitten I’ve ever been around thinks they’re very very bad dudes and have tried to attack and bring me down by my ankles. The claws on those little monsters rival hypodermic needles and I’ve not always escaped unscathed though I’ve mostly survived. So every cat who was once a kitten is disallowed by THS 5.2.4. policy.
I haven’t been bitten by a dog since I was 10 in-spite of being around a lot of Dobermans growing up. But I have had dogs go for an uninvited solid crotch sniff that aligned with certain anatomy bits. I can assure you that physical harm was immediately noticed.
And don’t get me started on the occasions where dogs with tiny-man complexes tried to physically damage my pant cuffs.
During your 40+ sits or ever? If any ever caused any physical damage before you were on the sit, those pets are disallowed.
To be clear, I’m only suggesting the THS 5.2.4. policy is too broad to be apropos of anything.
Our sits have been always been for very gentle natured dogs with no previous aggression .
We haven’t done a THS sit for Chihuahua though which although small can be quite ferocious.
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