Something that baffles me is receiving an invitation to do a sit in my own city. The homeowner has obviously looked at my profile and seen that I have a pet of my own. Why would they think I would want to go to the expense and trouble of arranging care for my pet in order to care for theirs for free in my own city? I always say no, but I get this kind of invitation 3 or 4 times a year and it feels exploitive.
Oh man.
This is about the 3rd or 4th post about invites this week, but from a sitter 
If you read these threads, youâll understand why some HOâs think sending invites is how THS works.
No active sitters
Lack of calendar usability & education about the best way to secure a sitter is the route of the problem.
If you donât want to receive any invites, you can either change your location to somewhere you want to sit, or you can write at the top of your profile something along the lines of âno sit invites please.â (This usually works).
3 Likes
@mmtwilson14 TrustedHouseSitters has a search function for homeowners
âFind a sitter â - when a homeowner uses this function all the local sitters come up -
This function isnât useful for owners or sitters.
3 Likes
I think sitters should be able to block invitations. Or there should be a filter for locations we would like to be invited to.
As is, HO invite local sitters that are unlikely to be interested. If they could search with a filter for sitters interested in their area it might be useful.
I got lots of local invites and politely declined. Recently I changed my location to a popular location where I like to sit but will not likely be asked.
2 Likes
We sit in our hometown because we go back to visit family, so we love it when people reach out as itâs nice they consider us, but I would love to have the preference of blocking sits that do not suit our needs in our hometown.
2 Likes
@Nagy26
Itâs misleading. THS encourages HOs to invite sitters but doesnât offer a filter to find those interested in your area. Other than sitters that save your listing there is no way to know whoâs interested.
1 Like
@IHeartAnimals I have recently changed my location to somewhere I like to be but may go one step further and add this.
Why exploitive? Some sitters like to sit near or in their own hometown to gain reviews.
1 Like
I realize this but I have many years of 5-star reviews with her type of pet. Iâm presuming this is one primary reason the homeowners who do this invite me. So this logic does not apply in my case. Exploitive because they are fishing for a free sitter while an experienced sitter with a record of excellent reviews is expected to go to the trouble of arranging care for their own pet while gaining nothing from the arrangement.
My post refers to homeowners who invite sitters in the same city where they live.
The reasons why sitters might like to stay near their home are as varied as there are sitters, and have been mentioned many times on this forum. For instance, even simple reasons such as wanting a break from their routine, live like a local in a new neighbourhood, or they might have work being done in their own house.
Some people might have a spouse staying at home and taking care of their pet.
Your comment that HOâs inviting local sitters is exploitive in my opinion is a negative generalization. I realize it doesnât work for you, but I donât view this behaviour in a less than positive light.
Anyone can always say no.
4 Likes
Yes, I know, we sit in the same city that we used to call home so that we can visit family (we still have a home there but itâs a holiday cottage instead), we used to get invites from local owners, which was brilliant for us personally, but I can see how it may get frustrating for other sitters. But nowadays we have a different place names on our profile, as we have local owners who book us repeatedly âon our old doorstepâ, so donât have a need for any more pets locally.
I acutally had an unexpected outcome when sitting for a local pet owner on this site. I reached out to them because their dog photo captured my heart and he was so beautiful I didnât mind doing it for free. Not to mention, their home was incredible! After the first sitting, they reached out to me for several more dates and wanted to pay me a very generous rate. Since the first sitting, I have become their regular pet sitter and they are the most wonderful couple and their dog is the sweetest! I do have a cat of my own, yet I go home twice daily to care for her. You never know when sitting locally what it may turn into 
7 Likes
All of which are legit reasons - and reasons a sitter would initiate a search for a local sit - not the other way around. I continue to view this behavior in a âless than positive light.â If pet owners want a local sitter they should be prepared to pay them for the disproportionate trade-off. After all, the reason most of US do this is for love of animals combined with travel.