# Make sure you have outdoor security cameras **URL:** \ **Category:** Host Questions, Advice & Chat\ **Created:** [5 July 2025 16:05 UTC](https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/make-sure-you-have-outdoor-security-cameras/66116 "2025-07-05T16:05:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![Oceanbeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Oceanbeach](https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/u/Oceanbeach)\ **Post date:** [5 July 2025 16:05 UTC](https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/make-sure-you-have-outdoor-security-cameras/66116/1 "2025-07-05T16:05:54Z")
Just had my first ever sit at my home and it was so horrible I had to cut my trip short. Obviously it was my first and last sit with TH. I was 3000 miles away celebrating my son’s wedding and had to attend pre/post wedding activities, so I could not fly home right away. My sitter was told I had outdoor security cameras covering the entire front and back of the house so there was no secrecy an about the cameras. I arrive my first night and missed my dogs so I used the camera to see them. Instead I see my pet sitter completely ignoring my dogs. One time she sat down on the chair swing and my dog came up to her with her tail wagging hoping to get some attention and she never even made eye contact with my dog. So I started watching my feed and there was not one time that she made eye contact with my dogs, talked to them or touched them. She was not being malicious, but she obviously didn’t love dogs and was not capable of showing them any love let alone acknowledgement. It was the most distressing situation. I contacted TH and the lady managing my case showed no understanding for what was happening. She suggested I speak to the sitter, but it was clear that the sitter had an issue where she couldn’t connect to my dogs. Talking to her would have been useless. I did send her a text saying the girls are used to getting a lot of love, so she started sending me photos of them in their dog beds, but continued to not engage or acknowledge my dogs outside where she knew there were cameras. It’s very clear she was not vetted well. Since she had to fly in I invited her to come a day early so I could show her around, meet my girls, get to know the neighborhood and settle in. I immediately noticed she was socially awkward with me, but thought it was nerves and that once I left she would be fine. But that lack of connection with me became a lack of connection with my dogs. I have 50 plus video clips showing her outside with my dogs and never once touching them or making eye contact with them. She was not mean, or malicious, but I believe she was incapable of forming any kind of connection with them. What made the situation even worse was the way TH failed to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation even after I sent them videos. The lady handling my case never listened to what I was telling her and made suggestions that were not on point. My sitter also changed her official bio to claim she lives in my town, even though it was just a temporary 10 day sit and now that the sit is over, she never changed it back. The case manager offered to speak to her and mention the change in her bio to see why she would do that but the sitter never responded back. That definitely should have been another red flag. I love my dogs and watching them be ignored while 3000 miles away was so distressing. I finally just left my son’s wedding celebration early because it was too upsetting. It’s clear there was a vetting issue but when that became clear the way the person in charge of my case failed to acknowledge, understand, or be helpful, only exacerbated the trauma. I read how so many owners have had such wonderful experiences, I thought this would be a great experience. I also thought since this was not a paid job, those wanting to watch my girls would do so because they truly loved dogs and it wasn’t just a paid job. I’m home early now and am trying to not only smother my dogs with love, but to make sense of the trauma I experienced and why someone who was not capable of forming any kind of connection could have passed the vetting process. I also thought this would be a perfect situation for me to take some future trips that I have been putting off, but after what happened here, I’m finished using TH. Has any other owner experienced a very bad sit where they needed to cut their trip short because their pets weren’t being cared for appropriately? I’m just very grateful I had the cameras otherwise I never would have known my dogs were being ignored. I recommend to all owners at a minimum to have your backyard monitored with a security camera, and make your sitter aware of the cameras so you are not secretly spying on them. It’s not expensive, easy to set up and you can ensure your pets are being well cared for. I am so grateful I had those cameras. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/make-sure-you-have-outdoor-security-cameras/66116)._