I did not see the footage. You just said you spend 24/7 with the dogs. If you want someone to spend 24/7 with a dog get a paid sitter and agree to that with them. Even good parents with human kids need alone time. Was she having a conversation with someone by text and then how can she stop texting or give eye contact. She is not a slave to your dog 24/7. The dog must of been happy with her or he would not have gone to her seeking attention. I bet if we had a camera on you we would find you also don’t give your dog attention 24/7. I don’t think TH is a good match for you.
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Well, not really. It seems she had to be “giving them some love” ALL the time. And it had to be visible on camera.
You invoke a link with childcare. Well, OK: If you had a nanny look after your children for several days, would you expect that nanny to be constantly touching, talking to and playing with your children? I hope not!
So, were the dogs noticeably traumatised when you came home? (I don’t mean, were they pleased to see you, which of course they were.)
I’m absolutely not suggesting this sitter didn’t make mistakes. But I do think the foundation of your complaint is spurious.
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Dear @Oceanbeach,
Like 100% of the users on this forum, I don’t know you. I sincerely apologize if I offended you by calling your behavior deplorable. The term “deplorable” may be a bit strong (English is not my native language, as you surely noticed). I do find a title inciting the use of cameras as a control mechanism a bit out of place for a trusted pet parent/sitter environment. Technically, you use TRUSTEDhousesitters to avoid having to use the cameras. I still trust humans more than machines; you may say I’m a dreamer.
Regarding kids, I’m not a parent so I can’t tell but I understand that there’s an age they were you can do it to be sure that they are safe, without affecting their privacy and intimacy.
Regarding pets, as a truly petlover I can tell, as soon as you left petsitters for them it should be enough and taking care of the cameras in somewhat extreme conditions, due to force majeure. The cameras show only one part of the story, it is not so easy to judge. By talking people understand each other. Communication is key.
Mine as well and literally in every videocall I tell at least once to pet parents:
You can be away from home, safe in the knowledge that I will treat your pets as if they were my own during the sit; they will be MY PETS.
I assure you that this was always welcome, and I would love to have a video call with you so you don’t lose hope in THS (not in the company itself; I’m just a user), but in the community of animal lovers, which is real, beyond a few bad apples (even so, I can’t confirm that your sitter is one; I’m missing information).
That’s okay. It’s important to be clear about your personal boundaries, including your red flags 
. That’s the beauty of diversity.
I never say never, life has shown me that it makes no sense to spit at the sky.
That’s not the idea of having cameras using the app, you can always ask your sitters for pictures and updates, keeping in mind that they are not slaves and have right to rest of you as well, feeling welcomed and at home.
Please accept my apologies @Oceanbeach, I meant the environment and the place, not your “home”. The situation is unwelcoming. Perhaps your home, was not feeling like home by the sitter.
Most of the things that you list are super nice, and that is the kind of behaviour that probably tip the scale on your side to have an outstanding sitter taking care of your pets. Please remember that every sitter has the right to disagree or even dislike the pet parent’s offer, the arrangements, the animals, or any other aspect, and they are free to decide and decline the sit. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put into preparing the house.
Just as if you receive an “extensive list of requirements,” you can say no. This is not an all-inclusive arrangement.
Sounds good, they have a nice and happy life and most of the sitters would call it an “easy” sit.
Sure:
You are not deplrable, I never call you that, and I don’t know you.
IMHO, your behaviour regarding cameras was. Let’s remove (deplorable, I already apologized about the term) let’s try: a bit excessive and inappropriate, once again from my point of view.
For many sitters the PP checking cameras is not welcoming, no matter how much they miss their pets.
More than fair, we all love pets and want the best for them in here.
I’m not sure if I can, but I would love to. Again, I would love to have a chat with you if that helps you to trust people and get a new sitter a go. You just had a bad experience. And I really hope that you also learnt a lesson from what happened.
I don’t remember calling you names, but telling that I didn’t like your behaviour. Sitter’s either.
We are human beings, so not everybody is equally susceptible to criticism, just as not all of us express our feelings in a gentle and unemotional way.
This is a good message, and I invite you to sleep on it and consider it again. If you analyze and use the advice (without taking it personally, but as a critique of what happened) from the experienced people you found reading and responding to your post, you may learn something and improve the quality of your pet sitting experience. For the same price, none of us here are paid for our time on the forum; we do it out of personal motivation, and I can assure you there’s a lot of love for animals lol.
Thank you for reading, I look forward to your response, and you can write to me privately if you wish (there is a DM option on the forum)
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I wonder how you got the impression that you’d have several sitters to choose from, because THS offers a money-back guarantee if any host gets no applicants — that by default points to no promise of any sitter, much less multiple applicants.
It’s impossible for THS to promise that anyone will apply, because all sitters sit only voluntarily and no one can force them to apply if any listing is unappealing. Plus, the later a host lists, the lower their odds of getting applicants, especially good ones.
It seems like you misunderstood THS and, had you read through its terms, maybe you wouldn’t have signed up.
You seem to love your dogs, so I urge you to not sign up for any sitting services without reading through all terms — even paid professional sitters and such businesses will have contracts and fine print that absolve them of a lot of things, to limit their legal liability. Since our pets rely entirely on us to look out for them, being careful about whom to leave them with requires due diligence / vetting.
Personally, I would never rely on advertising or marketing alone to purchase or sign up for anything, much less care for my dog. “Buyer beware” is an age-old adage for good reasons.
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I agree with you about not relying on advertisement only when purchasing anything, but many people still do. And I can see how THS advertisement could lead to that impression.
Also the wording about verification “including…” is a bit misleading. I know what it means in reality, but it could well mean, that there’s more to it.
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Unfortunately, THS is pushing sitting at scale when there are relatively few potential sitters who’d make caring for someone else’s pets and home a priority — yet another example of the old adage “buyer beware.”
Given that a private equity firm invested $100 million in THS, they’ve grown aggressive with advertising.
Personally, I never used to see THS ads and now I see them frequently. I heard about THS many years ago, via word of mouth, though I joined only two+ years ago. Before signing up, I read all about the service, because it’s a big responsibility to care for someone else’s pets and home. To me, it’s an even bigger responsibility to choose someone to care for my dog, since he can’t call and complain to be saved from a bad sitter.
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Third party verification is not true for all sitters. I joined before third party checks. THS have my contact number and email address. Only US sitters have a background check.
When I changed home address recently I couldn’t see where to update my profile. I asked membership support and they advised don’t worry as long as your email is up to date.
I find this very misleading and have mentioned it on a previous thread.
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While it’s ultimately each person’s responsibility to educate themselves before joining, with adverts like these, I can understand why some mistakenly don’t fully grasp that this is a travelbased matchmaking- and exchange.
Not one where they can pick and choose between ‘experienced professionals’ for free.
Recently withdrew my interest from a listing, which completely took the (new) host by surprise. She didn’t realize that I also had a say, and thought it was a done deal as soon as she had made her decision..like online shopping or booking an appointment at the hairdresser.
After explaining to her that this is not how it works, she gave me a big apology. However, that’s obviously not my responsibility to do so
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I have had the full U.S. background check, but that doesn’t say anything about me as a sitter. Just because I don’t have a criminal record and my identity has been verified doesn’t automatically mean I (or anyone else) love animals and take good care of homes. Hosts should still do diligence and use good judgment. Especially if you’re new to THS, it’s safer to go with hosts and sitters with a number of good reviews. Even that’s not a guarantee.
THS also will not turn over someone’s address, even if they have it on record. Depending on the jurisdiction, they’d need a court order or such to surrender such info. There’s lots of legal precedent for that and companies tend to use such, because they don’t want to be known for randomly sharing personal info. That would cost them customers even if it weren’t illegal.
It sucks that you had a not so good experience. It could be that the sitter was burnt out and it affected the affection your pets could have received. I don’t know the full situation on the sitters side but don’t give up on this community. There are many more positive experiences to be had
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It seems you misunderstood a few things about THS. First, the only vetting done on sitters is the vetting done by the homeowner needing a sitter. Second, homeowners don’t usually have much success directly contacting sitters. That you found even 1 out of the 20 you reached out to is surprising. Every sitter we’ve had contacted us (through the THS platform) after we published the dates for which we needed the sitters.
It’s unfortunate your experience and future plans concerning THS are being influenced by your misunderstanding of how to best find sitters on THS. You did everything else very well including, IMO, using the outdoor cameras to figure out something was amiss. Unfortunately, many of the sitters you’ll hear from on this forum are a bit phobic about cameras. Pay them no never mind. We have outdoor cameras we mention in our profile and have never had an objection from any of our sitters.
@OnTheRoadAgain
They’re security cameras, not guest reality TV
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I needed to google the idiom to be sure it meant what I was afraid of.
I’m sorry, but I disagree with you @OnTheRoadAgain
I don’t find it a really good advice. Phobic or not, you are talking about very experienced sitters, the kind I think most owners would want to have taking care of their pets when they travel.
Paradoxically, I guess if we saw them on camera with their pets, there would have been no reason for us all to be writing here this Sunday lol.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with the outdoor cameras. I would if a PP informed me they were watching me through them.
I always mention this during video calls to avoid misunderstandings and surprises.
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@Oceanbeach I am so sorry that the sitter for your dogs turned out to be a disappointment. I am just a sitter, not a Home owner, and I find it hard to understand why anyone would accept the responsibility of caring for dogs and then apparently ignore them, though there is no way of knowing how she behaved with them indoors, off security cameras. Though why she would treat them more affectionately in one setting and not another is hard to imagine.
I am even sorrier that you have received not much understanding and a lot of push-back here on the forum. I am not surprised that you want nothing more to do with THS.
I think finding a local paid sitter will give you peace of mind, someone with local references you can check. Ask your vets office for names. Then you, your dogs, and the sitter can get to know each other and build a relationship over time. There is a lot to be said for always having the same person care for your animals.
Wishing you much better days ahead.
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Appreciate this has been a stressful experience for you, however, I’ve been using THS as a sitter for several years and even if disclosed to me, I do not like taking sits where the garden has cameras.
The ethos is in the name - Trust.
I think encouraging homeowners to set up outdoor cameras for the sole purpose of surveilling sitters is outrageous, even if it is technically allowed by the site.
Interview people at length and carefully review their profiles to discover if they are genuine dog lovers or not, instead of intentionally spying on them and creating an atmosphere of suspicion and anxiety.
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@Oceanbeach lots going on in your initial post. It seems you didn’t really know how THS works. It’s just a platform for people to connect. Those who are looking for in-home pet care have the opportunity to connect with those who would like to exchange pet care for accommodations in a location they would like to visit. Anyone can join. The vetting (which is only for sitters) is just an ID check in most cases with the addition of a criminal background check for US based sitters. Sitters are paying members the same as homeowners, sitters are not employees of THS. It’s a barter system that should be mutually beneficial. It sounds like you viewed THS more as an agency providing professional pet sitters and overseeing them as an employer would.
Much of the more recent THS advertising geared toward HOs gives the wrong impression of what THS is, but it really is up to people to find out what they are signing up for. As a sitter I see a lot of listings for new HOs that clearly don’t understand that this is an exchange of equals not an employee/employer relationship. Because of this I’m very hesitant to sit for new HOs. That’s also something to keep in mind. As a new HO you don’t have reviews so you may get less applications from experienced sitters until you have some reviews for us to read.
You can certainly choose not to continue with THS or you can take a step back and think about what the platform actually is and use it as it’s intended to be used. It works beautifully for many, many people. But we all have to do our own vetting and find the right match.
It’s hard to say anything about the sitter without seeing the videos or having any idea how she interacted with your dog. She may have given the dog lots of attention inside and going outside was her time to relax. We don’t know either way. You can’t really expect a sitter to interact with your dog constantly 24/7. However, given the size of THS membership there is going to be a small percentage of bad sitters. There are bad HOs too. Both sitters and HOs need to do our own vetting.
Please don’t encourage people to use cameras to monitor sitters. Outdoor cameras are allowed because many people have them for security. That doesn’t mean it’s ok to use them as surveillance. Trust in this relationship must go both ways. If someone was surveilling me, I certainly wouldn’t feel like I could trust them.
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Hello everyone!
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and advice with OP.
They’ve been in touch via MS to let us know that they’re happy that the topic is now concluded, so I’m going to go ahead and close it to new replies.
Jenny 