We’ve had a mix of experiences over the years as full-time house and pet sitters. Sometimes it’s just a quick handover or even a fully remote arrangement, so things feel strictly professional and transactional.
But we’ve also had occasions where we really clicked with the homeowners and stayed in touch afterwards. We’ve found that being open and showing genuine interest in the pets and the homeowner’s lifestyle helps, but friendships just develop naturally when the situation is right. In our experience, it usually starts with the homeowners and the tone they set. Some prefer to keep things purely businesslike, which is completely fine, while others really treat us as friends and guests, offering us a night of overlap, inviting us for a meal, taking a walk together with the dogs or going out of their way to welcome us.
For example, on a recent sit, we were invited for dinner and a one-night overlap since the homeowners were leaving early the next morning. We gladly accepted and had a great evening with them. Afterwards the homeowners told us how pleased they were, especially because in similar situations before, previous sitters had declined to meet. One even called the invitation “creepy” and cancelled the sit, and another accepted dinner but chose to sleep in their caravan instead of the house. After those experiences, they were considering switching to a more transactional approach.
That really highlighted for us how every arrangement is unique and often depends on what both sides want. Making friends is a wonderful bonus when it happens, but it is never something that can or should be expected.
Out of curiosity @petcrazy2 where are you petsitting, and do you usually find your sits are fairly short? We find the length and location of a sit can sometimes impact how much connection is possible.