Given the emphasis on pets being the main reason for needing a house sitter, I find it odd that so few listings feature the pets in the placeholder image.
Whilst I generally like most cats, apart from the ones with no hair, I can’t unfortunately say the same about dogs, which means having to drill down a bit on each listing to see what kind they have. Regardless of this it would seem to me kind of obvious to feature my pet prominently if I was in the same position.
Anyway, just an observation but would be interesting to hear other people’s views.
I’m with you. I’ve suggested there should be a symbol for big dogs or small dogs. It can be really frustrating trying to find out dachshund or Labrador
I have nine animals (small farm) so my placeholder has always been a house/location photo because I wouldn’t know which animal to choose. Do I choose the friendly sheep for attention, or the indoor rescue kitties who need more care? And some sitters aren’t picky about the animals but want to see where they’ll be living.
I used to feature the view from my deck, but the view changes seasonally so I switched to a living room photo. If you swipe, all the animals are pictured. I will likely try something animal-related for the next sit but a cat photo won’t indicate it’s a farm sit, and a duck photo won’t make the point that my kitties are little rascals who need lots of playtime. It’s honestly a challenge! I don’t think there’s a one-fits-all answer.
Wow! You have the best photos, as well as descriptions, in your listing! Photos of your beautiful house, different rooms, inside and out, and all your adorable cats, sheep, ducks and all the surrounding views of your property. I wish all homeowners were as detailed and thorough as you are. A picture is worth a thousand words!
Thank you, I really appreciate your comments! I try to stay up to date and provide lots of info. I only want happy sitters and critters so it seems like the least I can do for all our sakes. Sorry to hear more HO’s aren’t so aggressively detailed LOL
I’m partial to big dogs but will sit big and small, cats, a snake, guinea pigs… I’m willing to scroll to get to the pics of the critters. But when I started reading I thought this way going to be about wander-away animals. I do worry about cats who are free-roaming but so far they have all come home, although I once inadvertently left one out overnight - she seemed just fine the next morning but I started to do a thorough count each night before locking up!
To see someone’s profile, click on their Forum name, and if they linked their TrustedHousesitters profile, you will see that link and you can then click on it, and it will open their profile.
To see someone’s profile, click on their Forum name, and if they linked their TrustedHousesitters profile, you will see that link and you can then click on it, and it will open their profile.
Thanks Karen. Very kind of you. It was an interiors magazine in Singapore where I lived for a few years. We ran a design studio there and the dog, Asa, was out mascot
I agree with your sentiment. Not to say that my house is unimportant, but it’s far more important to me that my pet is well cared for! That’s why I feature her in every single picture
We’re new members, currently on our 2nd sit. I personally prefer a place holder photo of the exterior of the house and will happily scroll through all the photos to see internal pics of the main living areas, bedroom allocated to the sitter and the pets etc.
Your profile is just what I look for when looking for our next potential sit and if we ever venture further than the UK then would definitely consider your home as it’s just the sort of location we love.
As you mentioned, it’s all slightly subjective as some sitters want lead photos of the pets but others such and us also want to know where we would be staying while looking after your pets/animals.
The icon below a listing shows a simple animal type and count…
As a HO, I post 20 photos, alternating between my cat and home/neighborhood so potential sitters see both.
As a sitter, I appreciate a mix of both hence why I did that. I like to know if the home is dirty, cluttered, or otherwise. And of course I love to see the pet(s) at home too.
