From my point of view as a HO, I generally wonât hold anyoneâs appearance or gender against them. That being said, I do prefer couples because one of my cats really prefers men, and with a couple, there is double the chance of all three cats getting enough attention Plus, in my mind (right or wrong), I picture a âcoupleâ as being more likely to hang out in the apartment slightly more, thereby giving the cats additional attention.
That being said, Iâve had single men, women and couples sit for me and no great difference among them.
Hi Brian
Thatâs a shame, we are fairly new to trusted house sitters and would like to think we would view all sitters the same.
Read each offer and make an offer on all who fit our needs, male/female, single/couple.
Good luck
Gill and Colin
P.s we are looking for a sitter in December
When I was on here as an owner, I had no problem hiring a solo male as long as I liked his profile. Do you mention i.e. that you donât drink alot, not a smoker, no drugs and not a partier? What kind of lifestyle you have or what is your routine? And that you would ask permission if you wanted to have someone over like a friend? Also, try to get as many verifications/recommendations as you can and also offer to provide them upon request. I hope this helps!
I am a single guy in my 60âs who has had multiple sits in my home to watch my two dogs. When looking at the potential sitters, it all comes down to how they explain their love for watching pets, their experience (one of my dogs has some issues) and our connection during the zoom call or phone call. Nothing to do with being single or male. Although, I have not had a single male sit at my home, to be honest, not many have applied. The several who did, never responded to my follow-up. I say this all to encourage you to keep applying.
Hi Brian. While I do see listings that specifically request couples and/ or single females, most listings donât state a preference. I imagine you are only applying to the latter. If so, unless people are specifically telling you that is why, donât assume. Sitters have a tendency to do that since most owners probably donât give detailed reasoning as to why they chose who they did. They start to project their own insecurities about their 'desirability â --being too old or too young, gender, lack of experience, etcâŚ
And in some cases their suspicions may be correct but just because some people have certain preferences doesnât mean everyone feels that way. And if any of them happened to have told you that specifically, again, doesnât mean everyone feels that way.
People may have certain inaccurate perceptions about certain types of people and ultimately we canât control that. For example, it wasnât until I saw a post on this forum that I found out some people viewed full time sitters with no home suspiciouslyâŚany owner I have encountered has found this aspect of my life awesome. So matter of opinion.
I also think this worry about these biases. and just wanting to seem like a âgood candidateâ in general probably leads to people creating applications and profiles that come off as trying too hard to sell themselves, and people pick up on that vibe. They arenât really letting the owner get a real sense of them as a person, they are just saying a bunch of stuff they think they want to hear, like how youâll spend most of your time at the house keeping it tidy. I donât think anyone would expect that of you.
To me it is all about the energy and if you believe you have something to offer and you would be a good sitter, youâll attract opportunities. Gender, age, couple statusâŚall irrelevant. Nobody will be everybodyâs cup of tea and you donât want to take any ârejectionsâ personally or make assumptions about the ownerâs thought process. Just be authentic in presenting yourself and youâll find your matches.
Hello @Brian_S
Iâm a new HO and would snap you up if you were in the UKđ I live in a smallish (but perfectly adequate) cottage and wonder if sitters will skip over me in favour of some of the more impressive homes in my immediate area! Although am currently chatting with a couple from the US so maybe notâŚ. Good luck finding appropriate sits. Jx
Would definitely consider changing the first photo on your profile to one of you smiling and with an animal. It doesnât seem to give you justice and first impressions do matter.
Hi Brian_S,
I previously had an older single gentleman look after my home and dogs, and he was great. However, my last sit was a single male and he left my home in a mess with damage. Unfortunately, because of this, moving forward I will only select couples or perhaps single females. Itâs just not worth the risk. I wonder if others have experienced same causing them not to select single males? Also, like Timmy, I would suggest you change your first/cover photo.
A HO told me that she had a bad experience*âand as a result, will not have another solo male sitter.
*The man had removed catâs collar b/c the bell annoyed him. He must have put it back on very loose, b/c when the owner came home, the collar was wrapped around one front leg and had been digging in for so long that the chafing wound had developed scar tissue.
She determined that he didnât do it maliciously. He was just that oblivious to the catâs discomfort. And she had a collar-activated âdoorâ so sheâd have been forcing her body in and out of it in that condition.
She didnât leave a reviewâŚshe didnât want to ruin his chances of getting another sit.
Actually this makes me furious! How can a Homeowner, whose cat has suffered because of this sitter NOT leave an honest review? I donât get it!
As a HO myself I have to âread between the linesâ again!
HOs like this let others down. Itâs as simple as that. This sitter should not get the chance for further sits. Not easily, if any.
How can the âlooking intoâ this from THS take that long?
I am saddened and disheartened to think that any homeowner would discount any sitter because of gender, based on one unsatisfactory sitter. For example, for all males to be judged by one would do a disservice to the many excellent male sitters. Those of us who have been on this forum for some time know of many male sitters who go that extra mile to give their all for the pets and the homes.
I realize the reverse can also happen. A sitter may feel they would never sit for a particular gender, from one less-than-satisfactory sit. Again, they discount the vast majority who would be excellent.
I do understand a homeowner selecting by gender or couple vs solo, depending on their particular sit needs and their pets. Other than that, please letâs assess each sit and sitter by their merits, not by their gender, colour, race, or sexual orientation. Letâs rise above that.
@Snowbird I absolutely agree and it works both ways for example a sitter who may have an unfortunate sit experience and relate it to the ownerâs gender or circumstances, letting that one experience influence their future choices.
We all draw from personal and life experiences and sometimes the lessons are so powerful that they can dramatically change our perception and forward thinking.
Iâve related on the forum how my judgment of young sitters was clouded by true life experiences closer to home, not a sitter I hasten to add, until an amazing young woman changed my generalization theory, thank goodness she did as not having her come into our lives would have been a huge loss.
Thatâs horrific. And the HO is sorely mistaken in ânot wanting to ruin his chancesâ. I certainly dont want anyone that oblivious looking after my pets!
In answer to the original post, Iâm in the process of engaging a paid sitter. Heâs a young man who will have sole charge of my house and pets. Iâm fine with that (as much as I would be with anyone sitting for me for the first time).
@Brian_S, I think it would also help to be clearer about whether you are sitting solo or with your wife (it wasnt quite clear to me). Something like âI mainly sit solo as Iâm retired and my wife is still working. Sometimes she may like to join me but only with your agreement first of course.â
@Katie That is horrible. Not leaving an honest review doesnât help anyone. I left an honest review; however, the sitter responded to my review with untruths, so Iâm not sure how helpful it was in the end.
Itâs really frustrating to spend time sending a great submission (that youâre told is fab) but is then rejected because youâre not the specific sitter type they want. If you want a solo female please say so. If you want a couple only please say so. With the added âfunâ of the 5 applicant rule it will help HOs too as you wonât get sitters that you donât want blocking up the funnel!
Plus, in my mind (right or wrong), I picture a âcoupleâ as being more likely to hang out in the apartment slightly more, thereby giving the cats additional attention.