Hi, I am now on my fifth sit now with THS, I am considering not doing it anymore. I am finding that cetain things happen that are not communicated until after I arrive at the home. Recently the homeowner decided to come back a day early and it was uncomfortalble having to spend the whole day with her in her home.
Now, I am asking advice. I acomdated the owner and came a day early at her request, and now she informed me that her neighbor will be coming over to visit her cat. I insisted that I receive a call first from the neighbor instead of her just knocking on the door whenever she choses and after some silence from the owner and only the next day, did she agree. However, I still feel that this is not the way THS intended the sits to be. My understanding is that they have to trust me. I know that that is not easy for people but its weird to have to have someone checking on me or the pet and coming in the home when I have my things all over the kitchen and having the house not look exactly as they may expect. Is it not the THS policy that we are entitled to stay in the home undisturbed?
You don’t have to accommodate the neighbour @Newe4444 if you don’t want to. Tell the HO that it breaks THS Ts & Cs for a third party to enter the property once the pet sit is in progress so will not be possible. Please can the neighbour wait until their return to visit. By stating the rules you don’t make it personal but set your boundaries out. #standyourground
Unannounced drop-in visits are totally unacceptable during a sit and violate the third party policy, but maybe your host doesn’t know this. Just message saying something like: 'Regarding your message about the neighbour coming to visit (insert cat’s name), I don’t know if you’re aware but third parties are not permitted to visit during a sit unless specified in the listing, so I’m afraid I cannot agree to this. Please see the following link to the THS policy:
Kitty is fine and and all’s well here. I’m happy to continue our regular updates. Here are some pics, taken this morning.’
We’ve completed 30+ sits and we’ve never had anyone visit the pet, it’s never been asked. However, we’ve had plenty of other reasons for people to visit (not a secret pet visits, geniunely other reasonings), which we have been fine about.
If it happened I think I would play it by ear depending on the HO, but in your scenario you obviously feel awkward about it, so I would explain the t&c’s of THS but in a nice and friendly way.
I hope you mentioned that in your review. Because that is the way to deal with such upsets. Mentioning it here does not help, but writing it in a review and deducting a star makes other sitters aware. When everybody does that, fewer sitters will experience that kind of thing.
In 90 sits, I’ve only had 3 or 4 visits. One was from an older neighbor who had some problems in her home. The HOs had told me that she might knock on the door if she had a problem. I did help her out, just as I would for one of my neighbors. Another was a visit from another senior with dementia. The HOs had told me he might visit - he knocked on the door with his son, I explained that the HOs were away (they had left their car for me to use so it was in the driveway). I explained they were away and the son took him back home.
And on one sit, the HO introduced me to the neighbor across the street whose dog had playdates with the pup I was sitting. We got together every day or 2 in the yard for the dogs to play. And they invited me over to dinner one night which was great. In fact I got an invitation to sit for them a few months later although I was already committed to another sit. I’d have accepted if I could as there home was even better located than the sit I did - right on the water instead of across the street!
You don’t have to accept the visit, but sometimes you may want to.
I withdrew my application when a couple said their grown son would like to visit their dog. He had a key and wanted to drop in. Nope.
By contrast, I sat for a couple whose grown son came to mow their grass, and we coordinated time and he didn’t use his key — they got it without discussion that sitters wouldn’t want anyone randomly dropping in. He rang the doorbell and said hello to their dog and we had a friendly chat before he mowed.
Similarly, a pair of hosts asked whether it would be OK for their grown daughter to drop by once we discovered that their new rescue pup (a year-old) was experiencing anxiety and we thought she might be comforted by from having clothing that smelled like them to sleep or chew on. She coordinated time with me, didn’t use her key and instead used the doorbell, and went looking in their closet for items that they didn’t care would get ruined.
Make a list of varying excuses as to why it is not a good time for the neighbour to visit the pet and keep it handy for when she calls or knocks at the door. I will start you off:
“Sorry, not a good time. I am just about to start a videocall with my doctor to discuss the contagiouness of my rash”