Hey all! Wanted to float this out there and get some advice. We are a couple and have a month long sit starting tomorrow with a cat and dog. The HO reached out to let us know their neighbors pet sitter bailed on them and they are willing to pay us $50/dat to feed and walk twice a day. It would be for 7 days. Seems like they pay for visits and not a THS.
The HO said their dog is very good but doesn’t want to have them stay with us because the dog we are watching can get nippy with other dogs. Neighbors dog may get into things.
At first blush it seems interesting but the weather is building to be very snowy and frigid for a long stretch. Leaving the pup by itself for only 2 visits per day seems odd especially if something happened with the power or just loneliness which we would feel compelled to spend time with and that would be splitting time with each other.
Have a good idea… Let us know… always value your input!
Sounds like your owners wouldn’t mind, as long as the dog & cat you’re looking after for them don’t miss out in any way. I think it’s up to the neighbour to decide if they’re happy with the care you can offer but would suggest they have an emergency plan in place. It’s only for 7 days. What do your current owners think?
And possible responsibilty as you probably get keys to their home, won’t have control on whether others have keys and does something that could have an impact on your responsibiliy (and indeed your review) , being paid for other work - is that an infringement of THS terms etc.
It could work out and go really wrong. If someone thinks pop-ins to dogs is ok for a week, it wouldn’t be a good match for me. Same with hosts that have other pet practices I don’t agree with, I don’t apply.
Obviously, sitting for the neighbour wouldn’t be through THS, so it is a bit of a risk if anything happens as you will not have any support from THS and there will also be no policies to protect you in terms of indoor cameras, third parties, neglectful situations etc.
Personally I wouldn’t accept the offer as it’s too much unknown and doesn’t sound ideal for the dog. If you do decide to go ahead with it, definitely get in direct contact with the owners themselves, not your THS hosts, have a video call with them to find out more, learn about the dog and their walking behaviours and if it’s really the best idea for the dog to be left alone for so long. I wouldn’t do anything without direct contact with that owner to be honest; if things go downhill, it could potentially jeopardize your actual sit and affect your relationship with your THS host. It’s absolutely fine to say no if you’re having doubts - don’t feel pressure to do something you’re not sure about. Hope that helps!
Too many moving parts in there for us, making it risky for everyone especially you guys. We also don’t agree with “pop in” dog care. #thanksbutnothanks
Your taking money so you’re supposed to have insurance, which I am guessing you don’t, because it’s not like THS where both sets insure themselves for different things via their membership, you need separate insurance as you will entering the neighbours property, etc. So perhaps consider taking out separate insurance.
Or 2. Just do it as a friendly, good deed. Their sitter let them down, so it sounds like they are really stuck, it’s only for 7 days, and there is 2 of you, and your HO obviously feels very relaxed with you to have asked which is lovely, and your HO obviously doesn’t mind. We’ve been asked if we’d also sit the odd additional dog temporarily in the property of the HO, but not separate home. Which we were happy to do on two occasions, because of the circumstances, we were happy to help.
I think you just need to decide on this one yourself. Given you have posted on here, I think you are probably considering helping them out. But it is your choice to make.
Yes we are going to suggest they find someone else to take the responsibility during their trip… agree too much uncertainty and on top of that takes away from providing care for the precious pets we are responsible for! Thanks all!
@YaniJodi I think it’s a wise move to decline the “offer”.
a couple of things come to mind ….
you could suggest the neighbour join THS and post a listing for a sitter ( that would stay in the home ) - give them your referral discount code or the host can give them theirs .
But also wondering why
their pet sitter “bailed on them “…
Pet behaviour? Challenging , aggressive ?
I wouldn’t. And even though the homeowner is asking for their neighbor, they probably wouldn’t be nuts about your splitting your time. The best advice would be for the neighbor to get a back up sitter.
I suspect the neighbors asked them, and the HOs are not crazy about the idea of sharing you but didn’t want to refuse outright. So you might be doing the HOs a favor by saying no.
