@ktxp123 I feel if you can arrange a dog sitter/walker for at least half a day 3 times a week you may have more luck finding a THS sitter. If the supplementary sitter/walker was to collect your pup around 10am for a 2-3 hours, and had their own key to access your home, the THS sitter could leave him alone around 9am and could be out until 1pm-2pm to sightsee. We did a UK sit like this once with 3 dogs and it worked perfectly for everyone and we had a 5 sit.
Only being able to leave your pup for 1-2 hours will be your biggest hurdle. The other things mentioned like pet sleeping on the bed and bed size, there will be sitters who are OK with that.
Totally fine but you have to remember this is a mutual exchange. If your pup needs constant company then what’s the benefit to the THS sitter? (Who has paid exactly the same membership fees you have). We took care of a Velcro rescue pooch in Switzerland but we had the hosts car so he could come everywhere with us. The UK has 1000s of sits at any one time & competition is tough so perhaps offer to fill the fridge for your sitter, mention some pubs and cafes they can walk to that are dog friendly. You talk about the cinema & theatre and bowling alley but none of those are options for your sitter as there isn’t time for them to go?! You say you’ve spent a lot of money on rescuing & training him already so it may be that you need to pay for his care too if he has such specific 24/7 needs. #velcropupchallenge
Yeah I think maybe THS just isn’t going to work for us and perhaps we need to find a better option. We’ve just heard so many good reviews we thought we’d give it a try. I don’t feel we are being unreasonable or asking much but clearly by some other comments we are which I’m really shocked by! I thought people did this because they loved dogs.. not to leave them all the time for long periods.
A lesson learnt. Hopefully I can get my membership money back as it looks like it might be a bit of a waste.
I see some sitters have commented on the size of the bed, that’s something that’s never bothered me. Perhaps, that’s because I’m a Brit and used to something that’s not the size of a small aircraft carrier, even though I’m 6’2” (1.87 cm) tall and weigh 15 stone/ 210 pounds or 95 Kgs. Mind you I can sleep on a washing line.
@ktxp123 Welcome to the forum.
Your home looks lovely and Dexter too .
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We love dogs and we love travel too, that’s why THS works for us . THS is mainly used as a travel experience combined with love of pets . Since no money is paid to the sitter it’s based on mutual exchange .( Sitters pay THS a membership fee to join )
Unpaid sitters will travel at their own expense and look after your pets in exchange they would like some free time to explore your area . (Typically a minimum of 4 hours out of a 24 hour period) This is similar to many paid sitters and not unreasonable when you consider that a THS sitter will travel at their own expense to visit your location .
The suggestions of getting some doggy day care in place for a few hours for a few days of the sit could be a good compromise. Dexter gets to stay at home for the majority of the time and the sitter gets some time to explore your location . It’s one solution that could work .
We had a sit with an anxious and very adorable cockapoo . The hosts gifted us a pass to a local castle with beautiful gardens and a lake where he could be walked . Perhaps you could do something similar if there is a place close to you that sitters would enjoy visiting with Dexter ?
Also if there are local places that a sitter can visit with Dexter - dog friendly pubs , cafes, and local places of interest where he is comfortable and sitters would enjoy visiting - it would be great to list all these .
If he travels well on public transport this would be good to mention in your listing for sitters coming from overseas who won’t have a vehicle . We have done sits where we could take the dog on the train visit places nearby. It was great to take the dog along with us .
I think it’s because OP is a new member, it won’t show as a link.
I double checked it though, and the whole link is there, it just runs past the space it has on the page. That’s an issue with the platform so I can’t fix it. To check the whole link was there, I double clicked the link to select the whole thing, then pasted it into my browser and it took me right to OP’s page.
People can love dogs without wanting to spend time, money and energy to travel somewhere and be trapped in someone else’s home for 22 hours a day.
Why do that when they could sit dogs at home and charge money, for instance? Or volunteer at a dog shelter? Or spend time with their own pets at home? Or take care of friends’ or acquaintances’ pets at home — there are orgs that let you borrow someone else’s dog, for instance.
Would you pay to travel elsewhere to stay at someone else’s home for 22 hours a day because you love dogs? Or if you travel and leave your dog at home with someone else, does that mean you don’t love your dog?
Blimey!! There is no need for rudeness! I am new to THS, never used it before and it’s been a big thing for us even leaving our boy, let alone with a stranger in our home. We rescued our boy in January and it’s been a really tough journey of lots of training and investment into this and we have come a very long way. I’m sorry my expectations are not aligned with yours and all I wanted was some feedback but there is no need for patronising questions or rudeness.
We would absolutely love to be able to leave him for longer periods but unfortunately that takes time and we are doing our best.
Please keep your rudeness and patronising comments to yourself as I find your comments quite upsetting.
Thank you for your advice. I appreciate your help rather than just criticising me!
I have added some extra doggy friendly things to the listing.
We do have doggy day care that he could go to and also my partners Mum who’s just a few mins up the road who can always have him for a few hours. I have now added this into the listing also.
We know it’s hard not being able to leave him for 4-6 hours and trust me, we wish we could. We were totally mis informed when we rescued him and it’s been really tough few months and we’ve came so far already which is great, but of course things take time and we do hope in time we’ll be able to leave him for longer periods.
It’s amazing that you’ve taken on the role of trusted person for your dog I can’t imagine what they must have experienced in their life - but it’s wonderful that you’re so receptive to their needs and that you’re working with them to help them feel more secure.
You’ve outlined some great options for sitters who need a bit more time to themselves. As they say, there’s a lid for every pot, and I know that there will be some sitters who would love the chance to help this sweet pup feel safe again.
And to be honest, I feel it is was a win win. A lovely, clean, well equipped home. Company of a lovely dog. Plenty of things nearby to enjoy. Surely they wouldn’t want to leave the dog every day for long periods?
Why would they not want to go out and to dog friendly things, there is plenty around!!
As I’ve already stated, there are doggy’s day care options I can arrange but I wouldn’t expect to need to do this every day.
I’m extremely surprised and perhaps THS just isn’t for us.
Unfortunately unless people have ever had a rescue dog, they just won’t understand.
Hi @ktxp123, that’s great you have taken onboard some of the suggestions by members and now included them in your listing.
Cockapoos tend to love human company so I’m guessing you both work from home and he’s used to having you around, hence the initial can’t be left at home for longer than 2 hours. It’s been suggested re taking him out to cafes etc (are they within walking distance if sitters do not want to use their own car or public transportation?) but I don’t think I’ve read how Dexter behaves towards other dogs, people or being in places like a pub?
It looks like you have removed about Dexter sleeping on your bed from your listing but if this is where he really does sleep, then it needs to be included, not “sprung” onto your sitter on arrival.
Remove your dates for a couple of minutes then re-list them. This will make your listing new again. I hope you do find a caring sitter for Dexter as he looks lovely and you need to be congratulated on the time, effort and money you are putting into him. He’s one lucky dog to be rescued by you.
Thank you. My post was for advice and help since I’m new here and I really appreciate the time people have taken to help out. It’s just a shame not everyone is like that!
I do work from home but we do leave him for 2-3 hours and he is ok. We are working on him being left more but I don’t want to lie and say he’s fine being left for 4-6 hours, just incase he isn’t.
This isn’t a sob story in any way but it’s been really hard. We’ve invested thousands into trainers, his anxiety, everything. And we’ve got him in such a better place now but unfortunately the being left for 4-6hrs .. we’re just not there yet with him and we understand rescue dogs take time.
I removed the dog sleeping comment because I feel that’s a conversation I can have with the interested person. Dexter doesn’t stay on the bed all night, it varies. Sometimes he’ll come up for an hour then go in his bed, then sometimes he’ll be on the bed all night. For us, it’s not an issue but I understand others are not keen on that idea so I feel I’d rather have a proper chat with someone about Dexter. I didn’t want to overload too much on the listing!
I will add in about Dexter’s behaviour if you feel that would help. He’s very friendly and fine being out. Can just get a little excited at first, bless him.
All I’ve done is come on here for some support and advice and some of these comments are unhelpful and patronising. Not what I expected from a community like this.
If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.
I’m closing this topic to new replies for OP now, as I feel the discussion has served its purpose.
I just want to acknowledge that it’s great we have such passionate sitters here. Your care and commitment shine through. At the same time, it’s important to remember that if an owner’s needs don’t align with the kind of experience you’re looking for, that doesn’t make those needs any less valid.
While it’s vital that sitters can enjoy their time on a sit, ultimately it’s each sitter’s choice to decide whether a sit is right for them. In this case, OP being upfront about their dog’s needs helps ensure sitters can make that choice clearly and opt out if it’s not the right fit.
sit.
I can’t imagine what they must have experienced in their life - but it’s wonderful that you’re so receptive to their needs and that you’re working with them to help them feel more secure.