Can I apply for adoption?
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I think you’ve gone over & above!
We have had all kinds of "welcomes’ from different hosts (and sitters for our home).
A welcome meal (in a local restaurant or in the home) is often provided.
Staples for at least the first morning usually left.
My suggestion for future sits: it’s commonly understood the sitter can use staples (spices, cooking oil, salad dressings, fresh fruit & veg left by the HO.)
Leaving fresh foods is tricky because you don’t know if a sitter has particular tastes, or allergies, or dietary restrictions.
Many HO will indicate what the Sitter is welcome to use & what is off limits (such as the liquor cabinet, frozen meats, specialty products in the pantry…)
If you want to be generous: why not provide a gift card to the local grocery store or a local restaurant with a wide range of dishes? We’ve had both left and it’s a nice feeling to feel “taken care of” - and an acknowledgement that the HO hopes kindness will be extended to their pets.
As others have said, I came back to find the sitters hadn’t touched fresh fruit/veg I’d left and it went bad, hadn’t touched things in the pantry that went past their Best By (long trips for weeks). I realized I’d assumed the sitter liked what we like.
But bravo for starting out with a great welcome.
I hope your sitters express appreciation in how they take care of your home & pet!
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What a nice welcoming host. In my years of sitting I have had everything from a Waitrose shop to a completely empty fridge with half an inch of milk. I now do take enough with me to make a meal just in case but I always say to people don’t throw things from the fridge away I will use them up. I hate waste. I do a lot of repeat sits and have become friends with owners who treat me as they would a family member. Next week, I will be up on the North York moors and the owner when ordering her shop this week has asked me what I would like. That’s very thoughtful and welcoming.
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Wow your hospitality is amazing. I hope to sit for someone like you in the future
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Thanks. I wasn’t sure what the norm was:woman_shrugging:
Keep me in your favs 
Yeah that’s what I hope to have eventually. A regular sitter
Thanks for the info X
Im used to having people in my home as it’s a guesthouse so I’ve been pretty chill about using anything they want from MY house including the wine which are all from a local vineyard. I don’t have a problem, as long as my baby is happy and it’s only 4 days. I’ll do longer if this works out Thanks for your input X
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You’ve done a lot!!! a clean space, and good directions about dog, home, and area is enough.
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The ‘fridge thing’. I love doing the ‘letting it happen’ way: If the fridge is full, I really don’t like it to throw good food away. As Airbnb or home exchanger, I leave the good stuff which can be used in the fridge, with some free space and the suggestion to use anything what the guests want, including kitchen closet stuff. I ask to leave some coffee/tea/sugar behind so we can have a cuppa when we come home. We never had any issues. When we are at someone elses home, we in general replace some of the products, as the units one can buy is sometimes much bigger than the amounts we used. It is to much fuss to be extremely precise.
But not the bottle of nice drink we sometimes received as a gift. A gift is a gift.
Basically: friendliness and the willingness to make it a good experience for everyone and every pet included, is the greatest gift, the rest is extra.
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Don’t overthink. Everything sounds perfect.
I’ll favorite your listing in the hope of being able to enjoy your hospitality and your Maltese’s company one day.
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Wow you sound like the perfect pet parent. So kind and thoughtful. I’m thinking of inviting sitters to take care of my Yorkie and Main Coon so I’ll be interested to know how this experience goes for you. Was it tricky deciding who to pick?
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That sounds like a lovely combination. I love both breeds.
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They’re adorable
Agree! And the HO should make sure there are enough cleaning supplies to clean (not nearly empty ones). We carry all our own kitchen towels and rags, a plastic cutting board and a sharp paring knife, even plastic cups for use in the bathroom. Also our own bath towels. Speeds up the end of sit cleanup because we’re not stressing about getting towels and rags washed and dried (like some HOs expect) if we are departing the sit early in the day.
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I’m laughing, you sound like us, anything to make life easier during the last few days cleaning-wise. 
Hi Shirls, it looks like you are going to be a great host! Call me if you need a sitter, I’m in Rome 
Oh how fab to have someone so close. Please add me to your WhatsApp
Thanks
Shirley
I saved your listing among my favs, you can invite me if needed
You have definitely gone above and beyond for your sitter. Thank you for being so considerate. That was especially kind of you to put the sitter up in a hotel the night before. I’m both a HO and a sitter on this site.
From my experiences, buying food for others can be tricky. A clean refrigerator is the most important part. I don’t want to be second guessing what those leftovers are and how long they’ve been in the fridge. On my first housesit I had to purge the refrigerator of unknown food stuffs that had been in there way too long. Another house I sat for, had a lot of unopened containers of deli food from Gelson’s. It turned out they bought them for me, but much of it was food I don’t eat, and since they were gone 2 weeks, it just went to waste.
Part of guessing about food, relates to how easy it is for sitters to shop on their own. My neighborhood is close to Von’s and Trader Joe’s—no need for me to stock the shelves. If it’s a rural sit, you may want to make sure you have staples available for the sitter.
When sitters come to my home, they will find a mostly empty refrigerator, an invitation to use whatever they find, and a request that if they use the milk and coffee that I have enough for one cup when I return.
I’ve very community and civic minded so rather than stocking a fridge, I usually leave a basket on the counter that has fruit from my trees, may have a $20 gift certificate for Trader Joe’s, a certificate for the McConnell’s Ice Cream store in my neighborhood, certificates for the Ventura Botanical Garden, or a gift certificate for a local, restaurant in walking distance. I love providing these to sitters and I love encouraging them to shop and eat in my neighborhood.
Enjoy your journey knowing that your pet will be loved and well cared for.
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