As a sitter and just this past week I’m starting to see more and more ‘odd’ listings, I don’t know this is the right word but can’t think of a better one to encompass my experiences.
Here’s a sample
My saved search for Jersey Channel Islands where I have family alerts me to listings in Guernsey and France. I’m sorry THS but if I am specifying Jersey I’m not looking at either of those other 2 places.
Listings where the HO says I can only leave the dog for one hour- so I’d be trapped in the house!
A listing that suggests I book the dog into day care if I want to go out for the day. Presumably I’d be expected to pay?
A listing that has a cleaner 2x a week I can book/pay……
A listing where the HO returns home in the middle of the sit for several days….
A listing where there may be x4 dogs but possibly only x2….
A listing that records one bird but there’s actually also a dog to be cared for….
Oh dear
I definitely feel your frustration!
If you spot something that clearly breaks T’c & C’s, you can report it to THS. I don’t know how effective that is, that it’s still worth a try to help the community. I was recently discussing on another thread how I am struggling to find listings with dogs that can be left for more than a very brief time… Sigh… mabe these are all the COVID pups?
This isn’t actually against the T&Cs although it will certainly limit the number of sitters that apply .
When an owner creates a listing they get a tick box to indicate how long a dog can be left alone for - the options start at 0 hours .
So it’s not against the T&Cs to say that a sitter can’t leave a dog alone - it works for some sitters who are happy to take the dog with them wherever they go , but definitely limits the number of sitters who will apply .
What creates confusion and misunderstandings is that the tick box can’t be seen on the listing - most owners don’t realise this and so don’t re-state this information in the listing - they think sitters will know - sitter doesn’t , so applies for the sit only to find out at a later stage ( hopefully before committing to the sit but sometimes not until already at the sit ) . Result owner is unhappy / sitter is unhappy.
So I actually prefer when the listing states dog can only be left for an hour- I won’t apply but at least I have all the information and don’t waste any time applying.
I suppose I meant by ‘T&Cs’ to include the basis of THS being a balanced exchange. I know it would almost certainly be too much work but a quick read through by a human might guide new HOs in the right direction for getting quality applications and pointing out reasons why applications might be limited.
I have actually reported a few listings (3rd party on the property or no internal photos) but there’s so many ‘odd’ ones it becomes almost a p/t job or hobby! Yes organically the HOs of the stranger/more demanding listings gradually go away, but seemingly others replace them……
It would be for us too but there are forum members who enjoy being with the pets 24/7 so it suits some sitters and they see it as a mutual exchange , they fall in love with the dogs and go back as repeat sitters to the same sits with such responsibilities/ restrictions again and again .
As I often see this tag #there’sasitterforeverysit ……
it just takes a lot of sifting through listings I suppose to filter the ‘odd’ ones. And of course what I think of as ‘odd’ might be perfect for a few rare individuals.
I’m kind of resigned about it to be honest. It’s a bit like the Wild West out there, rules are there but some people cheerfully break them. And I have other things to do with my day than report all these strange listings.
I just look out for the good ones and I apply if I like one
LOL! I wonder how many members (HO and sitters) read the entire documents.
Thanks to many contributors on this forum, some I agree with, disagree with and somewhere in between, I have learned more reading these forums than I have attempting to read T&C on my own!
Ooh my partner and I have seen the first 2 seasons so far! There always has to be something gross and gruesome happening when we’re eating dinner though
THS is not known for fine tuning its searches, etc. (e.g. I ask for a specific city and THS throws back places 100 mi away)
HO’s do not know your preferences or availability so offering you these sits seems fine.
Easy : Ask ! (And, of course , refuse to pay as it is not your responsibility).
" "
Refer back to 2,3 and 4
6 and 7 .Yeah…Those are fair ones : HO’s should be v clear from the start about animals and their needs.
While it can be a pain to get offers that don’t meet your needs, none of the exapmles here (except for the last two) seem terribly out of bounds.
Actually 3rd party i.e. the HO mid sit is ‘out of bounds’ …… and the sitter paying for their cleaner or their doggy day care or dog walking was implied in the listing….so no I wouldn’t bother to ‘just ask’ as there’s plenty of listings to choose from.
It’s just my personal list so your’s and other’s will be different obviously. However I posted this as an indication to HOs as to the many reasons (minor/major) for why this particular sitter (me) might click away from a listing.
All of this matching of sitters/HOs is very personal.
I am starting a sit in the UK soon with a small dog who can’t be left alone AT all. So I have the use of the homeowners car so as I can take the little girl with me wherever I go. She lost her partner dog recently and is distressed now being alone and I feel so sorry for the poor little thing that I took it on. My own dog had separation anxiety so I understand.
There is definitely a sit AND a sitter for everyone and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to apply for this one. What may seem odd for any circumstance to one person may be perfectly normal for someone else.
