I sat a pair of cats who were always ravenous and would start meowing for lunch about an hour ahead. And they’d sometimes nip at my ankles while I was prepping their meals, because they were so impatient. They were super lovable fellas, though.
At another sit, I sat two older dogs — one deaf and blind — but they knew exactly when meal times were and would impatiently bark. And during various times of day that they deemed as treat time, they’d bark madly for treats. Their humans had obviously trained them to expect that. I was happy to oblige. They were so cute.
Unfortunately, the blind one sometimes got his treats stolen by the other. I took to separating them and making sure the blind one got his.
I also chopped up baby carrots, which they loved, because the blind and deaf one had few teeth left. It took him so long to eat one carrot that the other dog would gobble up the rest if I didn’t keep watch.
I can assure you, as a sitter, I’m not in the habit of readjusting anything crucial if it’s not okay for the dog. A difference of an hour or so has never been an issue with any of the pets I’ve looked after – in fact, the dogs I’ve sat for seem relaxed with a bit of flexibility, and our connections are great as a result. Many of the pet owners I’ve worked with have invited me back, precisely because they trust me to care for their pets’ needs and keep them comfortable.
And as an unpaid sitter who genuinely cares about each pet’s well-being, I think a little readjustment here and there – when it’s fine by the pet – is a fair and reasonable approach. So no, I’m sorry, I am not a slave of anyones dog.
Interesting that you emphasise that you see yourself as ‘an unpaid sitter’. I don’t know what that really has to do with getting up early and/or honouring the schedules that HOs have requested. Maybe you think HOs should just be lucky to have you at all?
As previously mentioned I’d be very disappointed if I booked a sitter who thought like that.
Hopefully you’re clear about all of this in video call and make your preferences regarding it (ie not being a ‘morning person’ or a ‘slave’ to a an animal’s routine’) clear in your profile?
I applaud any host who gives me detailed instructions for their pets. It makes my stay so much easier. The sit I have just left even video recorded the feeding ritual which worked very well for the two dogs.
If the pets are on a timetable I try to keep to it. It might be important to keep to these timings to fit in with the hosts life. If we drastically change them it might interfere with life. If something doesn’t suit your life, scroll past the sit and look for something else that is more suitable.
PS. Yes, if the pet goes to bed before the sitter there is nothing wrong by staying up.
@BJane@CRU Why should I, and why is everyone making such a fuss? It’s only an hour, and no animals have been harmed. Calm down everyone, like you all set your alarms for a pet schedule. Gosh, it’s not like I hit a dog… I just sleep a bit longer than the pets usually get up.
@Fatamorgana you have asked a question in your posting title and members have responded. It would appear you do not like the responses given as they differ to what you do. Ultimately, we all make our own decisions and you have made yours to adjust the dogs’ morning routine to suit you.
My last dog died in 2013, and I was only the stepmom, but as I remember it, she was used to my spouse taking her out weekdays before he went to work, and he would get up early weekends to and then got back to sleep. The alternative, she would whine and pace and let us know how hard she was trying to hold it in. While some dogs can go for longer than they are used to, if this is a dog without a dog door leading to some yard where they can take a quick pee and there are no wee-wee pads set up, basically it’s like if someone were denying you access to a bathroom.
If it was easy to have a dog every family would have one because every kid wants one. (This is why I usually sit cats.)
If I need flexibility on a petsit for some reason regarding their routine schedule, I go over it during the application process. Before I even confirm the sit, I find out what times the animals wakeup, go on potty breaks, eat snacks, dinner, take meds, go on walks, and sleep. I do not confirm first and then wait until they send a Welcome Guide. If I can keep to their schedule, I say so. If I cannot keep to their schedule, I say so. Whatever is agreed upon during the application process before I confirm will be the schedule I keep.
I’m the opposite, I’m a morning person. So for any sits where the dog needs a loo break at 10.30PM / 11PM… we usually adjust it. While a guideline from the owner is fantastic, we’re usually in bed way before that time.
I wake up with the sun, so I’m up and about before 6am in the summer months, and so any dogs that love a lie in, naturally wake up slightly earlier too, not 6am, but a good 30 mins - 1 hour before they usually would, but that also means they get sleepier a little earlier on a night too.
Actually since sitting, I’m amazed at how many dogs would rather stay in bed until 9am on a morning, little dogs in particular, I’ve always had early risers in the past… I’ll be honest, I didn’t know dogs like that existed!
Our dog likes to sleep in till 10 a.m.-ish if no one bugs him. He’s also flexible with meal times and walks. Maybe just his nature or maybe because he was a stray and then spent a bunch of time in a shelter — they don’t get to choose when to be fed, walked or whatever.
No, that’s the point. The only question I actually asked was “How do you handle these timetable instructions?” And this question means that I’d like to hear how others handle it, not to have someone presume to tell me how I should handle it. That’s my own decision, and although I’ve said several times now that it’s never been an issue for the dogs (in nearly 20 jobs), people keep telling me how I should communicate, even though I never indicated how I do that in the first place. So, when reading a question, one should really answer the question rather than judge the person asking.
If a dog’s used to going out for a final wee at 10pm, then chances are high they’ll need to go out again by 7am, or most likely earlier, but they will have been politely waiting as they know that their human will get up at 7am to let them out. Do the maths, or better still, see how long you can comfortably last without using the toilet. Sticking to the routine that pets are used to – and if necessary, sacrificing a bit of your comfort for the sake of theirs – is part of the deal of house-sitting I’m afraid.
“Do the math” is just totally unnecessary and arrogant nonsense. Every adult who’s healthy and not incontinent can hold their pee. If you’re going to draw comparisons with people, let’s be realistic here – it’s really not the end of the world.
You can hold it, but is it fun or comfortable or should you be forced to? If you’re choosing to hold it, that’s one thing. But being forced to buy someone else is very different.
Welcome to the internet where, for any question you ask, you’ll get a billion opinions on not just your actual question but every other related point. It’s just how things work.
Doing the maths is not nonsense at all. When I’m looking after dogs, I will often adjust my own routine and go to bed later/get up earlier than I usually would so that the maximum time between toilet breaks for the dog is 8 hours (unless owner has advised a shorter time than this). I’ve had a couple of sits where the dogs needed to be accompanied on toilet breaks, rather than just opening the door and letting them out, and no, wandering round in pyjamas and wellies with a torch in the dark is not fun, but it’s part and parcel of the ‘job’.
Maybe you think HOs should just be lucky to have you at all?