We are member since a few months. We subscribed to a few sits but without result. Okay, no problem. Our preferences are house sitting without the responsibility of taking care of pets. Due to the simple fact that we have no experience with pets. Alomost all the time there are request to sit with a pet. Are we on the right platform? Please advice from your experience. Thanks!
1 Like
Hello @Els-Erik - Welcome to the group. Almost all listed house sits on trusted housesitters include the responsibility of caring for at least one pet.
House sits without pets are rare and usually have many applications.
If you go to your dashboard and click on ‘find a house- sit’ next click on ‘PETS’ and from here you can filter ‘NO PETS’ - At the moment there are only 8 listings on THS in the world that do not have pets.
4 in the USA
1 in Australia
1 in Japan
1 in Denmark
1 in Portugal
Some pets are much easier than others to care for - maybe try a very short sit local to you with one young, healthy pet that requires no medication to gain some confidence and experience - you may find that you are a natural with animals!
5 Likes
Thanks Colin for the reply.
Hi @Els-Erik welcome to our community forum and to TrustedHousesitters and thank you @Colin for your excellent feedback and supportive help and advice.
I notice in your profile @Els-Erik that you love animals and have cared for rabbits and other small animals, the wonderful thing about TrustedHousesitters is that we have a veritable Noah’s Ark variety of animal members, there is a furry, feathered or hairy companion for every pet loving sitter.
It’s very true that the vast majority of housesits on the site require pet care and sitter member tell us that the pets really do make their housesitting experiences special and memorable. I recall my sits by the pets, not homes or locations.
During the pandemic when our travel lifestyles ceased, our community frequently messaged us to tell us how they missed their time with pets, more than their travel time.
Colin’s advice is golden …
Angela and the Team
2 Likes
Another thing that would help you is to have some pictures with animals. And it doesn’t matter where you find them! 
Friends pets, an animal shelter, even a pet store. Just get some pictures showing that you like animals and animals like you.
Hello to you both and welcome. I did take a look at your THS profile, and notice that you don’t have any references. Perhaps you’re in the process of getting them. I do suggest that you gather some as, until you have a review, these may be important to many homeowners.
Keep in mind that in your ‘About’, you are not trying to make friends with the owners. It’s good to show your personality, but whether you enjoy golf, for example, will be of little importance to the homeowner. Put yourselves in the shoes of a homeowner, and focus on what they might be looking for. For example, often homeowners are looking for non-smokers, or these days your vaccination status. If you are willing to share that information, it does directly impact the homeowners.
I echo the comments of others, in thinking about those pets you would consider taking care of. Consider, for example, caring for fish, indoors or outside, which takes very little of your personal time and is easy to do. Just ask for specific directions in the welcome guide. You mention what you don’t have experience in, but I’d avoid that. Focus on your abilities, rather than any possible shortcomings.
You don’t make mention of any skills you have in home care, inside or out. Remember you are primarily asking to take care of homes, so highlight why you are ideal for the role. Consider if you have skills that are not that common for all sitters; for example, maintenance of a pool, familiarity with solar systems, driving a tractor, living off-grid or in remote locations, or anything else you can think of, then mention it in your profile.
Your profile is your marketing tool, so now isn’t the time to be modest. Sell yourself, but keep it honest. Your forum community will also look forward to hearing you cheer, when you get your first sit.
4 Likes
Hi Snowbird, thanks for this usefull information. We will indeed update our profile. And yes, we will inform the community about the progress. Thanks!
4 Likes