hello! two months ago my husband and i joined TSH for the love of animals and travel. for our first sit, we looked specifically for one pet sits and found the perfect pet and owner which is almost two weeks away. my reason for posting is that yesterday, the owner messaged us with a “new request” which was to add their son’s dog to our sit which is for 8 days. i feel in a predicament now. in as much as we love animals, we did not want to sit for more than one pet for our first sit… and maybe others too? right now, i feel as a sitter it was our preference and prerogative to have that choice. now, i don’t want to say no, and i don’t want to say yes… i can understand the owner asking, but at the same time feel it is inappropriate. any advice or experiences to share would be appreciated!
@doozler Welcome to the forum. When the sit was confirmed, it was for just their dog and that is what was agreed by both parties. Wanting you to now sit the son’s dog changes that agreement which you need to convey to the owner. You are not obliged to do this sit with the extra dog so are within your rights to ask them to cancel you as their sitters (only owners can do this) or ask they make other arrangements for the son’s dog if they wish you to continue with the sit.
Hi @doozler If you are a standard or premium member (rather than basic) your membership includes accident and third party liability cover.
“For extra peace of mind, if a pet causes damage or injury to another person, their property, or pets whilst under your control during a sit, and this is due to negligence on your part, you’ll be covered up to $1,000,000 per incident. Terms and conditions apply.”
Check Ts & Cs to ensure a family member’s pet would also be covered. If not, that alone would be very reasonable grounds to say no, quite apart from the fact that the request goes beyond what was originally agreed.
On the other hand, if the sit looks perfect in every way and you have built a good rapport with the home owners, you might consider things like how much extra work and risk a second dog is likely to bring.
Can they be walked together? How much extra mud and grooming does a second dog mean? (Anywhere that is autumn at the moment is starting to get pretty muddy - something to bear in mind especially if you are using your own car to transport dogs). Can they be left alone for similar amounts of time? Having the two dogs may mean you are able to leave them for longer as they have each other for company, or it could mean they can’t be left at all if they get up to mischief together, or don’t get on. Are they fed at similar times? Ask plenty of questions about both dogs, but the son’s dog in particular, to try to ascertain the likelihood of running into problems - breed, size, age, personality, is the dog walked on-lead or off-lead, what is their recall like?
I’d also try to find out why the son’s dog now needs a sitter at fairly short notice. Is he going away with the parents, or is it simply that he lives nearby and fancies a week off dog-walking?! I’d be less inclined to be flexible if it’s the latter.
Please let us know what you decide!
The owners last minute request leaves you in a bit of a quandry.
It’s probably fair to say that you don’t want to cancel a sit that was planned months ago, so just because you were “in your rights to cancel” doesn’t mean that’s a good option for you.
You can refuse, and politely say to the host what you said here, you specifically book only 1 pet sits, that’s what you were promised, and that’s all you intend to do.
The risk is that the host either cancels the sit or leaves you a retaliatory bad review because they see you as the unreasonable one. If the sit happens, consider mentioning the hosts last minute request so if they do dock you on the review you can fall back on that in your reply and that will give it more credibility.
As @temba says, since this second dog was not included in the listing, the terms have the sit have changed so you could simply decline their request and say you’re happy for them to cancel the sit if they insist on including the second dog. This will allow you to then apply for other sits with the same - or coinciding - dates.
Just to add, we once did a sit where just one Lab was listed. We arrived to find the boyfriend’s dog - another Lab - was there too, which was rather cheeky. It was a bit late to amend our plans - though we could have done, if we’d been so inclined - but the dogs knew each other and were both absolutely adorable, so we just took it in our stride.
The animals are wonderful, it’s the humans who take liberties. This sit doesn’t start for another 2 weeks @doozler so you have choices.
Hi @doozler 
Oh, we completely understand where you’re coming from — and honestly, you’re handling it beautifully just by pausing to think it through. 
It’s absolutely okay to have set your heart on a one-pet sit, especially for your very first one. Every sitter has their comfort zone, and that’s what helps both sides feel relaxed and confident. Sometimes homeowners don’t realise what a difference even one extra pet can make — it’s rarely meant to put you in a tough spot.
You could send a kind note back along the lines of:
“Thanks so much for letting us know — we completely understand things can change. For this sit, though, we’d love to stick with one pet so we can give [pet’s name] our full attention.”
That way, you’re being warm and respectful while still staying true to your original agreement. 
Trust your gut — it’s there for a reason. And honestly, this sort of moment is how we all learn what feels right for us as sitters. You’re off to a wonderful start already. 
If you don’t mind me asking, was AI used to generate all or part of your reply?
@idocsteve Haha, not at all — happy you asked! 
That one came straight from experience — fourteen years, 155+ sits, and plenty of time to hone the art of tricky negotiations. We think AI has its place, but there’s really no substitute for the real thing — a warm heart, good instincts, and a steady hand on the lead. 
Hi
This puts you in such a difficult position. If you say yes, as somebody has already mentioned, the son’s dog is not part of the THS insurance etc. If you say no, the house owners may not be comfortable and reflect that in your review. It may just feel uncomfortable.
I had this a while back, and the owner said that other sitters would be very keen to have a sit, at their house, even with the son’s dog. I suggested that they cancel my sit as they would be happier with another sitter - which they did. I was relieved.
I once had a HO want to add a dog they just decided to foster. I told them I wasn’t comfortable with the additional pet. They understood and made other arrangements for the for the dog. We went forward with the sit as originally agreed.
We’ve experienced this twice before and I would say to you that if you don’t want to do it say no! You chose this sit because you only wanted to sit for 1 dog so tell them your sorry to have to say no but you feel that 1 dog is adequate for you, tell them you will understand if they want to terminate your agreement but they won’t do that because they won’t want to risk not getting another sitter so close to their dates. Some people just take advantage of the kindness of sitters.
It is permitted but should be included in the listing and welcome guide .
You can decline their request for you to care for an additional pet if it wasn’t in the listing when you confirmed the sit . Just let them know you only want the responsibility of one pet .
There is no right or wrong answer .
We have declined the responsibility of an extra pet and the hosts were completely understanding and for a different host and different circumstances we accepted and it worked out well .
I guess it all depends how much you like the location and house or if this is your first sit did you just take something that looked easy. I would definitely ask questions about this 2nd dog. How well does the dog walk on a leash if you are supposed to walk him. How long the son has had the dog. Did the homeowner ask you or tell you. If she just told me I would cancel. I don’t like entitled people. Who knows what else may be a surprise. If she asked you then I would at least weigh the pros and cons of canceling the sit. Good luck whatever you decide.
Hi doozler, This does happen occasionally, where one of the children wish to join the parents on holiday. The last sit I did like this was for two weeks with oe dog, and the second joined for the second week, whilst daughter joined her parents on holiday. It actually worked like a dream. The two dogs absolutely adored each other and would snuggle up, sleeping in the same basket, in the day and overnight, or both snuggle up on the sofa together next to me. They looked so cute together. I actually felt it was such a shame they did not both live together permanently.
I found it easier with the two than just one, as both would race around in the grounds together, looking like they were having fun, whereas the one on its own didn’t.
I was told in advance though, so knew there would be two dogs for the second week. But they really did enjoy each others company.
If the son’s dog knows his parents dog very well, it may work out great. Good luck.
…And maybe add that since this is your first sit, you’d prefer to keep to the original arrangement.
There can be a big difference between the effort needed to look after one dog properly - and two. Chances are they’ll have different personalities and needs and you could be running to catch up a lot of the time (possibly literally..) I think this request is tactless at best. And you should feel free to explain your reasons, which are very valid - and ask for the sit to be cancelled, if they really can’t make other arrangements for the second dog.
We were once bounced into taking on two dogs, having agreed to sit for one. It turned into two weeks of VERY hard work, when we were able to do little else but cater to the various requirements of the two animals. I don’t mean to sound negative, but I think your caution is wise and I’d hate for you to be put off sitting, if this experience isn’t the one you wanted, just because the HO decided to take advantage - whatever his/her reasons.
Looking through other people have summarized. It’s tough to have confront people with whom you thought you had an understanding, but don’t give in on this as it’s not fair to you. And if that means they unconfirm you to look for someone else, be ready for it. They can’t review you then. I would also consider asking them to find another sitter if you get a vibe that this is not okay with them.
It’s hard to tell what’s happening here without speaking to them. On the one hand this might be a last minute request from the son that they are dealing with OR a plan to spring this on you. They might be very understanding or they might not be. So I would ask for a phone call/video call to straighten things out.
Thank you all very much for your insight and experiences - your thoughtful responses really helped us think things through carefully and consider all angles. After some reflection, we’ve decided to stay true to our original agreement and decline the owner’s request that we sit for their son’s dog as well. We wanted to be clear on our original agreement to provide safe, calm and consistent care for their senior dog with love and confidence. We also let them know that we understand if they’d prefer to cancel in order to make other arrangements. This experience is a reminder of how important it is to communicate openly and to honor what feels manageable and fair – especially as new sitters, actually for all sitters. I appreciate this community for sharing both the practical and emotional sides of this decision. We’ll see how the homeowner responds, hopefully, they will be supportive of our position. There was so much I hadn’t taken into consideration prior to reading the many perspectives of the posts. Thank you again, am very grateful to those who took the time to respond!
There is good advice here and as @temba says you are completely within your rights to pull out of the sit explaining this was not agreed when you accepted the sit. Personally I think the owner is extremely cheeky.
It’s not an inappropriate question, they simply asked, and asking is fine. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell them.
Or you could look at it another way… you have no reviews as yet, and you have helped them out so that could help gain your first 5 star review.
That’s happened on two occasions with us (we’ve done 40+ sits), and we just helped them out and said yes, but we’re all different, it’s up to you what feels right.