The sitter has already decided not to take on the additional responsibility but has agreed to continue with the sit and has left it up to the host. My concern is that the hosts will continue the sit, and having been forced to make other arrangements for the 2nd dog will retaliate in the review. Given how important reviews are, especially to a new sitter who has none, this is something to consider.
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Hopefully this will not occur @idocsteve. Weâre still waiting to learn what the owners have decided to do.
Yes but hope is not a strategy. Sometimes when things like this crop up, itâs best to walk away. I suggest the sitter seriously evaluate the hosts reply especially the tone before agreeing to continue the sit, if the host still wants them to.
When I declined an extra dog on a sit, the HOs completely understood that it was a change in the agreement (I would not have applied at all had the extra dog been on the listing). We went forward with the sit as originally agreed and I received a 5-star review. Hopefully, the HOs in this case are good HOs that wouldnât give a poor review because the sitter declined to accept a major change in the agreement.
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That was also our experience- we accepted a sit , later they asked we would be willing to look also care for their sonâs dog as they were going on holiday together . We politely declined . They said they quite understood and made other arrangements. We enjoyed the sit as originally agreed and received a 5 star review .
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@doozler, welcome to THS Forum and congrats on securing first housesit. Exciting times.
Yes, absolutely.
You need to decide. Given facts then it seems that decision is yes or no. Weâre big believers in open communication. It would seem wholly reasonable to respond to homeowner that you are only willing to look after agreed pet - and not also sonâs pet - as this is your first THS housesit experience.
It would seem a tragic shame that your perfectly organized first housesit has the potential to be impaired by the addition of animals that are beyond terms of confirmed sit.
Have you heard back from the owner @doozler?
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Hello! The homeowner replied with complete understanding of my/our position. They replied that their son will find other sitting arrangements for their sonâs dog. They thanked me for my candor and seemed relieved we did not cancel the sit. I feel this will work out just fine, though the sit is still ahead (the week over Thanksgiving). Still, sincerely grateful for all of your feedback, thank you!
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Excellent. The hosts reply is promising. You still may want to consider saying something in your review about how they were very understanding of your reluctance to take on the last minute unexpected responsibility of another dog, that way you pre-empt anything they might say in their review.
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Thatâs great news @doozler. Well done on being upfront which the owner appreciated and respected. Enjoy the sit! May it be the first of many wonderful sits for you.
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Thankyou for updating the forum @doozler .
Thatâs great that it has worked out with good communication . This is the basis for all successful sits .
Since you have solved the problem - You can mark your thread as solved by 
the box. That should stop you from getting more advice or suggestions on what to do , since you have already sorted it .
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@doozler PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not put it in your review! It could put off a large amount of future sitters from applying incorrectly reading between the lines and thinking they may end up with an additional dog, when it was just a one-off request.
ANYONE can ask a question to the other party, whether itâs sitters or hosts, all they did was ask a question, which you could say yes or no to, which has ended up being great anyway.
Just say their communication was great, because they asked if it was okay, and were great when you said no. Please donât go into the inâs and outâs in your review. They just asked a question, thatâs all.
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We had similar last year-it was a family wedding the HO was mum of the bride. About a month before- the bride/daughterâs dog was added to the sit. I got THS involved re the T&C and the HO had to âdeclareâ the 3rd dog as their dog now and not the daughterâs dog. This way it was covered. Tbh 3 dogs rather than 2 was ok as weâre a coupleâŚ. the issue was 
the 3rd dog was an Irish Wolfhound the size of a bear 
however it was only 3 days and there was a swimming pool so we âmanagedâ 
3rd dog was being held by hubby taking the photo.
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I really appreciate that the owner asked politely ahead of time about another dog and you responded firmly but kindly. Open, honest, adult communication saves the day again! Now you can relax and enjoy a nice sit.
And I donât see any reason to mention it except to say how easy they were to communicate with when some changes arose, but youâll get a better feel once the sit is complete. It was likely a one-off.
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