Hi folks !
I came across a great sitting opportunity two or three months ago and got turned down, but today I noticed they’re still looking for a sitter for the same dates. I was honestly pretty surprised! Is this normal in the system? Does it mean they haven’t found anyone who meets their expectations in all this time? Has anyone had experience with similar hosts?
Some people just can’t get their lives together and so either never find a sitter OR they find one but don’t make it THS official so it looks like it’s open but it’s actually filled.
I have seen that in a very desirable location that I have favourited but I was not available at the time of listing so I get notifications. I am a bit surprised that they take very long to get a sitter (twice) They seem to keep declining applications as the listing is not in reviewing mode. I am actually beginning to get discouraged to eventually apply if I am available because that fact, together with a bit entitled tone in the listing make me feel that the owner may be one of those people who are never satisfied.
It also happened to me in another popular location after a video chat that seemed to have gone well, I was declined but then I saw the applications kept going up and down and I asked the owners what I had done wrong in the video chat. They said there was nothing wrong it was just that they didn’t get a “skin feeling”. It took quite a while for the listing to disappear.
So I guess, apart from the cases @CreatureCuddler has mentioned, some people with very popular homes can afford to be very demanding.
Who knows? But it is very discourteous of them to decline you without a message, or did they send you a message?
Did you think you ticked all their boxes?
If they’re not careful they’ll end up without a sitter.
They may be looking for “just the right sitters” which means they cancel (I dislike the word reject in this context because of all the negative implications) the applications that definitely do not match with their expectations and ask for a video call with those that might.
Personally, I think this shows a very active host who is managing their listing quickly and correctly. The potential sitters are not left hanging on for weeks. If I a have been cancelled already without a note telling me why I would never apply for that sit again as I obviously don’t match up to their wants/needs. If the host sends me a note and they have decided to go with a previous sitter I would then put them on my favourite list and hope for the best next time.
I don’t think it’s about entitlement, it’s more looking for the correct fit and personality that they are comfortable with.
It’s not uncommon for sitting opportunities to remain open for extended periods, indicating the host may not have found a suitable sitter yet. This can happen if they have specific expectations or requirements. Many sitters have experienced similar situations with hosts continuing their search after initial rejections.
I’ve experienced the same for a location that shouldn’t be «attractive» as such. The pet even had special needs which I had experience from. Got declined quickly and the listing kept coming up. Will ofc not apply again, I no longer want that sit, as I’m sure they’re right we’re not a good match, but perhaps from a different reason.
That makes sense! Maybe they’ve already chosen an applicant but just haven’t finalized it yet.
I had a similar experience. But I ended up with a much better sit in an area nearby, but in a better location. So it all works for me. But I was really wondering what they are looking for.
Do they mean ‘tingling’ or do they need some kind of medicated ointment?
Some hosts may be extra cautious and take longer to vet potential sitters to ensure the person they choose is a perfect fit.
Some HO on this forum mentioned that they had looked at 70 applicants…
It is yet another reason why one should be able to block (or “unfavourite”) listings. Such a waste of effort.
I posted about this subject matter where some HO’s are rejecting banks of sitters until they have no more applicants then messaging a rejected sitter if they can’t find a ‘better’ sitter. I’ve had it happen twice to me. I rejected the sit opportunity as it felt a poor way to treat sitters. It’s like I’m a poor 2nd choice.
I don’t know. That’s literally what they said. They didn’t get the “skin feeling” they were supposed to get before accepting me. Perhaps some kind of “kick”. They were explicit about appreciating my experience and excellent reviews and insisted I had not said anything “wrong”. It was a really easy sit.
I do understand that HOs have the right to choose the sitters for whatever reason just the same as sitters can decide not to take a sit after a conversation. It’s just that I usually try to analyze situations and see how I can improve. I this case I got the feeling that maybe I wasn’t as enthusiastic as they may have expected. But that’s just the way I am. If I apply for a sit I am obviously interested in it and willing to meet the pets but I don’t really need any particular sit, I don’t have a “competitive” attitude.
I don’t mind being the second choice but I would not accept a sit if the HO takes my availability and my time for granted. If I get a kind message saying that they have taken someone else (a previous sitter, a local, a couple …) and that person can’t do the sit I would probably take it if it were offered to me and I were still interested. But I wouldn’t if I see they’re just “shopping around” in search of perfection, wasting everyone’s time.
I was the 5th applicant for one I thought I would be a very good match for, but obviously as the last to apply, I wasn’t surprised to be declined. Then it appeared again immediately as an available sit with zero applications, so they must have declined the lot of us. God knows what they were looking for.
They might have accepted a sitter who ghosted. I’ve been offered sits like that from desperate hosts who declined me earlier with or without some notice. If I was really interested and hadn’t recieved a response that made clear they’d never choose me for some reason or didn’t raise red flags, I might apply again. I’ve gotten sits like that and offers for sits like that where my schedule had changed and I had to decline. Things have a way of working out. It’s not personal. Hosts are just trying to find the best person. Sitters are just trying to find the best sit.
As a HO in a desirable area, we do receive a lot of applicants. I’m very grateful for people whom we don’t know want to come and watch our pet and stay at our home. The most important thing for us is, of course, our pet. We have an active pet. What I’m finding is sitters are not as active as us, which is totally fine and we don’t expect them to be, but when it comes to our dog, we need sitters to take the dog out for walks/hikes. We don’t expect them to do what we do, but we need them to do more than 10-15 minutes twice a day. We state this in our profile, but we still get a lot of applicants that probably want a more chill dog. A lot of sitters don’t express any type of outdoor activities they like on their profile so it can be a challenge of selecting the right sitter. This is just my observation in the past year that we’ve been on THS.
this is why it’s so important for HOs to really explain what their pets need. when I’m dog sitting, the doggos I watch get a lot of walking and are out much of the day with me. But short bits of walking followed by relaxing is different from hiking even if the amount of time spent is the same in the end.
That sounds about how we do it @ElsieDownie . We get 5 applications rather quickly, cancel the ones who we know right away would not be suitable and re-open the listing. For the three times we’ve looked for a sitter this far, we’ve had to repeat this several times.
Unfortunately there are many who don’t read the listing properly before applying, there are the ones who apply repeatedly even their application was already declined with a message and then there are those who are not free for our dates, but interested in future sits. And of course, some just don’t feel like a good fit for our dog.
I try to keep the listing open until we have 2-3 suitable options (happens in less than 24 hours), but start messaging with them right away. Our goal is to have a video chat with one of them as soon as possible, often the next day.
The reason we wait for 2-3 good sitters (good for our sit that is, it doesn’t mean all others were bad), is that after the video chat either we or the sitter might feel this is not the best match.