The dynamic has shifted, before they were not allowed in the house, now they are allowed on bed.
If they are that easy to look after, many pet owners would just drop their pets at a friend’s or family member’s house, or ask a neighbour to get into their house to feed if it’s a cat. They wouldn’t invite a stranger to live in their home, they know that it’s too much to ask a friend or family or neighbour. Although many HOs say they want their pets to enjoy the comfort of their own home, not all of them are telling the real reason.
I know two pet parents personally who use THS, the reason for them using the platform, one of them doesn’t have good relationship with her daughter, the daughter backed out last minute so she had to put her dog in the kennel, the dog though it was abandoned, only since then she started to use the platform.
Another one the dog has severe anxiety, not just separation anxiety, it whines all the time, only wants its owner, not friendly to others, constantly looks outside the door when the owner is out, and even whines at the back of the owner’s car. I feel so sorry for the sitter, I can imagine how hard it is looking after this dog.
There are easy to look after pets and owners who genuinely want their pets to stay in the comfort of their own home but not many.
@Worldsitter1 well I have to say that in my admittedly limited experience (5 sits) all with dogs and some cats as well, we had no trouble leaving the pets for 4-5 hours. Some were extremely good at coming with us for a day out. If nobody applies to these “Velcro” type sits then the owners will have to make other arrangements. Transparency is of course the key, and being prepared to leave if you are lied to.
I see no need to regulate it by setting a policy. The situation will regulate itself when pet owners get no offers. And if sitters agree to the sit, they have their reasons. I like to have at least four hours to myself, but I would accept a sit with shorter hours if the home had a fabulous pool and I could order food in. I would schedule sightseeing for before and after the sit. No one is forced to accept any sit in which they’d feel exploited.
I agree it’s all personal preference and what suits one sitter might not another. We chose to sit for mainly cats so when a booked cat sit in a month’s time let us know they’ll have just received a new pup that will need extra attention and let out every half hour, we politely cancelled that sit saying it no longer suited us!
Sometimes I look through these questions and answers to ferret out just exactly who I don’t want coming to my home to take care of my dog. Sitters, take note. If you sound like you’re in it for yourself and your travel lifestyle, you can sometimes come across sounding peevishly selfish. Our home is the biggest investment of our lives. Our dog is like a member of our family. We set the terms. If you don’t like them, don’t apply. I recently had a zoom call with a woman who had vast experience with petcare who complained about having to walk the dog 4 times a day- the dog is a puppy - and couldn’t leave the dog crated for more than 4 hours at a time. I just said it wasn’t a fit and said ta-ta.
It’s good to make such info — like a puppy needing four trips — clear. That way, folks can self-select out. Was that included in your listing? Many sitters won’t sit puppies, for instance.
I disagree. Taking care of the pet is and should be the number one motivation for using THS. I just returned from a very nice sit in Nice, France with a dog with severe separation anxiety. As I could bring him everywhere, to restaurants, cafes, shops etc it was no hassle.
If you view THS as just a nice way to get free lodging I think you abuse the trust.
I have been a regular forum member for nearly three years and I have not yet seen anyone saying they’re here justto get free lodging. @popeye’s post doesn’t say that. What they’re saying is that they choose sits whose requirements are compatible with their travel plans.
I guess you had a reason to be in Nice at that time. I find it hard to believe that you traveled there just to offer free, unconditional care for that dog.
IMHO, we all have different valid motivations for using THS but we all share the love of pets.
Both HOs and sitters try to find good matches and make fair exchanges. For HOs their main motivation is having the pets looked after in their own homes when they are away, it’s certainly not just offering free accommodation for people they don’t know. For sitters there are different motivations but they don’t travel for the sole purpose of looking after pets. I am highly motivated by pets and I have done some local sits just for the sake of spending time with them but even if a sit is walking distance from home, I won’t do it if it’s a lot of work or the HOs see me just as a free employee. Similarity, if the HOs thought that someone was not going to provide good care for their pets because they wanted to be out all day every day, they obviously wouldn’t offer the sit to that person.
Why join THS if you’re primarily focused on taking care of pets? There are alternatives that require no travel. I doubt most people would pay for THS, travel expenses, etc., if their primary focus were just pets.
we are not there, primarily to sit for them and look after their homes, and pets
My view is that the primary obligation when using this service is the opposite - the pets must come first. If not you should choose another way of travelling
My trip to Nice was of course to experience the city - but with the pet in focus. I could have travelled there and stayed at a hotel, but I find that super boring. Enjoying time with the pet is, believe it or not, my primary motivation. That is why I prefer to sit dogs and I often choose dogs with some behavioural issues as I find the challenge interesting.
To visit an animal in a new setting is my motivation, so the travel part is of course part of it. My point is that petsitting is the mission, the other perks are just…perks.
It’s fine if pet care is your primary motivation but honestly, I think you’re in the minority on THS. Unlikely that there is zero alternative motivation whether it’s travel, family, an event, work, sightseeing or checking out a new place for a potential home move. Being altruistic is all well and good but there are usually other factors in play on an unpaid exchange platform. Pets come first for care but not for choosing the sit destination. #eachtotheirown
That’s fine but most members aren’t like you. They won’t pay money to travel to sit for pets for free. We sit primarily internationally and sitting removes a significant accommodation cost for us. Those who travel only for pet care will either be paid or join a organisation like borrow my doggy. Travelling at cost to sit for a pet you can “borrow” for free is bonkers IMHO. But hey, we are all different. #takesallsorts
Well, I never intended to represent anyone else than myself. I honestly like the platform and don’t mind paying my own expenses. If that makes me bonkers I take that as a compliment.
It would be interesting to see any statistics of the members motivations, lifestyle and frequency of sits. Some are full time sitters like you, while others do it occasionally and like me - just for the experience. Have you seen any such information?