Question about requesting couples

It can be down to preference, nothing else. Some rescue animals react differently to females than males because of their background. Some house owners prefer a single lady in their home. Some others want a couple to share the work. Others couldn’t care less as long as their pets are happy and the property is being looked after. No specific reason just a preference.

2 Likes

Oh my gosh!! I just realized that your home was one that I favorited when I first joined THS!! :joy::joy::joy: I am enamored of your life. :sparkling_heart:

1 Like

It’s not only about the experience the sitter has but about the problems, which might arise when the sitter has to leave due to an emergency.
THEN we would have the problem not to have someone to care for the cats. With two sitters there is still one left, who knows the routine by then.

1 Like

@alexformerlyinmadison HOs ask for singles or women only all the time! You probably don’t notice it because it doesn’t lead you to change your actions so you can skim past that sentence. Similar to how “couples only” will stop you in your tracks and demand attention/a change in your action.

2 Likes

@BunnyCat - Well said. Each HO is different. One sit we applied for preferred woman but we applied anyway with all the selling points why my husband would be good for the dogs. Guess what, we got the sit.

4 Likes

We are sitters, and whilst the pets get twice as many cuddles, and twice as much attention, it’s less likely to be for that reason. It’s likely to be because the HO’s themselves are a couple and so wish to keep things as ‘normal’ as possible for their pets, it’s what they are used to. There’s plenty of people who request single sitters too remember, usually where the HO is single themselves and so wants to keep things more familiar for their pets.

Or they may live in quite remote area whereby ‘they’ feel a single person may feel very isolated (I know that should be up to the sitter to do their research on that front), it could also be for security reasons, or it could be because for example if there are two dogs they know it will be easier for two people to walk them, rather than one because they know-know what their dogs are like. Plus it also means that if there was ever an emergency, like their return flight was delayed more than normal then two people could potentially split up to ensure their pet is always cared for, whereas if a single sitter needed to be elsewhere then that wouldn’t be possible.

There’s some that request singles, there’s some that request couples, it’s there pets so we all just have to presume that the owners know-know their pets and their property best.

1 Like

The wording on my listing makes clear we look for singles or couples. I think I put that in there in part to discourage families. I don’t want to sound like a meanie, but the apartment isn’t that big and my cats have either NEVER been around human children or not for a very long time.

1 Like

Hi @alexformerlyinmadison
I joined THS end of May last year and I’m currently in Ibiza on my 19th sit! I do hope you get more sits.

4 Likes

I’m very impressed, both by 19 sits and the fact that you’re in Ibiza! Sounds glorious.

Thanks…and it is unusually warm in Ibiza hitting 24c today!

1 Like

You need to do it @alexformerlyinmadison - the most unique & special sit ever of 31 to date! Find a friend. Hosts are pretty special too @MiqueFrançois :heart_eyes::thailand:

1 Like

So neat that hove stayed with them! I think I’d need a travel companion though. Their points about hosting a single traveler are valid and, while I’m always ready to dive in, I should be also be judicious.

@Cuttlefish :flushed: We are flattered

1 Like

HOs should always be free to limit their sitter preference in any way they wish. There are always reasons for these choices.

Personally I want a sitter/s who has experience caring for a home. My home is also not child friendly. Couple or single is fine.

I need an English speaker.

1 Like

I wasn’t suggesting that HOs shouldn’t be able to limit who they invite into their home in whatever way works best for them, I was simply curious about why couples would be preferred. Thank you for responding.

For us as HO’s, it’s simply because our dogs are reactive on lead and at 45kg and 33kg respectively, it’s rare that one person can hold them both. We have had single sitters but prefer couples for that reason.

1 Like

I totally understand why a particular animal combo is better suited to a couple. I often sit solo and I have done a few sits that were a lot of work for me as only one person. Once I got sick too - thankfully not so badly that I couldn’t manage.

I have learned from my previous experiences and will go for sits with less animals if I travel on my own, or if there are more animals I will limit the sit to a few days.

This is something I completely understand. And, honestly, I’ve often skipped over sits that have multiple large dogs for that very reason! I’m currently sitting a single, sweet dog who is a lab/boxer mix. She’s lovely and I’m so happy to be with her but … on a walk the other night she decided that she didn’t like the looks of a dog passing the other direction and suddenly lunged, nearly pulling me off my feet. It was so unexpected! If that had been two dogs, I would have had no control at all. Thank you for responding.

1 Like

@alexformerlyinmadison
Yes, that’s another thing. I am currently looking after two dogs on my own. They do not walk well on the leash, but they are great off lead. Still, I don’t take them very far because I am anxious about losing them or losing control if other dogs show up. Thankfully, the doggies have a big garden to exercise and there is a huge field nearby too.

Brilliant answer Bunnycat!