I’ve just received the review of a week long sit I did at the end of August. In it, the HO referred to me as ‘almost like greeting a familiar auntie…’. ( It was my 4th house sit for them). I’d like to bottle that!
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I agree. I’ve been treated really disrespectfully on some recent sits and I am not sure if I’ll be renewing my membership because of it
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I feel the same, particularly upset about two recent sits, both of which from my point of view were a disaster.
Hi. I agree with you on that!
I have been housesitting mainly through THS for a few years now, to date I have not had a bad sit or felt disrespected in any way. All of my sits have been in the USA/Canada as I am based in North America now, once travel is easier I will be heading further afield.
I feel it is a privilege to look after another family’s home and pets. Without exception, each of the sits have provided me with a meal on arrival and I reciprocate by providing them a meal on their return. I also pop some of the basics in the fridge (milk, bread, eggs, butter etc.), especially if they are returning from afar.
Like many of the comments here, I too have made some great friends and undertaken repeat visits - the sit after my current one will be the 4th time to a fabulous home with 2 kitties. I feel blessed to be able to see some amazing places, hike in beautiful state parks and shop in quaint homely towns.
In the past I have used another housesitting site here in the USA however, I always make sure the HO’s are made aware of THS as I feel the service they provide is far better than the other company I have used.
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Hi @Lindsey and thank you for your positive feedback. It’s lovely to see you back in the forum again. We feel the same as full time sitters and sometimes have to pinch ourselves when we reflect on the amazing experiences we’ve had over the past decade.
Long may this last 
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We have also been using THS for quite a while and as HO always appreciated the opportunity to meet people from different places, a number of whom have gone on to be repeat sitters and friends. Have times changed? It’s interesting that some sitters feel the attitude of some HO has changed. We’ve noticed an increase in the number of sitters who seem more interested in where they are staying than the animals they will be looking after and always seek out the sitters who are interested in the pets first and foremost. As we live in a beautiful but fairly remote area of Italy we luckily tend to attract people who are interested in being in this location and with our animals. It’s very much a reciprocal relationship and has to be based on mutual trust and a shared interest in animals and a desire to visit the area. I guess both sitters and owners just need to be as careful as possible in selecting “partners” that are a good fit.
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I wonder if some of the more disappointing sits are with newer members as TH expands. Maybe these new folks haven’t ironed out any kinks just due to lack of experience. My last two sits were overall great but were 1st and 2nd time sits for these HO’s. One was a little high-maintenance, the other had a problematic neighbor situation that got a little weird. These minor issues probably won’t be a problem for future sitters. As the more experienced sitter, I felt I could handle it, and I did. They weren’t my favorite sits ever, but I’m still glad for the opportunity and loved the sits.
Overwhelmingly, my sits have been fantastic! Well over and beyond what’s expected with lots of repeats in only a year using TH (though I housesat for years on my own before.) But I can’t judge the folks that “do the basics” i.e. just trade pet care for a place to stay against those who go the extra mile and more. I’ve still loved the pets. You can’t ever blame a dog or cat for its owner.
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Agreed! I’ve received welcome gifts, too. Always unexpected. Always appreciated because it shows that the host appreciates me! By the way, @Dace , Happy Birthday to both of us! I turn 70 this week.
@Rebecca_R Happy birthday for this week! Have a good one! Mine is in 2 1/2 weeks. I was wondering how you knew it was my 70th and thought I would need to check my setting…until I looked back at my original post!
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Yes, @Dace, I just recently joined the forum, so I’ve been replying to some old posts. Happy birthday to us…our 70’s are going to rock!!!
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This makes me so happy. I turned 60 this year and looking for examples so I can tell everyone that life begins at 70.
Thank you for my morning smile
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OMG I did this in my classroom. It was hilarious!!! And I will definitely apply this tip in my listings from now on!
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Snap I turned 60 this year also, not that anyone noticed as it was in the middle of lockdown so just my husband and I alone at home! 
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Great! As a sitter, I like it when a HO does something a bit different with their listing. Plus, it gives me the chance to show that I’m a compulsive reader who has read every word that they’ve chosen to include in their listing. Lemon!
I would have loved to see the reactions of your students.
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@Mary-Kay I remember my Dad telling me that one of his teachers had done something similar with a piece of classwork. At the beginning ot said you must read the whole thing before starting. Everybody dived straight in and did the work, then at the end it said you didn’t need to do any of it.
When I was around 14 or 15 a teacher gave our class a piece of work that started with the instructions to read it through carefully before starting. I remembered my Dad’s story, so I read carefully. At the end it said “Now you have finished reading, the only thing you need to do is write your name and the date at the top of the first page”. So I did. I then sat there watching as my classmates stood up, turned around, announced that their name was Helen and they were following instructions, counted backwards from 20 and so on!
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