Hi! Have you had any safety concerns? I’m mostly going to sit in the countryside maybe suburbia once in a while. Thanks! Molly
Hi @mollsyA - you use the spyglass at the top of the forum you can find loads of info and threads to read.
Here’s one to start you off #staysafe
1 Like
Thanks! I still want to post to get to know others.
1 Like
No problem & you’re welcome @mollsyA . I’ve travelled all over the world on my own, 70 countries over 35 years. Best bits of advice would be treat sitting safety as you would for normal travels - tell someone where you are, have a regular check in time if that makes you feel relaxed, don’t go into dodgy places alone at night, talk to the HOs on your potential sits about locking up, turn your tracker on your phone on, connect with helpful neighbours if that feels reassuring and ask if anyone else has keys. All that good stuff. You also need to be happy in your own company if you’re doing rural sits. And most importantly trust your gut. #solofemaletravelsrock
4 Likes
The more important dangers I guess:
- the dog or other pet
- falls from the stairs in an unfamiliar home
- traffic, especially as a pedestrian when walking the dog
- other dogs or wild animals reacting to the dog
Yes, a regular check-in is a good idea. For example when sending a daily picture of the pet.
4 Likes
I learned that sometimes those country solo sits can be a bit dicey. You want to make sure you’ll have transportation, nearby shops and amenities which will be open/take your payment card and the contact of multiple nearby neighbors/friends. Additionally, the HO should be realistic and have a backup plan in case something happens ie you get sick or injured, or have to leave the sit for any reason.
1 Like
[quote=“Cuttlefish, post:2, topic:55499, full:true”] [linked article] I am a solo female house sitter & am curious if THS does any checks/background checks on homeowners, as they do on the pet sitters?
[/quote]
Yeah, they are Very Concerned about cameras, but they don’t bother to background-check the actual people. This has always made me SMH. 
@mollsyA – Picking sits where they already have some good reviews may go a long way to helping you feel safer.
3 Likes
so helpful sorry for the delayed reply haha
I thought the HO’s are background checked…??
Only sitters have an ID check and in US a background check . Hosts aren’t checked .
1 Like
I’d love to see someone from TH explain that. Crazy lives everywhere. Why should half the membership not have any vetting at all? 
3 Likes