Hello all, I am new to the forum and am just considering joining THS. As a teacher I usually travel during school holidays. I have 2 big dogs and a house in Spain (Costa Blanca). How likely does the community think it is that I’d find a sitter for 3 weeks in August? As this is quite short notice and a 3 week sit, I’m hoping your pooled experience will guide me to making a decision.
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I’m not sure if this is helpful or not, however at quick glance, there appear to be a few dozen Homeowners posting current sits for Spain (if I’m
doing my search correctly 
). It’s my understanding, that Spain is very desirable area for sitters, year round. I believe there is a membership clause for a new HO that allow you to test the site (searching for a sitter) for a specific time period, and if not satisfied, there is a money-back issue. I’m sorry I can’t provide definitive details, as I’m a sitter not a HO. Good luck with your search.
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If you make your sit families welcome you’ll be flooded with applicants. UK school holidays are in August.
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Hello @LargedogsinSpain and welcome to the forum. I can see you’re already getting good information from @Joanne and @ElsieDownie. I’ll just add the details on membership pricing, which includes a link to information on the money-back guarantee Joanne mentioned.
Francine,
Volunteer moderator 
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Hi @LargedogsinSpain and a warm welcome to our community here on the forum. As @Joanne says, Spain is a popular location and as she also mentions there is a money back guarantee option if you purchase either the Standard or Premium memberships.
Here’s some information on how that works:
Together with the information @Snowbird has provided, hopefully you have all the information you need, but if you still have any questions at all, or need any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our helpful members, the mod team or membership services who are there to support you through the join up process.
In the meantime we’d love to hear more about your “LargeDogs” !!
Have you seen the post on “Gentle Giants” ?
Meet The Gentle Giants Of The Canine World
Do your 2 qualify 
All the best, Vanessa and the forum team
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Thanks @Joanne Joanne, your reply is just what I was after. A general feel from people with a little more experience.
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Thank @ElsieDownie
“making them welcome” would be details such as; all the information they need locally, basic breakfast pack, towels, all appliances in working order etc? Or something more specific about the dogs?
Thanks again for replying
Debbie
I haven’t seen your actual listing but there is a button to make the listing family friendly. Most listings ask for a single person or couple or don’t specify. If that button is pressed it will come up in family searches.
Your dates are perfect for a family wanting to spend time with pets and explore your part of Spain or just hang out in a sunny place with pets.
Thanks again @ElsieDownie
I was just a forum member intially to have a snoot around and see if I thought THS would be likely to work for me.
I’ve literally just joined, so about to write my profile now. From a sitter’s POV what information do you hope to see on an owner’s profile?
Debbie
Detailed description of your animals, size, breed, habits. How many walks they need per day and how long. Please be truthful about this. It’s very frustrating to start a hike and then realise the dog isn’t used to walking 7 miles.
Good clear pictures of your home and garden especially the guests bedroom and bathroom. Mention WiFi and car parking options. Some people like a detailed description of your home eg, what type of cooker, what tv streaming apps you have etc but usually good pictures tell the story better. A description of your neighbourhood is good. A summary of what your expectations are. It’s always good to add that so there is no misconceptions at the very beginning.
Let your personality show in your listing. It’s far better than a bland factual one. We are always drawn by listings that show the person has put a lot of time and thought into what they have written. Even though we only meet for a couple of hours it’s good to “connect”.
I hope that helps. There are lots of other good advice in the forum about writing profiles. We enjoy winters in Spain and large dogs so I’ll watch out for your listing and save it to my favourites for future sits. Hope you find what your looking for in THS.
Elsie
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@LargedogsinSpain Hello Debbie and welcome. I’ll add some links you may find helpful.
Thanks @Snowbird I’ve just finished writing my first listing. These links were useful. I hope it says all sitters need to know. I’ve tried to be open and honest without putting people off - hope I’ve pitched the balance
@LargedogsinSpain the variety of sitters on THS is so wide-ranging that you’d never get a consensus on what constitutes a good listing. 
You can embed your listing in your forum username/profile, if you’d like. Forum members are happy to give constructive feedback.
I hope all goes well with your listing, for you and your pets. 
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In addition to what @ElsieDownie says, it would be good to state how close you are to food markets, shops, restaurants, etc. Can you walk to these? People want to know if they can get along without a car and if public transport is readily available.
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I second this! As international travelers without a vehicle, it is very important to know if those things are within walking distance or public transportation is close. I tend to skip over those that don’t include that information.
Dan
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Oooh, thank you @mars and @Danandnan I think I did that with the beach and cafes but not supermarkets. I’ll edit that now.
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Thanks so much @Snowbird - great idea! I’d really appreciate it. I do worry that I might have undersold my dogs. I’ve tried to be honest, but I may have put too much emphasis on vague possibilities rather than what is usually the case (in terms of my dogs)
@LargedogsinSpain Thank you for being open to forum member feedback as that’s encouraging for members who do take the time to give feedback.
I see that you’ve taken an unusual approach to your first photo, which in itself would draw many people in. That’s good use of that promotional tool.
I think you’ve clearly explained what Thelma needs, which would really help a sitter decide whether the sit is a good fit for them. You could expand on that when you connect with sitters that you are considering, so that they understand what you mean when you say she will need to ‘wear something’. If it’s something you have on hand and use routinely, it will just need to be explained and the sitters shown your usual routine.
I see your applicant count is at 4-7. If you decide that any of those applicants are clearly not a good fit, please decline them with a short respectful message. Some sitters are discouraged from applying when they see there are already multiple applicants. This comment is not related to the discussion about pausing applications, in case you’ve read about that on the forum. I would make this same comment, regardless of that. Declining applicants who you will not be considering also allows the sitter to move on, knowing the outcome of their application.
Francine,
Volunteer moderator
I just ask. no problemo
Thanks Francine @Snowbird I have done that now. It’s a bit scarey to select out of the 3 applicants I have but I think they all seem so great I should just take the plunge.
So lovely to have such a friendly, helpful forum to come to.
Debbie