I told them and they said they asked the HO but they lied and said they were available. It just becomes your word against theirs and there’s nothing you can do.
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CS Lewis: ‘You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending’
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My last dog sit was a nightmare. I have 2 senior miniature dachshunds. We do not leave them for than 2 hours at a time. She informed me the day before our trip thst she would be arriving at my home at 1 pm. She knew the days and times of my trip. And not leaving my dogs for longer than 2 hours. It was posted on my ad. Talked about in my zoom call and again later in a message. I left for my flight at 8:30 am. So they were left for 4 1/2 hours. On her departure she left at 3 pm because she didn’t want to drive home in the dark. I arrived back home at 9 pm. So 6 hours. I had to scramble while on my trip to find someone to come to sit with my dogs and let them out. It kind of defeats the purpose of her dog sit. I received no (zero) updates, photos or videos. On upon arriving home my dogs were exhausted. They slept all day and all night for 2 days. Our one dog was mopey. Clinging to me. Wouldn’t get up to eat in the morning. I couldn’t understand. Then in the next few days 3 seperate neighbours told us that our dogs - like i said 2 senior short-haired miniature dachshunds were locked out side in minus cold temperatures. No area for shelter or warmth. I never leave them outside. I find this abusive. I had left a 3 star review before I knew about them being left outside. I asked THS if i could add to my review to warn potential dog owners. Answer was no. I put in a complaint but THS wouldn’t listen to 3rd party evidence of my neighbours. I needed video proof. I got a vet report stating they had seen my dog before my trip and after and the differences. They gave this dog sitter a warning and will monitor her account. Then the day after she got the investigation results the dog sitter left a review stating that THS had launched an investigation on me. That I wasn’t honest and had left a malicious review. That THS determined the sitters to be at no fault and I was found to be unethical and untrustworthy. I contacted THS. They said reviews were not tampered with but that this was not a valid reply and removed it. They removed it because it was a lie. But they wouldn’t state that. It comes down THS doesn’t support the members. Or take the pets health and welfare into consideration. I’ve read in the last few weeks stories like yours and mine. I can’t wrap my brain behind THS and their thinking.
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Hi @Shelleybean, welcome to the forum.
It’s understandable that THS needs to have evidence but in the case of the false accusations they have all the evidence they can have as it was a lie about their own actions, this was even after they got a warning so I think they should have been kicked off not just remove their set of lies.
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@shelleybean It sounds like it’s been a poor match this time and clearly you’re very upset. What did the vet say about your dog’s health, on your return?
As sitters, we always agree arrival and departure times before confirming a sit, to ensure we can accommodate needs. Was this not discussed and agreed with your sitter? Going forwards, this tactic would allow you to make other arrangements for any interim periods (if the sitters cannot meet your requisite times) and therefore avoid your dogs being left alone for longer periods than they’re used to. Likewise, we always confirm how frequently pet parents would like updates (and we’re happy to provide daily photos and videos if that’s what they prefer, for peace of mind). Put all agreed details in writing - confirm in messages, so all parties are singing from the same hymn sheet - and include update requirements in your Welcome Guide.
Clearly you didn’t meet these sitters for a handover but you mention a Zoom call. Were there any red flags? Did these sitters have a number of previous good reviews? Did you attempt to communicate with these sitters, whilst you were away?
I’m sorry to hear your neighbours have reported your dogs weren’t well cared for and I wonder why they didn’t say something or knock on the door if they witnessed small, elderly dogs being left outside for extended periods in sub-zero temperatures! I certainly would have!
I hope your dogs are now recovered and that you can put this behind you. The pets in our care are our priority and good communications are imperative to any good sit. It’s sad that this seems not to have been the case, here.
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We had bloodwork and a full exam a few months before our trip for Willow. She was needing some teeth extracted. The tests and exams were to make sure she was healthy enough for surgery. Which she was. No health issues. She is or was a very energetic girl. Chasing her ball non stop. Eating enthusiastically. A sweet girl. No issues with barking other than the norm. Like someone knocking at the door. Never barking throughout the day or night. And that includes Thorin as well.
After her surgery Willow had strained her back so my vet was seeing Willow frequently. She was getting chiropractic adjustments. So she saw Willow’s health and behaviours before or trip and after.
On my ad of my trip the days and the times were posted. Which were agreed to. Why would you agree then change at the last minute without discussion? They were also discussed in our zoom call. And then again in our Trustedhousesitters messaging and in a booklet I left for my dogsitters. The times were definitely communicated. And also in my Welcome Guide it says I don’t leave my dogs for longer than 2 hours.
She knew the times of our flights and she agreed to them. I never thought I’d have to look for someone else to sit with my dogs on a arranged dogsit. In my Welcome Guide it says they weren’t left for more than 2 hours - it was said to her and written. Plus in our messaging.
In the Trustedhousesitters site it gives the expectations of the dog owners and the dog sitters. It says to give pet owners updates and photos.
If a dog sitter needs every step of what is needed even though it’s mentioned in the Trustedhousesitters site they shouldn’t be dogsitting. It’s common sense. Of course I want updates.
I update my Welcome Guide before each of my dog sits. I make any changes that are relevant to my dogs care and home. She complained that my dogs had bad behaviour because they barked. She thought this was specialized care. They barked because they were locked outside.
I’ve never had any issues with any of my dogsitters until this last one. I know all the information is there for them to care for my dogs. My home. Communicated is in my Welcome Guide. Messaging. Zoom call. With every other dogsitter I met in person. If this dog sitter had issues or problems or didn’t know what to do then message me. The contact information is there for them. I’m open to help 100%. Pretty easy. I want the best care for my dogs Willow and Thorin.
We did not meet these dog sitters for a handover. Not because we didn’t want to. Every other dogsitter we’ve have. This dogsitter didn’t want to leave home to early to meet with us. Because it was just to early for them. On our return they left 6 hours before our return because they didn’t want to drive home in the dark. So no chance of meeting up with them.
I read her profile. She stated she had dachshunds as a child. In our zoom call we discussed my dogs. Went over care. Expectations. She had no reviews because I was her first sit. She had a reference which was positive. I was giving her a chance. So no red flags.
No.There were no other reviews or dog sits to reach out and ask.
During our zoom call she and her partner were interested in our area. And if this dog sit worked out they’d like to dog sit more for us. They both were avid bikers. Our area has bike trails that people travel to from all over the world to ride. Which they were focused on doing.
I totally agree. If I heard my neighbours dog(s) upset and barking I would have knocked on their door being concerned. That is exactly the conversation my husband and I had. This still makes me upset. I totally don’t understand.
I’m having a hard time putting this behind me. I can’t even say I learned anything from this. Or next time I’ll know.
I feel I had good communication. All important information was in my Welcome Guide. We also messaged back and forth. We had our zoom call. She had my contact information to message me. I told her if there was anything she couldn’t figure out or if there were any issues to message me. Which she did not.
Saying she was a bad match is an understatement. She had no common sense. She had her own schedule of times ignoring the actual dogsit times. Apparently no knowledge or proper caring of dogs leaving them outside in freezing temperatures shows that.
Plus she lied on Trustedhousesitters.
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They shouldn’t have done this! Clearly, these sitters prioritised their own agenda.
Nevertheless, please always specify how often you want those updates (Every HO varies) and if they aren’t forthcoming as agreed, chase them - it’s an immediate red flag.
There’s your problem, sadly. You gave her a chance and she’s let you down, big time. No offence to newbies - we all had to start somewhere - but, going forwards, you might want to stick with sitters who have a high number of 5 star reviews and particularly who have proven experience of caring for oldies.
This would have been a big red flag for me, given that your dogs should not be left for more than 2 hours.
Give those dogs a big cuddle and maybe just focus now on the fact that no serious harm was done, thankfully. I recently read this on another thread, which I hope will help you feel a little better:
C. S. Lewis: ‘You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending’.
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I never thought about the fact of their biking that they’d be gone for long periods. A definite red flag. I’ll be looking a lot different at my next dog sits. I won’t be using Trustedhousesitters again. I’m researching some other agencies.
Thank you for your kind words. And things for me to think about for my next sit.
Agreed.
If your pets can’t be left for more than a couple of hours, I’d suggest not mentioning any activities in your listing that would take more than that amount of time, because it’s realistically not available to them. And if anyone volunteers that they’re interested in coming for X, you want to screen out those that would take more than a couple of hours. That will screen out most sitters, but most sitters wouldn’t be a fit for you anyway — you need folks who primarily want to stay home. If that means you get few or no applicants, that means you need to pay for care or find a friend or family member who wants to stay at your home.
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Please don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole barrel. We’re currently on our 46th sit (all 5 star reviews, to date) and wouldn’t dream of overriding agreed sit responsibilities. If you read threads on these boards, you’ll find that can be said of most experienced THS sitters.
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I agree. All my dogsitters from that point were great.
It’s just hard to understand why did the things she did.
It’s more about how Trustedhousesitters handled the complaint. I guess I wanted to see her account suspended for a period of time. Getting a warning and her account monitored seems like a slap on the wrist.
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Did you raise a member dispute with THS ?
You have to use these exact words when making a complaint, this is the process which instigates a full THS investigation.
You would also need to provide evidence ( third party’s word of mouth not enough ). Evidence could be screenshots of messages, videos from camera door bells or photos .
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I did think about that. But there is no door bell photos or videos. We spoke to our neighbours in person no messaging with them.
We just put in a door bell camera and we will be putting in a camera in our backyard before we get another dog sitter.
It’s something that I never thought we’d need. We live in a quiet safe area. But apparently word of mouth isn’t good enough.
My dog sitters in the past have taken my dogs with them on their activities like hiking, walking trails, to the beach. Most of our pubs allow dogs. But if the sitter is going to get groceries. It wouldn’t be more then a hour or 2.
My dogs could be left for more than 2 hours. We choose not to.
Just reading this now…
“THS told us we shouldn’t have private conversations.”
Since when are sitters indentured servants who should be afraid to speak?
Before a sitter is accepted ths shows the HO a little checklist (not word for word, just what I remember)
*remember to share welcome guide
*respect ths rules
Why can’t “USE OF RECORDING DEVICES AUDIO OR VIDEO IS PROHIBITED INSIDE OF THE ENTIRE HOME” be added to this small but very present little checklist that home owners have to see eeeevery time they are going to accept a sit? @admins
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