I think this is a THS issue. They need to tell HOs that if they expect sitters to use their car for pet transport, they need to be reimbursed for gas.
I wouldnāt accept a sit where itās essential the dog/s need to be transported to be walked. Weāve done plenty of sits where WEāVE decided to take a dog out in our own car, but weāve never had owners that have expected it of us.
If that were ever to happen, weād expect to be reimbursed for the fuel, but our sits typically have off road walks nearby.
I wouldnāt expect that as a pet sitter and wouldnāt as a homeowner
Yes, it sounds like such a pain if you arenāt able to just open the door and start the walk. That would be a definite no from me.
As for the petrol compensation, that is disgusting that they didnāt offer to pay it.
One of our first THS sits did have countryside walks from the doorstep , however they were so muddy that it was completely impractical during the autumn when we were staying . So we ended up driving the small dog to a park with a paved path for walks -it was only a 5x mile round trip .. however it was a two month sit !!
Whenever possible we combined dog walks with trips to places of interest and shopping trips, but before long we started to resent having to put the dog in our car every day. ![]()
After that experience , we added this (deal breaker ) question to our video calls
ā Can the dogs be walked from the doorstep ( and in all seasons ) ? ā
We havewithdrawn our application when the answer was no .
Weāve never asked for petrol reimbursement but did end up spending over Ā£40 on a sit in Cornwall on car parking fess at the beach where we were asked to walk the dog. Older and wiser, Iād ask next time!
Yeah my two cents is it stinks. Iād go with the idea of leaving receipts and bank details for reimbursement.
The sit was 6 days, I finished this afternoon. It was more an expectation that I use my car. They told me after Iād arrived that the car they used to take the dog in was difficult to driveā¦.
Well it was a bit late for me to pull out by the time I realised all that.
Youāre right and youād think after 104 sits Iād be more upfront. However, they were such a nice couple and there was always the chance they might have left me some money for petrol before they leftā¦.
Itās easy to say with hindsight and when youāre a couple.
Well they must have known I had a car as their listing states not accessible by public transportā¦.Trouble is, they are such a nice couple and if they hadnāt been it would have been easier to suggest they contribute towards the petrol
Thank you and I am an experienced sitter but sometimes backwards in coming forwards. Even if a car has been left for me to use Iāve never been given money for petrol. Iāve often taken dogs out in my own car but that has been my decision.
And I wouldnāt have accepted the sit either but I was told this last minute and of course they might have given me money for petrol
Iām still learningā¦ā¦
Actually I could also have had to pay for parking at the beach but was told theyāve never seen parking attendants. I discovered from other people they had a parking permit but didnāt mention that to me.
Yes I really wish I had, but one against two can be difficult
I think you deserve double 5 stars
@Smiley - sometimes we can be so British in not saying what we actually mean. You could send them a friendly text (as theyāre nice) saying, I reckon it was about Ā£20 on fuel over the 6 days for your dog walks. Shall I send you my account details? And see if that works but doesnāt make you squirm. We all learn something new every sit no question! #sendinghugsfromhk
@Smiley Awww! Hang in there. ![]()
Youāll ask next time @Smiley. Really sorry this happened to you. Theyād also shortened the sit too, hadnāt they? Iād nicely do as @Cuttlefish suggests.