As the title says, I just found this service, and it sounds too good to be true, therefore I have to wonder if it is?
I have a dog and bird that need looking after for two weeks later this summer, and the costs for boarding would be much more than the premium membership here. As I understand it, the sitter stays in my home during this time, and I’m not paying them? A sitter from competing service omitted could get a reasonable about of money for that, but that would be at the sitter’s home.
I live near Milwaukee/Chicago, but not a terribly interesting location. Is it likely that I could find a sitter who would want to be here for two weeks? If the sitter travels here from elsewhere, do I pay for their travel too?
If someone can give me a little information or informed opinion, that would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!
Dan
PS: Discourse forum software - an excellent choice!
I understand where you come from. I’m a sitter and did some sits through other websites.
When I saw THS, it indeed looked too good to be true.
So many nice opportunities to sit anywhere in the world.
But I can tell you, after some sits via this site. It IS very good!
There are many genuine houseowners and many genuine sitters here who have love for pets and the property.
As for your house/pets I don’t know how it all looks, but my guess is that there are always people glad to sit in your area.
Just put up a nice ad, with good description and good pictures and wait.
And right, there is no money transfer between owner and sitter, travelcosts are for the sitter.
Of course you can help the sitter with many gestures.
From picking up from airport (if applicable) to show them around in the area, offer a nice meet/meal or leave a fridge with some food or drinks. But nothing is mandatory.
You have a relaxed holiday and the sitter has a nice break in a new environment and can give love to new furries.
Sometimes things are much simpler than we imagine
Win-win-win for owner, sitter AND the pets!
Good luck with getting good sitters and enjoy the possibilities
It’s the real deal. Sitters do it for different reasons.
Personally, I joined in March and am already happily on my fifth sit, with a sixth booked. I get to spend time in places I enjoy and have the company of furry friends. Plus, you can meet nice people. I telecommute full time and can work from pretty much anywhere with high-speed internet, so why not?
yes, it’s true.
It’s a great deal for sitters too. I am a sitter and I joined last year and got to travel a lot more than I normally would, because I don’t pay for accommodation.
Plus, I can go on solo adventures without actually being alone, because I have lovely pets for company.
It is true that if you live in a desirable area it will be much easier to find sitters. However, sitters choose their areas for all sorts of reasons - it may be that a sitter has relations/friends in your area and they want to visit - or there is something near to you that a sitter wants to visit - or a sitter is local and wants a change of scenery whilst their own home is having work done . etc.
Hi @anon31978478.
I get you are worried about this being a too good to be true situation but it’s really not. THS has been established for a long time as a platform.
I’ve been a sitter on THS for just over a year now. I’ve done 13 sits around Europe and met some great HO’s and spent time with lots of our fury friends. Sitters generally do this for their love of animals and travel.
Of course it’s up to you to find the right sitter for your situation. I’m sure you’ll find a sitter for your pets.
Good luck.
Hello @anon31978478 , Welcome to the forum and as everyone here has said, you understand right. THS is an ingenious concept. They are not the only company out there, but they are the largest (several weeks ago, there were 160,000 members - there may be more now) offering the greatest number of listings and sitters internationally, but with the majority in the US and the UK. The listings provide most of the essential information and photos and it’s all very organized and nicely presented.
In choosing your sitter, in addition to what they write on their profiles, plus their reviews and references, you will know they have been background checked and verified by THS. THS has enriched my life for the better as it has for so many others.
This forum is an amazing resource for all of us. You can click on that magnifying glass icon in the upper right and search any topic or question that comes to mind. As you can see forum members are happy to help each other out and it’s become a lovely social network for many of us.
So ask away. THS offers a money-back guarantee if you receive no applications in your first two weeks. The first step after joining is to create an inviting listing. The website provides a lot of help and then if you like, you can add your listing to your forum profile and experienced members will give you feedback. When you’re ready to do that, just post again and you’ll get additional assistance.
Hi @anon31978478 I’d like to add my welcome to all the other greetings … we are a very friendly and helpful community. After the great member feedback you’ve received, are you a little less skeptical and feeling ready to join our community or do you have other questions? If so please feel free to ask.
Too good to be true haha!!! It’s true! We’re sitters because we miss having our own pets and our son lives overseas so we spend time visiting him too, so sitting for free makes total sense to us. We love it and we love this site.
You mentioned about your place not being too interesting, but for us, we mainly only travel within 1.5hrs drive of our own home, because we get to enjoy a place in a different light. We don’t see it as a holiday (which is what you may think your place lacks), we see it as a different way of life, that fills our soul with furry snuggles, while seeing all of our local favourite places in a different way.
So don’t worry too much about your place not being appealing. There’ll also be sitters who have family they want to visit in your area, who will combine it with sitting.
This site is full of natural pet lovers. But also don’t be afraid to reach out to sitters and ask them to apply for your sit.
Sure! Not too far from the O’Hare airport, so easy to reach by lots of flights from Europe. The location does not need to be touristic. It is nice to look around in a different country where ordinary people live. Get groceries like the locals, eat in a diner. Two weeks like that might appeal to me as a first stop in a bit of a tour of the USA.
We were recently out walking our regular “BorrowmyDoggy” in our local National Trust Park. We saw a couple with 2 handsome Golden Retrievers and thought that we must have a chat.
The couple told us they also use BorrowmyDoggy and then the conversation changed to our pet sitting.
They asked “Are you the couple with over 100 reviews on that Website?” They thought it was a scam and thought that we were not real!!
So there are others who think it is too good to be true but hopefully you are now reassured.
Wow! Thanks for all the responses, this is very helpful. Unfortunately for me, some other issues cam up and I have to cancel my plans for August. I will keep this in mind for my future plans though, and hopefully others with similar questions can learn from this too.
THS is the rare thing that sounds too good to be true and actually is! I’ve been sitting for four years and love it! I’ve completed over 30 sits. It’s a great way to travel. I can visit in areas where my friends live without being a house guest. I spent most of last winter in Florida without the expense of a seasonal rental. I’ve met wonderful homeowners who have become friends and delightful pets. I can have the fun of having a dog without the baggage. Joining THS is one of the best things I’ve ever done!
I’m from England and believe me, Milwaukee/Chicago would be very interesting to me and my husband!!! We’ve only done one sit so far in England but one day we will venture across to the US!!! The only thing is we would want to do minimum 2 weeks.
This is my fifth year of sitting “for free.” But is it really? My elevator speech is that I get a safe, secure and clean house while the HO gets free pet or house care in their own home. I get to travel to different locations, sometimes where I have family and sometimes just a new place to explore.
Don’t assume that your area is uninteresting or unattractive. You never know. Someone might have friends or family in that area. Others may work remotely and don’t really care where they are. Others might be traveling full-time and just need a place to stay for awhile or maybe they just like animals. Best of luck!
