It has happened on a couple of sits that the HO puts in extra days on each end of the sit. I do not think it will s very considerate of the vacation time of the sitter to require them to arrive a day ahead and hang out with you while you get ready to leave.
I even had a sit plan for extra day on each end of sit. Isn’t it better to tell the sitter exactly when you need to be away and arrange any extra time on case by case basis?
The worst experience I have ever had was when required to “hang out” with the HO spend the night in advance and they started peppering me with questions UNRELATED to the sit and discussing their views on abortion when through the course of conversation they would have been able to guess my views were not theirs.
We do not need to be pals, just responsible and caring for pet and home.
This has been discussed before and, quite honestly, I’d prefer a quick handover and for the owners to leave. When sitting for dogs though I do like to walk one of the dog’s regular walks with the owner(s).
However, if the owners are leaving very early in the morning and, especially if dog sitting, it is usually necessary to stay the night before. I wouldn’t want to turn up to a dog when its owners have left, and there’s been discussions here about dogs being aggressive in those instances although rare.
I have had some lovely evening meals and conversations with owners. Initially I found it daunting but have done it so many times now that it’s not a problem. I’ve made friends with many owners this way.
As hosts, we refuse to do a quick handover to a new sitter. We want our dog to get used to them and have never simply left him alone with a perfect stranger with barely any introduction. But yes, the HO should state this in the listing, as we do, so that sitters who don’t want any contact can take a pass on the sit. I can understand why some sitters would feel uncomfortable having to be around the owners if the house isn’t spacious. But the HO isn’t requiring this because they want the company — they’re leaving a stranger in their home and want some reassurance that this person is in fact trustworthy even if their reviews say they are. But I’m sure there are HOs who disllike having someone they don’t know hanging around them when they’re preparing to leave so all you have to do is establish these preferences right from the beginning. Any weird vibes can be detected during a video call. (And anyone who doesn’t want to do a video call AND wants a quick handover would be a red flag for us.)
@KChev I’ve had a few times where hosts had me arrive a day early just to hang out with them. I did one sit with no pets that they asked me to arrive at noon on what I thought was the day they were leaving. Turns out they weren’t leaving until noon the next day, they had included a day before arrival in the dates, but neglected to mention that to me. They really just wanted me to hang out with them all day. It was super weird and awkward, at dinner I was basically being interrogated. Now, I always ask what time they want me to arrive and what time they are leaving, so I’m not surprised.
I primarily sit for cats so there isn’t usually a need to arrive the night before. I can see with dogs since it makes sense to go for a walk with them and get to know them a little before the hosts leave. I’ve done overnights with hosts on about a quarter of my sits. Some have been fantastic with wonderful hosts that I now do repeat sits for, but a few have been not been good experiences.
I know what you mean. We’ve been lucky, we’ve had excellent experiences so far where we’ve stayed an extra day or two, because we have had brilliant hosts, but I know from this forum that that isn’t always the case.
However, I wish there was an extra tick box for owners, whereby the extra day could appear as an option separately, as it sometimes messes up our calendar, when there is no reason for the extra day when we’re already in the same country/area (ie no flight involved). I totally understand when an owner is leaving in the early morning, but some owners add an extra day automatically thinking a sitter is going to be travelling from overseas, which isn’t always the case.
My ideal is to arrive in the evening, share a lovely meal together, to get to know the owners and the pets, and then the owners leave very early (pre-dawn) in the morning!
We are at our current sit in Europe with fellow Brit HOs. Its our third visit. We always fly in 1 or 2 nights before and stay in a hotel. The HO are still not comfortable having us stay the night before their departure. Fair enough. they pick us up from the hotel, we have a quick handover and they are gone! They are very nice people, leaving us their car and lots of groceries n wine
I’ve done sits where I was invited to spend a day or two ahead voluntarily, as well as stay for extra days after the sit, if I wanted to do sightseeing without responsibilities. My hosts were being kind, including offering meals. I appreciated their hospitality and enjoyed getting to know them. I’ve yet to encounter any hosts whom I’ve felt uncomfortable with.
As long as a home is roomy enough and affords me and my hosts privacy, and timing works out for me, I appreciate overnights and getting time for the pets to acclimate. I also have no trouble excusing myself when I want alone time or need to telecommute. Plus, I let hosts know that there’s no need to entertain or otherwise occupy me. I’m perfectly fine on my own.
My partner and I have been full-time petsitting for over 4 years. We actually like to spend some time with the owners before the sit.
I think it’s very beneficial for the animals, they can see that their owners know & trust us. It also allows to ask more questions, see their routine, …
Spending time with the owners makes us feel less like ‘an employee’.
Once the sit is over however, we like to disappear as soon as possible and give the owners their privacy back.
For me it can go both ways -
A few years back I picked up a 4 day fill-in sit in the UK. The HOs were kind enough to offer me a place to stay a day+ before the sit. Saved me from paying for a hotel room and I got out of the house to explore the day before.
I’m sitting over Christmas/New Years this year. The sit is an hour from the nearest airport and I agreed to drive the HOs to the airport since I’ll be using their car. They need to be at the airport by 6 am and my flight arrives at 11 pm. We agreed to an extra day, that they would pick me up and then I’d spend a whole day with them and take them to the airport the next day. The HOs have 11 5-star reviews including several repeats. I’m sure we’ll work it out!
We agree with @Els
We prefer to spend some time with the HO. We think it is highly beneficial for the animals, especially since there are so many dogs and cats out there with separation anxiety, reactive dogs, etc.
We get asked about 90% of the time to either come by beforehand if we are local, or to spend the night before to have dinner, meet the pets, unload and unwind before the HO takes off. They usually offer us a drink and we sit down and end up chatting for a few hours. We think it is more of a mutual and genuine handover and it builds some rapport, that we appreciate. Especially when it comes time to sending updates and communicating. We can see how often they want updates, if they want funny or more serious updates, etc.
Now, we have come across about 10% of our sits (usually younger couples in their 20-30s) where they just will either give us a code to get in and the only time we see them is Zoom before or a phone call. Or, they will be there when we arrive and depart shortly after.
Either is fine with us, but we prefer option 1 where we spend time with them. It helps us get a feel for the best way to care for their animals.
As a home owner, I usually leave early in the day for an out of the country trip, so the sitter must arrive the night before. Nobody has ever complained that this was a waste of their time, and most sitters appreciated being invited for their first meal at my house while discussing the details of the sit. I agree that this should be clearly stated in the listing, and then it’s up for the sitter to decide whether this kind of arrangement appeal to them.
I’m not sure anyone here has implied it would be a waste of time to arrive the night before. Great that you have found an arrangement that has suited you and the sitters!
Most of my sits I prefer to arrive the night before, especially with dogs. I find it makes the pets more comfortable and I really get to see their routine, do a walk and feeding or two, and they get to know me as someone trusted by their people. I do, however, always caveat that since I work in the evenings from home, I may have to disappear. Generally my work is flexible enough that I wouldn’t have to, but I keep it in my back pocket in case things are weird. lol. I’ve only had a couple of sits that were a bit awkward. Otherwise I’ve enjoyed my time with the HOs and in some cases we’ve become nice friends that I visit even when not sitting.
I’m both a HO and a sitter. As a sitter I prefer to get to know the animal(s) while they are still with their owners. It signals to them that I am ok.
I also want to get to know the HO so I can serve them better. I have become friends with some of my HOs.
But in my experience, it is sometimes more important to understand the workings of their home. This is particularly true for older homes which can be quirky or international sits where
work a little differently than the U.S. (think not flushing toilet paper in Latin America).
As a HO I want to get to a little more familiar with this stranger to whom I’m giving over the care of my cat and the keys to my house.
There are little quirks I take for granted that a third party will not know. I’ve evolved to cover most things in the Zoom call and the Guide, but there is a difference between a Zoom conversation and demonstrating how something works.
If they are flying in, I like them to arrive the night before to make sure they get there. I have had experience with flight delays including one which stranded me in an airport for nearly 24 hours after the delayed flight was finally cancelled.
A requirement for the sitter to arrive a day early ought to be discussed during the Zoom interview so there are no surprises.
Interesting thread. I am both a petsitter and homeowner, so can appreciate the awkwardness the situation.
I always include a day before and after the mandatory travel times in my posting. We discuss during the video call that extra time has already been added. I think it is important for home and pet transition, as well as adding a small buffer for travel delays on both ends.
We buy the sitters gifts from our travels, and like to give them before they leave.
However, we will discuss preferences and make reasonable adjustments.
Please be careful about this. I know it’s meant as a kindness but it can be pretty inconvenient for the sitter. More than once a gift from the HO has become a gift to the cleaner at the hotel that night. I just don’t have the space to carry anything more than what I already have packed but feel bad leaving it behind. The gifts I’ve appreciated are edible treats from where they went and once I got a “cats of Greece” reusable shopping bag that was amazing and that I still use because it’s practical and takes up no space.
they pick us up from the hotel, we have a quick handover and they are gone! They are very nice people, leaving us their car and lots of groceries n wine 
