Would not that be more true for a rational agent in economic theories? When someone else offers better pay, they may quit their job. Such employees would feel more like strangers, without the same kind of personal connection or obligation.
If they would work for a company, that is a bit different. Then the company would be more reliable because it would have a commercial interest in solving the problem and fix a replacement.
@Starsitter I have never been paid to sit nor do I consider myself to be a volunteer! I always think of a volunteer as someone who does something altruistic with no expectation of reward. I do housesitting with the clear expectation that I will receive, in return, a place to stay- sometimes even a really great, luxurious, place to stay!! With some lovely pets to enjoy and care for, and maybe a garden too, perhaps in an area I have always wanted to visit but havenât so far- for whatever reason.
Just because I am not paid does not mean I am a volunteer!
THS, for me, is a clear exchange of services. I love travel and I love animals! I have an independent source of income so do not need income from house/pet sitting. Therefore I cannot compare with someone who housesits because they need income. I think i would feel differently if I needed to earn money from this. But its enough for me (actually I shouls say us- the hubby and me!) to keep costs down on the accomodation side. It is a lifestyle choice!!!
Paying increases loyalty may be your truth but it isnt mine. I feel a special bond to the pets and pet parents I commit to. They need me. I need them. In some ways if I was paid it could be easier to change plans (with notice) because they can find and pay someone else. Money is currency. The trade between sitters and hosts is a relationship that deserves honor.
I live by the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.
When someone is trusting me to show up as agreed, so that they can go on their holidays, there is no way Iâm making life harder by messing up everyoneâs plans and choosing something else.
How would I feel if I were in that position?
I choose good the first time and then stop looking to avoid temptations.
I also think if you drop sits by going after âbetterâ opportunities, itâs going to come back to you eventually, karma and allâŚ
We have just had an October sit cancelled and the chaos it has caused!
First of all, I understand why it has been cancelled and I am totally sympathetic with the house holders. We were not given a flimsy excuse. It all adds up and part of the reason has been all over the news in the past week.
However, it was our last sit after an 8 month road trip through US and Canada. We had set it up to give us time to sell our car. The flights are booked to go home from this city. We wanted time to relax in the sun before we went home to cold and rainy October UK.
I didnât realise a cancellation was so chaotic. Trying to find a sit in a specific area with specific dates is not easyâŚâŚâŚ
Edit.
I only posted this because I didnât realise how traumatic a cancellation can be. I totally understand the pet parents reasons and I am truly sympathetic to the problems that have caused it.
@ElsieDownie I feel your pain. Weâve had sits where a lot of things depended on it (luckily not cancelled, but dates changed etc.). It must be so frustrating to have to find another âcentrepieceâ to still make everything work. Good luck.
@ElsieDownie We have a sit currently advertised for 2 weeks in October through early November. Not sure what time frame youâre trying to fill, but thereâs a link via our profile in case youd like to check it out. 
Hi there
Sorry, we are looking around San Diego from 3rd to 18th October. We fly home on 19th. Your sit looks fantastic. Iâm sure youâll get the perfect sitter. Good luck.
I have had 3 sitters cancel on me for a sit this September, one just a few days ago. They all cited various excuses for why they had to cancel. However, when I look at their availability calendars, they all show as not available during the dates they were supposed to sit for me. Though Iâm not a sitter myself, Iâm guessing that sitters can mark themselves unavailable even though theyâre not doing a TH sit. However, with at least 2 of the 3, I strongly suspect that they canceled on me in order to do a different sit.
Now why would it be so important for her to ask me to cancel the sit on my end if it wasnât because she wanted to apply for a different sit? Seems suspect!
Does TH track how many times people cancel agreed upon sits? If not, they should! Iâm now scrambling with just 3 weeks left to find a sitter.
Post moderated to comply with guidelines
It is really unfortunate when Sitters and Owners cancel Sits! As far as I know (as a Sitter), I can only mark my calendar for when I am âavailable,â so if those 3 Sitters are now âunavailable,â then they must have accepted other Sits on the THS platform. If I am wrong, perhaps someone else will chime in.
Also, if I need to cancel my commitment for some reason (i.e. death of close family member), I believe that I can cancel from my end, so I donât understand why the Sitter asked you to cancel. I have never cancelled before, so I donât know what this looks like on the THS platform. Again, maybe someone else can give further enlightenment here.
I completely agree that this is WRONG and should be TRACKED. This should not happen. Once a Sit is agreed, Sitters and Owners should cancel only for very good reasons (i.e. was in a car accident and is in the hospital).
@jenniferML7 As a sitter, I cannot mark my calendar as âunavailableâ . The system automatically marks me as unavailable when I have confirmed a sit for those dates. And this system allows concurrent sits to be accepted. I would ask member services to step in. I always find it odd that some homeowners and sitters get unlucky with multiple cancelations initiated by the other side and others have no issues. As a sitter, Iâve had 2 petsits cancelled on me and it sure is annoying.
Hi @jenniferML7. That is so very disappointing to have 3 sitters cancel on you. If they had a black line through the dates of your sit on their Availability then they would be on a THS sit. However if it is white, they are unavailable, although this is the Default.
Sitters are unable to cancel a sit from their end. It must be done by the owner. You are able to notify Membership Services to report your sitters where they are cancelling for no âextraordinary â reason.
I do hope you have success finding another sitter. In your situation, hopefully THS will boost your listing for you.
No, that is not suspicious. In the THS system, a sitter cannot cancel a sit in the database.
This also means that THS does not have statistics about cancellations by sitters.
But the message by that sitter 
Sitters can really have concurrent sits??? That doesnât make any sense if that is really the case.
But if they were just cancelling because they cannot do any sit at all, it wouldnât matter so much that I cancel it for them. It seems like they asked me to cancel it so that they could apply for another sit.
If I needed to cancel a confirmed sit, I would apologise profusely and not just that corporate line about âinconvenienceâ. I would also give the reason, even if it would be a delicate and personal matter that was not anybodyâs business (like âI got institutionalizedâ).
But I would also ask the HO to cancel the sit at their end. Just to get rid of it. Not get reminders from the system. Not get pestered for leaving a review.
Someone should cancel sits that are not going to happen, and it is not something a sitter can do in the current system.
@jenniferML7 yes, at the current time, sitters can book concurrent sits
@jenniferML7 in addition to what @pietkuip has said the reason a Homeowner needs to cancel the sit on the site even if itâs the sitter that wants to cancel the sit, is that is the only other way the homeowner can find and confirm a new sitter. A homeowner with a confirmed sit cannot book another sitter for the same dates. So that is probably why your sitters are asking you to do the canceling, for your Benicia of being able to find and book a new sitter. I hope that makes sense?
Iâm sorry but I highly doubt that the sitter would be concerned about whether or not I was able to book another sitter to the point of asking me to cancel the sit.
That is ridiculous! Why is that allowed?