Playing with a pet does not have to involve toys. Usually a pet will choose a toy from the box and play alone.
I interpret a sitter playing with a pet is by teaching new tricks, hugging, sitting on the floor with them, taking them out to new places … and so on
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We have had sits where the animals have a blast with us but we didn’t necessarily play with toys. Fun walks to the park, massage time while watching movies, playing chase around the house, take them for a drive etc. Sometimes animals’ playtime with sitters is different than with the pet parents. I don’t think you can force any sitter to comply. But in this case, can you just reach out to the sitters and just ask them what their playtime looked like?
We did a sit where we had been told the cat loved playing with various toys. During the first week of the five week sit we tried multiple times a day to cajole and entice her - she was simply not interested. When we mentioned this to the HO’s they said yes, they had noticed she had not been so engaged with toys in recent months and not to worry!
Animal behaviour can also change - what they might do with owners is not necessarily what they want to do with sitters. It seems a bit of a stretch to imply that ‘duties’ were not followed simply because it appeared that toys had been found as left. Was the cat happy and content on the HO’s return? Did the cat seem well-cared for? That surely is more important.
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Indeed: a list of dog vocabulary one of the things I’ve learned to ask for, otherwise we might be speaking a foreign language to them. Some dogs know ‘wait’, some know ‘stay’; some understand ‘off’, where for others it’s ‘leave’ or ‘away’ or something else.
There’s even how you call the dog’s name: I have quite a low voice, and sometimes if dogs don’t come when I call, I try a high-pitched version and they come running!
And then there’s inviting a dog to eat. I’ve had dogs, when I’ve put their food down, look at me, look longingly at the food, back to me - and we both wish I knew the magic word! It’s one of those things home owners might not think of, but can make all the difference.
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Yes, animals sometimes behave differently with new people, and change their behaviour over time. Five weeks can be a long time in the life of a young (or old) cat or dog, and their people might well notice changes.
That’s good to know; as I’m sure you’re aware TH doesn’t allow them, out of respect for sitters.
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The written list of commands is so important! My boyfriend was impressed to see me use “hurry up” to get my dog to pee on command first thing in the morning. She’s nearly deaf now so no one wants me to yell “go pee”. We’ve used “hurry up” since the beginning.
I also ask sitters not to use Spanish. She gets agitated. I am not sure if it was from her past life (she’s a rescue) or from the extended renovation project at our home where there was much Spanish being spoken as much noise was being made.
Hi @anon42826925 - I hope you meant to say deaf not dead 
Indeed. Though at 13 she’s probably not too terribly far from either! Thanks.
I think many posters have been a bit harsh with the OP’s language. For example, ‘these individuals’ quite clearly - in the context - refers to ‘these particular sitters’. Similarly, I have no particular beef with duties although I would probably say responsibilities personally.
That said, I do think - as many of you have also said - that it’s the overall experience that matters. Happy relaxed pets + clean and tidy home = job done. I dont expect sitters to do exactly as I do; I do expect them to pay attention when I point out dangers and things that must/must not be done. I dont really care whether a sitter feeds the pets before cleaning them out, so long as pets are fed and cleaned out.
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Are these toys accessable to the dog? If so surely if your dog was interested it would have pulled them out and been playing with them? I tend to let the dog lead in what they wish to do. If they bring me a toy or bark at one I will throw it to them. Maybe after long walks the dog did not show any interest. I frequently take dogs on all day walks with me, if they are up to it that is, rather than just the hour I have been asked as the minimum. It does sound a bit petty and nit-picking to me to say toys wre not used.
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I don’t think we have enough relevant information to help the OP.
As an HO I’ll be honest and say if your house is fine and your pets appear content and well cared for that should be enough. I’ve had 8 THS sitters and I’ve come home to find: my pond disrupted by predators and fish gone, jacuzzi filters reset to run 24/7, dirty cat food cans bringing ants into the house, freezer accidentally defrosted, and more. I have still happily given five star reviews across the board because, with the exception of the fish (that could have happened to anyone at any time), my house was in good order and my animals were healthy and happy.
Was I bummed about the dirty cat food cans? Yes. Did running the jacuzzi 24/7 run up my power bill? Yes. Do I think the sitter should have noticed my pond was disrupted? Yes. Do I still feel it was a fair trade and assume each sitter did their best when they moved into my unfamiliar home and cared for my beloved pets and property? Yes.
Sitters are human, you gotta let some things slide. I’m sure sitters do the same for all the imperfect HO’s out there.
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If I’m sitting for an outdoor cat, I always try to hear the pet parents way of calling them and imitate it as closely as I can!
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When we pet sit we often find that pets are already bored with their old toys. We bring a few new toys like a large feather, laser pointer, cloth mouse filled with catnip etc. We also bring in an empty Costco box and put some birds or fish videos for them on YouTube TV. We make sure to record the pets playing and send them to PPs as a few of our daily updates.
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@Shafofo Love this comment- you have a great attitude- definitely my kind of host!
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Correct. @Lokstar its all about the balance and the expectation
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Did you ask the sitter if they played with the pet? It seems like the next obvious step.
“Hi, just wondering if Pet got any playtime while you were here? Did they respond to any toys in particular?”
Sitter might say, “oh we didn’t really play with the toys, we played chase/attack the hand under the blanket/chase a receipt/chase bits of carrot/hide & seek.” These are all games we’ve played with both dogs & cats.
The sitter might also say “we tried once or twice but the pet didn’t seem interested.” Both are valid and aren’t a reason to leave a bad review.
Maybe in the future you can give sitters more information about how your pets play, their favorite toys, times of day, etc. If it’s important to you, say so. If you say “it’s not critical but maybe you can play with Pet sometimes,” that might be taken as optional. You can’t really criticise someone for not doing an optional task.
Please keep in mind that while pet sitters are agreeing to care for your pets, they are still volunteers. If you need to ensure that every non-critical responsibility is completed, you may want to consider a paid sitter.
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@anon65560139 there have been 38 responses to your post, some positive. Would you like to share your thoughts and any further information you could provide about the sitters downfalls so “maybe” we could understand the situation better??? Pointless posting if you can’t follow up with relevant information requested by a few to help everyone try to understand your story which so far has only involved a few undisturbed toys. Without being intrusive, I am sure we would like to know if your pets are cats? Dogs? That would be relevant. Anything further?
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