I so agree. All parties are ultimately entering into a reciprocal arrangement. I am a sitter myself and have had experience of being contacted by PPs in my city asking me to travel to their home at my own expense of course and provide day care for their animals. It was also made clear to me that after I had done this, I would have to vacate the property by 5pm each day. Obviously, that was a hard pass and reported to Customer Services who swiftly had that dealt with!
It truly beggars belief what goes through some peopleās minds to even approach a sitter for something like this when the benefits are entirely one sided. I have also had PPs ask me to provide long term care for their pets in my own home meaning it wouldnāt be in any way mutually beneficial.
I am also very saddened though to hear that there are sitters exploiting the site for a free crashpad while they head off sight seeing. They are not genuine animal lovers and hopefully HOs can sniff them out a mile off and weed them out of the selection process before they get anywhere near their animals or property. People like that tarnish the brand of THS and also ruin it for those of us with integrity who always put the pets as our top priority.
As Iāve learned and been burned more than once, discernment is absolutely key in this and that goes both ways.
You bring forth some valid points but there are those who are merely on their way elsewhere. The short sit is not the final end all dream holiday but rather a place to rest and to enjoy the warmth and companionship of a pet is a wonderful asset.
There is something for everyone.
This is so true, as was pointed out by the cycling sitter who just needs stop-over places along his route. I love that. And agree with you - there is indeed something for everyone more and more. Itās less a 1 niche/1 need platform and has many branches of needs on both sides now.
This is a perfect example of when both needs would match. Thank you for sharing your example & opening my mind to a sitter who might be open to this type of posting!
Needs will sometimes match, but some sits also go unfilled.
Personally, Iām open to sitting off the beaten path, but even then Iād look for HOs who share enough info to make their sit look welcoming and appealing. Some HOs offer scanty info and I think those are dicey, because theyāre not thinking about the sitterās perspective at all.
That shows a lack of awareness. Most HOs need sitters more than sitters need them. There are more sits than good sitters.
Yes, I am always amazed (amused) where I see listings with only 1-2 sentences in every category. No, I want more information about everything (yourself, your home/area, your pets). Sell it to me. I think they really donāt consider it from a sitterās perspective. I also think they do it on a phone app, and donāt want to type a long description.
At least in England, there always seem to be plenty of sits within easy cycling distance, with dates that would fit.
So I would think that with such competition between HOs, listings would be better than in cities in continental Europe, but that does not seem to be the case. I am looking forward to see the reality there next spring!
@pietkuip The train system in the UK, while far from perfect, provides a handy plan B to skip some kms if the weather or terrain means time is a bit tight. Weāve taken our fully loaded bikes on many trains. No need to unpack like in most European countries.
I have to say if your sitters have just cared for your āprecious babiesā for a week and the only complaint you have is that you had to empty the dishwasher on your return, it sounds as if you are being extremely ungrateful!
I think @Colin has a very valid point @Elizabeth224 - if emptying your (presumably) clean dishwasher is the biggest worry/task/chore after coming home to happy, healthy pets from a full week of free pet care then that sounds pretty wonderful to us!
Iām afraid the consensus is right @Elizabeth224. Whilst we donāt do that, it isnāt really the red flag you make out. Could it be that this was a tip-of-the-iceberg thing because other factors werenāt satisfactory?
I dont think you understand the meaning of pet sitting. I did not even say that they cared for my pet. Unloading a dishwasher with every single dish is not also what i expect. Maybe you think its ok because you are more grateful to trust a stranger. I will be grateful if the stranger knows what I expect even after he/she agrees to the conditions.
I just wanted to pop in to say that weāre all in this space together to create a welcoming environment for both existing and potential members of TrustedHousesitters. We should treat each other with respect. Healthy debate is encouraged however kindness and respectful narrative is required
Thank you.
Again, maybe you misunderstand the expectation of both sides when agreeing to pet sit. No one is forcing anyone. If you are not able to prioritize my pet when you agree to pet sit under the conditions pre-scribed, then be honest.
The more selective the sitter, the more they narrow their sit possibilities. So flexibility in location, timing, type of pets someone will sit, etc., determine their possibilities.
Personally, I can sit anywhere in the world my passport will allow me, as long as the sit has high-speed wifi, since I telecommute. And I have a lot of control over my schedule and travel easily. I also donāt need to string a bunch of sits together.
@Elizabeth224 if you ācouldnāt wait to get homeā it sounds like you did not really trust the sitters you chose?. The idea of a THS exchange is that you can have a relaxed trip away while your trusted housesitters take care of everything.
Is the dishwasher issue the only complaint you have or is that just the tip of an iceberg of complaints? If it was an isolated incident it could simpy be they forgot to empty it before leaving or only remembered to turn it before leaving but did not want you to come home to dirty dishes. The most important thing is- did they take good care of your pets??
Without more information Iām inclined to give the sitters the benefit of the doubt!
Iām confused at your response. We have been full-time house and pet sitting for two years and taken care of almost 90 animals around the world. We have more than 30 5 star reviews and both grew up with pets of all kinds ourselves so we know exactly what it is we agree to @Elizabeth224 and exactly what is expected of us. Loading a dishwasher and putting it on for the HO before leaving is a good thing to do IMHO, not a bad one and representative of a considerate sitter. Your post sounded as if the only āissueā was a full dishwasher and nothing more, hence the comment. You do not mention. your pets at all in the ācomplaintā about the sitter. I sincerely hope they are well and happy you are home. Clearly there is more to the taleā¦
