I agree……I think they’re quite easy to spot. Looks at the photos they post, read what their interests are and check the reviews carefully……if they’re beginners, give them a chance when you get the feeling that they’re prepared to take the care for your pet seriously…….good luck, Sylvia
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Its probably their way of finding more sitters while there’s a shortage but sadly its quantity over quality.
Hi, don’t often comment on this site, but we are also fed up with the way housesitters are perceived.
On Boom radio all trough July/August there was a sponsored advert by THS plugging the site.
It absolutely drove us mad!
The way the advert was aired made it sound like the free accommodation and travelling to great areas was the main thing, forget the pets!
To add insult to injury, they were also giving 25% discount to new members!
More than we get after 8years of being members!
Wake up THS and treat your long standing members more fairly.
Thankfully we don’t completely rely on the site as we have many repeat customers who really value our services.
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We found that and as a result made a bad decision on our 2nd ever sitters - one of whom when they arrived was only interested in how they could set up their gaming equipment and totally ignored our cat when she came to meet them. They then went on to talk about being near to London to get their visa from the US embassy (we’re 90 minutes drive away so easy travelling). It was clear that they were using sits as a means to an end and the pets were secondary considerations. We had to constantly ping them to get updates on our cat when we were away and at the end of the sit they emailed to say they were leaving early (not what we had agreed with them pre-sit). We’re now much more careful about getting the right cat friendly sitter…
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@portugal61 @foygirl @SchindlersOnTour I hope you are well thank you for your comments I have included part of a reply to previous comments of a similar vein in this thread.
Pets, their wellbeing and care will always come first. When we survey members (which we frequently do) and include questions relating to their motivation for choosing sits and a pet and housesitting lifestyle, without exception location and the opportunity to travel in a different and a cost effective way is ALWAYS the first answer … pets, the species etc., come second.
How many sitters do you know who sit locally unless it’s new members looking to build their reviews, which we advise?
I do and have many times … the closest was 10 mins from my home, because I do it for the pets, their companionship and to help pet parents travel with absolute peace of mind.
I work from home and rarely leave the house other than to take my companions out to play, to walk and generally enjoy life and grocery shop.
When we (team members) are interviewed or talking to the press, prospective members, groups clubs, at events etc. no one is left in any doubt that pets are at the heart of what we do.
Journalists do not always include every relevant point of an interview or that of a company spokesperson, they craft their content to get engagement and distribution and within the amount of space they are allocated for their articles.
Headlines in news articles or even the content do not a sitter make … they create interest and motivate the reader to find out more and that’s when the website, membership services and our community here on the forum, step in with the reality that there is a huge responsibility associated with pet sitting and that pets and homes are always the priority … but as with everything in life there will always be exceptions to the rule (members) when that happens success and longevity of opportunities will not be their future with TrustedHousesitters.
Owners are more astute at choosing the right sitter than perhaps some in this thread give them credit for.
Anyone who works in marketing and PR will know that journalists write their own headlines, we rarely have any control or sign off on the finished article before it goes to press.
Thank you.
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Hi Angela – And Thank you for your response. Possibly the name TrustedHousesitters gives the wrong impression? There is no suggestion about Pets in the title therefore could attract people just looking for a holiday? Most of us do a brilliant job so fingers crossed the others can be ‘weeded’ out before they do too much damage to reputations hard won!
Sincerely,
Marlene
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Hi @foygirl thank you but just one thing to bear in mind … Reporting on pet and housesitting has not changed since we started 12 years ago … headlines are simply that to hook the reader, not to explain the story or the proposition we rely on the copy to do that.
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I think what a lot of people forgetting in what seems an unnecessary drama here is that even if people wanted to just do it for a ‘free holiday’ or whatever, is that you have to pay a significant sum to join this site. That alone will be a certain qualifier, as would the HO checking out the profiles of potential sitters. Let’s not forget all the moans of ‘where have all the sitters gone’ [709 replies to date!] at the beginning of the summer, yet it seems TH are dammed if they try to advertise and dammed if they don’t!
As someone who was pretty torn apart on this forum for even daring to mention I was a travelling photographer on our profile when we started (despite years of cat welfare work which I had mentioned too), I’d suggest everyone should worry less about who might be coming in to the site, and worry more about choosing the right sitters for your own situations, and hey, if a sitter sounds like they just want a free holiday and not care about your pets, maybe don’t use them… 
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I love to travel period.
I have been a solo traveler since 1979.
I also love to help people, to be of service in anyway I can it’s why I became a nurse.
My current move to Uruguay is a move. I have secured my own place and I am still doing sits which will now be local to my new place.
I love animals and the comfort they bring. I love the excitement of discovery, learning, having new experiences quietly and peacefully. I am grateful that now as a retired person I can still do the things I love.
My upcoming sits will allow:
a family to transition into a new home in a new
country
A mum to visit her daughter in Europe for the first time since lockdowns
An elderly couple to take their first holiday in years
They will all be able to do what they love with peace of mind and heart that their home and loving animals will be loved and well cared for.
I love what I do.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother sharing my good news here but then one person pops up that I think I can help and then that it is all that matters.
Do your best and forget the rest.
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My one concern is the damage these sitters will do to the reputation of the site and pet sitters in general.
It’s a way of life we love.
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We just have to keep doing our thing, demonstrating the difference and HO will have to learn how to decipher and well use their good judgment when making their choices.
It’s a lesson and like us, we learn as we go.
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Well said Collin. We all have our own priorities, and we should not be judged for them. I joined THS because it made it possible for me to travel without breaking the bank. I am about to complete my first year as a member, and I was able to put together a five-month trip without breaking the bank. A lot has happened in the past year that has changed everyone’s life as we know it. I don’t know when I will be traveling again but I need housesitting to make it happen.
One thing I have learned is ‘nothing is free.’ THS is an exchange for both sides. I have had to make compromises as I go along. Living situations are different in the U.S. than in Europe and UK. They don’t have as many electrical sockets in each room as we do in the U.S. Not as many closets, storage spaces abroad. Common sense is based in experience, and we all have different experiences.
Just because I look to housesitting as a way to pay for some travel expenses doesn’t mean the pets are not getting quality care. Walking and feeding takes up time. Pets do not form the same kind of bond to a sitter as they do to their owner. Feeding and walking pets does form a bond. In a pet sitting situation the pet is experiencing separation anxiety so maintaining their routine and staying in their own environment is an additional benefit all sitters provide.
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Regards Marlene
As others have mentioned, different people have different motivations for house sitting. I think the advertising of THS as being a way to travel for free is pretty damaging to sitters and no doubt attracts people whose priorities are not looking after the animals or the house. As a sitter, I believe the majority take house sitting seriously and recognise the level of trust involved in taking care of animals and property, as well as benefiting from staying in a house and area they may not have been able to otherwise.
Equally, there are home owners who approach it with differing attitudes. There are some who are incredibly welcoming and respectful, and others who treat sitters like slaves (I have encountered this myself). In an ideal situation, there would be mutual respect and trust, the recognition that both sitters and home owners benefit from the situation but that the care of the animals must be the priority.
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In the last couple months, I had the chance to meet several sitters. Most of us love travel. We do not leave the dogs alone more than 4-5 hours and not every day. I am close to the beach and I love go watch sunrise and be home in 2 hours.
I watched some sitters at 6 am surfing already and in the afternoon they are still there. Cars are parked in the same place. When I asked (I will do HS only for the beach. And the rest is Rover , we get paid. yes this is the thinking and attitude very often suddenly lately. As much I don’t like the cameras , perhaps. I have seen myself half naked doing my yoga when the HO send me a message. Sorry forgot to tell me , he had cameras………
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@Grandma Cameras inside
are forbidden on THS. I hope you reported that HO to membership services and ask that they tell the HO.
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Thanks . This is 3 years ago. I will be careful next time.
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It has definitely changed. Owners used to leave little advance thank you gifts like a bottle of wine or chocolates. My last few owners haven’t done that and have left messy homes assuming I would clean for them. I wonder if they realise we don’t get paid to sit and pay an annual fee the same as they do.
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Sorry, I guess I am cynical but what sort of questions would a person even ask about a cat? Food, water, litter, petting when they deign… It’s not brain surgery.
I am a pet owner and I definitely assume folks sit for me because they want to have an amazing trip to a beautiful European city, staying in a gorgeous apartment – and they are willing to love my pet while they do that.
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I can see where you’re coming from, but as a sitter, I would have plenty of questions about the cats! Depending on what was covered in the listing, I’d want to know:
- How long can they be home alone? (Not as straightforward as it used to be. Since the pandemic, it seems quite a few cat owners only want their cats alone for 4–6 hours—and for dogs even shorter, 0–3! In that regard, cats are the new dogs and dogs are the new…kids?)
- Do they have any quirks or idiosyncrasies?
- What time do they wake up / go to bed?
- What are their meal times?
- Are they allowed treats?
- Do they get along with each other?
- Do they enjoy playing? With what toys?
- Do they sleep in bed with the owner?
- Where do they like (and hate) to be scratched? Do they like being picked up?
…Etc. If the listing was especially thorough, there might not be many questions to ask (and some may be better asked upon arrival to the sit), but I can’t imagine a sitter having no questions about the cats at all. I’d definitely eliminate that applicant from consideration if I was the HO.
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