Hi @Twitcher I can understand your concern, but the premise of the organization is pet sitting and the majority of folks do not like the word “owner” for their pets as they feel they are more family than owners…thus the change which has been occurring over the last couple of weeks.
I too lost my beloved furry baby last November so I can understand, but I never considered myself an “owner” and now I use that side of the service for home sits as well…I don’t take it as a negative or personal thing…I am still her parent…even if she is no longer physically with us.
@TreeandDoug Wondering if you could embed your Forum profile with your sitter listing? If you click on our profile pic, you’ll see our listings as sitters and homeowners.
I think you missed my point. I said the term homeowner or host had now been officially changed to pet parent on the member profile.
I never said anyone was a pet owner (only a homeowner) and I totally agree they are family members and pets are at the heart of what we do.
I looked at the post & totally agree with everything you e said. I’d also include a more wide photo of the living area. All I see is a sofa. As a sitter too many pics of pets can indicate a HO who might be too focused on their own needs & unaware of the reciprocity aspect of the community. Not always but many sitters won’t take the risk. Those pups are so cute!!! This post is inches away from being really great.
On behalf of the forum team, a warm welcome to the TrustedHousesitter’s community. That’s great that you’re available for so may sit options. The original post started back in July…So if you were wanting to respond to someone’s post directly you can do so my using “@” before their user name and that way they will be tagged and see that someone has responded.
My suggestion to those that are new to the forum is to first start by embedding your listing in your forum username/profile . That way experienced members can give you feedback on your listing content. But the main website is where ALL our members will see your opportunity and be able to apply and message with you. If you have any questions feel free to let us know, our community members as well as our Forum Team are always eager to help.
The only reason we feel we had to add this is because I’m reading more and more sitters that seem to be irritated at watching dogs. We had wonderful sitters for 2 years. So this seems to be a newer thing. And yes, we expect a sitter to be staying with our dogs and not leaving for the entire day. Of course they hike (we are in a gorgeous mountain range) and go to town. Or to dinner. But to feel like this is just a free place to stay with no responsibility, doesn’t work for us. We are very clear about the responsibilities. Our dogs are super easy and we have a large backyard. No garden, no extras to do at all. But to think it’s simply a free stay with no reciprocation, isn’t a fit for us.
We are well aware of why our last sitter didn’t work out. We had a wonderful conversation on the phone a week before she arrived and then realized when she arrived, what she had told us wasn’t true at all. She wanted to leave all day, had no money to feed herself and no source of income at all. We felt deceived. We were deceived. So we now request employment. It’s unfortunate that the bad apples ruin it for others but this is also a live and learn platform.
She obviously expected you to feed her. Did she ask for food or was it just implied?
I am so sorry for this experience. We are both retired and don’t work anymore unless you call running an Airbnb remotely work! We knew what we wanted to do when we retired and made sacrifices ( my husband more than me) so we could travel the world in our old age. I don’t know what the ethics would be to ask financial questions of the potential sitter but you have made a very good point about checking they can afford to complete the sit.
I recently had a video call with HOs who clearly shared your concerns. They asked a lot of very detailed questions about insurance, employment status, and my personal financial solvency. While I understand this was perhaps necessary for their peace of mind, as a professional adult I found it quite off-putting.
I am a homeowner, too, and my concern is whether people are available for my animals first and foremost. Sitting can accommodate many different lifestyles. Finding someone who shares my values is the key takeaway for me personally, but again, all hosts are different.
Perhaps being direct is the best option for you so there is no miscommunication? I wasn’t selected for that sit mentioned above, but would have turned it down had I been, as I didn’t feel there was mutual trust from the start.
I am so sad to hear you had to put up with someone who ruins it all for the legitimate house sitters that apply for a sit and realises that the purpose of their stay is to look after the furry friends that live there permanently and balance their time.
I went to the beach on my last sit but in the back of my head, all I could think about were the animals in the house and only stayed for like an hour. I have to admit I felt a little guilty but then I remembered the owner indicating the joyful places of interest close by so I didn’t feel so bad.
You were very clear about the responsibilities and were misled into thinking that what she said on the phone was legitimate and honest. It costs money to have a membership as a sitter yet she could not afford food. Nice to know where her priorities lie.
If I was to offer my place for a housesitter, I too, would want someone who is employed.
I am a housesitter and I would of thought our verification from a private company called Evident would be enough information.
I would of turned it down too.
I think you have a good point there, I have had a couple of experiences that has made me ask the same question. We get a sitter most times but i have felt that a couple of times they have not been sitting for the right reasons. For example when the THS CEO sent an email out asking for HO’s to be more helpful to sitters who have no home and during covid was struggling as no one was on holiday leaving them without accommodation I decided that when my holiday was cancelled I would ask the sitters if they would like to still come and we would hopefully find a holiday. They stayed over a week while we was there and I felt it was being treat like a sort of hotel where we still did our dog walking etc on our return they still stayed but all their doggy duties stopped and again it was like our home was a hotel.
I appreciate that sitters want to see some of the area but i read on the forum where a couple had sitters who used their produce and the HO felt she was taken advantage of I too have experienced that and in fact wondered if the self sufficiency was no longer the same as it was also my home has been left without being cleaned which was very upsetting.
I think the word Trusted is something that has to be earned and I wonder just how honest some of the review are, or are they done too quickly, I now wait at least a week before I write a review and I try to be honest though sometimes it doesn’t go down well.
@Loreemezz’s experience is rare and unfortunate. It is a shame (though very understandable) that such negative experiences thereafter may impact how a HO approaches the platform and other sitters, as I believe the majority are conscientious animal lovers who do not expect much (or anything) from HOs in terms of food, consumables etc.
I recently met with HOs regarding an upcoming sit. They had previously had the experience of sitters who left their house in poor condition and did not properly look after the animals. As a result, their hesitance was evident to me. Hopefully there are enough good sitters that such experiences are the exception and not the rule.
I’m not sure THS’s recent marketing helps, especially with the words ‘THE FREEDOM TO TRAVEL’ written boldly on the homepage. To me, this doesn’t come close to embodying what house sitting is about, though I know this varies from person to person.
@anon80172330 Totally agree - that statement is very misleading. Whilst you might be free to travel (i.e. to a sit) once there if you take your pet caring responsibilities seriously which I am sure we all do then being out of the house for more than 4 hours at a time for most pets is an upper limit. In fact I see many sits where dogs in particular can’t be left for more than a couple of hours which would make this “free to travel” idea very difficult to achieve as many venues are not dog-friendly.
Very good point! Travelling should not be the priority in house/ pet sitting. If anything, house sits (especially with dogs) limit the ability to travel, so I don’t think this kind of marketing is at all helpful, especially given some of the recent threads that discuss sitters whose primary intention is to explore the area.
