First of all my commiserations on the recent passings of your father and pet, it is always a stressful and upsetting time.
Unfortunately it would be a no from me I’m afraid. We house and petsit not only to care for and love the animals but also to have some time to relax and enjoy the surroundings of nearby places etc Unfortunately I do not see this being overly possible and is not a mutually beneficial relationship.
As you have already mentioned that nobody you have approached wants to sit when even being paid for their time, this already throws up some concerns.
Of course these are your adored and much loved dogs and cat but I don’t see there is too much benefit at all for a sitter to take on such a responsibility, it is a huge ask of someone, realistically. This is more a job I feel.
Completely agree with @Colin, please rewrite your listing again @Janiner with excellent, relevant photos including the pets, the bedroom, bathroom, living room, outdoor space and some clear reasons for coming to take care of the dogs. It’s honestly the strangest sit we’ve ever seen, none of the first 15 photos tell us anything! How long can you leave the dogs for? What is there to do nearby? What does your typical day look like? Think of it as a sales pitch to attract applicants, like your new IT clients. There are way more sits than sitters so you need to compete and with this many pets, even more so. Best of luck
I agree with all the points everyone else has already raised. Your photos don’t really depict where the sitter will be staying (sure, the bathroom looks lovely, but you need to take better pics of the other areas). You don’t describe much about your home or why someone would want to come stay there.
You also don’t mention taking your five dogs to the paw park in the actual listing. And you seem overly reluctant to answer when others have questioned about who is paying for the paw park entrance fee. The listing lacks information that would ‘sell’ this stay to sitters. Remember, there is no charge per word for your listing. Try to make it sound appealing. There is another listing in York for very similar dates, that seems much easier. Just one dog, a guinea pig and the dog only needs one walk a day. They have clear pictures, good descriptions and there is a housecleaner that spends six hours a week tidying up. You have to keep in mind that you are essentially competing with this other homeowner for applicants.
While I love labs and large dogs, there is no way I would take on a sit with five pets that need to be transported in a car to a paw park and back. At the paw park, I wouldn’t feel in control of their safety, even when sitting as a couple. Maybe it’s different in the UK, but at dog parks here, you never know who else will be there and how their dogs are behaved.
Also, I would suggest mentioning if the dogs have a dog flap and can let themselves out at will. How long can they be left alone at home? If they can’t let themselves out and have to rely on the sitter to open and close the door for them, then the sitter has no opportunity to leave the home. You still have some time before the sit starts. Try reworking your profile. But since you’ve already mentioned that you can’t even get a paid sitter to do this, maybe you need to look into a kennel situation?
Realistic answers are probably helpful here so I’ll add that I also wouldn’t take this sit. I’d suggest looking into kennels or a paid sitter. Even just for maybe the cat and two or three of the dogs? Then you could re-list with a couple of the easier dogs (or the ones you think would do less well in kennels). That would be a more attractive listing although I agree you’d benefit from taking some pictures that show the space better. From what you have now I can’t get a sense of how much space there is or whether the place would be very cluttered for a sitter.
You definitely need some good photos. And more details.
Maybe welcoming families would work. That way one parent could be out with kids, caring for the pets would be manageable, etc. Also consider offering a car for full use.
@Janiner I think if paid sitters are not interested in looking after your dogs then the chances of finding an unpaid sitter to do it are very limited. However if you make the recommended changes to your listing you may improve your chances .
@Janiner are you aware that your listing currently shows as no sitter needed? Perhaps you took it down to revamp it, but I just thought I’d let you know.
So I truly believe there is a sitter out here for everyone. Your listing is really killing all vibes for you though.
There are people on here with more dogs than you who find sitters, but it’s impossible to discern what your dog’s daily life and needs look like based on your listing because it genuinely communicates close to nothing right now. It also impossible to see what the sitter’s life would be like at your place.
I don’t think you should give up on TH as an option, but you will definitely need to overhaul your listing and start over again. @Silversitters and @Colin have provided a great starting point!
Answer each of those questions and put them in the respective sections of your profile.
And re: images, start over. Think real estate photos. You want wide angles and to show as much of the home, garden, and area as possible in addition to your pets so that people understand where they will be staying.
Please do edit your profile and try again! Everyone on here is super helpful when it comes to providing guidance.
Another cheat is to find the profile of some homes that you think look good and see what they’ve done. Look at the links HO people have shared in their forum profiles. Some of them are really really good!
Just me ? Or do others absolutely hate the idea of ‘paw parks’ ? At least for the sake of mere exercise. I can’t understand why people would want to own dogs if they’ve not the time or inclination to walk them ( a particular joy - just adds another dimension to getting out and about), socialise them, train them etc but prefer to just let them run about in an enclosure. Sure, there are times when it might help with socialising ( but might be more difficult if things go awry with many dogs involved) but I’d rather do my own thing. And at £10.40 a day, ownership starts to get expensive ! I can only hope the paw park fashion dies very quickly, or we will be using up acres of green space suddenly inaccessible to non-payers. Hmmmm
We visited a paw park last year on a sit. 3 dogs, and they were a handful. Nice walking route, but sometimes it gets a bit too much (very hilly and dogs off-leash, so a bit stressful at times), so it was nice to visit the paw park as an alternative.
