Totally fair question — I understand THS would need to approve and manage the feature, and that comes with some level of work and oversight.
I just hoped they might see it not as a risk, but as an optional community-building tool — something that allows members to support each other in a thoughtful, controlled way.
What surprises me most is the members are focused on what the business might think, rather than the idea of supporting each other as a community…
Personally, whenever there’s a proposal for two or more parties to agree on X or particulate in X, I always consider the POV of each party. That’s because to me it’s logical. Otherwise, you can’t gauge the odds of agreement or participation. Then it would potentially be just wishful thinking, which I consider a waste of time.
That’s a very fair approach — and I agree it makes sense to think through all perspectives.
For me, sharing the idea wasn’t just about expecting immediate agreement, but seeing if fellow members felt there was value in it.
I see it less as wishful thinking and more as exploring what could be possible if there was enough interest.
And honestly, some of the best ideas start as “wishful thinking” before they become real — so I don’t mind planting a few hopeful seeds now and then 
Maybe I should explain a little more, yes I’ve got 7 years free, and I’d happily give free months to you because you come across as a truly beautiful person, but those 7 years came from helping others — and that’s the crucial reason why I’m not keen on the idea.
I helped owners to take a break when they hadn’t been on holiday for years because they had no one to care for their pets, or they’d been let down by pet sitters, among many other reasons etc etc etc. I was just simply helping them, and they appreciated my help.
Anyone can do it — they just need to be helpful in their day to day life. In the last 3 months alone I’ve got 1 year free, just because there’s holiday talk in Springtime, but to put it into perspective, all I did in the last 3 months, was help 6 people… and I got 1 year extra free. Only 6 people.
So I wouldn’t be so keen on giving free months to others — because I’d feel like my good nature in taking the time to help others, was being taken advantage of, because I know anyone can do it (I’m not a sales-person, I’m the total opposite, I’m an introvert).
This is such a kind and thoughtful idea. That said, I think the complexity of managing it would outweigh the benefits.
There’s a real need for customer support when things inevitably go wrong—like double-gifting confusion, insurance issues, tech glitches, or increased onboarding needs. All of that takes time, money, and focus.
I believe THS should keep its primary focus on the pets. If there’s room for gifting or charity, I’d love to see it support foster animals —perhaps offering free memberships to those fostering through recognized agencies. Even that would come with its own challenges, though, like verifying the agencies and coaching the foster parents on how to keep their listings up to date when the pets are always changing.
Your generosity really shines through, and it’s a lovely intention. For now, the best way to support others might be simply spreading the word about THS. Membership fees are already reasonable, and as @Maggie8K said, pet sitting doesn’t pair well with financial strain. There are other platforms better suited for those situations.
I really appreciate you explaining that, and I totally respect how much you’ve given and helped others to earn those months — that’s something to be proud of!
I’m actually in a similar position. I’ve also referred people and built up a significant amount of free months, and that’s exactly why the idea came to me — not to take advantage of anyone’s effort, but because I’ve received so much through THS and wanted to give something back to the community in my own way.
I understand not everyone would want to share their months, and that’s completely fine. I was just imagining an optional feature for those who do feel moved to pay it forward — especially if their life situation has changed and they’re not using them anymore.
I’d always use them, we’ll always be on THS now, we can’t imagine our lives without it 
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Maybe in future years we’ll get another pet but we’d definitely still use THS for sitters, but for now, our pet sitting life is brilliant. Just like you, it’s changed our lives, in the most amazing way possible.
I think the fact I can see ourselves at some point in the very very distant future having a pet again, is also a reason why I’m not keen, because I would want the sitter we had to have paid to be here, it’s a dedication, & a skin-in-the-game thing, same with owners, I also wouldn’t want to sit for someone who hadn’t paid to be here, they wouldn’t have an incentive to do-the-right-thing.
It would be good if there was alternative to free membership months though, but that’s too complicated for THS, there’s other more important things to focus on.
You’re a kind-hearted angel 
I don’t believe you are doing someone a favor to gift them free membership when you say they can’t afford it. Are you now responsible for fixing their car if it breaks down on the way to the sit. If they can’t afford membership they can’t afford fixing the car. A better thing would be to sit down with this person and help them improve their financial life. There is a saying, give someone a fish and you feed them for a day, teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime. Why don’t you just take this friend on a sit with you. Give them a holiday, they can see what you do, help take care of the pets. If they like the lifestyle they now have incentive to improve their finances to afford the lifestyle.
Hi @mititeika
Thanks for sharing your suggestion with us - it’s an interesting idea! I’ve shared your suggestion with the team.
Jenny 
@HappyDeb I was gifted my membership. I’ve had my own pet-sitting business for over 25 years, and a friend thought TH would be a good idea for me. I can assure you that, even though I did not pay for this year’s membership, I am fully vested in the care I provide. I have several repeat sits, and several HO say I’m their favorite sitter ever and my airfare has been paid, cross country, so I could take care of someone’s animals.
Normally, I would not brag, and I don’t intend it as bragging, just beg to differ with your statement that those who don’t pay won’t have “the incentive to do the right thing.” That is insulting.
Personally, I don’t believe that paying for a membership is the only proof of dedication or reliability. If that were the case, then volunteers across many sectors wouldn’t do a good job — but we know that’s not true. Some people give their absolute best simply because they care, not because they’ve paid to be there.
Thank you Jenny!
I think offering someone a small opportunity doesn’t mean you’re taking on responsibility for every aspect of their life. I see gifting a month or a few months of membership more like opening a door, not guaranteeing the whole journey. Many people start out with very little and rise because someone simply gave them a chance — not because their car, bills, or life were perfect. Sometimes encouragement and trust can be the first steps toward bigger change.
@Brindle and @mititeika I wasn’t talking about those that receive THS as a gift by their friends or family, this chat is titled “gifting membership months to other sitters”.
Oh dear, I didn’t mean to offend, sorry about that, of course there’s lovely people on here. There’s no reason to gift free months, anyone can gain them once they are a member.
But also, there are proven statistics and research across many different sectors to show that when the majority of people part with money, it’s different, that’s proven facts. Of course it’s not the case for everyone, but it is the majority. It’s proven facts, so please don’t take it personally.
‘The incentive to do the right thing’ comment was about owners, I’d said that from the perspective of gifting owners free months, not sitters. We’ve had lovely owners, but from this forum I know some are taken advantage of sometimes or feel like unpaid employees, or where the owners have cancelled and the sitters have been really stuck without accommodation, and if they haven’t got the funds it’s a really big problem for them, it would just increase the chances of that. That hasn’t been our experience at all, we’ve had fantastic owners, but it has been for some.
A lot are anonymous on here, so sometimes you’d never know who you were giving them to. I don’t have that many private chats on the go.
Sorry if I offended, but I never had gifts from friends and family in mind with the title of the thread. Sorry.
I understand where you’re coming from, though I personally see things a bit differently — I believe trust and generosity can also go a long way, not just monetary investment. That said, I did feel a bit disheartened by the tone in some replies. I had hoped for more positivity in a conversation about giving.
I do love the idea of - doing good. One thing that was rubbing me the wrong way about the original post was the idea of “unused months”. This is not a month-to-month subscription; it is an annual membership. If someone gets a sit for even one night, it has paid for itself. So viewing the months where you’re not sitting as “unused” doesn’t really make sense.
If someone wants to gift a full membership to someone else, they can easily do that.
I suspect a core reason the response was not what you were hoping for is that the majority of sitters are on here for the love of pets. We like to keep the love, care, and companionship of pets front and center, followed by the love of travel.
Overlaying an implication that what this site is about is, instead, free housing introduces an element of risk to all of us. The few horror stories from homeowners on this site have, at their root, a sitter who viewed the opportunity as a way to get free lodging, with the needs of the animal secondary. And sadly those rare but frightening horror stories color the perception of all sitters, even those of us who take great pride in what we do.
So while your heart is obviously in the right place, it seems you struck a nerve. As THS grows, these “growing pains” will happen. Thank you for playing a key role in helping to clarify what this site is really about: Pets.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Just to clarify, when I mentioned “unused months,” I didn’t mean someone simply changed their mind or took a break — I was thinking of more serious, unexpected life events. For example, if someone has an accident, like breaking a hip, and can’t travel for the rest of their membership period, wouldn’t it be nice if those months could be passed on to someone else who can care for pets?
The love of pets is absolutely central to this community, and my intention was never to reduce it to “free lodging.” I suggested gifting time not as a loophole, but as a way to let someone else — ideally someone responsible and genuinely interested in animal care — step in and contribute when the original member can’t.
AH! Well now that is an entirely different thing than what I thought you were saying, and far more doable from a logistical perspective.
I could see an option where someone who knew for a fact that they could not use the remainder of their membership year and then add that on to a full membership for a friend or someone else.
Something like this: My membership expires in September. I know I can’t travel. I can “gift” the extra three months to a friend when they sign up for a full year, so they pay for 12 months and get 3 months. It’s essentially the same thing as the 25% discount.
So while it is a good idea, since it isn’t dramatically better than the 25% discount, it probably wouldn’t be worth the hassle of THS administering it. If you meant, instead, that someone could “gift” a remainder of 6 months or something, with the recipient not paying for anything - that would be a nightmare from a management perspective. Sitters would sign up for their year, do one sit right after they register, gift it on to the next person…it costs money for THS to administer this, especially for those who get background checks. They have to do customer support, manage the membership transfers, and so on. If I were THS, what I would want is a stable, repeatable revenue stream so that I could accurately predict my costs and investments. If sitters are gifting months all over the place it becomes impossible to do a financial forecast.
I personally wish they wouldn’t even do the 25% discount, but would maybe donate to a pet charity of the owner’s/sitter’s choice when a referral is made. Keeping the pets front and center should be the guiding light from. I refer lots of people but never use the 25% discount code because I don’t want my friends to think I’m referring them so that I get a benefit. If THS donated to my favorite pet rescue every time a referral I make signs up for a membership, I’d be a referral machine!
I also really like your idea of donating to a pet charity of the referrer’s choice instead of offering a discount! It would absolutely keep pets at the heart of things, and I imagine it would be a strong motivator for many of us who are in it for the love of animals.
There are plenty of reasons someone might not use their full membership — not just a change of heart, but real issues like illness, injury, or other serious life changes. And even if someone tried it and found it wasn’t for them, why not pass the remaining time to someone more dedicated? I’ve seen posts where no one applied to a sit — maybe someone nearby with a gifted membership could’ve stepped in and made a difference!