I am currently on a HS for a lovely family with one dog, but the sister-in-law, who lives three hours drive and 102 miles away, has dropped her dog off for the second week.
Although we have a 4-way group chat (husband, wife, sister-in-law & HS), the day the 2nd dog would arrive was understood, but no indication as to the time. The sister-in-law had expected to sleep over for one night on her way to the airport to meet the HO for a weeks’ vacation – but, this was changed after I pointed out that this was in contravention to THS policy. Well, I had expected the dog to be dropped off some time before 19:30 or shortly thereafter, giving me time to befriend the new arrival and sort sleeping arrangements out. To my horror, at circa 20:00, I received a message saying that the 3rd party had 10 min left to pack her vehicle and would be leaving soon and they would me around 23:00, traffic dependant.
Some time around 23:00, a very unsocial hour, the 3rd party arrived with her three-year-old thoroughbred female and started telling me about the dogs ‘irritable bowl syndrome’ (IBS) and the very strict 3 meals per day routine, her do’s and don’ts. No exercise, one hour before and one hour after feeding… etc. No Vet Information, No Pet Insurance. After unpacking the dog food, lead and a few toys, she was off, I was less than happy – enough said!
QUESTION: In the event of this 3rd part dog biting another animal or member of the public, will the THS 3rd Party Liability Insurance cover any medical or legal costs brought against the HS and/or the HO?
You have no insurance for you, for the pet or for any liability for that second animal @StanHants and the HO is not permitted to leave you with any pet that’s not theirs (THS Ts & Cs). You need to either contact the HO and tell them to get the SIL’s dog taken care of elsewhere and/or speak to support for help or it could all backfire badly. #bitofamess
Nope, not covered. BTW, when was this other dog added to the responsibilities? In the listing? After confirmation? Enquiring minds want to know (well, maybe just me).
If the dog was in the initial listing then yes, I would presume it was covered. If you have subsequently agreed to the additional dog then no.
I know it’s not helpful now but in hindsight it would probably have been better to ask your questions about insurance before agreeing.
Here we go again…where being nice is NOT what one should do. @Enjaybee has the best response so far…Why this sitter agreed to this is the most interesting question of all.
I know some members have disagreed with me on this in other forums and say THS is a barter system that relies on kindness. I disagree with that, this post is ONE reason why being nice is a terrible thing to do.
This is an example of being too nice can get YOU in trouble. Should anything go wrong with the home you are sitting in (like poop stains), the pets you are sitting for, the siter-in-law’s dog, YOU are the one that will be the blame and stuck in the middle.
Sitter here should NOT have agreed to this, the in-law should have had her own plan, possibly her own listing on this site for another sitter OR board the dog.
I truly hope this sit goes well. As @Cuttlefish, @MaggieUU and @pietkuip have pointed out, the dog in question is NOT covered.
@StanHants, I truly hope everything goes well, the dog in question turns out to be much better than the sister-in-law (some owners are crazy yet the dogs are normal!) has presented and that everyone gets along and all goes well. You are on a slippery slope though. This is a good learning opportunity. While your act of kindness is noble, you put yourself in a situation that, as you have written and presented, is 100% your doing with lots of pitfalls and no benefits.
You have presented us with a very interesting forum topic, thank you so much for contributing. Please update us at the conclusion of the reviews!!!
Maybe/probably @StanHants but your question was “am I covered if it bites someone” and the answer is no. YOU have to decide what to do to be honest. Was the dog on the original listing is a key question someone else raised? If yes, you may be okay - ask support if you are. If no, message the HO and say “THS have advised that there is no insurance cover for your SIL’s dog/me/house etc if something goes wrong. Do you have a plan b as that is a big risk for all of us?” And see what the answer is. You can talk to support first and ask advice before you do any reporting. You’re already committed and you have 5 days to go so it’s 50/50 on what’s the best plan. Sorry, can’t really advise anymore than that. #wishyouwell
THS terms are posted on their website. 2. If you’re not clear on such terms, it’s best to clarify with membership services ahead of a sit. 3. Forum folks can sometimes point others toward links and such, but you take the risk that they give you incomplete or inaccurate info or don’t answer your Qs spot on. And with insurance claims, that’s not a good risk to take.
It’s odd to ask now, this far into a sit. And the OP has essentially agreed to do things against THS terms, so if something has gone wrong, you’re basically on your own.
So, you agreed to the arrival of this second dog a week into the sit but it wasn’t stated in the listing and you had no idea she suffered from IBS? And you made no agreement regarding what time she was to be dropped off?
You’re questioning insurance cover in the event of this dog biting another animal or member of the public and this has already been answered: there’s no cover unless the dog was detailed in the original listing. Is this a general (albeit belated) question, or is she displaying aggressive tendancies?
TravelMan,
Your comprehensive reply is very valuable and much appreciated.
Before agreeing the sit, I had a video call with the HO and his wife and they clearly had not read the THS Ts&Cs and at that time, I did not think – it was a genuine oversight on my behalf and I am suffering with.
I fail to understand why the sister-in-law did not join THS and have her own listing? All three are top earners, six figured p.a.
The additional dog was declared within the original HO advertisement, and I read the 2023 sitter reviews for the same period last year.
As I am a PS only, I did not think nor understand that 3rd party dogs were not allowed. It was only after the sister-in-law was so rude, condescending and obnoxious to me, that I started to think this whole fiasco through!
Sure, I am complicit in this fiasco, but now I know, I will not be taking the 2nd dog out of the premises, because I am not prepared to take the chance. My big nightmare is this dog gets injured or killed by a vehicle or animal and I am held liable!
Probably not but I must admit that, in that situation, after that interaction with the SIL, I would have also got more worried. The risk of something happening is not higher now but @StanHants now knows what to expect from her if things go wrong.
@StanHants Agree with all of the posts that state this was a really bad situation to agree to. However, I also think the HO’s took advantage and are abusing an exchange service. And now you’re in a bad spot and just trying to navigate through it best you can. It sounds stressful and miserable.
I don’t know that I agree with others that the dog is not covered by the THS policy or the HO’s property policy. They included the dog in their listing, so it could be seen as them taking temporary ownership. I’d suggest contacting THS Support ASAP, in a written form that you can keep copy of both the questions and responses. Include the health issues of the SIL dog that were not disclosed. I would also ask the HO about their property policy and if it covers the SIL dog for any damages to the home or individuals. Since you didn’t know the dog was pedigree and had health issues, which were not disclosed until the SIL dropped off, these are now major concerns.
This is the wording of the THS policy - so as you & others have advised @StanHants should check with Member Services that the SIL’s pet is covered.
“ “Pet Parent” means pet parent members who create an approved listing of their Home on our Platform. A Pet Parent must be the person who has legally acquired the pet, through purchase, adoption, or a legal transfer of ownership and can provide evidence to support this if required.”
@Silversitters Is your point the comment about Pet Parent ownership? Or about the fact that it states that Pet Parent means approved listings and the animal was in the listing which was approved? Those are two different arguments.
BTW, you included a quote from me without the followup explanation as to why I stated it; we aren’t lawyers and shouldn’t interpret the policies for the OP. In order to protect themselves they should get THS to state in writing how they interpret their policy for this situation.