After being let down by a sitter that delayed accepting and the. Changed their mind… we are now in a bit of a fox trying to find a sitter from mid December…
I’ve tried reaching out but I’m having no luck… is there anything else I can do?
Kelly
Xx
Hello @Alle2142 and a very warm welcome to the Community Forum. I am sorry to hear this, was this a confirmed sit? Also, just to check, have you now re-listed your sit?
You can also add your TrustedHousesitters profile on to your Forum profile on here by following the attached link, should you wish. This will then enable others to offer you helpful advice and feedback for your listing as well as giving it extra exposure.
Please try not to worry, mid December is still quite a way off and you have plenty of time still to find a suitable sitter/s. 
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Thanks… it’s just a bit of a worry that we lost our sitter just before they confirmed and so we have a holiday all booked and paid for that we may lose. I could kick myself for booking.
I’m finding it challenging to know what to do for the best as if we booked sitters first we’d end up with booking hols at short notice and high costs…
I’ve thought about kennels but with all the jabs needed and the trauma of being kennels I don’t want to do that either… I’d rather not go. (We’re too late for kennels anyway as they need 3 weeks clear after jabs).
@Alle2142 have you made a listing or are you inviting sitters privately? The best way to find a sitter is through a public listing .
Hi @Alle2142, I’m not sure whether vaccinations are required before sitters can sit or not but I did check the Terms and Conditions and this is what I found.
5.2. The following applies only to Pet Parents. You will:
5.2.1 be responsible for vaccinating your own pet(s) and notify your Sitter should your pet(s) have any illnesses or ailments;
How do other members interpret this?
You still have time to find a sitter and/or make a B plan.
It sounds like your sitter didn’t actually cancel but pulled out BEFORE you confirmed. Is that correct? If you find a great sitter, it’s best to confirm them ASAP. Sitters may be applying to multiple sits, so you can lose out if you wait. If there were other sitters who applied, you could start by seeing if any of them seem acceptable and are still willing to take the sit.
While you can “look for” a sitter and use private invitations this rarely works out. It is best to relist your dates publicly. You can do that while also inviting your the previous applicants.
There are special threads for “last minute sits” but those are with less than 7 days before start. However, you CAN start a thread adding a link to your listing that asks people to take a look at the listing and see if they can help you spruce it up.
Kennels may require specific vaccinations for “kennel cough”. Really, not needed for dogs not living in a kennel.
@Alle2142 You appear to be reflecting back on how you might have handled the applicants differently, and now stressing over the kennel vs cancel options. However, you have had feedback from more than one member suggesting that you add your listing to your forum profile. Forum members are offering their time and experience to increase your chances of finding a sitter.
I realize you only posted two days ago, but given you’ve replied once with further concerns, why not apply your time productively and accept the offer of feedback from members? Members are here to be constructive and their efforts, along with the owner’s efforts, often bring positive results. If you are concerned about your link being public on the forum, you can always remove it after you have confirmed a sitter.
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If you end up not getting bites on THS and it comes down to possibly forfeiting your travel costs, you might want to pay someone to sit away from THS. Kennels aren’t the only other alternative. There are apps where you can book sitters (at your home or theirs), for instance.
You might also consider coming up with your own plan. Like I’ve previously reached out to the shelter where we adopted our dog and found someone who worked there (but didn’t normally sit animals) and offered them holiday sits. Of course, it depends on your circumstances, but you might also ask around that way with vets and such. There are plenty of people who work with animals or who’ve done it in the past, who might be potential paid sitters.
BTW, if your prospective sitter hadn’t committed, they didn’t change their mind — they’re under no obligation to you if they’ve not accepted a sit. I mention that, because if you pursue other potential sitters on THS, you’ll want to move quickly and confirm if you find someone good. The holidays are highly competitive for sitters. Many folks lock those up way in advance. And that addresses your concern about securing a sitter and being able to book travel when it’s potentially cheaper. In the future, if you use THS for holiday travel, best to plan ahead.
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