How long will you sit ?
Do you think owners who are under 50, not retired yet trust 65+ sitters become more septical when sitters appoach 75?
Does Ths accept sitters over 80?
Only cats owners in your experience do trust you? Do dog owners hesitate with their energic dog(s) who need long walks?
Do young owners answer you or do you hesitate to contact owners who could be your grand kids?
A friend of mine, a recent widow, would like to sit but wonders whether she would be acceptedā¦
A photo does not prove youāre healthy and reliable.
Hi @Candide my husband and I are in the āover 65ā age group and really, have never even entertained the idea of whether people will disregard our application due to our ages (perhaps a little naively!). The owners choose whether they are interested in contacting you or not after seeing your application so we always offer several avenues (internet) through which they can pursue their interest and ask questions of us before inviting us to accept/confirm. When you apply for sits, you know yourself the limits of your energy regarding dog walks - especially if you have experience with dogs so you would only apply for sits where you think you could fulfill the owners expectations. I donāt think you would know whether younger owners would answer or not due to your age - that is entirely the owners prerogative without giving any explanation. I think the advice of many of the seasoned sitters in this community is important to remember - donāt speculate or take a ānon-answer or non-inviteā personally as the owners circumstances could change dramatically just as the sitters can. My advice is tell your friend to give it a try and donāt hesitate to ask peopleās advice who are part of this community. Best of luck!
That is a great question!
Iām on a petsit with my husband, 3 dogs, 2 very lively & we was discussing this very subject. We are 62 & 63.
Hopefully we can continue until our bodies give up on us!
We have so far not had any problems when applying for sits so fingers crossed
Happy petsitting everyone
Stay safe
Iām younger, but e.g. in Germany professional companies for house sitting ONLY employ retirees; and older people are generally regarded as more trustworthy and reliable.
Iām 65 and currently on housesit #47. I havenāt wondered whether owners wouldnāt take me on because of my age but have thought that I hope one day Iāll know when itās time to give it up! Like most sitters, all my reviews are 5 star and owners often accept me on the strength of those reviews, although I would always have a video call before I confirm. Iām pretty fit and have no underlying medical conditions currently. As @KiwiSwede says, I only apply for sits with animals that I would feel able to look after. I generally give the dogs much longer walks than their owners (when the dogs are capable of long walks) as I love walking. Cats are obviously a lot easier to look after.
So @Candide your friend should definitely give housesitting a try as long as she knows her limitations. Iāve never been happier
As long as we can travel then we will still apply for house sits. Itās up to the pet owners to accept us or not. We have discussed this issue and agreed once we stop enjoying ourselves we will stop.
In our experience it is difficult to be accepted by young dynamic āhipā people who live in big popular cities. I donāt know why but we have just accepted it and moved on. Country living suits us and the age of the pet owners and our age doesnāt seem to matter. We have sat for all ages, singles, couples and young families and were accepted by them all.
However, there are always exceptions to the norm. I actually feel rather sorry for young families and young sitters. Older folk seem to find it easier to get sits because of their maturity and life experiences whilst younger people seem to struggle to get a foothold which I find quite surprising.
I think more mature sitters have an advantage over younger sitters. I often see listings state āMature sitter requiredā - I have never seen āyoung sitter requiredā
Iād like to do house sitting to test out new places in Australia as I donāt want to always live in the city I live in.
I have another 20 so years of work left before I aim to retire but with the current world situation I wonder if that will happen so have to plan before hand and that means finding cost effective ways of enjoying life. I donāt look at house sitting as free board to holiday in a place because I go above and beyond with looking after the house and cleaning and caring for the pet/s. I am a bit of an odd ball as I have noticed my cleaning standards have improved over each sit! and I am learning more about animals and watching my kids enjoy!
What a good question @Candide and some sound advice from @KiwiSwede which actually applies to every sitter regardless of age ā¦ there are some younger members who may not have the energy of someone twice their age.
I am currently in the car on a 7 hour journey to Scotland from London having finished a sit and in September I have two back to back sits with lively dogs, who actually help me have a great work life balance ā¦ but to answer your question, I am 76 this year, my husband is two years older.
I manage our community Forum together with the amazing Vanessa assisted by a great team of CC & Admins., manage THS PR, Social Media and sit full time, although the only difference since COVID we now have a home base again, having sat for 6 years without one.
As for younger owners overlooking more mature sitters. There is a child care crisis for many and young families are turning to Grandparents for help with child care, if physically and mentally capable and I doubt that it would even cross their minds that Nanny & Grandpa were too old to manage, often overnight and most days of the week.
I have a two year old granddaughter, because I work full time I canāt help my daughter but on the odd days that I have looked after Grace I can tell you I would rather have 1-4 Springer Spaniels than a two year old.
If there are younger members who might hesitate I would say age is just a number, attitude, ability and commitment are worth far more consideration.
On another point ā¦ I donāt know about anyone else but I need very little sleep, (Duracell Bunny Like) although I would really like to sleep more it simply doesnāt happen.
We have been sitting now for 14 years and have no intention of giving up any time soon. so to your friend @Candide I say you are never too old to start a new adventure and with the support of our amazing community itās very hard not to succeed.
Iām 71 and on sit #55 and all 5 star. So far, feeling physically and mentally capable of what comes my way.
I am a bit selective in applications - if the home is a 5 floor walkup, then Iām not likely to apply and if not in the description I ask about how many flights up (as I do with airbnb rentals). And Iām not interested in mucking out stables, mowing lawns, or shoveling lots of snow so I ask about those things.
Also probably not looking for SE Asia in summertime because of the heat and humidity.
tom
My two recent pet-sitters were one in his 20s (younger than my āvintageā TVā¦!) and one in her 70s. Iām really not bothered by age, but it was obvious which one was a home-owner and which one still lived with his parents when not pet-sitting. The pets got the care they need which was the main thing.
Disclaimer - the older one was my mother (who isnt local or familiar with my pets). Also my pets arent dogs but one requires a lot of attention and three require a lot of bending
We plan to sit until we canāt travel any more. Right now, we are 62 and 72 and have no trouble walking dogs or doing physical work. If we get to the point that walking a dog becomes a struggle, but we can otherwise travel just fine, we might focus on small dogs or cats/small pets. So far, we havenāt been passed over because of our age, as far as we know, and I think in many cases, our age has been a plus - perceived as more experienced, responsible, and reliable.
All good points. Only on a handful of occasions have I seen a listing stating: uneven surfaces or steep/slippery stairs, not suitable for older sitters (or something to that tune).
I would say that to some degree, a photo can indeed show that youāre āhealthy and active.ā
She could post photos of herself walking dogs, out on hiking trails, or any sort of movement-related activity! (If she wants to show off that sheās plenty fit and active.)
Thatās an interesting question! Iām 66. I plan to sit for as long as it stays fun. Most of the homeowners I sit for are around my age. I have noticed that Iām often rejected by younger HOās before they ever speak to me. Their loss. Age discrimination is alive and well.
You never know if a young person might be attracted to your application simply because you remind him/her of the beloved grandma! I would not sell yourself short. We have been chosen by 30 year olds for some really special sits.
