I’d like to suggest the amendment of urgent sit definition from a HO perspective to gain help advertising for a sitter. It’s really stressful as a HO when you have flights etc secured and need a sitter and nobody has applied and the clock is ticking. I know everyone’s circumstances are different, we lack paid services here or those who are willing charge ridiculous money (boarding is not an option in my case as we have 1 very scared dog).
Personally, I think perhaps a 14 day lead time would be better for the forum to assist with urgent sirs rather than the existing 7 days and for social media, perhaps 7 days then over the existing 5. I just wanted to suggest this and I’m sure other HO would agree also. It would also allow for those potential last minute sitters to be better prepared in readiness for the sit.
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I agree with you. A week is not enough time to mobilize.
I am curious what a paid sitter costs in your area. Here if they stay overnight in the home it costs between 80 and 100 USD per night.
It’s probably about the same here with the 2 dogs and 3 cats - it’s just money that we don’t have on top of holiday costs, although will pay it out if we have to - but it’s finding someone with availability as there’s not that many here to choose from
First of all: HOs announcing emergency sits should write in the header where the sit is. I see all those threads saying “Sitter urgently needed!!”, sometimes with dates but many do not say where. 
A week should be enough. I have taken one in Copenhagen, their sitter had become sick. That is the kind of circumstances it is for. So the forum message appeared on a Sunday evening, and I started the sit on the Wednesday.
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I do understand but from an HO perspective it’s really stressful when you know you have a trip planned and nobody to stay. I guess there will always be lots of opinions and thank you for that.
With regards to the urgent threads, it’s the moderators that post that on behalf of the HO