Yes i do. A small one.
Weâve done a few sits now in Canada and United States and send pet owners photos through the sit. Naturally the cute pet photos pile up on my cellphone. I was going to delete them but thought maybe thereâs an opportunity for an owner gift. Weâve been invited to do future repeat sits, and there are some sits we thoroughly enjoyed and would love to do a repeat sit sometime in the future. So even though the sits were over, and reviews completed a while ago, I thought it may be nice to do something special. I found a website that does canvas prints and sent some of our past hosts an 8 x 8 canvas print of their pet. For our U.S. sits we used: Pet Portraits | CanvasPrints.com sorry but I donât have a referral or discount code but we discovered the 8 x 8 prints are FREE! You just need to pay shipping. We sent them to New York and to California and the shipping is anywhere from $14 to $22.
What wonderful photographs and such a kind and thoughtful thing to do @MimiMills, thank you for sharing Iâm sure all of the pet parents were absolutely delighted and it will be something special they remember about their petâs time with you. 
Flowers are a good gift for people who donât like gifts, or pretty much anyone IMO. I donât like gifts either but I donât mind receiving some flowers.
Just a reminder concerning leaving flowers as a gift if you are sitting a cat. I did a sit earlier this year where the homeowner cautioned me before she left to not leave flowers. She said they would be a shredded mess by the time they returned. 
There are also many varieties that are dangerous to a catâs health. 
Check out the ASPCA list of Toxic and non-toxic plants - cats
Photo by Josh Couch on Unsplash
Hi all
new to the site but not new to house?pet sitting,. I too was at a loss about whether to leave a gift or flowers or clean the house or or or or.
So this is what we do
daily pictures of pets,
Fresh milk and bread (usually figure out what type owners buy from whatâs is the fridge etc)
Home made mango chutney or a bottle of wine/champgne
We always leave home clean and tidy ( no rubbish) and washed sheets, made beds.
Thereâs nothing like coming home to fresh milk and bread, nice tidy home and freshly laundered sheets and happy pets.
We are always cautious with flowers too firvthe above reasons, animal toxicity & allergies.
Although if there sre although flowers there, then its usually ok. Weve had a couple of HOs that have regular displays from there gardens & have enjoyed experimenting doing this ourselves before we leave.
We usually leave a Welcome Home card (from the pets!) And flowers. Most people love to receive flowers. Plus a super clean home and- if time allows- all bedding washed & dried. Exceptions have been - one cat sit where the owner had all things lavender around her home so we left her a lovely lavender plant, and for a recent host who already had flowers around the house (and even sent us a bunch during our stay!) we left a gift of room scent sticks we thought theyâd enjoy having seen candles & lotions around the home from the same range. And for another host who left us delicious home made cake (and had lots of flowers already) we left cake for them & their 3 kids too- which went down a treat!
We donât usually leave food stuff- milk, bread etc unless we know the host is returning home very late or theyâve requested it.
I donât think sitters should feel obligated to leave gifts- its very personal. The most important thing- from a sitter perspective- is giving the host peace of mind- reassuring daily updates (or however often they prefer), being totally reliable and easily contactable and ofcourse leaving the home as, or more, beautiful than found!
After my first two pet sits my partner drew portraits of the pets and left them there. The owners were delighted. Thatâs when he was with me - and heâs a great artist. When I pet sit on my own Iâll think of other things, and usually like to leave at least a card.
Hi @andrealovesanimals what a lovely thing to do ⌠we would love to see some of your partnerâs artistry please share, if that is something he would be comfortable with.
Sure, youâre all welcome to look at his art! Lots of pets to see 
My hosts had new license plates delivered for their car, so (with their permission), I mounted them. Then, I bought them cat-themed license plate frames 
How do you know theyâre happy with what the cleaner does?
Maybe theyâre not, but they donât have time to hire a new one, or itâs not that important to them, but the HOs would still enjoy a better cleaning job.
I usually leave a small gift when I am sitting - animal-themed tea-towels, most often. Most people can use an extra tea-towel.
I have rarely received a gift from my sitters. I wouldnât want a picture or other trinket, but flowers or chocolates would be appreciated!
I usually but not always cook something for the host, or leave them something to eat that I have bought. One time I left a gift of a plant (a new variety of English lavendercalled Heavenly Blue) because I could see that it would go well in their garden where they had many plants and herbs in pots. One time, I left a toy for the cat instead of a gift for the host.
I always bake my own sourdough bread, so often I make a loaf for the host before I leave
or I make them a spinach and feta tart
Weâre the same. We always cook something for their first dinner home and maybe home made yoghurt for breakfast too. Thoughtful and useful. 
Weâre sitters from France. To not arrive empty-handed, we come with a diptyque candle and a bottle of French wine for the hosts. We also prepare meals at the end of our stay to welcome them back, so far weâve always had overlap time. Itâs cute how every one of them is happy to be âinvitedâ / play guests at their own homes.
The search says this wasnât mentioned in the 200 replies to this topic, so just in case: ever hear of Gary Chapmanâs âThe 5 Love Languagesâ? Itâs been transformative for many people in many ways. Anyway, one of the love languages is âReceiving Gifts.â
But mine is âActs of Service.â
The application for sitting would be: If you think one of the PPsâ love languages is receiving gifts, then leave a gift. As youâre staying in their home, you can probably make a good guess: Did they leave you a gift? Are there gifts from others on display? Or just ask; the 5LLs are well-known in some circles.
When in doubt, leave a gift. It doesnât have to be expensive; itâs more about the thought put into it.
Actually, when in doubt, just cover all 5: leave a gift, give words of affirmation, do acts of service, spend quality time, physical touch. Hmm, those last two could be tricky. However, if a PPâs love language is quality timeâor physical touch, then theyâll appreciate you spending quality time withâor pettingâtheir pet.
I have to remember to follow my own advice. =)
BTW, the 5LL books have some great anecdotes. My favorite is a wife who wanted her husband to paint the bedroom⌠
There seems to be an assumption that the sitters should leave the HO a gift. I would always leave the house in sparkling clean condition often cleaner than when I arrived. I offer to do extra jobs. I do all the laundry before I go. The pets are happy and in tip top condition. I donât use any of their consumables. I make sure they have milk etcâŚon their return and I have occasionally made a meal for the HOs. If anything they should leave me a gift!
Can you share how you do it? 