After 50+ sits, this was my worst experience
After completing more than 50 sits, I have just completed what was, by far, the most difficult sit I have ever experienced.
I am keeping this anonymous and will not identify the homeowner, pets, area, or property. I have reported the matter through the appropriate channel and have extensive documentation. I am posting here because I believe sitters should be able to discuss what happens when a sit is materially different from what was represented, and because I think the level of emergency accommodation support needs to be realistic for the area where a sitter is located.
I am not expecting a perfect home. I understand that homes are lived in, pets can have unexpected needs, and things can go wrong during any sit. However, this was not one isolated issue. It was an ongoing accumulation of undisclosed care requirements, health concerns, safety concerns, sanitation problems, pests, disrupted sleep, lack of privacy, difficult communication, and an abrupt end to the sit.
Here is what I encountered.
Before and upon arrival
• There was confusion about my confirmed arrival date, despite the date having been confirmed in advance.
• I did not receive a completed welcome guide before the sit. I received only a few handwritten pages of instructions after arriving.
• Important pet-care requirements were not disclosed in advance. I learned after arrival that feeding involved a more complicated routine, including raw food, food preparation, cooking eggs, and brushing the dog’s teeth.
• Instructions about handling raw food were unclear and changed during the sit. I raised food-safety concerns, was initially given one instruction, and later was told to cook the pet food everyday.
• I was not told before arriving that there was an existing mouse problem.
• I was not told before arriving about significant sanitation, pest, sleeping, or fire-safety concerns.
Pet health and care
• The dog’s actual age, condition, deafness and blindness, and care needs were substantially greater than I understood from the listing and pre-sit communication.
• I learned only after arriving about recent health issues affecting the dog, including a recent parasite issue and a heart-related diagnosis.
• The dog’s poor physical condition, and medical circumstances made the care much more demanding than anticipated.
• Emergency contacts were not reachable when the dog had a serious medical episode.
• A family member eventually came and took the dog to a safer and more manageable environment. That person was kind, understanding, and helpful.
Sleeping conditions
• I found mold on the guest bed on my first night.
• I did not want to wake the homeowner in the middle of the night, so I slept on a very hard and uncomfortable couch and got virtually no sleep.
• The mattress was later moved to a small office, where I slept on the floor for the rest of the sit.
• There was no proper space for my clothing or belongings, so my luggage had to be piled around the mattress. There was very little room to move around the office.
• The initial response to the fact that I had been unable to sleep felt dismissive rather than compassionate.
Safety and sanitation
• There was mold inside the refrigerator, including on interior refrigerator surfaces and on items, food, and containers stored inside.
• At the beginning of the sit, there were no functioning smoke detectors.
• After I raised the lack of smoke detectors, a handyman brought over a couple of detectors after several days.
• Based on the home’s layout and local requirements for smoke detectors outside bedrooms, there appeared to be a need for at least four working detectors.
• I encountered dirty pet dishes, dried pet waste, a dirty frying pan, a greasy stovetop, clutter, spider webs, and numerous other cleaning and maintenance concerns that were not part of my agreed responsibilities.
• There was not enough usable refrigerator space for the modest amount of food I brought for myself.
• I asked for perishables to be discarded before the homeowner left, but some were left behind for me to handle. I later had to dispose of spoiled or moldy food and other items.
Pests and rodent issue
• I was shown mouse droppings after I arrived and was told to clean them up.
• Later, mouse traps were delivered for me to use. I was uncomfortable being expected to manage and capture mice as part of a sit when the issue had not been disclosed in advance.
• There was an existing moth infestation that required me to take precautions to protect my own food and clothing.
• I encountered an ant problem in the kitchen after the homeowner left. The ants were being attracted to a jar of honey that had been left with the lid slightly open. When I reported it, I was told to clean it up.
• There was a major mosquito problem caused by stagnant water in outdoor fountains, including visible mosquito larvae. I was bitten repeatedly.
• I found a venomous spider on a cushion where the dog regularly sheltered. There were also extensive spider webs around the trash and recycling area.
House and maintenance problems
• I was notified in the middle of the night about a significant water leak.
• The city confirmed that there was a leak, and I spent approximately half a day trying to investigate and address it.
• The master bedroom and bathroom were locked and inaccessible to me.
• Another person later determined that the leak was coming from the inaccessible master bathroom.
• I was expected to deal with multiple pre-existing maintenance or household issues during the sit rather than simply provide the pet and home care I had agreed to provide.
Privacy and work disruption
• Multiple third parties arrived at the property without advance notice during the sit.
• This included a handyman and another person I had not met who came to wash vehicles.
• These arrivals occurred while I was working and participating in phone calls and meetings.
• The unannounced visits disrupted my work and made me feel that I had little privacy in the home.
Neighborhood conditions
• A neighboring property had frequent engine revving and vehicle-related activity only a few feet from the home.
• Exhaust fumes entered the house.
• When I approached the neighbor about the noise and fumes, he initially believed I was related to the homeowner. He yelled at me and told me to get off his property.
• After I explained that I was the pet sitter, he calmed down and told me there was an ongoing conflict with the homeowner.
• On another occasion, I returned from walking the dog and saw enough smoke around the house that I initially thought there might be a fire.
• I learned that an adjacent property was using a smoker located only feet from the home. It was used without notice, and the smoke entered and filled the house.
• There was also substantial construction behind the home, including a large work crew, hammering, heavy noise, paving-related odors, and a strong tar smell.
• I do not know whether the homeowner knew about the construction in advance. Regardless, it made the backyard difficult to use and further affected my ability to work and live comfortably during the sit.
Communication and early return
• I experienced the homeowner’s communication as dismissive, controlling, and at times patronizing.
• When I raised concerns, I felt that they were minimized rather than addressed.
• I was repeatedly told that I was a guest in the home and should be enjoying the homeowner’s “wonderful home.”
• I was encouraged to provide “glowing comments” rather than negative feedback while the homeowner was away.
• The confirmed return date was changed abruptly.
• One afternoon, I learned that the homeowner was already back in the United States and would arrive at the home later that same day.
• I had roughly two hours’ notice to pack, dispose of food I had bought for the remaining day, find alternative accommodation, leave the home, and rearrange important work commitments.
Why I did not leave earlier
I understand that people may ask why I did not leave as soon as the problems became clear. I could technically have ended the sit, and TrustedHousesitters indicated it could provide $150 toward emergency hotel accommodation.
However, $150 would not have covered even a basic hotel in the area. I would have had to pay a substantial amount out of pocket, likely for a poor-quality room without a kitchen or appropriate workspace.
I needed to remain in the area for important projects I had planned. A hotel would not have provided the kitchen access, workspace, privacy, or practical stability I needed. I was already trying to manage a difficult and increasingly stressful situation, and I did not believe that the available emergency assistance made leaving financially or practically realistic.
I appreciate that any contribution toward emergency accommodation may help in some situations. But in a high-cost area, $150 is not enough to make leaving a materially unsuitable sit a viable option for a sitter who is away from home, needs access to a kitchen, has work commitments, and cannot absorb substantial unplanned hotel costs.
Only Positives
The cat was the best part of the sit: friendly, social, affectionate, and a genuine pleasure to care for.
The family member who eventually took the dog was kind, helpful, and understanding. The handyman who brought the smoke detectors was also friendly and helpful.
Closing
I am sharing this as a complaint about a sit that, in my experience, was materially different from what was disclosed before I arrived. It involved a level of pet care, safety concerns, sanitation issues, pest problems, work disruption, and lack of practical support that I had not encountered in more than 50 prior sits.
