r/petsitting

My usual cat sitter wasn’t available for the vacation I’m currently on. I booked a new cat sitter via Meowtel for six, 45-minute drop in visits for my two cats while we are away.

For the first 3 days the cat sitter provided ONE photo of ONE of my cats (I’ve received 2 total photos of one cat and one pic of the other). She gives me a single sentence about my cat with medical issues every day and provides no other details. I have no idea if they are getting pet or played with at all. I only know how much one of my cats eats each day.

Today the only thing I heard from my sitter was that she was headed over— received no photos and not a single sentence about either cat. I’m worried about my cat with medical issues and thank god we are going back tomorrow.

This sitter had 5 star reviews on Meowtel and was very sweet at the meet and greet. I hate confrontation and haven’t asked her for more yet but I’m more and more frustrated with her every day.

I don’t want to harm her business by leaving a poor review but I also don’t recommend her. What would you do in this scenario?

I've been sitting for this client for years and gotten the pleasure of watching her one pup through the tougher senior years. I'm so grateful she trusts me enough to spend this time with her pup, but I. am. so. tired.

The oldest dog is nearing her time unfortunately, and it's becoming increasingly unbearable to do overnight sits with her. While she's happy to nap, play, and do all the normal dog things during the day, every night a switch flips. She cries nonstop and starts barking loudly if she doesn't get what she wants immediately. The problem is she doesn't even know what she wants anymore. She doesn't allow me to pet her or snuggle her, doesn't need a potty break, and even gets an extra trazadone at night on top of her 2 during the day. Quite literally nothing calms her. She'll keep me up crying and pacing for hours, and when I finally catch some sleep, she's got me back up at 4:30-5am. I feel awful that I'm so miserable watching her because it's simply not her fault.

Am I wrong for knowing I'll likely feel a bit of relief when she passes knowing both that she's not suffering and neither will I anymore? Again, I'm so grateful to be the trusted one for this family, but it's exhausting for everyone involved at this point.

I know there are a ton of horror pet sitting experience but I'd love to know/read about people's best pet sitting experience!

For me, I had a house sitting gig that was taking care of a 8 year old brown lab! Fully paid food expenses and there is a gym in the condo too! The owners were super nice and accommodating which was a plus for sure. The lab was sooooo adorable and always wants to cuddle up with me.

I’m looking for some to bring to clients homes that pack down small, the ones I have are too big to bring everywhere with me. Looking for ones that will keep my feet warm!

I've only recently started pet sitting and would really appreciate some advice from people with more experience.

I'm looking after a 4-year-old female cocker spaniel who arrived at my flat a two days ago. The owner described her as social, used to being around lots of people, great with kids and other dogs, with only some minor guarding issues (mainly that we shouldn't try to take toys out of her mouth).

However, things have been a lot more serious.

In two days, she has bitten me and my partner at least 5 times. Two incidents happened when she picked up sharp pieces of metal, so I understood why she reacted. The other incidents seemed completely unprovoked. Each time she broke a bit of skin, and we took pictures just in case.

Most of the time she's a genuinely happy, affectionate dog. Wagging her tail, seeking attention and happily accepting pets and belly rubs. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, she can switch to intense aggression. For example, the doorbell rang and we pointed towards the kitchen to stop her going for the delivery driver. We didn't touch her, but the pointing gesture alone triggered her. She suddenly went for my partner and bit down hard. Not just a quick warning or "leave me alone" snap, she really went for it.

What's so upsetting and confusing is that we can't work out what is distressing and triggering her.

I contacted the owner immediately after the first bite and asked if this has ever happened before. They apologised and said that she's probably just anxious because of the new environment and that she would hopefully settle.

She will be picked up in a few hours, so there's not much point cancelling at this stage. Until then, we're giving her plenty of space, avoiding unnecessary interaction/eye contact and keeping things as calm as possible.

I'm struggling with this because she's otherwise such a loving and well trained dog. I want to believe that the owner may genuinely not be aware of her behaviour around other people. In hindsight though, a few things bother me:

• They were quick to drop her off without a meet-and-greet. I didn't think much of it at the time as no client has ever taken me up on the offer. Lesson learned – it's something I'll insist on in the future before committing to taking a dog into my house.
• They didn't tell me how to manage the guarding issue, nor did they provide any information about the dog's routine (walks, feeding times, etc.). I realise I should have asked, but if the client doesn't provide these details I usually don't worry too much about sticking to a dog's exact routine. They usually settle in fine if they get food, treats and enough exercise. But if a dog is in any way anxious, then I'd like to keep some consistency in their routine as to not overwhelm them too much. Guess this sweet pup could have done well with it.
• They didn't provide a food and water bowl. Minor thing, but a bit weird? We don't have a dog so we're using our own plates. They also didn't bring a bed, just a clean towel for her to sleep on. No problem if that's what she's used to but I'm wondering if an item that smells of home could have prevented some of the escalations.

I think I mostly just need to air my frustration because she is such a loving dog otherwise. My partner and I love dogs and we were really looking forward to spending the weekend with her. We're so upset that instead it's left us shaken and injured.

We're wondering whether there were warning signs that we didn't recognise, whether there's something we've done to trigger this behaviour, or whether the owner has been completely irresponsible and simply hasn't been honest with us about the extent of her behaviour. It's difficult not to feel that we weren't given the information we needed to keep ourselves safe.

I’m genuinely interested to know if there are any sitters on here who happen to have some hobbies. I make and sell handmade jewelry on the side so I bring my hobby with me wherever I stay. It’s definitely good to help mellow out at the end of the day and to start my mornings. Sometimes I have to take a significant break depending on my schedule. I also knit.

Anyone else?

Since I got a decent amount of responses, I posted a picture of one of my earrings in the comments, and would love to see photos of what everybody else does!

I never know how to properly respond to an owner when they offer to pay for something that their dog broke or destroyed. I went to take this dog out of my car and found that she had totally soaked my backseat. I took her to go to the bathroom before we left and she did. Last time I had her in my car, I thought it smelled like pee, but I didn’t know for sure that it was her even though I’ve never had a dog do this before. When I mentioned it to the owner, she said, maybe it was nerves and I said that I thought it had to do with how strong of a marker this dog is. That’s her only focus when we’re out walking, especially in areas where there are a lot of dogs. Last time I had her at my house, she marked all these different areas of my Rug, which I discovered after she left and we had to throw it away and get a new one. I mentioned all of this to the owner and she offered to pay for everything, but I don’t know how to respond to that. What would you say?

I did not ask for payment. She offered. I did not mention the previous incidences because I never expect clients to pay or replace things, but it is being offered. So my question is and please be kind, would you accept and how would you respond to this message?

I have a waterproof cover for the backseat of my car that I usually use

I have been walking this dog, a rescue lab named Archie for a little over a year. His mom was looking on NextDoor for somebody to take him out a few times a week to go to the bathroom and get exercise when she didn't have the time.

At the time I worked remotely and was looking to make some extra cash. Her house is 5 minutes away so a fifteen minute to half hour walk in the early afternoon was pretty easy to fit into my schedule.

At first he pulled a lot and would attempt to eat pretty much anything off the ground. He's very fast and doesn't like anyone near his mouth, so I couldn't stop him. He's become a lot more well-behaved since then; he still pulls sometimes and he'll still try to eat stuff off the ground, but more often than not he'll actually listen if I tell him to drop it.

All this is context, I guess. I went to walk him this afternoon and his mom was on the phone with a friend. Of course, Archie was very excited to see me; he did some tippy-taps and then began to lean against me while I pet him.

Mom begins to tells the person on the other end of the phone what Archie is doing; apparently - he never leans against her. He likes cuddling with her on the couch and getting belly rubs - but the leaning? Only me.

I never really thought about the leaning much. It's something dogs do - and I didn't think it was necessarily special. I also didn't think of Archie as a particularly affectionate dog - he doesn't really give kisses or anything. I know he's always excited to see me - but I guess I thought it was something he did with most visitors.

Anyway, apparently this dog really loves me and it makes me feel really special and happy. He's such a sweetie.

I am house/dog-sitting for a family who will be gone for almost two weeks. Their dog is three-years-old and a big sweetheart. She is crate-trained, but every time I try to put her in the crate, she avoids it like the plague. I've been luring her into it with treats, but when I move away, she starts whining and barking. I took her out to go potty, but she kept doing it afterward. Looking it up, I think she might be having separation anxiety. I've never petsat a dog who is crate-trained before, or one who is a larger dog. The other dog I watch is smaller and can be soothed with the TV on and snuggles. This dog isn't near the TV, and their crate is too big to move. Any advice?

Hi everyone,

To preface, this job is an overnight two week long housesitting job where I am in the house during the day unless I go out to do errands. I live relatively far and gas is quite expensive so it’s not feasible for me to be going home every day (would take a huge chunk out of what I’m being paid).

TLDR: petsit was more full on than expected. Reactive, aggressive dogs to any living external stimuli. Will attack and bite strangers, including children. I’ve decided to put a pause on their walks and use other tools for exercise and enrichment in their home. Looking for advice.

I recently took on a house sitting job to watch two dachshunds. They’re extremely reactive to other dogs, people, children, etc. and any sounds outside of the home. One of the dogs has some separation anxiety that I’m not sure that the owner is fully aware of. I can’t be alone in a room in the house without her whining, barking, and scratching on the door. She did this for an hour and a half when I had a terrible migraine (can’t drive anywhere, I have vision loss and I’m vomiting so I can’t have a dog crawling on top of me). All her needs had been met! I can’t even sit on a chair without the same behaviour. She cries if I don’t let her on the bed, even though the owner told me that they can sleep in their crates and I even had the option the sleep in a guest room in the basement where they’re not even allowed to go. It’s been much more full on and exhausting than I thought it would be. I was able to eventually establish the crate as her sleeping space which has improved my experience immensely, as I still can’t have time away from her if I’m in the home otherwise. She has a no sense of physical boundaries when I try to have my own space, and I can’t relax in the home without her insisting on crawling inside my skin. I needed some kind of reprieve- I felt like I was going mad! Now thankfully it has gotten better since I ignore her when appropriate and she’s seeming to be more steady with herself as she’s learns that nothing bad happens when she can’t have inappropriate access to me.

We’ve worked on other things together and made some adjustments such as:

- working their brains more with games i.e. doing some nose work to find their kibble around the house for their meals, using tshirts/games, etc.

- playing when they initiate and stopping when they’re done to ensure exercise and positive stimulation.

- spending more time on the yard with all of the triggers happening outside of it, and even doing some kibble searches out there. Coming inside when the barking goes for too long, and reducing the allowed barking time over time.

-utilizing the crate with their burrowing blankets as a safe space for when they are being reactive to external stimuli inside the house, sleeping in the crate, getting treats each time I put them in it, covering it with a blanket, etc.

- playing desensitization sounds on the tv, which they stopped reacting to all varieties pretty quickly. Too smart!

- working on their “no barking” command consistently.

- walking them separately -> best decision ever!

- structured training walks only, with controlled sniffing time as they’re hounds and need it!

As far as the walks go, here are some things we’ve worked on:

They were fairly dull to leash pressure, which made it difficult to have control when they were calm and damn near impossible when they were reacting to any “threats”, which could be relatively far away.

They also had been allowed to pull the owner around to sniff wherever they pleased and would refuse if asked to move on before they decided that they wanted to. I’ve been working on establishing myself as the decision maker on these walks, allowing them to sniff when offered and gradually increasing the time I gave them as they improved. We stopped anytime they pulled and it was up to them to release that pressure, which they would get rewarded for immediately.

Teaching them the “look” command and the “yes” marker along with it so I can reward them looking at me and giving me their attention. My main goal was to create a habit of them checking in with me and also establish myself as a leader. This is also great as it gives me leverage to get their attention when working on other training goals.

They’re very smart girls and have learned so quick. They seem to have gained a lot of confidence overall and trust in me as their walker. I’ve been able to redirect them away from threats quicker and more successfully over time, but they are still so very aggressive. In spite of what I’m getting paid (which isn’t even enough for the level of care I’m providing if it were for non-reactive dogs, but I digress), I have only been able to do so much within the span of just under two weeks for dogs that need a professional trainer to come in. I know 100% that if they got loose during our walks, they would attack and bite people, based off of my personal experience with them and the owner’s admission of it. I did everything I possibly can to walk them during times when no one is around, but it gets very cold in the morning and night here and the owner has not provided me with anything I can put them in (especially the short haired one poor baby!). I’m not comfortable walking them during peak hours- I think it would be incredibly irresponsible of me not only for myself but for everyone else, especially since they don’t have muzzles as a safeguard.

Important preface: the owner was very lax about the amount and length of walks that I do. I asked her for a specific number per day/lengths and she did not give me any. I do not take them every day anymore. I find that the walks are more stressful than enriching to them, and they don’t get enough physical exercise within the time that both of our brains are too tired and we need to go home. It’s too much of a liability and I am not a trainer, nor am I paid or insured like one. We do lots in the house and the yard, and they seem to really enjoy it, as well as hanging around with me which they seem to almost enjoy more. They aren’t showing any negative signs from having less walks and I know (or at least I think I know) logically that this is the best course of action for them at this time, but it’s hard to not be worried that I’m doing something wrong. I’m doing the best that I can but I’m nervous that I’m making a mistake here.

Does anyone have any advice or opinions at all? Or any fun (inexpensive!) activities that I can do with the girls? Constructive criticism welcome, as I just want to do my best!

We have a few days left of the sit and I want their owner to come back to dogs better than she left. I’m hoping to give her a write up of what we worked on and personal recommendations for the future (she said she would like one when I asked!). Also I would like to offer to walk each of them with her to show her everything so she can implement it going forward. Would it be too forward of me to mention a trainer and potentially teaching them to wear basket muzzles for safety? I do really care about the dogs and the owner and I would hate to not do everything I can to give them the tools that they need! They have so much potential and they really are lovely dogs.

​

I’m in the process of updating and rewriting my client contract and would love to hear from other professional pet sitters about things you’ve added that aren’t necessarily standard, but have been helpful in protecting you, your staff, and your business.

For example, I’m considering adding clauses such as:

• No cameras or recording devices in bedrooms or bathrooms where a sitter may be sleeping or changing.

• If a home has electronic/smart locks, clients must provide a backup key or hide-a-key in case the system fails or the power/internet goes out.

I’d love to hear what unusual or “I’m really glad I added that” clauses you have in your contracts — especially things you learned from experience!

Feel free to share the clause/topic (you don’t have to post your entire contract). I’m just looking for ideas to make sure I’m not overlooking anything.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone - I hope you're all doing well with your current sit, or break between sits

I've just reactivated my pet sitting profile after taking a few months off. The last time I was sitting I ended up being focused on caring for a single doggo with weekly home visits and frequent sits (1 - 3 weeks long) while his mum was away for work.

I loved that dog so much but the whole situation ended up getting too stressful because his mum was super chaotic (incl. constant package deliveries, piles of cheap impulse purchases were piled up everywhere, heaps of materials for random projects added to all of these piles inside the main living areas) and she increasingly chewed up a lot of my personal time (e.g. by never leaving when she said she would, even for interstate flights, then making me feel like a captive audience), while showing less and less consideration in terms of cleanliness, usability of appliances and spaces, plus there was a particular unfinished project combined with extended wet weather caused HEAPS of extra work due to mud constantly being tracked into the house...

But here I am today, the first sit in ages and I'm questioning my life choices.

The puppy is over my 6 month threshold, but...but they have SO many bad habits that weren't apparent at the meet and greet (I now understand why Dad was playing with him the entire time...it completely obscured the reality of the situation).

The most challenging behaviours are jumping up to play bite me at every opportunity and almost constantly licking (exposed skin is his favourite - so overstimulating!!! Ughh!). The crazy thing is they've taught him almost nothing in the 5 months they've had him, but he's shown himself to exceptionally easy (and willing) to train. Unfortunately the jumping and licking and ingrained habits (he's trying hard though).

And this is a beautiful, stylish home...so why did they leave me with a wet, dirty, mouldy bathmat to use, the gross shower puff on the shower nob (it's not possible to turn the water on without touching it), and a dirty towel on the only available hook in the bathroom? I would personally be mortified if any kind of guest had to interface this volume of my moist, DNA soaked fabrics...🤢

Not only that, they initially showed me where I'd be sleeping - a lovely room with a made up bed, but when I arrived for the sit it was stripped with some folded bedding tossed in the corner...

I'm mega stressed at the moment and have major assessments to work on (which they knew about), so the extra labour, the inability to relax or slightly chill around this puppy, and the complete lack of consideration around bathroom hygiene has left me feeling exploited and disgusted.

When I did a year of pet sitting in a major city here in Australia (a place that was way more superficial, busy and impersonal), it was rare that I encountered anything like this. But, strangely, being back in this regional area where I grew up - an expensive coastal town - this seems to be the norm instead of an exception...and no matter how I adjust my profile information (which people don't even seem to read - most enquiries are for the types of service I don't offer or for locations I don't serve) I haven't found any ways to prevent these things from repeating.

None of this is worth it for the price I'm charging... And the lack of basic respect and consideration is just so hard to comprehend.

Hi!!

I have had a pet sitting business for 4 years now and a new mom. I want to keep growing my business and create a team that is successful! I use to do overnights but am thinking about transitioning out of it or having select clients that really need it due to pets needing extra care.

My main problem is finding the correct individual to fill these spots especially because most of them work finding the right schedule for pets and person. I want to be able to train and create a strong team that are confident in taking care of any pet. How do I go about finding the correct pay rate and service prices that make everyone happy(especially my team) while also making money for the business and myself. I want to be able to somewhat step back in services and do more of the backend things.