r/petsitting

Genuinely curious how other sitters deal with this. I've had clients send me a wall of text over messages, leave a sticky note on the counter, and then verbally mention something important as they're walking out the door. Half the time I'm standing in front of the thermostat trying to match their paragraph to the actual buttons, or I can't remember if the dog gets one scoop or two.

The worst is when the alarm code is in one text, the lockbox code is on a sticky note, and the wifi password is somewhere I never found. I always figure it out but it's stressful, especially for an overnight sit where I really don't want to call them while they're on vacation.

I've started asking clients to send me photos of the important stuff (thermostat panel, food container, where the spare key goes) and that's helped a lot honestly. Way easier than reading a paragraph. Curious if anyone has a better approach or a way you ask clients to organize the handoff before they leave?

Hi! A weekly walk client of mine recently asked for housesitting from me for 4 nights. She requested it weeks ago and it was set to start 8/20 7p. Last night, she let me know that her ex husband would be taking care of the dogs now. (I didn't need to know that. But that's what she told me). She asked if she could use the housesitting as credit for the upcoming weeks of walks. I agreed. But I really didn't want to and realize I don't really have a policy in place for something like this. I just know I'm now not going to make 7 weeks of walk money in addition to the housesitting and I'm frustrated.

What would you have done?

Hello! Im looking for at drop in pet sitter for my 6 month old kitten when my wife and i go on our honeymoon in october. Ive found some company’s nearby that advertise that theyre members of “Professional United Pet Sitters” http://www.petsits.com and “Member, Professional Pet Sitter Associates Insure By PSA” my question is do these sites mean anything? Im new to in home pet sitting as my dogs always been boarded, but im trying to avoid boarding my cat…because well.. cats dont like it as much.

Edit: i also tried to look them up on these sites and cant find them..but theyre well reviewed on google

Thank you!

I want to tell a client that I’m dropping her, but it’s not her fault. She lives in a building where I used to have several clients, however, they all moved to different areas of my state. (some of whom are close enough that I can still retain them as clients.)

Her building is too far away for me to really want to make the trip just for her dogs. I end up losing money, so it doesn’t really make any fiscal sense for me to continue working for that client. I just don’t know how to word it.

And is 30 days enough notice?

I've been pet sitting/dog walking for well over a year now and have worked with dogs for the last 9 years. I was on a dog sitting/walking app and had a few clients there and had previously worked at a doggy daycare and connected with many families that way. Since I moved, I have started my own business. My current clients are great and many have left either facebook or google reviews, but is it weird or unprofessional to reach out to my past clients (from "the app" or the daycare) and ask them to leave a review under my business profile? I feel so awkward reaching out because I didn't care for their pets under this business name. Should I just focus on having my current clients leave reviews instead?​ TYIA

My boyfriend and I have been in 4 different pet sittings places since June. We got 4 different dogs (a few cats).

The dog we have now, Kittie, an Italian water dog, is very cute, but she wasn't trained. Which means that we (mostly me in fact, because my boyfriend works 6 days a week) stay with a untrained dog who needs a ridiculous amount of attention and who's really stressed.

The stay is 3 weeks total. We have 8 days left to go... The other dog before wasn't much better, both barked when they see a leaf falling: Kittie even barked this morning after I farted 😭😂 I cannot even fart peacefully which is let's say not very relaxing. Her barking is very loud... Of course we didn't know it before coming; the owner (Let's call her Kate) told us just when we met that we needed to sleep with her 😵‍💫 I refused that and thankfully after 4 or 5 nights she got used to not sleeping with us.

Is it normal? Apart from my recent stays I have experience with cats but not with dogs. My boyfriend is a bit more but he has never seen a dog like that either.

It's much worst than having a baby: at least, with a baby, you can have quiet time when you go for a walk. But with this dog going for a walk isn't a break: she sniffs everything, pulls the leash all the time and barks.

I've been training her to walk properly since we got here and it's been WAY better - but she's 5, so her habits take time to change. Everytime we cross a street, she gets nervous and starts running ahead! She not only attacks every dogs, but by 3 TIMES SHE RAN INTO A MOVING CAR! She sprinted towards it while barking like a kamikaze in a mission!

I'm pretty sure it happens because her owner always let her lead 5 meters in front of her so obviously it makes crossing streets quite stressful for both of them. A dog isn't supposed to lead a human 🤦

I trained her to calm down and stay next to me and it's night and day (she might get back into her habits with Kate). She's also overall more relaxed since she realized that I won't walk her 5 times a day or play with her all the time.

Kate also told us we need to eat before feeding her. That if she didn't see us eating because we ate out, we need to eat a cracker in front of her before feeding her. Which dog won't eat their serving?

Also, yes it's a beautiful house (close to Sydney Australia) but we were told that there was a private deck that gets to the yard and she could go and play anytime. But no, because the deck is being reconstructed and since we got here there's workers all day. So no yard. In fact, it was just starting when we got here and it will be pretty much done when they'll come back. Exactly as if they planned their trip at that convenient moment 😭 so we deal with the noises.

So not only I can't relax with the dog anywhere but I cannot relax either in the house either because there's workers around at all the time. The noises, chain saw, their loud music, but also the dog unexpectedly barking all the time... At first I kept the shades open from the patio doors to let light enter but no, you don't do that when you're a solo female in a house all day if there's 3 men on the deck. The workers were quite polite but I don't feel very comfortable with it so I now close the blinds.

And in the beginning I also closed the blind in the front of the house so Kittie doesn't barks at everyone walking, and I read it was a good idea for a dog that barks. So now all the blinds are closed lol.

She also scratches herself a lot. We give ear drops and up to now I washed her 3 times. Sometimes it's hard to tell if she does it for attention or for real. When she wants to stimulation, basically all the time (I think Kate works from home and takes a break every hour or so to make her play, stimulate her and walk with her). If I try to chill she'll sit in front of me, scratch, cry, go around me in all directions, wait and stare, and do it all again. That's my "relaxing" time. I have a friend who's a dog trainer and she gave me some tips so it's a bit better... But still.

I'm so tired of the sit, I think I might not be a dog person also. I cannot do anything or start any project because I won't be able to concentrate long enough to get into it. I don't know what to do. My boyfriend said I could let her bark if I put her outside but I there's many neighbors and no dogs barking here. I feel stressed and I'm just looking forward it to be done. Now it's 8am, I already walked her once, there's workers plus electricians all around the house, I don't have electricity for one hour, their music is loud and bad and she barks at all of them. And I will have 5 more days like that because it's Monday 🤦

Yes I can go on a walk alone (I'm 30 minutes walking down hill from the ocean and coffee places) but then I still need to walk her when I'm back. And I might be too complaining but the fact that we're up hill and that whenever we go somewhere we need to go up and down hills all the time. If I go to a coffee place by the ocean I need to walk back 30 minutes uphill, it's not an easy one...a neighbor was surprised when he saw me and asked me asked if I was doing it everyday as if it was impossible, and he lives here lol.

I'm not too sure if it's just a normal pet sitting or it's an extreme one. But what I know is that after that I'll need a break from dogs.

This is mostly me venting/looking for reassurance and validation I guess. I love animals and have had many animal oriented jobs over the years and have been pet sitting on and off since I was probably 15 (I’m almost 30). I’m usually a very patient person but like any other human, I have a limit.

I’m feeling really guilty over a pet stay I had a few weeks ago. I was taking care of a puppy that’s a large breed (over 80 lbs). She had done training before and puppy boot camp and all that but is still learning her manners and obviously has a lot of energy.

As y’all know I’m sure, puppies usually have those bursts of energy, nap for a few hours, and then maybe get a second but shorter wind later on. This dog was non stop. She would be clearly very very tired and then still going at a million miles an hour.

I took her on long walks, played with her and her toys, gave her kongs with PB and she would still be in crazy mode for hours and bouncing around and flinging her toys all over the place (and at me). She was constantly antagonizing her kitty siblings too. I did put her in her crate now and then to give her a bit of a forced rest.

I reached a point where I was just very frustrated because there wasn’t much of a reprieve from the constant energy and her being a nut, regardless of what I did. I didn’t want to just keep her in the crate for hours. After doing all the above things, I would try to ignore her for a bit and it just made things worse. Constant whining, pawing, throwing her toys all over the place and me, zooming around on the couch (she is allowed on the furniture).

I’m just feeling guilty and like a horrid pet sitter because I feel like I spent most of the stay being frustrated/being firm/scolding her and not a ton of time giving her affection and love. I did still give her pets and belly rubs and tell her she was a good girl when she was being calm and gave her treats. I regret scolding her so much, I feel so horrible about it. I was just feeling very frustrated and was out of patience.

I genuinely feel so guilty weeks later and like texting the owner but idk if that’s really a great idea. I guess I just have to move past it and use it as a learning experience and probably just not stay with this dog anymore?

Would appreciate any thoughts anyone has.

I am one of a few others in my community that network together. We are trying to expand our network as we believe in community over competition.

Our city is huge and some sitters cover the entire city and some choose to cover a small area. We love being able to refer out to each other when prospective clients don’t match our area/skills/niches as well as general support as this job can get lonely!

We post about our network on social media.

🐾 What would motivate you to attend a meeting (usually an informal dinner/drinks)?
🐾 What would keep you coming back?
🐾 What makes you hesitate to join?

I appreciate all of your feedback 😸

ETA - it’s not just the spiders!! It’s everything, it’s the huge house when I’m on my own, it’s how dark it is at night, it’s the length of it, my current mental state etc

So I’m currently 4 days in to a 20 day house/pet sit and I’m just having an absolute mental breakdown. I’ve never been this bad before and I really wish I hadn’t agreed to it. The dog is absolutely lovely, no problems with the dog at all.
Obviously people are going to say I shouldn’t have done this and I know that but I can’t go back and change it now! I booked this in 6 months ago and I was in a much better frame of mind back then and was determined not to let them down.
It’s just that the house is huge and I’m here alone, it’s an old house with quite a few cobwebs and it’s currently house spider season so I’m constantly on edge and I struggle even more at night when it starts to get dark. I’m just sat here in tears at the moment wondering how I’m supposed to do another 16 nights here.
I *could* if the owners allow have the dog at my place instead for the remainder but I don’t know how they’d take that. They are lovely but obviously I don’t know them that well and I just don’t know what the best thing to do is?
I feel like I’m down to 3 options and just want opinions on the best thing to do?
1 - ask to have the dog at my place until the owners are back
2 - see if they would be happy for me to find a replacement sitter
3 - ask if my partner can stay with me for the remaining nights

Please be kind

I’m going from working for a cat sitting company to setting up on my own and wanted some input on one of the ideas I had. I found it annoying when customers would have a specific time to be there for (not a time frame), unless it was for a necessary reason like medication. I want to try and avoid that on my own as the main reason for me going solo is so I have more autonomy. Is it worth charging more or should I just set a boundary?

So the only time I’ve done overnight cat sitting is when there are dogs in the house who I’m also hired to care for, because when given my overnight rates, most cat owners choose 2 drop-ins a day instead. I ask because I’m cat sitting for my sister for two weeks for free because she has helped me out in the past, but a couple months ago I was offered a long gig that pays $1500. I explained to my sister that I couldn’t pass up the income even though it overlaps with half of her trip and she was annoyed but understanding.

The dogs I am sitting for have a dog door and the parents are fine with me leaving them for 5-6 hours stretches, so my sister and I agreed I would come by her house first thing at 7:30 am, late afternoon, and in the evening until 10 pm. She leaves Friday and she is really having a hard time with it as the trip approaches. It turns out she was only understanding because she assumed my 22-year-old niece would stay overnight, but she just started a new job and her mom’s place is too far of a commute. Now I’m feeling like I should hire someone else to sleep at her house for the seven nights that I am not able to stay there even though I think she should be able to manage her fears that something will happen to them in the night simply because no one is there.

This has turned into an AITAH post, but I truly want to hear your experience. Do you guys have overnight cat clients? Is it only uncommon where I live? If you are Cat Parents, do you feel comfortable leaving them alone overnight? Thanks.

I’m a pet sitter and am currently doing an overnight with a dog I’ve cared for multiple times before. I’ve walked him, given him treats, and even carried him without any issues. The owner never mentioned any resource guarding, only that he can be a little weird with new people.
Tonight I reached for his puzzle toy to add more treats, and he suddenly snapped and broke the skin on my knee. What surprised me most is that he showed absolutely no warning signs beforehand. I have several years of experience working with dogs and cats and know the common signs to look for, but I didn’t notice any growling, stiffening, lip lifting, or other signals before it happened.
Looking back, I’m wondering if it was resource guarding. I have a 3-night stay booked with him in September and now I’m unsure what to do. Would you still take the booking, or is this a red flag?

Question for you all

I have been pet sitting for 10+ years. This past weekend I had a pet sit where the family used the neighbor for part of the visits and me for the others. (I know it’s not ideal but money is money at this point and one less visit for me to drive 2 hours for the day is worth it).

But the one older dog had a MAJOR accident. I think the neighbor girl didn’t let the dog out long enough. Causing her to poop the crate and lay in it all night. She was COVERED in poop and then when I let her out she shook all over the house causing poop to fly EVERYWHERE. Then she went out and I found drops of blood (already remedied with owner not needing advice) so I ended up cleaning their outside patio, the dog with the hose (that the dog would not let me move her closer to hose but used to being groomed as it is a doodle) she would not move so I could wash her better, the entire length of the house of poop, myself who was covered. Added an extra visit nothing. The next scheduled visit 4 hours later found MORE poop and blood all over the office. It comes with the job. But never have I EVER had to deal with this much clean up. Oh and the crate doesn’t come apart. I had to crawl in there to clean (fancy crate). Took me 1.5 hours to clean everything the first time. Second time was 45 min or so.
All because I believe the neighbor girl didn’t make sure the dog pooped before bed.

Not looking to charge a lot but what would you charge for something like that?

We have fantastic neighbors that love our dog, Louie. He loves them too. Our backyards have a gate between that when opened he can go between yards.

They have kept him for us for just a few hours here and there but as excited as he is to be with them within 20 minutes he's whining and crying to come back home. It makes our neighbors feel so bad! My question is how can we make him OK with staying and not feeling abandoned by us? One thought process is to do a couple of practice runs. Keep the gate open, let him come up on porch and see doors closed. Then have neighbors come in with him to see we're not there. Louie has big time FOMO. I think since these are his 2nd favorite people he'd go back home with them and be ok. Any other suggestions to help with an overnight stay?

We really don't want to board him.

I had posted here yesterday looking for solutions to an issue I had thought my own dog caused while at at sit. I had woken up to a rather expensive pair of cowboy boots chewed up, and with my pups history, assumed he was the culprit.

You all gave me such nice suggestions. I did end up leaving a card and some new toys for her pups, as she wouldn't let me go without pay.

It turns out, it WAS NOT MY DOG! I was also watching her son's dog, who's never had an issue with things like this either. But guess who threw up boot remnants after she got home lol. So, my dog's probationary period has ended and we're off the hook. Mr. Lincoln has a little boot-induced tummy ache and an angry dad, but he's alright.

I guess the moral of the story is, you cant always make assumptions based on prior experience with the pups you're sitting. That dog has never chewed shoes before, but apparently he was feeling a little spicy. I was happy to put the blame on myself, but definitely glad it ended up not being my dog.

hey all, ive been irregularly dog sitting my neighbors two dogs for over a year, and i think ive found the reason they both seem unhappy.

my thought is they just arent compatible together.

their behavior together has always been odd: the younger dog pushing the older around while the older doesnt set boundries, the older dog seeming distressed, younger dog initiating play the older dog ignores (which turns into both dogs trying to lick to others genitals and hump them)

the older dog seems so stressed and upset constantly, and the younger dog seems bored and equally upset.

what do i do? do i say anything about it to my neighbor? it feels rude to intrude like this and i dont know much about dog psychology, but both dogs seem so unhappy. please give me advice!!