Pet sitting websites

[thisisasurvivor]

Hello all

Just checking experiences of pet setting websites

I have donkeys
Three cats and two dogs

I would only ever go away for 1-2 days at a time with a family member doing 3-4 drop ins per day for pets

We are hoping to do two weeks next Aug in Spain

I wonder if I should sign up to those sites that allow people to come here to help out?

Too risky?

Or I take the dogs by ferry from Dublin to Spain????

..

We found lovely pet sitters through a website, but we only have one dog and he stays with them when we’re away. He loves having a holiday with them!

So that’s different having someone come to your house. Could you see whether your family or friends know someone who could help out? You’d pay them, of course. Both my DD (19) and DS (15) pet sit for various neighbors during the summer holidays. They’re generally asked to go in twice a day to feed and play with the pets, they take in the post, etc. ----

I have used Trusted Housesitters but honestly they all seem to want a single cat or a single cute little dog. Or a really nice house in a lovely part of the country. I have 2 fairly big dogs in a bog standard house in a bog standard part of the world, and it's a struggle - i thought I had people booked but was let down twice (I suspect they got a better offer) so now I rely on family or paid sitter.

We have found two amazing dog sitters via Rover. We use them both in rotation depending on who is available when we need them. They take good care of our house and our dog loves them. I know they both take on wider ranges of pets and one is very competent with horses.

Seriously

Well we have a stunning new build
Middle of no where
Countryside

But I don't know what to do

Do you mind if I ask daily rate?

I use Trusted Housesitters - have had no bother getting sitters for my 2 cats in a small flat in small seaside town. I was introduced to the website by friends who regularly sit for people with a range of creatures - including hens, sheep, ponies etc.

Of course not OP. We pay £40 per 24 hours which includes 2 walks each day. Some charge a little more and some a bit less (and some offer a reduced day rate for longer bookings).

Thank you all

If you’re planning on booking a trip away then I’d really recommend against using any of the free pet sitting type sites. Because no money is being exchanged there is a much higher chance that people change their minds, don’t fancy it at the time, or start doing it and after a couple of days can’t be bothered anymore and just want to leave. Plus, the casual pet sitting/house sitter website people will not have insurance to cover any issues.

Find a paid pet sitter. We use a local one for our dog when we go away, it’s in their home and is £45 per night so not cheap but they are fully registered and insured.

That has been my main worry

So the lovely lady I normally get is out of action

She is great and it's money well spent

Will try to see who else I can get locally

Those websites seem too good to be true don't they !!!

Me and my partner do sits via Trusted Housesitters. We see them as mini holidays (we both work from home, so we do have to work) and we tend to sit for cats, or a small dog/couple of small dogs. We don't have the time to do a 2 hour dog walk, for example, so we wouldn't apply for that, but the lovely beagle who wants a pre work 30 minute stroll and sniff and a lunchtime stroll and sniff fits in with our working hours, so we'd apply for that sit.

Personally we've not done anything with livestock, but are open to it. It depends on the sit-we saw one with something like a couple of goats and sheep and the listing said the animals need their entire stable cleaning out daily, and then said 'we have a hot tub, you are allowed to use it but only for an hour a day' and that felt like a bit of an imbalance in what they were expecting from us compared to what we are doing for them.

The sits we've done have been 'here is a room with a desk in you are welcome to use to work in, here is a bed that's comfortable (we don't expect this to be the master bedroom, if you have a comfortable guest room, great!) and help yourself to food'. We don't eat all, or much at all, of someone's food, but knowing we can use some of your butter, your herbs and spices and some teabags means we can feel relaxed looking after your beloved pets. And we'll love them as much as they want whilst we're there-the sit we are on now, cat keeps coming, yelling at us, them presenting his bum for bum scratches. He has not been turned down for his scratches

If you did decide on trusted housesitters, sitters are given reviews from previous homeowners (and they also leave reviews) and you can read them-so it's clear that a sitter with multiple reviews, who in their reviews of the homes talks about the pet and clearly got to know them, is a safe pair of hands. You tend to message and then video call before locking a sit in, too

We also use Rover and pay about $40 a night.

Pay someone. That's a lot of work to expect for free. I work for myself and for an agency - if you want the agency details feel free to DM. They are great.

This year I asked someone from a site Pawshake. She lives nearby. She was the cheapest. Asked 10 euro a day to feed and pet 2 rabbits half an hour each day for 2 weeks. Others asked 18 euro. It was great. She sent me a pic every day and told me they were doing fine. The plants died though lol.

Ok so my friends said try this??

We found a lovely couple via Rover. I wouldn’t go near house sitters that did it for free I’m afraid. We pay £40 per day for 2 large dogs. We did a few overnights first with family being on hand in case anything went wrong before travelling for 2 weeks. We’ve had the same sitters for 3 years now.

I agree, @Petunia2024, it’s an important commitment and we need to pay for it.

Good to know

Like it's a risk isn't it

I would be so worried if they were not vetted and if I know they have worked for others also who have had good experiences

I have no problem with paying over and above so that I can relax and know they are safe

My dream is to bring my two dogs with me
But is it too much to put them through. Two days travel??

If I did I would stay for three weeks then

You’ll be stopping overnight, just factor in plenty of stops along the way. We’ve travelled to Europe with our 2 dogs and we just factored in stopping every few hours and a 2 hour walk both days we travelled. Remember it’s going to be hot too, we don’t travel in the summer months due to this as they just can’t cope with the heat.

I know plenty of people who travel long distance with their dogs, @thisisasurvivor. It completely depends on the dog though. Ours hates even short car journeys and has to take anti-anxiety medication! So he absolutely couldn’t travel, he’s much happier staying with our pet sitters.

Yes we did the same and introduced them gradually. Firstly they met the dog with us at home and we all went for a short walk together. Then they took the dog for a short walk alone a few days later. Then they dog sat for an afternoon one week, and a single night the following week before we moved onto longer time periods.

Ahh yes no too much for them

I will ask friends to come stay and il pay them

I can't risk it

So helpful