Hello, I’m Zuzka and I’d like to share my experience pet sitting with my partner Ondra.
In 2021 my friend - let’s call her M - got a pair of kittens and we offered to babysit them anytime since we both worked remotely. (Well it was the covid season, so many people did.) We ended up taking care of the kittens while M was on vacation in the summer and since we really enjoyed it and she was content with the concept, we repeated it later that year. That’s when we realized more people might benefit from someone with flexible work housesitting for them and we found TrustedHousesitters.
Creating the profile
We checked multiple platforms dedicated to pet sitting (while living at the pet’s house). Since we live in Europe and wanted to primarily travel locally we opted for trustedhousesitters. Some parts of the world have specialized platforms (Australia’s aussiehousesitters for example) but overall THS are the most popular platform for house sitting.
We worked on our profile for a bit - we choose pictures of some pet we took care of before, and wrote all the texts trying to be as honest as possible (If I were a house owner and realized that a sitter described themself just to sound good, I would be mad.). We also utilized all we could to look real and verified - we filled in our identification, requested a review from M and attached our Airbnb profile (which has multiple reviews from Airbnb hosts) and LinkedIn profile.
Applying for sits
With our profile ready and standard membership acquired, we started applying for sits. Read our tips and tricks to find your first sit.
We tried some competitive sits, but mostly we applied for sits that we had a better chance at booking: About a week-long, relatively close by and not in the most buzzing location. The first sit we agreed on was in the Netherlands in a rather non-touristic area that we could get to with an overnight bus. The second sit we agreed on (with a sooner arrival date though) was even closer in a german town that once again isn’t your typical tourist destination. When applying for any sit after that we had the advantage of at least one in platform review.
To be comprehensive (and to help you be persistent) the first owner that actually responded within a reasonable time was the eight we approached, and he ended up choosing us. Now (May 2022) we have an average of 5 applications per confirmed sit.
The first sit
The owners wanted to see us in person to show us around (and to check us out to be honest). We got a flat tour and then small-talked for a while, then they wanted to finish some packing up, so we just work on our laptops to stay out of their way. The couple obviously had a strong connection with their cats and frequently asked us how things are going. This sit has helped us understand how nerve wracking it must be to leave your home and pets to someone. We made sure to always be proactively reassuring, giving updates and sending pictures moving forward.
Another thing we learned from this sit is to think more ahead when it comes to the final cleaning. The owners can already be on a plane and unavailable if you need any last-minute advice. We learned to plan the cleaning a day ahead. (Laundry/bedding can be tricky if they don’t have a dryer.)
The sit was overall a success, we left looking forward to going on the next one!
