Tag: cats

Pet Sit Prep for Trusted Housesitters

On By Travels with MelindaIn pet sitting, Travel, travel hacks, travel tips, travelling, Trusted Housesitter, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Congratulations! You’ve been accepted for your first pet sit by applying online with Trusted Housesitters. Now what? It’s very important to clearly communicate with your pet sit hosts prior to and during the visit while they are away. For our international sit, we arrived the day before starting, stayed in a local hotel at our own expense, and let our hosts know when we landed so they would be able to relax knowing their pet sitters were in the country. We met the hosts several hours before they departed for their flight the next day, so we could get a house walk-through, meet the pet, and ask any questions. Be sure to have your hosts fill out the Trusted Housesitters online guide in advance so you have time to read it and prepare questions for them. Even for domestic sits, we followed this plan and all has gone well so far. While you are at your pet sit, send pictures of the pet to their owner so they know all is going well. Follow my tips below for a great pet-sitting experience!

And if you haven’t already joined Trusted Housesitters, use this link to get 25% off and start your pet-sitting adventures today!

IMPORTANT TIPS-BEFORE THE PET OWNER LEAVES YOU IN CHARGE!

  • Have the hosts physically show you how to operate all appliances. We have learned how to use unique microwave/oven combos, a very fancy coffee espresso machine, a gas hob aka stove with electric oven, radiator heat, etc. Ask the owner where they keep instructions on how to use everything or, better yet, get online links to them. In France on our girl’s trip, we had to watch a YouTube video on how to work the washer/dryer because all the labels on the panel were in French. We eventually found out in London that their dryer didn’t vent outside but rather had a water collection tube that needed to be emptied so that it could dry the clothes. After several hours of clothes tumbling without drying, we investigated further and figured it out. We have learned to just ask the hosts to show us how to work all their appliances before they leave us in charge.
  • Have owners show you how to lock up their house, which seems uncomplicated until you stay at an old house with multiple door locks. Try it yourself before they leave. Ask the host if there is a door key hidden outside the house in case you forget your key on an auto locking door. You do not want to have to take out the window screen and crawl through a window like we had to at our first pet sit when the door key code stopped working. The hosts were mortified because it was their fault that the guest key code setting expired. Who else has keys in case you lock yourself out? Housekeeper? Neighbor? Is there a relative close by? Stuff happens. Be prepared.
  • Ask for neighbor names, contact info, neighborhood groups on WhatsApp or Facebook, etc. You never know when you might need local help.
  • It’s very important to follow your hosts’ instructions as every pet is different with their sleep/eating/medication/walk schedules. You might be used to giving your own pet a treat after every walk, but you should respect the owners wishes. For one sit, the pup got their food weighed for each meal and put into an eating dish that had several compartments to help the pet eat more slowly to aid digestion and no pet “treats” were allowed.
  • Whether or not the pet is allowed on furniture is another topic to discuss. One pet owner lost that battle a long time ago they said so their dog would run from couch to couch to look out the window at birds and passerby’s. This pup was not one to bark but another good question to ask pet owners is if the animal you are watching barks a lot, especially important in apartments where neighbors might be bothered by it. Does the pet sleep in a crate or expect to cuddle up with you? Important to ask this question before you accept the sit just in case you don’t want four lively dogs sharing your bed. That happened to us!
  • When walking dogs, there may be rain and thus mud, so be ready to use a towel to wipe down the pup after every walk. While the owners might feel comfortable allowing their dog off leash, we don’t feel comfortable with that, and we tell pet owners that we will keep their dog(s) leashed for all outside walks. You never know if a random dog might get aggressive and bite your dog (it has happened to our pets!) so we want to have some control to keep everyone safe.
  • Another local hazard we were advised of on one of our pet sits was to watch out for foxes both in the backyard (they climbed over the home back-office structure roof to gain entry) and when out walking the dog in the neighborhood. We don’t have that problem back home as really only squirrels are running around our local area.
  • Make sure to ask the hosts how much time their pet should be left alone. In the initial interview before you are chosen, be prepared to share if you are planning any day trips or want to do a lot of sightseeing when you pet sit. If you are thinking that you might try to slip away and the owners won’t find out, I would advise against that as most places have security cameras (check with hosts on this so you know in advance) and neighbors who will be watching your movements for the hosts. We did have one sit with an interior camera which we turned to the wall, but the outside cameras are fine and good for security reasons.
  • Speaking of security, be sure to get all the information on how their systems work, passcodes and #’s to call for the security company if you have a problem. Most pet owners will leave you with phone #’s of any person we might need locally for help with the alarm system.
  • For the month-long London sit we did, they had a house cleaner, window washer, and a gardener come every week. Yeah! Ask your pet owners if any service people are allowed in the house while they are gone. If you don’t have cleaning help, be sure to leave the house in pristine condition when you leave. We try to wash the towels and sheets prior to leaving, take out the garbage, do floors and light cleaning of entire house. This type of attention to detail will result in 5-star reviews and being chosen for future pet sits.

Finally, have fun staying in a new location and getting to know your new furry friends. Enjoy the journey!

Annapolis Pet Sit

On By Travels with MelindaIn Annapolis, pet sitting, Trusted HousesitterLeave a comment

We came to pet sit a dog, a cat, and a bird in Annapolis. A surprise bonus was Momma Dove giving birth in her back porch nest during our stay. Indoor AND outdoor animals to watch on this sit! If you’ve never tried pet sitting, I would highly recommend it. You get to meet new furry (and feathered) friends, visit new places, and all through a reliable service, Trusted Housesitters, that we have used for years!

The birds flying through the forest we overlooked were very entertaining. The aggressive bluebird attacked the squirrels who dared trying to get to their birdfeeders. Also, I spied a movement on the forest floor, and it turned out to be a large, quite fast turtle. Thom even saw a fox lurking in the back yard. Quite different from our urban home and that is why we love to pet sit. New experiences! I’m sure the dove family was glad when we left so they could enjoy their new baby in peace. You just never know what you’ll encounter when you pet sit!

From a charming Seattle neighborhood to a farm in Idaho to a month in the London burbs, we have pet sit chickens, a canary, horses/donkeys, all kinds of dogs, and always aloof cats. While it is bittersweet to leave after you have bonded with the pets, it’s satisfying to know you kept someone’s beloved furry/feathered family safe and happy while they were away. Plus, you get to experience a new place. Even though we had stayed in Annapolis before, on this stay we had time to check out some new places like the most awesome vinyl store, Third Eye, and an Irish pub with live music, Galway Bay. We even saw a double rainbow when we went on a sunset cruise from the downtown Annapolis harbor. It poured as we were getting onto the boat but, as they say in Hawaii, “no rain, no rainbows”!

Every time we travel home from a sit, we have a new list of what we should have brought with us. We have been lucky to only have good experiences in homes but no home can have everything you are used to having so we have learned to pack accordingly and purchase after arriving if necessary. Here’s just a few items to add to your basic packing list so you are ready to pet sit:

  1. Bug spray and anti-itch cream-we live in an urban home, but we so enjoyed sitting on the back deck of our latest sit and watching the birds and forest animals. However, the mosquitos were loving my husband’s blood way too much.
  2. Food/condiments/spices-most pet sit owners will tell you to help yourself to what they have in the kitchen pantry, but, if you want things other than the basic salt/pepper/sugar, bring it if you can. Otherwise, we typically hit the local grocery the first day of a sit to fill in after we check out their kitchen.
  3. Power strip-on pet sits, you are usually given their guest room to stay in. As with most bedrooms that aren’t used heavily, sometimes they aren’t outfitted with outlets by each nightstand that you might need for your electronics. So, we bring a power strip with a long cord to use. Nothing worse than having to get out of bed in a new environment to get your phone to see the time in the middle of the night.
  4. Nightlight-you’re in a new place, you may want a night light in your bedroom or bathroom so you can get around safely.
  5. Shampoo/body wash/etc.-I typically don’t use the owner’s products and bring my own.
  6. Pillows/throws-when we drive to a sit, we can bring more stuff. We are picky about our pillows, so we bring one each with us. It makes for more comfortable sleeping. We also bring our travel blankets as we like to lounge on the coach with a throw while we watch tv and not everyone has them in their house.

Here are just a few other tips to remember if you want to try pet sitting:

  1. Make sure to know where the cleaning supplies are in case there are pet “accidents”. You need to be ready to clean up as needed. Ditto with paper towels and garbage bags.
  2. The pet owner will tell you about the pet’s feeding times and food. Follow their guidelines even if you may think they are restrictive. Not every dog gets a treat after a walk even though our spoiled pup at home does! Do not introduce any new food into the pet’s diet while you are there. It may be tempting to sneak them a pretzel or treat but I wouldn’t recommend it. You don’t know how they will react and you don’t want a pet with a tummy ache.
  3. Know where you can walk the pet. In a managed neighborhood, there will be public areas where pets can relieve themselves and other areas which may be off limits. In general, anyone’s lawns other than your own will be off limits and you need to respect that so the owner doesn’t get complaints.
  4. Check to see if any outdoor or indoor plants need to be watered while the owner is away. You don’t want them to come home to sad or dead plants.
  5. Stay in contact with the owner. If there are any problems, loop them in for advice. Sending pics of their pets is nice too.
  6. Most hosts won’t ask you to wash your sheets and towels, but we do it every time. They are coming home with their own dirty laundry, and it is always a nice surprise if they don’t have all their pet sitter’s laundry to do too.

If you want to try pet sitting, use this link to get 25% off your membership at Trusted Housesitters, the company we’ve used for years, both to get sitters and to be sitters. To read about our other pet sits, read my other blog posts here: https://travelswithmelinda.com/category/pet-sitting/

Enjoy the journey!

Sunset cruise from Annapolis harbor!