I’ve been pet sitting for over a year using the website TrustedHouseSitter.com here in the United States (US). Doing so has allowed me to travel and stay for free all over the US while saving tons of money and cuddling with many adorable and fun pets.

TrustedHouseSitter is a secure site for both pet sitters and pet parents to find what they need. You will not receive money for doing these sits. It is a direct exchange of pet care for temporary location housing. It is membership based so you will pay a fee to set up an account and use this service.

If you love pets, have experience with pets, are responsible, can be around often and wish to travel this could be perfect for you!

You can do this solo, as a couple and with or without pets of your own. What ever way you will be pet sitting, be sure to ask before taking your own pet on a sit or another person. Not everyone will allow this but options do exist. You can even create a profile as a couple, siblings or a travel buddies…I have seen all these options and yes, they get sits.

So far I´ve done pet sits in Seattle, Denver, Boulder, Minneapolis and Asheville for multiple pet families. In the past I used another site and did pet sits in New Zealand (more info here). Trusted House Sitter is highly used in the US and the UK but it can also be found in other countries in Europe, Australia and beyond.

This might not be for everyone but I love doing it! I enjoyed my travels and saved a ton of money using pet sitting. Keep in mind I don´t have an apartment/house so the rent/mortgage savings are huge, not to mention the lodging costs as I travel! You do tend to live out of a small bag or two and move around plenty but wifi is good, pet parents seem super helpful, pets are lovely overall and you usually get a real nice house to stay and feel comfortable.

Find your why? I personally wanted a pet sit to get to know a new city more in depth or to be closer to the city when in my local area so I looked for those locations only. I always ask for local tips or routes to walk. I avoided using a vehicle therefore I wanted public transit nearby and often asked about it. I also love cycling so I asked if they had a bike I could use. I sought out longer sits, for a week or more. I am okay with most pets but I tended to avoid those with medication needs. I also won´t choose a pet or breed I am not comfortable sitting. Once I saw 2 Labradoodles (big dogs) on a sit and decided even though it was the only sit available that I couldn´t handle two big dogs alone so I didn´t apply. I always asked if the dogs have run before and if they do well running because I run and will take them with me from time to time. For cats I always prefer that they are playful or more independent than to lap cats. If in an area with friends nearby I always ask if guests are okay with the pet parent. Figure out what you want in a sit and your needs and then get started!

HOW TO START ON TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS:

1 – Create a profile and pay membership fee

2 – Get references and get background checked (site provided)

• I´d suggest getting local sits first to get good references and experience. You can offer to meet the pet parents and pets before instead of on video.

3- Select where you want to sit

Before applying to a sit

• Think about the types of pets you are comfortable with caring
  • Puppies? Can you handle that energy?
  • Big dogs? Can you handle their weight or exercise needs?
  • Pets with medical issues? Are you familiar or comfortable being responsible for giving medicine daily?
  • Cats and their personalities? Can cats lay on you in bed?
  • Only cats? This may limit your options but generally does give one more flexibility as most are lower maintenance.
  • Other pets (birds, reptiles, etc)?
• Think about the neighborhoods or suburbs
  • Are you renting a car or not?
  • Is public transit or walkability important? How close is the station/bus stop? How easy or safe is it to walk there (the dog or just to get around…)
  • Does it bother you to be far from the city or tourist attractions?
  • Does owner of house seem to keep the house clean or clutter free? Can you handle their lifestyle?
  • Is a grocery store within walking distance?
• Think about length of sit
  • Short term, weekend
  • Longer term, week or two, plus
  • Too much time or not enough time?
• When do you want to be on a sit? (I suggest looking 2 months before for longer sits)
  • What month, weekend, etc?
  • BE FLEXIBLE WITH DATES!

4 – Apply to sit (actually apply to multiple)

• Look months beforehand. Pet parents know when they will travel and don´t want to worry about who is caring for their pet at the last minute. Although, sometimes there are last minute sits that do pop up.

• Select a wide range of dates and plan travel around the sit (you might need to arrive or leave a day later – it all depends on the pet parents flight plans!)

• When you write the pet parent a message to apply for the sit. Tell them why you would be good for them and say what you will do while there (remote work, etc) and why you are in town. If you have something relatable to them or their pets, tell them! ***They want to make sure you know how to care for their specific pet (experience) and that you will be around to care for them!

5 – Interview (often a video call, sometimes in person)

Questions to ask the pet parent:

• Health of the pet? Any medications? About vet Information just in case?
• What is the sleep arrangement of pets
• Are they potty trained (if young)? Any habits to let you know they need out(stand by door, bark, whine, scratch door, etc)? For male cats, are they urinating on things?…any specific material, etc?
• Feeding times? Amount? Where is food? What type of food (wet, dry, both, other)? Where are treats? Etc.
• Ask about any neighbors to be aware of or general neighborhood questions
• Does pet have issues with other breeds or specific dogs in neighborhood. What is the dogs reaction to other pets, humans(friendly, aggressive, bark but friendly, etc?
• Are pets cuddly? How much play time do they want?
• Any behaviors to reward? Behaviors to discipline and how to do so?
• What leash is used and where is it at? For cat, where is the crate or backpack located?
• Where are the cleaning supplies? Is there a preference for use to clean up after pet (vomit, etc).
• For longer pet sits you may need to clip nails, etc so ask how pet reacts to it and tool location?
• Any behaviors I should know about? Words they respond to (tricks, etc)?
• Human food issues (besides toxic ones)…is pet allowed to eat food that falls on floor?
• Ask about plants, mail, trash and expectation of each. In winter, ask about snow removal requirements, etc (location dependent)
• Ask any other questions you have regarding sit so you know what you are getting into before accepting.

6 – Accept sit

• Now is when you plan the travel arrangements. Ask pet parent when they want you there. Get detailed information about flights and expectations so you can plan correctly. Some offer to stay around sit, others don´t and you need to either get a spot the day before or get to the sit on time or a reasonable time after they leave (coordinate with pet parent).

7- Do sit

• I highly recommend communicating with pet parent while they are away with photos or any updates. This helps with reviews and in the end helps you land other sits more easily. Pet parents really love to know how their pets are doing, they miss them while away. Though this is not a requirement, I find that the pets are cute and photos are easy and prevalent plus this show good communication which is also great!

8 – Review sit

Keep in mind pet sitting is work but such enjoyable work. It takes a lot to give pets attention, walk them, communicate with the pet parent and keep the house orderly. Each pet has a very unique personality and have different needs. No pet is alike and each can be a great experience if you remain positive. If the situation with the pet is not what you expected contact the pet parent first to see about finding a solution and if that fails you should contact the website.

Keep in mind that pet sitting requires you to:

• feed pets
• walk pets
• cuddle pets
• be home often (usually max of 5 hours outside of house)
• clean house
• get mail/package
• water plants
• take out trash
• deal with any house or pet issues while they are gone

Stories:

Brother cats, Louis and Toulouse – I´ve never sat for a set of brothers. It was absolutely adorable! They were always grooming each other, cuddling, eating, playing and wagging their tails in unison, etc. They also had a dog brother and mainly got along with him too but each cat had a different personality so you had to watch behaviors with a certain brother on occasion.

Weimaraner Blu – I was super excited to sit for Blu because I like to run and the Weirmaraner breed is one I´ve looked into having for a running partner. Weirmaraners are big energetic dogs. He lives in a city and could probably use 4 walks a day but obviously no one can give him that, not even his owner. Since he is a big dog walking him was a bit of a struggle as he pulls a lot and goes quick because he is energetic. What I didn´t know is Weiraranaers are called velcro dogs and they want to be as close as possible to you, yes often laying on you to be close but generally leaning hardcore into you.

Nori – My first sit was for the coolest black cat named Nori. He´s a big, young cat that minds his business but loves to play and be near you. Sometimes I felt I was watching a dog because he played fetch and jumped for toys, etc. Nori likes space, not a cuddler at all, but does like to have you near and be played with. I prefer non lap cats and playful pets so this served us both well. In fact, we were super compatible together that I became the go to sitter for Nori. I´ve sat for him countless times since my first sit and still chat with his pet parent. This sit is based in my local area hence why I could do it more frequently. I also loved the area of the apartment…walking distance to a very cool neighborhood in Seattle.

Canceled sit – I had one sit get canceled on me last minute. Luckily it was because plans changed and they were out of town earlier than anticipated due to a recent natural disaster. They were super nice and actually let me stay in their house even though I wasn´t watching their pets. I was so thankful because it was a long sit and the last minute cancellation made it near impossible to find another sit for the same duration that last minute…especially since I was scheduled to sit. If you have a sit scheduled you can not even apply to other sits, only see what is available. Very grateful they upheld the arrangement and the house was perfectly located in Asheville, NC. I communicated with them frequently as well, just without pet photos.

Hojo – On my last sit I had a dog that wanted to be near me all the time and wanted a lot of attention. He was allowed on all furniture so when it came time to eat he sat right next to me at the table too. Since he is a dog and loves food he couldn´t quite figure out personal space so I decided to bring his food bowl up to the table too. It was perfect, all he really wanted was to join the meal with me. He ate in peace at my side, almost taking a bite every time I did. This arrangement stopped him trying to sniff my food which made eating easier!

Can´t find a sit? – This happens, some cities are better than others and sometimes it really depends on the time of the year. If you are traveling long term this means you might have to pay to stay every now and then. This should be something you factor in your plans. It doesn´t always work out! I was looking for a sit in Salt Lake City and there were just none in the city so I booked an Airbnb with an open cancellation policy in the hope to cancel and take a sit but I couldn´t find a sit so I was petless in Salt Lake City.

***Becoming a pet sitter has opened many doors for me. Once you mention you do this service anyone with a pet becomes interested and more opportunities present themselves. Sometimes even paid opportunities come about!

You can also do pet sitting on Rover which is a service that pays but generally this is for shorter term sits. It also has a membership fee and you will need to create a profile, etc. Rover began as a dog walking service and expanded into other areas of pet services which includes pet sits.

Join Trusted House Sitters

Really in depth website with information on how to pet sit

More information

More information, more specific to pet sitting at your own house

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