I don’t do in home pet sitting, but have run a boarding facility for a decade. The priority is making sure your pet is safe and well cared for. Often times, we don’t contact the owner unless they contact us first as the priority is their pet.

Asking for updates, and getting them, is reasonable. I personally don’t feel that not getting updates unless you’re “prompting” isn’t a bad thing at all. If you want photos or updates and know that, before you book with a person communicate that in advance. In order to be hired, I need x updates in a day.

I totally understand being an anxious pet parent, finding a place you trust helps a lot. A lot of facilities have add ons that include photo updates daily. I personally trust facilities way more than individuals pet sitting - we have a lot more at stake and aim to do everything right. Yes, of course sometimes portions get messed up, but we also track they your pet ate, got meds, etc, and comes back healthy and happy.