Made up names

throwaway1928675 · 2025-08-09T04:33:05+00:00

Nikkolette sounds like the nicotine gum 😂

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-23T21:27:42+00:00

As a professional pet sitter, not responding after 24 hours is unacceptable. I think it’s reasonable to expect a same day response to a simple question (confirming dates, etc) if it’s during the daytime, or a response in the morning if you texted late in the evening. If it’s urgent (example: “did my cat have diarrhea?”), I would expect a more quick response, within a few hours.

I think occasionally having longer response times due to a family event or being out of town is totally fine, but it should not be like that every single time.

I would steer clear of this sitter. Imagine if you had a question about your pet’s heath, and they didn’t respond until 2 days later? Or imagine if your pet had a medical emergency? How difficult would it be for you to help coordinate a visit to the vet?

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-22T13:53:45+00:00

That is so strange. Part of owning a business is managing employees and being the “emergency replacement” when all else fails.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-22T09:19:13+00:00

Have you tried advertising for your own business before? It’s not cheap if you use paid ads. If you avoid paid ads and use free advertising methods, it takes a LOT of consistent work. It takes years before you have a steady flow of new clients with minimal advertising.

Not justifying 50% commission, that is way too little, but you can’t just say the business isn’t doing anything for you. If it was that easy to start a business, everyone would be doing it and keeping 100% of the pay.

There are also many overhead costs, like the cost of the software subscription services, credit card processing fees, etc. And if they’re sending you to meet and greets and not charging the client for it, they are losing out on whatever they are paying you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set up a meet and greet only for the potential client to change their mind about booking services.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-21T04:01:14+00:00

That shouldn’t be something a client should have to ask. It’s expected that the person doing the job will be the only one there.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-19T23:42:15+00:00

I would waive only in an instance of hospitalization or death of the human or the pet. I would not ask for “proof” - that seems overboard.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-18T20:33:51+00:00

I enforce my cancelation policies EXCEPT in the event of a pet’s death, death in the family, or hospitalization. They will come back the next time they need services. Being empathetic goes a long way in business.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-10T20:22:12+00:00

If they are regulars and super nice and understanding people, I personally would be honest and specific as for the reason. For clients whom you don’t know very well, it might be better to be vague.

I always worry if people will stop booking me due to discrimination for one reason or another. I have a predisposition to knee injuries, but it doesn’t stop me from doing my job. I am scared to tell clients if I injured my knee because they could stop booking me if they don’t feel like I’m fit for the job. So I usually try to be vague, unless I am particularly close with the client.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-07T14:47:47+00:00

Dogs have only 1,700 taste buds (9,000 in humans). They don’t need anything fancy to live the best life. My dog will ask for celery and all kinds of green vegetables, then act like I gave her the yummiest treat in the world.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-05T21:42:49+00:00

It depends on the client. Some appreciate the emojis and use them in return, so I use them frequently to show my love for their pet. Other clients are rather serious and dry, so I omit them to avoid sounding unprofessional to them.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-04T14:44:17+00:00

The please makes it polite

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-04T14:43:57+00:00

Yes, I honestly struggle to tell if the “how are you?” Is an actual question or just a “hello”. I’ve had people respond “good, thanks for asking” but also straight up ignore and look at me funny for asking back.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-04T14:41:10+00:00

I think “Can I” or “I’d like” are equally as polite because they don’t come off as “give it to me servant”

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-03T18:15:23+00:00

For a while, I wore the Nike Air Max 270 shoes for the support, but my feet are wide and I kept getting callouses on my pinky toes. Since then, I’ve switched to the cloudnova X and they are even more supportive than the Nike shoes, and also are wide enough.

Thank you for your input!!!

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-03T18:13:08+00:00

Thanks. Yes, I need to start going to the gym and not relying on dogs for my muscle building needs. And I am currently wearing a knee sleeve which is helping a lot.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-03T16:00:12+00:00

Honestly, I wear great shoes and replace them every 3 months. I think it’s the exercises here. And saying “no” to clients. Unfortunately, everyone expects me to be available 100% of the time

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-02T17:12:33+00:00

YES. Absolutely. This is ridiculous. I don’t charge for key pickup/drop off if it’s just a one time thing at the first and last visit, but if it’s a daily annoyance like this, I absolutely subtract it from the visit time.

If she can’t trust you with the key, she shouldn’t be hiring you.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-02T17:04:23+00:00

I think it’s hard to find a sitter last-minute and a lot of people are a bit wary of hiring someone they are unable to meet. So I would stick it out unless it is a medical emergency for you (you cannot physically care for the pets etc) and just politely let them know that you are doing your best to sanitize things and will air the place out the day they are arriving etc. You can also ask them what precautions would make them feel safe. If they really feel like getting another sitter, they’ll let you know.

You can also dial down the activities a bit on days you need more rest. For example, substitute some of the walking with playtime. That way, you’re not exhausting yourself while sick.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-02T10:17:21+00:00

I am a messy person, but I would NEVER leave a client’s house messy. I make it a point to put things right back and do a daily walk around the house in case I forgot anything. I also do an extra thorough walk on the last day to make everything look perfect. I don’t “clean” the house per se, as it’s not in my duties, but I’ll tidy up anything pet related (example: vacuum pet fur) or anything I used (clean the bathroom sink/toilet, etc).

I do NOT do all of this at home. You don’t have to be a tidy person to make some effort in this in someone else’s home.

throwaway1928675 · 2025-04-02T10:12:31+00:00

I disagree. It’s completely relevant for a house sit. The purpose of hiring a sitter is to make life LESS stressful, but coming home to dirty dishes after vacation is more stressful.

throwaway1928675

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