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Petsitting like a friend: Dynamic Perks
Some of the great advantages of petsitting like a friend for both housesitters and pet owners include the opportunity to make an informal arrangement, sometimes facilitated by a housesitting platform, to exchange your services for free accommodation and for pet owners to travel with fewer costs.
For pet owners especially it offers worry free petsitting with a live-in pet sitter offering companion care for pets while caring for your pets in their own home reducing pet anxiety. And what both experience, usually unexpectedly is the top advantage of meeting new people and the feeling of satisfaction that you can help each other out. To petsit like a friend offers a win win for both parties.
What is Petsitting like a friend?
When as a trusted pet sitter you are petsitting like a friend it means you have agreed with a pet owner that you will move into their home to care for their pets, for an exchange of services. You offer free home and pet care in exchange for free accommodation. It is an informal agreement that benefits both parties, without remuneration. It’s more like old fashioned barter.
What are the Advantages of Petsitting like a Friend?
The fact that no money changes hands is probably the most widely understood element of the ‘Petsitting like a friend’ concept. After all you wouldn’t charge a friend or neighbour for feeding their guinea pigs once a day, or walking their dog or minding a parrot when they go on holiday.
So the fact that no money changes hands, means that the petowner benefits directly, and if the pet owner offers the friend a place to stay for free in exchange then the deal is a fair one and both benefit directly.
Petsitting like a friend becomes an even and fair trade, just like old fashioned barter.
For Housesitters
For every member there will be a unique point of view about why they like petsitting like a friend. And for housesitters in particular we hear a strong positive vibe about the advantages.
Why do you pet sit like a friend ?
I asked a number of our petsitters at HouseSit Match this question and we received a wide range of results which made me happy, because what they said reflects the ethos of HouseSit Match our house and pet sitting platform and shows that there is always more to be gained by helping each other:
Bragi Jonsson – A retired Icelandic security guard, and one time shepherd now housesits and petsits like a friend all over Europe and the UK for an active retirement, travelling on a fixed budget.
” When I pet sit I like to make all home and pet owners my friends, and I have a few really good friends among my pet owners”. Bragi Jonsson
From a Trusted House Sitter’s Perspective
There are many benefits to the informal arrangement for petsitting like a friend, from discovering new locations when you live in someone’s home in a new destination, in the company of friendly pets, to cutting out the costs of your accommodation when you travel somewhere new, with the host as your expert local guide.
What our Housesitter Members Said
When we asked some of our HouseSit Match members what is it like to petsit like a friend we had a range of answers in response, including:
- A friendly way to travel- Many of our housesitters prefer this way of travelling on their own because they meet new people, they have the company of pets in the housesit, and above all the sit assignment is usually in a neighbourhood with friendly neighbours rather than in an antiseptic city hostel.
- Cuts travel costs – If you go to someone’s home to pet sit like a friend it liberates your travel budget by making the travel money go further because your accommodation costs are reduced to only what you have to pay when you are not house and petsitting.
- Informal arrangement – You make an informal arrangement to visit the home and stay while the owner is away on holiday. This arrangement while covering the needs of both parties related to actual agreed dates and responsibilities, allows for a greater degree of flexibility than if a professional pet sitter were involved.
- Travel on a tourist visa – No work permit is needed because you are just visiting, and the visit is usually for a really short period and more importantly you are not being paid for the petsitting because you are exchanging your services for free accommodation.
- No payment or minimal expenses contribution – There is usually no payment made in exchange for the petsitting like a friend, so this informal arrangement is more like a barter where both parties benefit without financial exchange. The perception of value is greater than a financial exchange when a treasured pet or pets are cared for safely in their own home, and a pet sitter gains free accommodation which would otherwise cost a significant amount.
Dave and Sandra Brown – British retirees who having lived abroad for many years for work now enjoy travelling by house and petsitting like a friend for leisure in their retirement, to discover new places.
“We love to travel and discover new locations, house and petsitting is a means to do this on a fixed budget. It makes travel in our retirement an affordable proposition and the company of pets is a real bonus! ” Dave Brown.
For Pet Owners
Apart from the natural response we hear on a regular basis that the pet owners like the petsitting like a friend approach because the sitter will move in and care for their pet at home as if they were their own. The pet is always more relaxed and less likely to experience separation anxiety if all their routines and their home remain constant.
Non-commercial Petsitting From a Petowner’s Perspective
From the pet owner’s perspective there are just as many advantages to non-commercial petsitting. It’s just a slightly different kind of pet sitting service. They can keep their pets in the home safely where the animals feel comfortable and safe in a familiar environment, and the petsitting is an informal arrangement with no additional cost to the pet owner.
Non-commercial petsitting is just like housesitting for friends. An additional bonus is that if as pet owner you play host to the sitters for the first day or so the sitters can have time to bond with the pets, and you the pet owners can build good relationships with the sitters, and often make good friends in the process.
What Pet Owners Look for in a Friendly Petsitting Arrangement
- Focus on Trust: As a pet owner you are looking for a trustworthy pet sitter. You choose the sitter based on their reliability and caring nature, rather than their experience or credentials. Although often pet owners will look to a house and pet sitting service like HouseSit Match to find the best pet sitter for them.
- Determining trustworthiness in a new pet sitter – Telling how trustworthy a pet sitter is when you haven’t met them yet could be a challenge. However, if you are working with a housesitting platform they can share any reviews and references earned by the pet sitter, and any background checks completed to reassure you that they will offer a trustworthy pet sitting service. Also look at the pet sitters profile to see if you can understand their motivation for non-commercial pet sitting. You should get the feeling of per care and responsibility from their description of themselves.
- A caring and responsible pet sitter – above all the pet owners want a reliable and caring pet sitter who will be responsible and will mind the pets and property in the owners absence. Whether they pet sitter is a graduate of the Dog Training Association or simply experienced in dog and pet care you want them to engage in petsitting as if the pets were their own.
- Peace of mind for the pet owner – Knowing there is a trusted pet sitter in the home petsitting like a friend petsitting with care and compassion, and also looking after everything on the property, it will help to give the pet owner peace of mind while they are away from home.
A Pet owner’s Perspective
Sandra Barton – A retired British expat living in the South of France shared her perspective on having HouseSit Match sitters petsitting like a friend for her cats:
” From the moment we joined Housesit Match we felt very comfortable with and important to the business. A personal service with both the administrators and our pet sitters. We recently completed our first experience of leaving our cats and our home with Housesit Match sitters. Our sitters came as strangers and left as friends.
It was the first time we had left our cats but we were reassured by having the presence of our sitters so the cats did not have to leave their home. The security our sitters gave our home in our absence was an added bonus. Sitters through Housesit Match will be our first port of call for our next trip. ”
– Sandra Barton
Photo by Jenny Kaye
Lucy has a family pet, a friendly dog called Luna. When Lucy and her family travel away from home they use HouseSit Match to find house and petsitters. They had housesat as a family themselves and were very familiar with the concept of petsitting like a friend, and were more than happy to have sitters in their own home.
Recently, Lucy was sadly widowed at a young age and when the family holiday time came round she had no hesitation in inviting Sonya back to petsit. She had hosted several HouseSit Match housesitters in the past and knowing they were all checked and secure felt safe asking any of them to return. However, Sonya and Lucy had a very strong bond, in fact a close friendship had formed and Lucy had no hesitation in asking Sonya to return to care for Luna.
“Getting to know our sitters is a real bonus – The friends formed is precious and gives a solid bond of trust and means we’re happy to invite them back again and again!” Lucy Czakan
Why some sitters prefer “petsitting like a friend”:
- Personalized Care: One way to be a trusted pet sitter is to approach the arrangement so that pet sitting feels like family. Friends and acquaintances may be more familiar with the pet’s quirks and routines, leading to more tailored care, and if you are a non-commercial pet sitter you can approach the pet care with the same attitude, offering personal pet sitting services it helps you to build a bond with the pets and the owners.
- Builds Relationships: Pet sitting can strengthen friendships by providing shared experiences and mutual support with the pet owner, with you caring for their pets as if they were your own.
- Convenience: Working through a trusted house and pet sitting platform like HouseSit Match can offer you the pet sitter some confidence that the owners have been checked as well as yourself. The whole process is managed securely for your protection and to ensure you have support if you need it. The informal non-commercial arrangement means you can exchange your services all over the world, without worries about a specialist visa requirement to travel to the housesit. It can be a simple way to arrange pet care when you need it. This is convenient for both the pet sitter and the pet owner.
Sharon and Gary Dugan – A retied couple from Northern Ireland have been housesitting with HouseSit Match for a few years now. They started housesitting as a way to travel in retirement, from the comfort of a home. They are also real animal lovers who for years had their own pets, so petsitting felt natural to them.
“We have always felt friendship is the ethos of HouseSit Match. It promotes a culture of like minded people with similar attitudes and aspirations who choose to practice respect and kindness benefitting both the giver and the receiver, crating a feeling of reward and satisfaction for all involved. HouseSit Match fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, strengthening our community and cultivating friendships.” Sharon Dugan
Additional benefits for both parties of petsitting like a friend:
- Cost-Effective: It can be a more affordable alternative to professional pet sitting.
- For the pet owner:The pet is cared for in a familiar and comfortable environment by someone they trust.
- For the sitter:They get to spend time with a loved one’s pet and provide a valuable service, all while possibly receiving a small token of appreciation.
- Petsitting that feels like family: If the petsitting like a friend is truly non-commercial then it feels like the petowner is hosting family, and the sitter feels like their are helping a close friend or family member.
- Petsitting with a personal touch – some housesitters take it upon themselves to help the homeowners by caring for the garden while they are present, or running some odd jobs to ensure nothing falls behind at home while the owners are away. This all helps to build trust in the bond between the owner and the sitter.
Christine and David Rutter – A retired British couple who enjoy travel and have always loved pets though no longer have their own. Petsitting like a friend is a fun way to travel and meet new people.
“We like to housesit to see different countries and meet interesting people. We always seem to discover super places, and meet great people and of course their pets. We keep in touch with many hosts and enjoy return visits.”
Photo by David Rutter
And for the pets?
One of the major advantages to having a petsitter move into the pet’s own home is that it makes the pets feel safe, they feel more relaxed in their own environment, eating their own food, surrounded by familiar things and smells. By creating a home like environment for the pets, with the only change being the presence of the person petsitting like a friend, the pet will feel more comfortable.
Fancy petsitting like a friend?
Every thought about becoming a trusted house sitter or petsitter? This might be your change to discover a new world of adventure in the company of pets around the world.
Join HouseSit Match a professionally run service that offers access to help you find free checked live in petsitters and housesitters, for a moderate annual fee. These petsitters will help you keep pets at home safely and happy in their daily routine and no money changes hands. And as the sitter petsitting like a friend you can discover new locations, make new friends and exchange your services for free accommodation. It’s a win-win!
Further reading about pet sitting and housesitters
At Housesit Match we like to share useful blogs and practical advice such as this one on ‘petsitting like a friend’ sharing information about housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters useful.
Pet sitting services from Housesit Match
