I received my first house sitting request and it is for 9 days. Do I sleep at the person's house? And is it okay to ask to bring my own dog? Please share some experiences! Thank you for your help!
I have done several house sitting assignments. I always stay overnight. I basically move into the client home and use it as my base of operations during the stay. For shorter stays of less than 4 days I just stay there. Otherwise I come and go several times during the stay. Your activities during the stay should always be discussed at the M&G to set expectations for you and the owner. Some owners want the sitter there 24/7, others don't mind if they leave occasionally.
As far as bringing your dog with you, this should definitely be discussed at the M&G. I don't have my own dog, but I would imagine that owners would not want another animal to be in their home with their dog. This could lead to all sorts of problems, both with the client dog and yours.
I bring my own food and drinks. The client usually will offer to let me eat theirs but I just feel more comfortable bringing my own. I use their linens and towels. It's up to them whether I wash them at the end of my stay or just leave them somewhere.
There are several threads/posts here on what to bring and how to handle house sitting assignments.
Per Rover guidelines, house sitting is for 24 hours, so that usually means sleeping at pet parent's house. However, Rover allows flexibility for providers and pet parents to agree on the best solution for the dog services booked. The best way to handle this is to ask the pet parent their thoughts before the meet & greet, so that if they are open to the possibility, then you would bring your dog to the meet & greet to meet their dog. Your dog should not be there if not pre-approved by the other pet parent. However, you might first ask yourself if that's the best plan as you think about your dog's age, breed, activity and temperament level and consider that of the pet(s) you'd be responsible for, with consideration that you do not want to create additional issues.
The other way some sitters handle it is to discuss with the pet parent what are your needs (some sitters negotiate to leave at certain hours and how long they'll be away or not sleep over). The key is that everyone has the same understanding and agreement. My suggestion is to use the comments field when booking to state that, so there's a record in case needed for Rover support.
House sitting usually means sleeping at the client's home.
As for bringing your own pup, you need to discuss this with the owners and have a plan for your own pup if the owners are not inclined to having your dog stay in their home.
I only ask if I feel that the dogs might get along. Based on my own dog, I can usually tell right away if it will be an unlikely pairing (my pup is high energy, bordering on annoying for older dogs).
If the owners agree, I try to have the dogs meet before the stay, just in case it ends up not being a good fit with my dog and I need to find other arrangements.
If all goes well, then I have my pup wear a belly band during the stay so that he's not tempted to mark. I call these his 'stay wear'. :)
Most owners don't like last minute surprises, so it's best to bring this up soon.
All the best!
Your house sitting rate is less than boarding or dog care. Staying at someone else's home should be considered a premium service since you are watching not only their pet but their home and possibly doing other tasks, like taking in mail, watering plants, etc.