How to Connect With Reliable House and Pet Sitters

Updated on 2 October 2026

If you have pets, you’ve probably worried about what to do with them while you’re away. You want the best care possible for your pets, but kennels and boarding facilities can be stressful for them, and maybe you’ve found that house sitting agencies and paid cat and dog sitting services can feel impersonal.

TrustedHousesitters is an online community that connects people like you (also known as ‘hosts’) with house and pet sitters worldwide who look after pets and homes while hosts travel. In-home dog sitters, cat sitters, horse sitters - it’s all there. It works with a membership, and you don’t pay sitters a nightly fee. Instead, sitters stay in your home and take on the everyday responsibilities while you’re away, and in return they get a real home to stay in during their travels.

Step	What to do	How it works
Step 1	Choose a membership	Pick between Basic, Standard, and Premium, and pay your annual membership fee.
Step 2	Create your listing	Tell sitters all about your home and pets. Don’t forget to add lots of pictures and personality.
Step 3	Review sitter applications	Sitters apply, you take the time to read their profile and reviews, and you chat with them. All sitters are ID-verified, and in the US, sitters are background-checked too.
Step 4	Hop on a video call	Optional but recommended: have a video call with the sitter so nobody’s a stranger.
Step 5	Confirm and prepare	If it feels right, both you and the sitter confirm. Iron out the details and start packing your bags!

Pet sitting built on trust, not transactions

TrustedHousesitters isn't a booking site or a paid pet care service. Hosts and sitters both pay an annual membership that opens the door to the house sitting community. So no nightly fees, nothing to negotiate.

Sitters get a home to live in and pets to care for while they travel, and hosts can go away knowing their pets are safe and happy in their own home with someone they’ve chosen themselves. This works only because both sides put in real effort before the sit happens: creating an honest listing and profile, taking the time to get to know each other, and choosing to trust one another.

Step 1: Choose a membership

Pick your annual membership to join our online community.

Step 2: Create your listing

Create your listing and describe your pets and home, adding as many details as you can:

List your pets' routines, quirks, likes, and dislikes - everything a sitter needs to know to take good care of your pet
Include clear, recent photos of your pets and home
Describe what you’re looking for in a sitter. What personality traits should they have? Are you open to single sitters, couples, or both? Would you prefer someone with experience giving medication or handling specific breeds?
Once you’ve added the dates you’re away, sitters can apply to your listing

The more detail you can give up front, the better - for both you, the sitter, and your pets.

Step 3: Review sitter applications

Once applications start coming in, read them alongside sitter profiles and reviews from other hosts. Message to get to know the sitters and ask any questions you may have.

Step 4: Hop on a video call before you decide

This step is optional but recommended to help you choose the right sitter. Plan a video call with the applicants you’d like to meet. This is where you really find out whether they’re right for your pets and home. Come prepared with questions about them, and be ready to answer their questions, too.

Step 5: Confirm and prepare the sit

If it feels right, you confirm the sit. And if it’s a “yes” from the sitter too: congrats! You can start preparing for their arrival:

Write a Welcome Guide covering feeding schedules, walk routines, medication, and any home-specific instructions (alarm codes, trash, quirks of the kitchen)
Share any emergency contacts
Consider arranging with your sitter that they arrive a few hours - or a day - early, so they can meet you and your pets before you leave
Agree how often you'd like updates: a daily photo, a weekly check-in, whatever suits you both

All members, except those on a Premium plan, will be charged a booking fee once both sides confirm.

If you have unusual pets, such as Alaskan Huskies, you can list all their requirements

A handful of TrustedHousesitters experiences

TrustedHousesitters is a community where people worldwide help each other out. Our sitters don’t do it for money; they go above and beyond because they love pets and travel. And that’s what our host members experience too.

Travel now feels lighter and more enjoyable because we’re not constantly checking in with concern, we’re receiving updates that reassure us she’s thriving. That freedom has made a meaningful difference in our lifestyle, allowing us to explore, relax, and experience more, knowing our home and our dog are in good hands.

-Eva, CA, US

I had to go away for a work trip last year and found a brilliant couple from Australia who wanted to visit my local area so were happy to travel to come and look after Tag. It was a simple process and I came home to a spotless home with fresh flowers. Oh and Tag seemed to have enjoyed an Aussie owner for a while too!

-Adriana, Vancouver Island, Canada

So far we have had one sitter in our house in Derbyshire for one month and a couple from Holland looked after our house and cats in France for three weeks. On both occasions we were able to meet the sitters beforehand which was very reassuring for us and made their settling into our home easier. We now count these people as friends.

-Graham, Matlock, UK

Graham's cats have been happily looked after by in-home pet sitters

Connect with in-home pet sitters

How it works

Useful resources

How to find reliable pet sitters FAQs

While hosts don’t pay sitters a nightly fee, both sides pay an annual membership to join TrustedHousesitters. And with Basic and Standard plans, you also pay a booking fee for each confirmed sit. You don’t pay a booking fee on a Premium plan.

Yes. Sitters live in your home while you’re away, and care for your pets and place like their own. Pets keep their routines, homes stay lived in, and sitters get to experience a place the way it’s meant to be lived - not as a tourist skimming the surface.

Yes. Sitters aren't limited to your local area - yours might be flying in from Melbourne. The most important thing is to choose a sitter who’s a good match for your pets and home. This is why the application, reviews, and video call matter more than proximity.

Every sitter completes an identity check before applying for sits, and sitters from the US also complete a background check. Beyond that, you can read reviews from other hosts, external references, and have a video call to meet them. And if something doesn’t go to plan, we’re here to help with a Membership Services team, 24/7 Vet Advice Line, and for Standard and Premium members, a Home and Contents Plan.

How to connect with reliable house and pet sitters

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