Our top blogs of 2021

From travel guides and puppy training to Trusted HQ news and the best names for cats, dogs - even birds! -, 2021 was another great year of providing our members with lots of top tips and advice on all things pets, house sitting, travel and more. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the topics our members loved reading about most in 2021…

1. What are normal pet sitting rates?

With a global, pet-loving community that includes owners of cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and even alpacas, it makes sense that one of our most-loved topics of last year covered the very important topic of pet sitting rates. In this blog, we set out to explore the average pet sitting rates for animals of all shapes and sizes - and just how much a TrustedHousesitters membership could be saving you each year. Here’s what we found...

2. 10 winning ways to win a dog’s trust

Our sitters are a real animal-loving bunch that always go above and beyond for their pet proteges. So, again, it came as no surprise to our data wizards that one of our most-read blogs for sitters was all about how to win a dog’s trust, a guest post from Ripley at Doggy Dream Team. If you’ve been wondering how to get off to the best possible start with your next pet sitting pal, this one’s for you…

3. Pretty yet poisonous plants for dogs to avoid

Pet sitters and pet owners alike will know just how much our canine friends love to sniff, search and snuffle about in the garden. This important blog post covers the main plants that are toxic to dogs, including plants that dogs shouldn’t eat to the flowers they should avoid sniffing. If you have a four-legged friend in your care, this is definitely one to bookmark!

4. Top tips for travelling with pets post-lockdown

Travelling with pets isn’t always an easy task, particularly if you have a puppy who is new to car journeys, or if it's been a particularly long time since you last took your pet in the car -  as the case may have been after lockdown. Luckily, our friends at our Vet Advice Line were happy to share their tips for travelling with pets in a post-lockdown world. From bathroom breaks to knowing how to properly secure your pet, this guest blog post reveals all.

5. 5 ways to stop cats from escaping the garden

For indoor cat owners, it can feel like a real juggling act to ensure your cat stays both safe and well (particularly if you live near a busy road), while also ensuring they lead a happy, fulfilling life. Thankfully, there are solutions that will allow your cat to get plenty of fresh air while keeping them safe from the dangers of outdoor life. In our blog on how to stop cats from escaping, we claw into the many options now available to cat owners.

6. 10 Tips on how to become a house sitter

So, you love pets and you also love to travel - so combining the two and becoming a pet sitter sounds like the perfect option! But do you know what that entails, or how to get started? Fret not - our blog post all about how to become a house sitter has you covered. 

7. 7 things to look for in your next pet sitter

And in at number 7 is our blog on the 7 things to look for in your next sitter (don’t you just love when things work out like that?). At TrustedHousesitters, we’re all about helping pet owners travel with ease while keeping pets happy at home. So, to help our owners connect with their perfect pet sitter, we devised a list of our top things to consider when conducting that all important search...

8. How to add social links to your TrustedHousesitters profile

Adding social media links to your TrustedHousesitters profile was just one of many great improvements our Product team unveiled to members in 2020. If you're a sitter and you haven’t already added links to your profile, then be sure to check this blog out to find out how it can help increase your chances at sitter success, and how exactly to add in your LinkedIn or Airbnb profile links.

9. Top US girl dog names

With new pet ownership booming in 2020-2021, it’s likely there were many new pet parents on the lookout for the perfect moniker for their new furry family member. We know that choosing the perfect puppy name can be tough, so we scoured our database of TrustedHousesitters' most popular girl dog names in the US, and shared the results on our blog.

(Psst - have a new boy dog in your pack? Don’t worry - while it didn’t make our top 10, we have you covered with our guide to the top US male dog names, too). 

10. How to amend or delete a saved search

The beginning of 2021 saw another great new feature launched by our Product team - one that was requested by many of our members. Saved searches! In this informative blog post, we took our members through how to amend a saved search, both on the website and the app.

More blogs to explore…

Worked your way through this list, and itching for more? Great! Head back to our blog for even more articles on a range of topics, from pet care tips to travel guides, house sitting advice and more. Or why not get started with these latest trending topics?