I sympathize, Bonnie.

Our plan when we leave this summer is to pay a responsible teen age boy we know $15 per visit to come to our house 3x per day, and to stay for at least an hour per time with our 3 dogs. I wish I could find someone who'd be willing to stay overnight.
I am encouraging him to bring a friend with him if he wants to so that he'll stay at the house as long as possible.
It does seem a bit difficult that you do not want her to have anyone with her; I'd worry that she would spend less time with my "babies" if the place were less comfortable to her.

Such a difficult situation! Let us know how it works out.

bonniebroad, you use Leesburg don't you? Give them a call tomorrow just to see if their vet techs house/dog sit and what the going rates are. These (usually) girls have both their own reputation and the clinics' to consider. It just doesn't sound like you are so sure on the niece idea...and I was already on the phone with Delta to check return flights when nephew's mom went to the house to check to make sure things were okay...and promised me that SHE would spend the night there if he dropped the ball.

I think you would be more comfortable with a pure "business" situation from the start.

Hi Bonnie,

I feel for your situation. Our little Sophie means the world to us!

I think your rules are extremely reasonable and if I were her, I would actually expect that there should be no company.

See how you feel about it and I would would pay her what you would pay if you chose to board your dog. I think the $25 a day range would be good, but see what is the "going rate" for your area.

Also, I must say if you just get a bad vibe, I liked starrsville's idea. Only you will know what is right, but regardless of who is there, absolutely no company, NONE. I would say that no matter the age of the sitter, the idea here is to have it be as calm as possible for your sweet dog. Too many people in the mix would not be good for him. One loving kind person in his surroundings would be so soothing.

Also, whichever person you decide on, I would have a couple introductions while you are still there, so he "knows" them.

((&)) Your fellow caring pet owner, T.

I can empathize with the complications have having a senior dog. Please let us know what path you choose and how it works out!

My DH and I have discussed this issue further, and we just don't have the confidence that my niece (and her father, in fact) would abide by our rules. My niece has to have people around her all the time........ and I think she would have them here in our absence. I don't think her father would discourage this ... I think HE would feel we're being too strict. Let's face it ... it wouldn't be an enjoyable vacation if we didn't have real peace of mind on this issue!

SO.... my Vet's office has a lady who works there who pet-sits (don't know if she stays overnight) but I am going to talk to her about the possibility of her coming here, what she charges, etc. Thank you all, for your interest, and your comments. I very much appreciated them.........

Good call Bonnie.

Keep us posted as to what you find out with your lady from the vet's office.

Even if she normally doesn't stay over night, money talks baby, make her an offer she can't refuse, hee.

The peace of mind you will have while away will be well worth it!

Sophie and I send our regards! ((&))

It's interesting reading all this. We've always had house sitters who were very happy to move into our house for a week or two to get away from parents or roommates. We never paid them. We never made rules either. Just requests, like please don't use the crystal on the top two shelves, please drink the wine we leave for you and don't raid our cellar, etc. We view it as a fair trade. They get a pad with some wine and a view and a nearby pool and the DirectTV/Tivo etc. They can have some friends over and barbecue and watch a movie and hang. They receive our packages, feed the fish, keep an eye on our stuff. However, now I'm feeling cheap. Is the housesitting money for the housesitting or the pet sitting?

I can't imagine making strict rules. If they were needed, and you couldn't just trust the person's common sense and maturity, I too probably would be too nervous to relax and enjoy vacation.

(These housesitters also are overnight sitters for our kids. So I guess if you trust someone with a kid, you trust them with your stuff.)

We travel ALOT, and have two large hairy golden retrievers. We have two sets of housesitters, and we pay them $40 a day to move into our house. Our goldens have a dogdoor to a fenced back yard, and they only require feeding twice a day and keeping two water bowls filled. It is a very EASY job, and we offer the sitters anything in the fridge and access to our neighborhood pool. They can bring anyone they like into our house BECAUSE WE TRUST THEM. If we didn't, we wouldn't have them in our house. Period. (Well, they do have to let the dogs sleep on the bed with them!)

I don't have time to read all the comments but I would suggest that you call her every day or every other day while on vacation for a short "chat". You can learn a lot about what's going on in a phone call.

My experience...We used to leave our dog (who is alos our "baby") with my in-laws. They don't follow the same rules and when we got home it would take us a week or so before the constant begging for food stopped. No big deal, just slightly annoying. I did worry though, from time to time, about the dog escaping from their house or them letting him off the leash. I would call...
Once we got our second dog, a 3 month old puppy, we got a professional dog walker. She comes in once a day to walk and feed the doggies while we're at work ($20/day). She has done one long weekend and charges $60/day. This includes 3 walk visits and the overnight, plus taking in the mail, caring for the plants, etc. It is expensive, BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY! She's nice, fun, mature, professional, etc. I trust her MORE than either of our families b/c she's getting paid, she's a professional and animals are her life. Now we don't worry when we're at work or away, the babies are being well cared for. Since your doggie is so important to you try to go this route...even if it is a bit more $$. After all, you're saving with those frequent flier miles. Good luck!

eriberrie, that is what our old sitter did. I could not understand why all of a sudden, Pup was begging in the kitchen whenever I roasted chicken.
She admitted it to me when I mentioned it to her..personally- I did not like that at all.
When someone is in charge of caring for your baby or your pet, they know what you feed them and what they should not have. To do what they want anyway- shows lack of respect for you (me) and not great care for the pet. What if he had a health problem with eating human food?
You know those rawhide chewies? They come out of Pup the same way they go in, so he cannot have them. The sitter knew this. He would come home from her house and we would have a chewy problem..((&))

As for trusting your house/pet sitter..most people trust the person they hire. But have you met all of this persons friends and do you trust them too?
I have not met any of my new sitters friends, she can go out and meet them, but I will not have strangers in my home while I am away.
The rules are easier to follow when you get paid

Going along with Scarlett's thought, if a professional "breaks the rules" it is upsetting. But if a family member does it can create hard feelings for years.

Scarlett, to feed Pup something that you had on the prohibited list is terrible. That is a health issue, not just a spoiling issue. I would have been furious.

Yes, LoveItaly, it made us furious. But Pup sure loved her LOL

well, I have learned something today.

I never realized people got so upset when others fed their dogs treats! YIKES! I may have made someone really mad without ever knowing that! I hate that!

(I always feel so darn sorry for dogs that never get real food...even the so called best premium dog food is generally made from pretty horrific stuff. One of my 3 dogs, my english bulldog, cannot eat any commercial dog food (and I've tried most of them) without getting hives and terrible skin rashes, so I have to cook homemade dog food, and he's fine.)

Contrary to what most people think, frankie, dogs don't really need a lot of different tastes. They don't feel neglected if mama doesn't give them a bite of something she is eating..they learn to beg and hang around the table or people eating because someone fed them from the table.
My dog eats the same thing every day, he is healthy and never has gas and stomach problems that some dogs can have.
Vets say that more dogs are overweight and sick because of it, including having diabetes, because their owners over feed them..not because they are mean or stupid, but because they (we) often equate food with love.
We just have to learn that the dog will be just as happy if you walk him or throw the ball as he would be if you gave him a piece of that hamburger.
I would never consider feeding my neighbors 4 yr old a cookie without asking his mom if it was ok, why should your dog be different?

well, my problem is I probably would feed my neighbor's kid a cookie without asking if it was ok! !
And then I'd be in big trouble!

In all seriousness, Franke, be careful what you feed children (and animals) without parents' permission! My granddaughter has a deadly allergy to peanuts, and all nuts except almonds. She has to have an Epi pen on hand at all times, just in case!

Back to the business of these sitters, I think my bottom line is that I just don't have the confidence in this niece's judgment, in many things, that I should. I wouldn't need to make any rules if I did. I have another niece who lives out of state..... same age, totally different personality, and I wouldn't have to give a single instruction to her. I know her, know how she lives and thinks, and wouldn't have a single worry.

Again, thanks to everybody for your input!

bonnie, if you don't have confidence in the niece's judgment, then you don't want her housesitting, even if you didn't have an animal that required care. As unlikely as it is, you have to think about a worst-case scenario. I would not want someone in my house whose judgment I didn't trust, period.

I am so glad that you have reached that conclusion, bonniebroad, BEFORE your trip. I worried the whole time when I thought said nephew wasn't coming around enough to take good care of my pups.

All dogs are special, but a 15 year old is a very special case. Do whatever is needed for you to be confident the care is good.

I've signed releases that specify the sitter can take the dogs to the vet and jointly make decisions with the vet in my absence ... and taking on the financial responsibility of whatever they decide. Needless to say, I trust my vets very very much. One fought for hours to save my dear Gracie.

You might want to consider a similar medical release or waiver - especially with a 15 year old.

you are right, Bonnie, I was just teasing!