What do you give your housesitter?

[MickeyMousse]

My friend is going to WDW next week and is having her 21y/o nephew house and dog sit. She has already stocked her fridge and freezer with food, snacks and drinks. Her nephew goes to college, so he will be in and out of the house but will be sleeping there and feeding their dog. No mail to collect as she put a stop on it. Now she asked me for my opinion on if she should pay him and if so, how much. They'll be away 2 weeks. I thought the stocked fridge and $100 would be sufficient but her DH said the stocked fridge was enough, so I figured I'd ask my fellow Intercotees what they thought. Thanks!

[MNNHFLTX]

If it were me, I would also pay him (the $100 seems fair, I guess). I realize that stocking the food and freezer is good, but the nephew may not even get around to eating/drinking everything or may prefer to catch a meal at a fast food place, etc. (I don't know too many college kids who like to prepare meals for themselves). And the added convenience of having someone in the home on a more frequent basis is worth it, IMO.

Just as a comparison, we have two cats and two dogs and when we went to England a couple of years ago for 13 days, we paid a petsitter to come in three times a day. Now granted, the petsitter also took in our mail and watered my plants, but we paid her $500 for time that we were gone.

[magicofdisney]

Last year we took a 9 day trip. We had a neighbor's son come over once a day. He was responsible for checking the mail, watering the plants (according to a schedule we left) and feeding our budgie. We paid him $50. He did not sleep over and we did not leave any snacks for him.

[Marilyn Michetti]

We're lucky. I stay with DD's five dogs when they go away, and she stays with my two, (plus mom) when we go to Disney.

The one year we had to hire a sitter, she was a dog trainer who fed them in the A.M., came back at 4:00, and spent the night. That was in 2004, and was seven days, (and nights) for $350.

[DizNee143]

id definitely give some money..
with $100 being the least given..

[VWL Mom]

IMO $100 for 14 days it a bit low. True she is leaving groceries but just think how much a kennel would be for 2 weeks.

My neighbor's son takes in my mails and takes care of my 3 cats. I pay $150 for the week which is a far cry from the $75 per day I would pay to board them.

[PirateLover]

I would give some cash but I'd probably give 1/2 up front and 1/2 upon my return if everything is in good condition. ( It IS 14 days with a 21 year old house sitting... )

[Disney Doll]

Our vet charges $13 a day for boarding and that's bare bones accommodations where your pet is kept caged the majority of the time. Having the personal touch of having someone come to your home not only feeding the dog, but allowing the dog to be comfortable in its own environment is surely worth more. Plus, he's keeping an eye on the house. I know college kids like free food, but staying at someone's house for 2 weeks is a bit of an inconvenience and should deserve pay IMHO.

[pink]

Being a college kid myself, most of us are poor. I would expect some sort of compensation for staying in a strange place for that length of time. $100 seems a little low if this was given to him as a job, if he knows it is a favor then $100 is a nice gift to give to him when they come back and the house is ok.

[RenDuran]

I usually leave my sister $25 a day when she stays at my house. That's with a stocked fridge.

I would leave the college kid $100, at the very least. No offense, but they're leaving for 2 weeks and your friend's husband thinks groceries is enough? He should price a kennel or petsitter and see how cheap $100 really is! I used to petsit...most clients with indoor dogs I would visit 3 times a day.

[DreamFinder2]

For a 4-6 day house sitting job with pet responsibilities, we usually pay $50 in cash, stock the fridge and give a $25-40 gas gift card. My DW and I are both high school teachers, so we have a pool of 2-3 former students (in college now) to choose from.

I think $100/week plus food seems about right.

[AvaNellMouse]

I house sit for my sister for nothing because I love my sister, my niece (Italian Greyhound) and nephews (toy poodle & generic cat). I clean her house before I leave, wash the sheets and remake the bed.
That being said, I house sit for her friend who has three VERY needy big dogs. One of them is a mental wreck and all three of them are on special diets. I sleep over and basically stay all day over the weekends. Her dogs refer to me as Aunt Nell.
While they are gone I cook food for the people so when they return they have something yummy to eat. I also wash the sheets and clean house before I leave.
I charge $50 per day, eat at their house but probably not as much as a boy-person would.
They book their vacations around an agreed schedule with me because I do a great job and they KNOW that their house and furry children are well cared for.
$100? That seems awfully low. You get what you pay for. Call the kennel and get their daily rate. Pay him at least that amount. And while you are at it, bring him something from the park.
Just IMHO and 2-cents.
Another thought - my sister makes a list that has things that need to be done each day. As silly as this sounds, it is great to have a reference sheet on when to put out the garbage cans etc.
Good luck and enjoy your trip!!!