10 top tips on social media etiquette for house sitters

Pet sitting is exciting! So it’s only natural that you’ll want to share all your fab experiences with your friends, family and social media following. But before going ahead and posting online, it’s important to consider the house sitting etiquette around online posting. While it might seem harmless at first (it’s just a selfie with your new furry pal, right?), you could - unintentionally - be revealing all kinds of personal information about pet parents, their home, possessions and more. Don’t be daunted, though. Sharing your pet sitting experiences online is something we actively encourage (#TrustedTales - hello!), just so long as you’re following good social media etiquette. So to help you on your way to safe-proofing your posts, we’re sharing our top 10 tips below to consider before sharing online - smart phones at the ready!

Don’t share pictures with any personal information

So your new furry pal is working the camera, and you simply can’t stop taking selfies together - we get it. While it’s a harmless act (and frankly we encourage you to catch your new pal going about their day in their unique, cute way), it’s best to tread with caution before sharing online (and tagging us in your #TrustedTales, naturally). So, before sharing, zoom in and check all corners of your snap, just to be sure that you haven’t accidentally featured anything that might reveal the pet parents’ personal information. Think post with a visible address, house numbers outside the front door, or open phone books left on the side. It’s a simple rule of house sitting etiquette and might save you a whole lot of hassle in the long run!

Don’t describe anything that will give away the location

We know how exciting pet sitting in a new location with new fluffy friends and new sights to see can be! But one of our tips for social media etiquette (to avoid upsetting pet parents, and to help increase your chances of going back for a second sit), is to avoid describing anything about your sit that will give away your specific location (unless pet parents have permitted otherwise, of course). While it’s fine to chat about more generic features of the town or city you’re staying in, avoiding specifics about nearby roads or even shops is a handy way to dodge giving away your exact spot.

Car registration

The benefits of remote working and pet sitting are (almost) endless, and sometimes our sitters are lucky enough to be given the permission to drive pet parents’ cars while they’re away. It’s an especially generous and trusting act, allowing sitters extra freedom to explore the area a little further, and give their new furry friends the walkies they’re used to. With great freedom comes great responsibility though, and it’s always good house sitting etiquette to make sure that you don’t accidentally include the car registration in your adventurous snaps with Fido. While it might not seem like the end of the world, it’s best to avoid sharing - simply crop out or go for a different angle with your always photo-worthy fluffy pal.

Watch out for that pet tag!

One of the big don’ts of pet sitting is sharing the pet parents’ names and addresses, naturally. While we don’t expect you’d do this deliberately, it’s easier than you’d think when sharing pictures of pets on social media. How? Well these days, responsible pet parents often have their name (not the pet’s name) and address on a cute little collar tag - it’s a great way to make sure they’re returned home safely should the unthinkable happen. So, when you’re snapping your selfies and nose-first close-ups with your new best buddy, make sure their collar tag isn’t in shot, or block it out with an emoji afterwards.

Crop out family photos

The inside of another’s home is naturally pretty personal, so it’s always best to tread with caution when it comes to sharing pictures taken indoors. And looking around the house you’re staying in, it’s pretty likely they’ll have pictures of family and friends scattered about the walls and on shelves. To protect their privacy and that of their loved ones, it’s always good social media etiquette to make sure you don’t get any photos in your shot. Simply crop out or opt for a different angle, and voila!

Dodge recognisable monuments

If you’re lucky enough to have landed a house sit right next to the Eiffel Tower, the London Eye, or any other well-known landmark for that matter, kudos to you! By all means, snap away next to the monument, fill all your tourist needs with your fluffy friend in tow and share your amazing experiences with others online. But (there is always a but!), be cautious when taking photos inside the home you’re staying in, with the monument in view. Like we said, lucky you if you’ve landed a house sit with an iconic landmark outside the bedroom window - just be sure to leave the house to get a photo with it instead.

Turn off your location when posting

When getting clued-up on social media basics, you’ll have quickly realized that many of the most popular apps will automatically tag us in our location, even if we didn’t manually add it ourselves. While it might seem harmless when you’re not traveling the world house sitting, it’s a bit of a no-go when you are. So, to follow good house sitting etiquette and avoid revealing your specific location, dodge getting caught out by your app’s location trackers by turning off your phone’s location when you upload your photos.

Think before you comment

While somebody interested in your travels may post a well-meaning comment to find out exactly where you are (the life of a pet sitter is an intriguing one, after all), check yourself before you wreck your pet sitting adventure! It’s always best to check with pet parents about how much information they’re happy for you to share. While revealing your general location (e.g. Paris or LA) is up to you, think before you start describing more specific details that could get people guessing where you’re actually staying - it’s simply house sitting and social media etiquette!

Off-limits areas and possessions

If you’re posting pictures from inside another’s home, it’s always best to be courteous and cautious. There might be specific rooms that pet parents would rather you avoid snapping pictures from or even avoid entering altogether - it’s their home, and their choice. They may also be lucky enough to have high-value possessions in their home that they’d rather weren’t broadcasted over social media, for potential thefts to eye up. The best way to broach the topic is to be direct and ask where their boundaries are - your sit handover is a great time for these sorts of conversations.

Permission to share

The best advice on house sitting etiquette for social media we can give is to ask permission first. It’s the best way to double check you aren’t crossing any boundaries - there may be elements of your snaps that reveal information about pet parents that you haven’t even considered. And even if you do have permission, don’t forget to double check you haven’t included a snap of anything overtly personal when sharing pictures of their home and pets.

And last but not least (granted you have permission to share your snaps and you’ve followed all of our tips above), make sure to share your photos with us on Instagram  using #TrustedTales - we LOVE seeing what you’re up to and we’ll never say no to pictures of cute pets!

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