Canadians flagged at border for house-sitting say U.K. company misled them

Some Canadians who tried to house-sit abroad say they were flagged and turned away at the U.S. border and now fear their ability to travel freely has been jeopardized after border agents classified their house-sitting plans as work.

Several house-sitters told CBC News they feel misled by U.K.-based company Trusted Housesitters, which some said has been «irresponsible» in «downplaying» the risks involved when taking on an international house-sitting opportunity.

Meanwhile, the company maintains house-sitting is not work, despite U.S. Customs and Border Protection documents telling travellers it's considered employment.

Trusted Housesitters says it facilitated about 49,500 house-sits in 2023, with less than 0.02 per cent resulting in «border control issues» flagged to its customer services team.

On its website, it categorizes border issues as «a rare occurrence.»

But Beverly Dunn, a recently retired public servant, said she's «terrified» her plans to spend her winters in the south have been ruined after she was fingerprinted, photographed and refused entry under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act for trying to pet-sit in Florida last December.

«I was absolutely traumatized,» said Dunn. «I was also in shock.»

'A false sense of security'

Dunn said she used Trusted Housesitters to fill a hole in her heart after her dog of 18 years died.

The company is a pet-sitting subscription service that connects homeowners to house-sitters around the world. While users pay the company a membership fee, homeowners and house-sitters don't exchange money.

Dunn says she successfully house-sat in Florida a couple of times before and had no issues at the border.

But in December, a U.S. border officer at the Ottawa International Airport brought Dunn