That’s right, we just hit a pretty big milestone… 100,000 members!
100,000 pet lovers… Now, that’s a lot of pet parents, a lot of loving sitters… and a whole LOT of wagging tails
Here at Trusted HQ, we’ll be cracking open the treat tin and raising a paw to our wonderful, pet-loving community
Thank YOU to our members for making it happen and to our amazing TeamTrusted for making it work!!
When did you join & where from? Let us know in the comments below … with a photo of course. Let’s find the oldest (in membership years) and the newest!
We joined a little over a year ago and knocked on the door of our first sit on the 27th May 2021. We were very new and very nervous but arrived armed with loads of great tips, advice and encouragement from members of this group for which we will be always grateful! - We loved the whole experience and were immediately hooked.
What a year it has been! - We have met some of the most lovely pets and their owners and have stayed in some amazing accommodation. From tiny countryside cottage to massive detached house with daily cleaner to houseboat to penthouse London apartment …and just about everything in between.
I can hardly believe it but as I write this we are currently on our 21st house sit having now sat for 327 days. We have sat in the UK and Spain for 33 cats, 10 Dogs, 3 rabbits and 2 chickens.
…and today we have a video chat arranged with the possibility of us doing a month long house sit at the end of the year in New Zealand! - ( UPDATE -They booked us! )
Thank you THS and everyone involved in this forum for the support throughout our first year of house sitting, we hope there will be many more to come - and many congratulations on hitting the 100,000 members milestone
Thank you @Colin what an amazing adventure you’ve had and thank you for the love and care you have given all of our 4 & 2 legged members along the way …
As a team we are incredibly proud of we have achieved but ultimately it’s all about our members and caring community. Thank you for being part of it and a valued Forum member.
Congratulations on your New Zealand sit that is wonderful news if you’ve not been before you will love it … one of mine and many other member’s favorite places.
Such an amazing milestone to be celebrating! We started house sitting almost a decade ago and have never experienced anything else that’s created not just an amazing lifestyle for us personally, but so many others too that we’ve met along the way. What an achievement this is for the wider team who work hard to facilitate all the connections that add so much to our lives and the lives of pets around the world. We won’t ever stop appreciating the life we live because of house sitting, because of awesome members and because of the pets that let us into their lives with trust and love. It might throw the odd curve ball here and there but hey, so would 10 years of “normal” living. I know which I’d prefer Here’s to the next 100,000 happy connections!!
Congratulations on a fabulous milestone We started sitting in 2018. We always wondered what it would be like to have our own pigs, so why not look after some first we thought but how?..THS popped up in our search and we haven’t looked back. Our first sit was three weeks in the Brecon Beacons looking after two pigs, four cats, two horses, two guinea pigs and tropical fish!! We loved it and since then have been sitting as often as our jobs allowed. We have recently retired and have started sitting full time… currently on our second sit of 15 booked do far! Thanks THS for giving us and so many others such an amazing opportunity
So incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved as a community but mostly for changing pet’s lives … what pet wouldn’t want to stay home and be loved 24/7 by stand in pet parents and new best friends?
I remember when there were three less zeros on our total Membership number, my member ID is in the low 200’s , I’ve been a member since 2010 and TrustedHousesitters has truly changed my life.
"Pets. people & places "… I’ve has so many amazing opportunities, adventures, experiences and life long friendships made with many more to come. 200 sits and counting, pet friends around the world including, dogs, cats, chickens horses, pigs, sheep, birds, fish … what next? Watch this space as anything is possible, that’s the uniqueness of TrustedHousesitters.
This is a lifestyle choice open to everyone who embraces pet and housesitting and pet sitters with true purpose and caring commitment … if a vacation is the motivation take a cruise but if the end goal is to have an enriching, rewarding and authentic experience then you will be in our next 100,000 celebration.
My (now ex-) husband and I had travelled a few winters, looking for a location where we would like to return to each year, as Canadian snowbirds. We hadn’t found such a place, but while spending a winter in Costa Rica we met a couple who were full-time house sitters. The following winter my husband suggested we try following their example, if only for a few weeks, to see if we liked it.
December 2014 saw us on our first house sit in Phoenix, Arizona, after driving 33 hours from our home in Canada. We shared a beautiful home with this smart and loving dog, Fanci. We had many more sits with her, both in Arizona and Canada, and I remain friends with her owners.
We were selected by a Canadian couple who were at their Arizona winter home but needed to return to Canada to sell their Canadian home. They chose us because we were the only Canadian applicants. It was to be a three-week sit. While in Canada, their home listed and sold within days, and so they contacted us while on the sit and asked if we could return in February as they would need to be there for the sale. We decided that after the sit we would visit friends in California, then took a last-minute cruise from there, all the while hoping to get another sit. Each time we went into port on the cruise I’d check messages and I was so disheartened. We were failed house sitters. I figured we’d need to rent a place for the winter. However, as many of us know, all of a sudden things improved and well, the rest is history.
Since 2017 I’ve been doing solo sits. It is different, but that’s to be expected. I had some doubts as to whether I would be capable enough to do solo sits (says she, who bought her first house at 21), but I didn’t give myself enough credit. It was a low time in my life, and I lacked confidence for a while. However, I have enjoyed many sits since 2017, and am usually asked and encouraged to return, either as a sitter or as a new friend. I proudly tell anyone who will listen about my house and pet sitting adventures, and most people find it fascinating. I do too.
I joined in January and am on my 10th sit, and i am having a ball. I enjoy every aspect of it - staying in people’s homes, seeing how different people live, providing a service, and keeping all these precious animals company while their people are away. I had been wanting to sit chickens, and it magically worked out during a sit in Vermont (it was right down the street from an Airbnb I stayed at my first night in town, and the owner asked if I’d like to watch her chickens for the weekend. YES, I WOULD!). Being a part of this community has added meaning, love and worth to my life during a difficult time. So grateful to be here.
I first came across THS in spring 2019 after I saw an ad on Facebook. At the time we’d been looking after our friends’ Rottweiler/Collie cross for many years, since before our children were born, and they’d grown up with our borrowed pet. She was now very old and we knew we probably wouldn’t get to spend another holiday with her.
We received the sad news that she’d died while on a narrowboat holiday. I signed up to TrustedHousesitters as soon as she returned home, wanting the children to continue to have the opportunity to continue to care for pets. Our first sit was in late August, looking after a sweet elderly cat and 4 entertaining chickens.
We only sit during school holidays, and we have just completed our 10th sit. We’ve cared for:-
17 dogs
15 cats
3 rabbits
11 chickens
6 ducks
3 geese
a few fish
Most creatures at one sit was 23 (16 were poultry)
This year so far we have done 3 housesits - one each in England, Scotland and Wales. We do plan to housesit abroad in future, but not this year.
When we first joined, I could hardly believe that people would want a family of 4 to housesit for them. However THS has so many homeowner members who are families like us and whose pets enjoy having a family to care for them. My boys phones are full of pictures of pets and they love reminiscing about all the characters we’ve cared for. We love what we do!
Since I was a kid, I always wanted my own dog. My family had a family dog, but that did not seem the same as having my own dog. When I retired from the military after 23 years, my goal was to adopt a dog. A month after retirement I did just that. I would name him Rocko and he became that–my rock. He brought structure, calm, patience, joy and unconditional love to my life. He was a beautiful gift that God gave me. He was smart, funny, and always had his silly moments. When he passed away, I was heartbroken and it seemed like the tears would never end. Then came THS.
I joined THS in February 2021 and thus far I have met the most amazing pet(s) and people. For me, @Angela_L, the places were always secondary. Spending time and caring for pets is a rewarding experience–traveling to a new place is the added bonus.
I used to have a flag in my yard that read, “Life is Better With a Dog.” That can be said for all beautiful pets. For me, life has been better since joining THS. I am truly having the time of my life.
Thank you THS for giving me the opportunity to continue my love and care for animals.
Congratulations on a tremendous milestone of 100,000 members!
We joined in 2017, I’d read about THS in a magazine and was ready to sign up as it sounded perfect!
The timing coincided with Steve and I meeting so it was also a good relationship test question ! I think I dropped it into one of our first conversations, thinking to myself if he says no or isnt keen then he’s not for me! Luckily he also thought it sounded brilliant and one of our first holidays was a house sit. It was pretty useful showing us how well we worked together, how organised he was and that he didnt mind mucking out stables while I went riding!!
We packed in quite a few while I was studying and now Steve’s retired and I WFH we continue to sit often, sometimes (like the one I’m doing now) only an hour away. We cant wait to see where we will house sit next , each one is a mini adventure.
I was personally invited by Andy Peck, the founder of THS and his partner Rachel. This was 2010 when the site was being set up, They must have found us from another site which we were using. I accepted a free 6 month membership and quickly renewed it at the end of this period.
My first sitting was on another site (well it was just some sort of advert) in January 2010 in a Devon (UK) longhouse.
As usual with the itchyfeets, nothing is straightforward. The whole country was gripped by snow. We managed the long journey but were told by the HO that our car would not be able to reach the house due to the country lanes being snowed in. He met us in his 4X4 in a laybay where we transferred our belongings. This was about a mile from the house and we were snowed in for 4 days. Although we couldn’t drive the car, we could walk to the nearest village and had a fabulous time with 2 cute dogs called Muppet and Joey.
The house was freezing, the HO told us during a telephone conversation that the heating control was in the tenants house at the other end of the longhouse. The tenant was away for a few days and we couldn’t contact him during that time so we suffered the cold!
When we came to leave I burst into tears as I said goodbye to the dogs. I returned to work on the Monday and handed in my notice. I had been carrying around a letter of resignation for months and was waiting for the “moment” It had arrived!!
Like others, we have travelled afar, the furthest being NZ ( @Colin , you will love it!)
We have looked after a labrador from 10 months old and he has just celebrated his 13th birthday.
THS has come a long way from the days of no support, no reviews, no calendar , no rules and I feel that it was all the more enjoyable!
100.000 is a massive milestone and well done!
Hi @Itchyfeet I find it extremely interesting to hear stories from members who have been with THS since the beginning. Back in 2010 when you were personally invited by the founder of THS and his partner, did they arrange a sit for you or were you able to apply? Where did that sit take place and how long? What type of animals?
Pardon the questions, I just find all of this interesting to read, particularly when you mention that there was no review system in place during that time.
Hi @anon49809275
No, it was an invite to join the site. You found your own sittings and HOs were inviting sitters much the same as now.
When I joined, I had sittings organised from previous sites so was booked up for about 6 months and declining invitations.
My first sittings with the site were for dogs and the locations were about 4 hours drive away.
Most were about 2 weeks long.
There was great emphasis on a detailed profile and the offer of providing my own references by telephone.
Housesitting was relatively unknown in the UK at that time but I guess I was lucky starting when I did.
Also, do you believe that is was divine intervention of when you were carrying around your resignation letter for months and then being presented with a THS opportunity?
Hi @anon49809275 in the beginning TrustedHousesitters founder Andy personally invited all sitter and owners members via email and other communication methods, that’s also how we connected. He ran a TrustedHousesitters marketing campaign but not on the scale that we do now, as the team back then could be counted in single numbers … and look where where we are now.
Well done! I love that you are sharing your “stats” I haven’t really kept track of the critters I have sat but I will now. Kind of a fun review…places you have been, fur friends you have met.
Here’s to the next 100,000 happy connections!! 
I figured we’d need to rent a place for the winter. However, as many of us know, all of a sudden things improved and well, the rest is history.
It’s wonderful to have you as part of our community!
! I think I dropped it into one of our first conversations, thinking to myself if he says no or isnt keen then he’s not for me! Luckily he also thought it sounded brilliant and one of our first holidays was a house sit. It was pretty useful showing us how well we worked together, how organised he was and that he didnt mind mucking out stables while I went riding!!
, each one is a mini adventure. 
