Great story, @Sam_F!
Shame that all of us in the USA can’t see it easily. (to all: A UK friend used their iPhone to record their TV and that’s how I saw it.)
I thought people might at least like to read a rough transcript. 
Zoe Hardman: …Peace of mind that their pet is being cared for all without the kennel and cattery costs. And for those coming in to pet sit, they get the chance at low-cost travel with the company of a new four-legged friend.
Gina and Matthew live in the Cotswolds with their dogs, Luna and Callie. They use a site called Trusted Housesitters, who put us in touch with them. It’s one of a number of sites designed to find animal-loving travelers to look after your pets in your home while you get away on a holiday.
Matthew: Putting dogs into kennels is so expensive these days. We had three dogs previously, but yeah, it could be 1800 pounds for two weeks.
Zoe: What?
Matthew: Yes, very expensive.
Zoe: Wow. And what do you look for in a sitter?
Gina: Somebody that’s quite laid back, preferably somebody that’s got experience of hunting dogs.
Matthew: They’re quite detailed previews of a sitter’s experience on the website.
Zoe: Like a dating app, right?
Matthew: Yeah, exactly. So we’re rated, and the sitters are also rated.
Gina: You usually speak to them beforehand. We have a video call. We show them the dogs. We show them a bit about the house.
Zoe: because essentially it is a holiday for them, but they’ve got quite a lot of responsibility.
Gina: But it’s not just the dogs. They water our plants. They’re here to get our post. There’s a presence in the house. So we are really relaxed when we go away that our house is in safe hands. You do occasionally get somebody that’s not as clean or as tidy as you would be. Generally, though, it’s absolutely fine. We come home, the house is still standing, the plants are still alive, the dogs are happy. That’s all we ask, really.
Zoe: The site Gina and Matthew use charges a yearly subscription fee of 119 pounds for pet owners and 99 pounds for pet sitters. But prices can vary site to site, with some offering additional features, such as a better price line or booking protection. Two of the pet sitters that Gina and Matthew found through the site are Samantha and John. To date, they have completed 16 houses in the UK and abroad.
Sam: We’ve both got a passion for animals and obviously a passion for travel, so this is a great way to combine both.
Zoe: And which type of animals have you looked after?
John: Oh, gosh, we’ve done dogs and cats, chickens, pigs.
Sam: Yeah, we’ve done 12 horses, rabbits. The tortoise Milo, you can’t forget him.
Zoe: Wow. I mean, and the list goes on. Yes, there’s obviously quite a lot of pressure because you are responsible essentially for people’s most precious items. Do you worry about that?
John: We’ve both had pets in the past, so I’ve had the advantage of working with farm animals as well. If you put the pets first at all times, and that’s the thing to remember.
Zoe: Who pays for what? Do they pay your flights getting there?
Sam: It’s a mutual exchange. We have to get ourselves to the location of, obviously, where the house sit is, and then obviously we stay in their property, look after their pets, but no money changes hands at all.
Zoe: And what are your top tips for house sitting?
John: Being honest about your ability, what animals you actually cared for in the past. Communication, isn’t it?
Sam: That is the key thing with this: communication. You know, you’ve got to ask those questions to ensure you’re the right fit. You know, both you and the home, obviously.
Zoe: Pet sitting can be a great choice for animal lovers. If you’re …
Going back to my epic road trip now. Greetings from Sacramento! Next stops, LA and San Diego!
I must say, it was very well presented and gave good and relevant information. I felt Gina and Matthew gave a wonderful and most importantly, an unbiased review of the service. They spoke very clearly of the expectations of house/pet sitting from both the perspective of homeowners and sitters and I didn’t see it as advertising at all, which I thought it might have been. It was well done 
for zero dollars.