Hello @cmpaters,
Welcome to TrustedHousesitters and the Forum! It sounds like you are an adventurous couple and no doubt will find many fellow travel enthusiasts here, too.
I am presuming a few letters fell off of your mention that your granddaughters are very fond of pets? Unless ‘p’ is a hip term I’m not familiar with 
And therefore, yes! Travel and pets = a match made in Heaven.
Regarding the approval process being somewhat challenging - could you elaborate? We are here to help and want to make it as seamless as possible.
One suggestion might be to use the ‘magnifying glass’ in the top right corner for any and all subjects relating to the application process you noted also. Here are a couple links from discussions which may provide assistance:
Top tips for writing your sitter profile
Where in California are you most interested in staying? You can ‘save’ favorite destinations whereby you will receive alerts anytime a new listing pops up in that location. Here’s a blog post that goes over How do I create/delete saved search alerts on the app?
It can be a bit intimidating the first time you apply for anything new, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how welcoming this community is with a bundle of resources to help you navigate the process.
Please circle back with any further questions. I hope you find these articles useful and that your first sitting experience is a winner. We’ll be watching:)
Karen S and the Forum Team