What's Your TrustedHousesitters Story?

[Angela_L]

“Today’s Moments Are Tomorrow’s Memories”

A new look, a new logo, the next chapter of our TrustedHousesitters story begins.

What is your TrustedHousesitters story?

Do you remember the Black Lab or has your story just begun? Share and help our community celebrate another moment in our truly remarkable, pet lovers journey …

My TrustedHousesitters story began with one of those “meant to be moments” in 2010 and a series of coincidences which led me to sharing a glass of wine with TrustedHousesitters founder, Andy Peck.

For almost eleven years I’ve been part of something very special … Pets, People & Places. I will take credit for that little phrase which came to me during a BBC interview when talking about why I do “this” … the producer’s question.

“Pet and housesitting fulfils my three passions … Pets, People & Places”

As soon as I said it my colleague Tom said, “Did she just say that?” … another TrustedHousesitters Moment!

Eleven years watching our community grow, eleven years of having THE best job in the world, eleven years of pet sitting in my own back yard and around the world and having the world come to me, eleven years of building lifelong friendships.

But THE best part? Eleven years of helping to keep pets safe and happy at home giving pet parents absolute peace of mind and guilt free travel …

“Vacation Pet Sitting With LOVE”

What are the moments you remember, the pets, the places and the people … we would love to know. Share and let’s have a stroll down pet memory lane

[Maryse]

Our first housesitting experience was 3-1/2 months in the French Alps, looking after a chalet all winter, near a ski resort and skiing in France and Switzerland from 2014 to 2015!

Since then, to be exact, we have happily completed:

• 129 house sits– many are repeats now, as many pet owners invite us back and schedule their travel around our availability.
• In 6 countries : Australia, France, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and the USA.
• Cared for 308 pets: including dogs, cats, horses, goats, chickens, guinea pigs, fish, birds, turtles and 1 bearded dragon!
• For a total of 1182 nights = 3.24 years or 39 months or 169 weeks.

I keep track of it all in an Excel spreadsheet with multiple tabs: Color Coded Calendar, Housesitting Log (which is a database I built with all the detailed information for each housesit, including all the pets’ names) and several Pivot Tables I designed to automatically calculate and tabulate percentages and other fun data! Do I need to mention I was a Financial Analyst? I love doing this stuff! But most of all, we love getting close to new pets and being reunited with old ones.

[ElsieDownie]

We missed animals and wanted to see some of the interior of the countries we were sailing to, hence THS was the perfect sit.
Now, we have given up sailing but still travel using THS 90% of the time. This life style has brought together everything we love and after three years hope we can go on and on and……….l.
Elsie

[Vanessa_A]

Our first sit with THS was back in 2014 when we returned briefly to the UK after starting our house sitting journey a year earlier when using sitters for our (then) home in Panama. In Birmingham, we looked after 2 gorgeous cats for a very nervous first time HO.

On arrival we were told there were problems with the boiler… it was losing pressure and switching off every few days. They hadn’t had time to get it looked at but thought we’d be OK for the week.

Anyway, we settled in, had a lovely couple of days of cat cuddles, before noticing a dripping noise in the under-stairs cupboard. We opened the door to discover water rapidly dripping from above and through the light fitting. Ian quickly hit the fuse to disable the electric circuit and we discovered the offending radiator in the hall above which had sprung the leak obviously getting progressively worse. We got it isolated and disaster was averted. Needless to say our HOs were instantly reassured of the benefits of house sitters!! The cats had a great time too.

Since then we’ve done 100+ sits all over the world… US, Mexico, Caribbean, Nicaragua, Europe, Australia, Africa and Fiji looking after hundreds of pets, sitting for the most part as full-time nomads. We absolutely love our lifestyle, keeping pets happy at home and helping their owners have the best of times on their own travels and adventures. There’s such great satisfaction and reward from what we do, particularly as no money passes hands.

We feel like we are part of a huge family of like-minded people and pets that have created memories and moments of magic in a way we could never have imagined. There are sometimes challenges, as there are in any lifestyle, but overall life is now the best it could be.

The pinnacle for me is that I’m now able to work within the company that has helped make this possible for us – so thank-you Team Trusted across the years and into the future!

[SaraShann]

Hello All!

I’m new to TH and will start my third pet/house sitting assignment today. I absolutely love it!

I already have a TH story with a positive outcome for the owner.

On the last night of my first sit, I checked the basement area and found squishy flooring in a hallway that was not present the day before. A preliminary investigation (supplemented by a phone call to an insurance adjuster friend) led to the conclusion that there was a dripping water leak in a pressurized pipe above the ceiling that was running down a wall.

I located a wrench and cut off the main water supply to the house, released the pressure by running one of the faucets, and notified the homeowner (who was not due to return for another week).

Had the pet been boarded and the home left unattended, the owner would have returned to thousands of dollars worth of damage to the ceiling, walls, and flooring, in addition to the inconvenience of cleanup and major repair. Not a great way to return from a relaxing time away.

A plumber was called and was easily able to correct the issue.

It was a bit unnerving as a brand new sitter to have to call the owner with an issue, but he was grateful. As a homeowner, it isn’t anything I might not have dealt with in my own home and so I was prepared.

It’s absolutely worth it to have a trusted sitter watch your home while you’re away!

[Angela_L]

Hi @SaraShann Welcome to TrustedHousesitters and thank you so much for sharing your story, amazing on so many levels …

There are elements of fortitude, great problem solving, caring, luck and going above and beyond to help another human being. Another TrustedHousesitters member, who will always be grateful and remember not only did they had a wonderful sitter to keep their beloved pet safe and happy at home, but they had a great and resourceful, home care guardian.

As you say, imagine what they would have come home to had you not been there.

Thank you for being amazing!!

[Amparo]

@Angela-HeadOfCommunity for me it has been photos! Thousands of them! I used some time during the great PAWS to organize them and am now just beginning to write my incredible experiences. I can not share them. It’s been to amazing!
I am so grateful for THS!

[Amparo]

That’s incredible @Vanessa_A and I love hearing stories like these.
Almost makes me feel normal
Many people think I’m weird…

[Vanessa_A]

We are weird in the absolutely best of ways

[Amparo]

The more I lean into my weirdness the better life is.

[Dennis]

Lots of stories from so many great opportunities. Here is another one of those did that really just happen. After having a pet sit canceled on us the week before our flight to Dublin I had to find another pet sit to fill in time before pet sits all over France. We found a wonderful opportunity with a terrific Artist in the Scottish Highlands. My career was in Museums. After we arrived she explained that she had borrowed hay bales from a local farmer for guests to sit on the week before at her daughter’s wedding. He would call me to let me know when. I was told that I didn’t need to be there, but I Always enjoy meeting the locals. One of the very best things for me about pet sitting. So he calls and says he will be there shortly. An hour later he is still not there so we take off to visit a great castle. We get to the end of her rough one lane road and a pick pulling a horse trailer flags us down. The driver asks are you Dennis. I say yes and he says no need to go back. He then says can I ask you a question. Sure I says. So let me get this straight. You fly all the Way from the American West Coast just to look after a kitten. I tried to explain to him the advantages of Trusted House Sitters. I jokingly said I kid you not “ if you have any Highland Cattle We Will Pet Sit For You. He says wait here and then follow me. The black bulls name is the same as the village of my favorite place on Earth Too! What’s the chances. Had a similar experience on our next pet sit in Brittany!

[Amparo]

How absolutely fabulous! Great story and great pic!
Thank you @Dennis

[Dennis]

Amparo
Thank You
I have had so many hard to believe stories over the years traveling like this. Many through pet sitting through Trusted House Sitters. It has provided me with the perfect situation to get to know people and an area by spending time in one place with locals. I would love to share all of my stories one day including meeting friends of not only friends but of someone that I hired and worked most closely with in my museum career in a tiny village in the Swiss Alps. a policeman who guarded Queen Elizabeth and my favorite before a house sit carrying a Rembrandt on first class. One day I will write them all down. The pets are a whole nother bunch of stories.

[Amparo]

I feel the same way @Dennis. It feels surreal at times. I have experienced amazing things and met extraordinary people. I have started writing some at times I feel overwhelmed but I am getting more focused and writing one experience at a time.
The bond that I now have with animals is wonderful. It’s a wonderful life.

[Dennis]

And so many special people too! I love doing return pet sits especially in Europe.