I am looking forward to meeting you. So you can get to know me a little bit, here’s the story of how I was bitten by the pet sitting bug.

In 2012, my husband and I sold our house and left our jobs to embark on what would become a nearly three year trip around the world. We had a long list of places we wanted to see but no idea how long our money would last.

Many times as we were looking for that next inn, hostel or rental my husband would suggest a particular place because there was a cat or a dog in one of the pictures. We turned two of those housing selections into unpaid pet sits to both the homeowner’s and our benefit. We loved getting “fur time” in, cuddling and playing with four-footed friends, and the homeowners knew their pets were getting loving attention.

Later, when my husband and I were in India, half a world from home and trying to stretch our budget as far as we could, I learned there were websites devoted to bringing pet owners who wanted to travel together with travelers who wanted some pet time. We signed up, and the rest is history.

Our first sit through a pet sitting website was in Melbourne, Australia with two big, lovable Samoyed-mixes. They were an absolute delight! They lived for their daily playtime at the local “footie” field, and we loved taking care of them. The process of finding and setting up the pet sit was so easy, and the homeowners so gracious, that we’ve continued pet sitting to this day. There’s nothing quite like having a big furry friend to cuddle with in front of the tv at the end of the day.

That’s how it all began. I’m sure you have a wonderful story of how you came to pet sitting or using TrustedHousesitters, too. I’m looking forward to getting to know you in the days to come and to hearing your pet-related stories.