We don't advertise, per se, simply because we don't need to. After five years, requests for sits mostly come from return customers or online agencies. But if you stumbled upon our site by chance or following a referral, you may be curious what makes us stand out to do a sit. (No pun intended.) 

 

House sitting had grown from a hobby into a massive, global phenomenon. There are tens of thousands of sitters, way more than there are houses to sit for. Most people jump on the bandwagon because they want to travel, and find house sitting a good alternative for free accommodation. 

 

And then there are those of us who make a living from looking after other people's property. The 'Sit-Pros' - as one of our friends put it. We have found that the best 'sales pitch', if we ever need one, to differentiate ourselves from the crowd is sharing whom WE WOULD WANT to hire to care for our house and pets.   

 

Loving animals, being reliable and being friendly are kind of given, so such a statement is.... duuuh! :) 

 

We would prefer a couple, oppose to a single person, for obvious reasons: a team is always better than one. However, we would also want a couple who are 'tried and tested', and have a stable relationship, if you wish. (Recently we received a cry for help, where the couple doing the sit broke up on site, left the 'gig', and had to be replaced in a rush. True story.) 

 

We would also want someone who has experience with the type of animals we have, whether it's a dog, cat, horse or a pet snake.  We would look for a person who can handle, or even better: avoid accidents, and who doesn't get panicky when the going gets tough. 

 

Remember: you don't pay someone to sit in your living room with a can of Lager in one hand, stroking the cat with the other, watching Netflix all day long. You hire someone to handle an emergency, if there is any.

As simple as that. 

 

Most house-sittings go smooth - until they don't. 

 

You want someone who knows how to protect your Newfoundland puppy from a dog attack in the local meadow, who can medicate your ferocious-looking, rather moody Estrella Mountain Dog (twice a day!), and go out at night with a torch to find your nutty greyhound that jumped over the fence, and ran into the woods chasing deers. You need a person who knows enough about gardening so you find your heavenly garden in a better state than you had left it, who knows how to fix a burst water pipe, change the tire on your Ford Ranger pick-up, and can clear your neighbour's driveway from the massive tree trunk that fell from your garden during storm Eunice. Moreover, you would want to hire someone who knows what to do when your African Grey swallows a toy just too big for him to swallow, is willing to go out in the middle of the night during a rainstorm to find the terrified calf that wandered into the bush full of thorns and vines thicker than the bush around the cursed castle of the Sleeping Beauty, can treat your blind cat with eye drops (and avoid being bitten in the process), can take your incontinent choc Lab to the vet each day for jabs - and you would want a man who does not mind getting filthy, when faced with the task of cleaning up a barn that is filthier than King Augeas' stables. (If you happen to know little of Greek mythology, it was Hercules' fifth task to prove his worth.)

 

Oh, and before I forget: you would definitely want to hire a man who makes sure to avoid an 'accident' 'when your two giant poodle bitches suddenly go on heat at the same time, but you don't want your young and horny boy Harry to have the time of his life, while you are vacationing in the Bahamas...

 

You better believe it: we had to face with all of the above situations as hired house sitters - and some more!

 

To sum up, we would want someone to look after our property who can get the job done without much fuss.

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If above all, your sitters are cheerful and cool people with a sense of humour, have ten years of experience in training dogs and do gardening as professional trades on the side - you can feel lucky. 

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So there you go. 

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Please see what people write about us in the Testimonials. 

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