7 tips for keeping your dog cool this summer

wildlife-photography-1551693_1920Summer has hit Australia! So if you’re considering a trip to the beach with your furry friend or a dip in the pool this summer, then check out this post from our friend and PAW by Blackmores ambassador, Dr Katrina Warren, about what to watch out for when keeping your canine companion cool this summer.

Summer is all about swimming. But is it okay to let your dog swim in your pool, and the ocean? And how do you take care of his/her coat and ears if your pooch is a regular dipper?

Taking a dip with your pooch can be oodles of fun, and under the right conditions, it’s quite safe to swim with your dog in a pool or in the ocean. But there a few things you need to consider before you set off for the water with your furry friend: Continue reading “7 tips for keeping your dog cool this summer”

5 things to do before the pet sitter arrives

dog-on-sofa2Preparing to leave our pet in the care of a sitter requires some careful planning and consideration for every eventuality.

Thanks to our friends at Petplan, this post covers some of the things you need to think about before you leave to make sure you, your pet and the pet sitter can rest easy.

You’re going on holiday, and as much as you might like to pack Fido into your luggage and take him with you, it’s simply not an option. So you’ve arranged for a pet sitter to come over to your home and make sure your furry friend is well taken care of and hopefully he won’t even notice you’re gone. To make sure everything goes off without a hitch and that the pet sitter is in the best position to look after your pet, here are five essentials to keep in mind before they arrive. Continue reading “5 things to do before the pet sitter arrives”

The House Sitter’s Guide to South Australia

adelaide_australiaHouse and pet sitting gives you the unparalleled opportunity to indulge the gypsy in your soul as you travel Australia with no accommodation budget required.

But with so much to see and do across this wonderful continent, it can be a little tricky deciding exactly where you’re going to head off to next. So here’s a clue: if you haven’t yet added South Australia to your ‘must visit’ list, you most definitely should.

Home to the red dunes of the Simpson Desert, the magnificent 100km-long Bunda Cliffs, and the wild expanses of the Nullarbor Plain, South Australia also boasts the rich and diverse culture of Adelaide (the internationally renowned City of Churches), the Fleurieu Peninsula’s glorious beaches, and the fabulous wine and produce of the Barossa Valley. Continue reading “The House Sitter’s Guide to South Australia”

Tips on how to teach your pets how to behave

dr-katrina-warren_tips-to-behave-article2Training your dog to behave around your home and in situations with other people can take some time, but it is worth the effort to ensure you and your furry family member are able to enjoy spending quality time together.

This post from Dr Katrina Warren outlines how you can help your dog understand boundaries and provides strategies to help you manage their behaviour.

Tips on how to teach your pet how to behave

It’s almost impossible to imagine your canine partner evoking any feeling other than joy. Alas – if not sufficiently trained, they can prove to be a difficult member of the family. Just like we teach our kids, we need to teach our pets to learn what behaviour is acceptable and what is not – remember they are not born understanding your house rules and despite common belief, with the right level of love and respect, dogs at any age can learn to behave.

Before you begin tearing your hair out about your misbehaved fur-ball, educate yourself on the most common problems when it comes to behaviour and how to solve them. Continue reading “Tips on how to teach your pets how to behave”

WELCOME TO PARADISE! Five fabulous Things to do in the NSW Northern Rivers

lighthouse-2Attention all nature lovers, art aficionados, market browsers, and good food fanatics … the beautiful NSW Northern Rivers region is calling!

Spanning the towns and villages from Grafton through to the Queensland border,  the region is bursting with treasures known to most that can only be discovered by a living like a local in the region.

Take advantage of Mindahome house sitting opportunities and head for the Northern Rivers to enjoy stunning national parks, magnificent beaches that stretch from the Gold Coast to Byron Bay, the world’s oldest subtropical rainforests, and mountains birthed by long extinct volcanoes. Continue reading “WELCOME TO PARADISE! Five fabulous Things to do in the NSW Northern Rivers”

House Sitting: Top Tips on picking the service that’s right for you

optionsYou’ve decided to try your hand at house and pet sitting?

Great idea! It’s a fantastic way to visit new locations while saving lots of money on one of the biggest travel expenses of all: accommodation.

No doubt you’ve already searched the web to find house and pet sitting services that can put you into contact with home and pet owners looking for sitters right across Australia.

But if you’ve done your homework, you may also have noticed that terms and conditions vary quite considerably from service to service. Continue reading “House Sitting: Top Tips on picking the service that’s right for you”

Loving and Leaving: The Pet Sitter’s Guide to a Healthy Goodbye

man-and-dog2The results are in – Australia is one of the most prolific pet-owning nations in the world! Almost two thirds of Australian homes include at least one pet, and our furry, feathered or finned friends offer their owners an amazing array of psychological and physiological benefits.

Of course, along with the bonuses of pet ownership comes a significant level of responsibility. Among other considerations, pets should enjoy a safe, loving environment, a good diet, and be given regular health checks.

They should also be suitably cared for when their owners are away on holiday. While a reputable kennel or cattery can provide a solution, many owners dislike the idea of consigning their pets to an alien environment in which they may experience a considerable degree of insecurity and anxiety. Continue reading “Loving and Leaving: The Pet Sitter’s Guide to a Healthy Goodbye”

A New Lease on Life: You’ll Love Our Rising Rent Quick Fix

piggybank2Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more expensive, your rent goes up … again!

While Sydney and Melbourne are generally at the top of the leader board, demand for rental properties has pushed prices up right around Australia.

Now commanding a weekly rental starting at around $400 (that’s $20,800 for 12 months) in less popular areas, to over $1,000 (we won’t frighten you with the math) in on-trend suburbs, the days of the readily affordable two bedroom unit in Sydney are long gone.

Add your annual utilities bill  – gas, electricity and sometimes water – to those super-sized rent payments, and the chances of saving your hard earned dollars for any big ticket items, let alone a deposit on that dream home of your own, quickly shrink from slim to very, very skinny.

So, why not hop off the rental roundabout and join the growing ranks of house and pet sitters who are loving their rent-free life?

You’re thinking that there must be a catch, right? Understandable – but no, absolutely no catch! Continue reading “A New Lease on Life: You’ll Love Our Rising Rent Quick Fix”

Making Cents of Your Savings: 5 Surprisingly Easy Steps to a Wealthier You

cat1aDoes it feel like your hard earned dollars are disappearing into a bottomless black hole? Well, now is an excellent time to fight your way out of the money mire by creating a personalised savings plan that includes some exciting goals. And surprisingly, that’s not as hard as you might think.

Planning ahead by following these five suggestions, could make all the difference to your financial future:

  1. Write it Down: Written goals are clear, measurable and motivational – and statistically, that makes you far more likely to succeed. So, take pen to paper and list your financial goals. Do you want to clear your credit card debt? Save for a house deposit? Buy a new car? Travel around the world? Enjoy the process of listing your goals, because setting this plan is the start of creating a great new life for yourself. When you’re done, calculate the amount required to achieve each goal … and yes, write it down.

Continue reading “Making Cents of Your Savings: 5 Surprisingly Easy Steps to a Wealthier You”

Where to go to escape the cold

dog-879962_1920We’re so lucky in Australia to have, what I consider, quite mild winter weather in comparison to other parts of the world.

There’s no shortage of wonderful winter fun to be had, but for those of us who don’t like the temperature dipping too far below 20 oC, there are some marvellous ways to avoid the winter chill. You just have to know where to go.

Head North

Queensland and the Northern Territory are ideal for winter getaways. Temperatures in Queensland rarely drop below 20oC degrees and low rainfall during this time means you have more opportunity to get out and about. The ‘Dry Season’ in the Northern Territory, which spans from May to October, usually has warm, dry sunny days and cool nights, with temperatures typically ranging from 21 oC to 32 oC, and the humidity levels are much lower at around 60–65%. Continue reading “Where to go to escape the cold”