Running a farm or rural property isn’t for the faint hearted. Around 50% Australian farmers are self employed owner managers and are likely to work more than 49 hours a week managing the demands of a rural property, which leaves little opportunity to take time off for a holiday.
But home owners in regional Australia are increasingly turning to house and pet sitters to look after their properties while they take some well earned time away.
With experience and practical know-how, house sitters like Satya and Ishtar, can offer rural home owners peace of mind when they choose to travel.
With Satya’s background in farming and horticulture and Ishtar’s keen connection with animals, they have many useful tips to help others look after rural and regional house sits.
So we asked Satya and Ishtar to tell us a bit about their rural house and pet sitting experiences.
We’ve been house sitting for the last two and half years and have had about seven rural acreage house sits over that time, all with their own unique requirements and experiences.
For instance, we stayed on a small acreage property in Speewah (Atherton Tablelands) for seven weeks during the wet season and there we had a very energetic dog to care for, he loved fetching his toy, so that kept him and us entertained for endless hours as we threw his toy for him.
We also mowed acres of grass (which grew about six inches a week), pruned fruit trees and looked after the chooks, ducks and ducklings.
In Beerwah, in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, we looked after an Organic Farm during winter for six weeks and picked, delivered and sold citrus fruit. There was also two families of ducks and chooks that we let out and locked up at night every day among other animal and household duties such as collecting and distributing lots of duck eggs.
Our house and pet sit in Kuranda (doorway to the Atherton Tablelands) also stands out, as for two weeks we looked after two large vegan indoor dogs. They had incredible presence, awareness and were very spirited. We made and prepared their vegan food (just like cooking for us) and fed and walked them twice a day. We became vegetarian for the duration of this housesit.
What attracts you to regional/rural house sits?
We love the open physical and clear psychic spaces of the rural, mountainous and water areas. We also love caring for a variety of animals of different types and personalities. We recognise that people in rural situations also need a break but need to know their house, property and animals are being cared for by others with love, competency and experience.
What is the most unusual/memorable rural house sit you have had and why?
Our most memorable rural house sit is probably the one at Peeramon. It was in the Atherton Tablelands and we looked after two indoor dogs, two indoor cats, two sheep, a dozen chooks, ducks, a pig and a goat on a small acreage. All of these animals lived together in the same yard space, which made it very entertaining. Caring for this menagerie involved a lot of tickling, cuddling and scratching, which was pleasurable for everyone.
It was really remarkable how all these diverse animals lived so harmoniously together in the barn yard; the sense of community was a real testament to the owners. We were very grateful to have had the opportunity to care for them.
What advice can you give to others about house sitting in a rural location?
The advice we would give to other prospective rural house sitters is to:
1. Ask plenty of questions,
2. Meet the animals and people prior to starting the housesit (if that is at all possible)
3. Ensure you have a checklist with:
a. Required contacts such as vet numbers, produce food suppliers
b. House switchboard, Generators
c. Water Mains and or plumbing for water tanks, water systems, how to prime the water system
d. Written (preferably) requirements for animal care and garden maintenance
4. A basic set of tools to cover most eventualities (we had to change a hot water washer on the first night)
Above all… be really patient, flexible, practical and versatile because you never know what will be required of you next and…. enjoy the journey.
Why do you think you get repeat call backs and word of mouth referrals?
We think we make excellent house sitters because we work well as a team, we are friendly, available and are committed to caring for people’s properties and pets the way they would and we strive to maintain the animals routines to keep them feeling safe and secure.
Ishtar and Satya enjoy rural and regional house sits but are also available for positions in the towns of Far North Queensland.
Check out their profile for more information about their experience and availability.
https://mindahome.com.au/house-sitters-available/ishtar-satya.~3c2.html