40 YO animal lover & keen gardener

More information about this house sitter

Hi There!

I'm Susannah, most people call me Susi. I'm 40 and I live in Sydney.

I live a quiet and sedate life at home - I like to create an atmosphere of serenity. I am an outdoorsy type who then likes to come home and read my book. I'm very respectful of people's spaces. I am a non-smoker, non-vaper.

I'd love to meet you and your pets!

I've done a lot of house and pet-sitting over the years as I am responsible, clean, and love pets.

I am meticulous in taking care of others' homes, respecting the way they like things done, and, being quite house-proud myself, ensuring that their homes are looking beautiful for them when they return.

I once spent an hour trying to get the exact hospital corners on the beds that one home-owner liked for her return (it wasn't an expectation, but I knew it would make her happy).

I'm a great amateur gardener and I love to tend to gardens. I find weeding and general care extremely therapeutic. I will happily mow lawns (I've even done the ride-on mower with perfect circles and straight lines). I also take great care of house plants and will make meticulous notes of what plant needs what and when. I am happy to look after needy plants, to weed, to take care of compost and worm farms.

I'm currently looking to save to buy my own place, so I am having a very quiet year, and, since I was house-sitting and pet-sitting so much already, I decided to amp that up in 2023 and use it as a way to cut costs and also have a regular change of pace as I move around house and pet-sitting. Additionally, it gives me a chance to spend lots of time with animals - which is always a huge bonus.

As such, I have been house and pet-sitting all year, mostly in Mosman, Surry Hills, Little Bay, North Bondi and Frenchs Forest.

I've looked after a range of homes, from one-bedroom apartments to large family homes with multiple gardens. I will keep your house spick-and-span. I am very house-proud and determined to leave your house feeling fresh and lovely.

I absolutely love animals. I have looked after many dogs and cats, countless fish, some lovely birds, some bunnies and many plant babies. The various pets and I always become very close (with the exception of the fish - I keep trying; but they're just not that cuddly).

Pets I have looked after include:

An 86kg Newfoundland dog who loves to swim, is always looking to steal food, is extremely stubborn, needs lots of affection and cuddles, and is very needy (you can't leave her alone for long). She is extremely fussy about what she will eat. I've looked after her many times.

An energetic cocker-spaniel (many times) who loves two long walks a day. Sometimes also a run. He loves to swim and to roll in disgusting things (you have to watch that!). He also loves to snuggle.

Two very cheeky, naughty cats who are little greedy guts who like to fight on or near me whenever I have a Zoom meeting and then go back to sleep as soon as it’s over. They are choosy about who they love but we ended up cuddling all day long.

An 18 year old cat name Kev who is a bit blind and deaf and who I took for walks in his pram twice a day (he would have little tanties if I didn't). We had a million cuddles and he likes to sleep on my hip at night.

A gorgeous dachshund with separation anxiety who has become my needy little bestie.

Two very shy cats - one affectionate and one with anxiety who took a lot of time to coax out from hiding.

A very silly but lovely cavalier (many times) who also loves long walks, runs and swims. He is a bit of a nervous nelly with a scratching tic; but he is so loveable and also loves a lot of cuddles. He always thinks he will be allowed to chase bush turkeys (he is not).

A gorgeous cavoodle who I have looked after both as a puppy and as a grown dog. When he was a puppy I took him to work with me as I worked in a dog-friendly workplace at the time. I dealt with all of the toilet-training and chewing on everything and we went on lots of walks together. I fended off his constant attempts to stick his tongue in my mouth and nibble on my nose. He is just so sweet.

Two 'free-range' cockatiels with huge personalities! They fly around the house during the day and chat to you. I've looked after them many times, as well as the specific wild birds that come to visit that house every day with specific (researched by the owner) feed.

A very reserved cattle dog who required a meet'n'greet in the park where we pretended to ignore each other and walked a few loops ignoring each other until he decided I was acceptable and could be greeted and then brought over to his house. I became one of a very select group of people that he loved. He needed two walks a day and lots of ball play but was very sedate at home and loved a snuggle on the couch.

A half boxer, half kelpie adoptee who I have looked after since she was a puppy (my hairbrush is still covered in her bite marks). Very energetic, often got the zoomies, needed minimum two walks a day and then as she got older, lots of ball play.

Two big, fluffy angora bunnies, one angelic and one moody!

A very silly kitten who thinks he's a dog because of the dog of the house. Affectionate, hilarious, always getting into hijinks!

Multiple staffies who require many walks, lots of ball play and are extremely high energy and boisterous.

A very boisterous, bouncy boxer and yet another boxer who was a rescue and had abandonment issues and disliked men. She needed to be soothed before you left the house and then soothed again when you came home.

I have also looked after chooks and a noisy rooster, many tropical fish, fighting fish, Popcorn the axolotl and once I even fed Koi.

And more!

I am happy to look after older or more sedate cats and dogs, after needy cats and dogs who need lots of cuddles, and after dogs that need lots of exercise. I love long walks and tend to walk everyday anyway, so I am happy to take a doggo that loves long walks on lots of adventures with me. If they're a dog who loves to swim, I am more than happy to take them, to wash them, dry them and brush them afterwards. I can be strict, I can be relaxed, whatever your preference. I am happy to give pats, tummy rubs, face, chin and ear scratches. I don't at all mind doing kitty litter. I love to earn a cat or dog's respect and affection (it's usually a slightly harder process with the cats! They make you work for it...) I am also happy to make homemade dog or cat food and have done that many times too. The cats and dogs I look after have all become my best friends.

I don't normally book jobs through this site - they are mostly from personal recommendations and a few times from Trusted House Sitters. I have reviews/references from previous house and pet-sits, some of which I have copied and pasted here:

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5 Stars
Family home with multiple pets

To Whom It May Concern,

Susannah has house and pet-sat for my family on a number of occasions and I would highly recommend her services to you.

We are a family of 5 with a gigantic, needy 86kg Newfoundland dog, a (recently departed) shy Ragdoll cat, a tank full of tropical fish, a much-loved axolotl and a large garden and many indoor plants. We have a 2-story, 4-bedroom house with front and back gardens, a veggie garden, and many indoor plants. Susi has looked after all of this for us on multiple occasions - from long weekends to weeks-long trips.

Not only do our pets absolutely adore her, but she keeps our house spotless, she keeps our garden looking lovely, she feeds our worm farm and has even befriended our neighbours. We always return to a sparkling clean house - often cleaner than we left it! The last time she helped us out, she also weeded our (at the time) extremely neglected and overgrown veggie patch. All of our plants (which require vastly different care) are in great shape when Susi has cared for them.

She walks our dog every day, spends time snuggling with her, takes her swimming, washes her, spends hours brushing her, vacuums up her endless hair every day, and pays her lots of attention - which she needs. She spent time every day giving our very shy late cat tummy rubs and face scratches and was one of the few people he let pick him up and cuddle. She has cleaned our fish tanks out and kept our axolotl and fish in fine health.

I would highly recommend using Susi to look after your pets and home. She is kind, polite, respectful, clean and wonderful with pets and gardens.

Kind Regards
Jessica W.

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5 stars
Family home with a dog

Susannah has house sitted for my family a number of times and I couldn't recommend her more highly. Our house is always cleaner than when we left it when we return and our cavalier king charles doesn't miss us one bit when she is looking after him. A reliable and trustworthy house sitter. I have recommended to several friends and family.

Camilla F.

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5 Stars
Family home with free-range birds

Over the last 15 years Susannah has regularly stayed in my four-bedroom home in Mosman and minded the house during my absence. During that time, she cared for my two cockatiels which free-range the house. Previously, I had been hesitant to leave the birds with anyone as they are fragile creatures and can be demanding. Susannah took the time to learn the birds' routine and to understand their finnicky needs. While I was away it was comforting to know that my pets were being looked after by someone who was genuinely concerned for their well-being. Susannah also tended to my outdoor pot plants. Upon my return from holiday, the birds were happy and healthy and the house was neat and clean. I found Susannah to be dependable and competent. I highly recommend her for house-and-pet minding.

Kate S.

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5 Stars
Regular dog-sitting

Susie is a fantastic carer for my 8-year-old Cocker Spaniel Dudley.

I frequently travel to Asia for work and Susie is always available to ensure my fur baby will be well looked after.

She takes him for walks 2 times a day, swims in the ocean with him, makes sure he is watered and fed and gets provides the best cuddles.

It pains me to say that when I go to pick up Dudley, on my return, he would rather stay with Susie than jump in the car with me.

She is an amazing pet sitter and you know your animal is in safe hands if she is looking after them.

Dan L.

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