Experience makes a difference!

More information about this house sitter

Extremely reliable, responsible, capable, mature (but fit and healthy), non-smoker, fully vaccinated and boosted, professional. I’m an Australian citizen, with US permanent residency, who’s so excited that I can finally come home to Australia after 2+ very long years. Planning on an at least 7-month visit, arriving on/around October 1, 2022.

I have years of house/pet-sitting experience in several countries and have plentiful reviews/references. While haven’t used this site much to date, so only have one review on here, I have many from other sites, including the largest international site (which I am, understandably, not allowed to name here), visible on my profile here as an attachment. Also visible are several offline references. Happy to provide a criminal history check, background check, and any other documentation you need to feel entirely confident about me. Many of the people I've sat for have become good friends and are very willing to talk to a houseowner who's considering picking me as their housesitter.

I've taken care of dogs, cats (and am a lifelong dog/cat lover), fish, chickens, birds, hermit crabs, rabbits, hamsters, a peahen, and an ancient tree frog in my time. In fact, I seem to have developed a minor "specialty" with chickens, after several sits involving same - up to 2 dozen on several occasions. And have even looked after one none-too-friendly goat! I've had to administer pills to dogs, and oral meds, pills, and an inhaler to cats - even managed to do so without getting scratched or bitten.

I work remotely as a freelance writer/editor, so am “at home” a great deal to provide plenty of love and attention to pets. I take your privacy and trust in me very seriously, along with respecting your neighbours’ peace and quiet. I always aim to leave a place even cleaner that when I arrived.

As a home-owner myself, I know how crucially important it is to have someone you can completely trust in your home, and caring for your pets/plants/garden. Plenty of experience dealing with household emergencies: both minor ones like the water heater dying, and major ones, like (in one place I house-sat for, years ago), the ceiling collapsing! Not because of anything I did, I hasten to add.

Keen gardener, with something of a green thumb, so promise I won't kill your plants! Happy to weed and mow lawns for you. Having lived for many years in Minnesota in the US and Adelaide, I'm no stranger to weather extremes at either end of the spectrum: heatwaves, humidity, cold, snow, and ice. And I must be the only lunatic who'd actually choose to housesit in Winnipeg, Canada (the country's coldest city) for 4 months in an even-colder-than-usual winter!

Happy to consider anywhere I can get to. Generally, prefer longer-term (3+ weeks), rather than short-term housesits, although if you have a short-term one, I'll try very hard to find another one nearby with which to combine it.

Hoping you'll take a look at my profile. Please feel free to message for more info.

Jo

P.S. As a kid, I always used to feel really, really boring when my school report cards invariably said "Very responsible." Now I value that - and I'm still very responsible! Read more...