Recently retired pet loving travellers

More information about this house sitter

Hi - we're a professional couple (I.T.) who have recently retired, and enjoy spending much of our time travelling, particularly in Australia, USA and Europe.

We have had cats and dogs for over 30 years, and when travelling in the past we've always had friends and neighbours look after them as we couldn't face the thought of them spending time in kennels / catteries.

We’re now looking for house/pet sitting opportunities as we really do miss having pet time (!), and if we can combine this with our travels and seeing new places it would be great!

We've been with Trusted House Sitters since 2017 and Aussie House Sitters since 2019, and have recently subscribed to Mind A Home. Police background checks are included in those other subscriptions.

Please do review our feedback/references from our pet sits, and if you would like to see our reviews/ratings on those websites please contact us for the link.

Feedback/References -
Karen - Robina QLD. June 2023 - 4 weeks. 5 Stars.
Lioba and Gareth looked after our house and cats for a month whilst we went overseas. While we were away they sent us photos of our cats looking very relaxed and well looked after and kept us up to date regarding mail. When we got home the house was clean and tidy, the cats were happy to see us and the plants, gardens and pool in great condition. It was such a comfort to know our fur babies and house were in such safe hands while we were away. Lioba and Gareth were great communicating with us before the sit and afterwards. We can’t recommend them more highly. Lovely people who really cared for our cats and property. So nice to know you can go away on holiday leaving your house in such great hands. Thanks Lioba and Gareth we look forward to you doing future sits for us.
Elizabeth - Surfers Paradise QLD. April 2023 - 9 weeks. 5 Stars.
Lioba and Gareth were amazing house sitters, we are 100% happy with the way our home, garden and pool were cared for, especially when Gareth did an excellent job painting over some graffiti on our garden wall. Communication was excellent, with regular updates on post received etc and would highly recommend them as house sitters.
Alexandra - Bargara QLD. June 2021 - 3 weeks. 5 Stars.
Lioba and Gareth were great house sitters. Our elderly cat was very content with their care. They kept us up to date with how she was doing with pics of her looking relaxed and happy. Our home was clean and tidy when we arrived home. Gareth even got our old push bikes into working order. Yay! Communication with them was great throughout the time. We would be happy to use them again.
Karen - Beacon Hill NSW. Feb 2020 – 11 days. 5. Stars.
Lioba and Gareth are the loveliest couple and we couldn't have asked for better house and pet sitters. While our fur baby was very pleased to see us it was obvious that he was well looked after by his foster parents, as was his cat sister. Communication with them was excellent and they kept us updated as to how things were going back home, along with some cute pictures. They maintained our pool well and even offered to mend a broken fence. The house was exceptionally clean and tidy upon our return and we would highly recommend them as sitters.
Lorie - Durango, CO, US. Sep 2022 – 10 days. 5 Stars.
Very nice sitters who took amazing care of my critters. Rocky had a stomach issue while we were gone - which is no fun to clean up - and they just took care of it. House was spotless upon return. Love to have them back
Kenneth - Moultonborough, NH, US. May 2022 – 1 week. 5 Stars.
Lioba and Gareth house- and cat-sat for us for a week in May. They were excellent sitters: they arrived at the arranged hour to the second, were unfazed by the somewhat complicated feeding arrangements we now have to have for Josephine, rapidly made friends with the cats (and with us!), and fixed a few things that went wrong around the house while they were here. When we got back it was obvious that the cats had been very well looked after while we were away. We would love to invite them back for another sit!
Ralph - North Kingstown, RI US. Apr 2022 – 1 week. 5 Stars.
Very friendly couple who came early to meet us and our pets. They took great care of our cats and condo and sent us daily updates/pictures. Upon return the place was clean, towels and linens wash, and bed remade. Definitely recommend!
Rachel - Washington, D.C. US. April 2022 – 10 days. 5 Stars.
Lioba and Gareth cared for our two cats and garden for ten days. Everyone survived and thrived (plants and cats) under their care. I received regular updates. They were easy to communicate with. They replaced a small item that broke with a much better version. And our home was spotless when we got home. I couldn't ask for more. I'd be happy to have them back and recommend them to others who have the opportunity to work with them.
Sarah and Matt - Raleigh, NC, US. March 2022 – 10 days. 5 Stars.
Gareth and Lioba were so fantastic! They stayed in our home and cared for our cat for about 10 days. They were so friendly and easy to communicate with. While we were gone, they checked in regularly. When we returned, the house was in pristine condition - probably better than we left it! Our cat is older and is fairly demanding, to put it kindly - they rolled with it and took great care of her. We would have Gareth and Lioba back any time, and highly recommend them to others!
Tracy - North Wahroonga, NSW, Australia. Dec 2021 – 1 week. 5 Stars.
We are so pleased that Lioba and Gareth were able to look after our cat Bella and our home. They are a great couple and we had no hesitation in having them stay. They are very relaxed and friendly and gave us confidence that everything would be okay. Lioba even picked up on a slip up that I made when leaving Bella's meds. Bella seemed happy enough when we returned and the house was neat and clean. We were also very grateful for them mowing the lawn - far too long, but a result of all the rain.
We wish them well in their future travels and would be happy to have them stay if passing through this way again.
Anna - Smithfield, NSW, Australia. March 2020 – 2 weeks. 5 Stars.
Gareth and Lioba looked after my pets with love and care, the house and garden were spotless. I highly recommend Gareth and Lioba, and it would be a privilege if I had the opportunity of offering them future sits.
My most sincere thanks to Gareth and Lioba.
Richard - Tucson, AZ, US. Oct 2019 – 3 weeks. 5 Stars.
Gareth and Lioba were excellent house sitters for us for the three weeks we were away on vacation. They were more than willing to adapt to the changes in our situation following the loss of our pets prior to their arrival. Our house was well cared-for and Gareth did some needed repairs while we were gone. Hopefully we will see them again in the future. We highly recommend them.
Catherine - Sherwood, OR, US. 11 June – 3 weeks. 5 Stars.
Lioba and Gareth were wonderful sitters. Our cat, Binx, loved them - well he's a cat and they open the cat food cans - what can I say? But it's true - they went so far beyond the call of duty! (a couple new toys! and new cat treat flavor!).
Right after we left town a heat wave swept down - they watered the garden twice a day as necessary to keep everything alive and healthy. There was even weeding in the garden - now that is true commitment. The house was sparkling clean when we got home, we had a few - if brief- conversations that we want to pursue in the future - we sincerely hope we get to meet Lioba and Gareth somewhere down the road of life and/or travel.
Highly recommend these wonderful, interesting people.
Alice - Cranbrook, United Kingdom. July 2018 – 2 weeks. 5 Stars
Gareth and Lioba house sat for us for two weeks in July looking after our two dogs. They were absolutely fantastic, regular updates and photos. My dogs were so well looked after and had an amazing time with them. They looked after my garden and I came back to an immaculately clean house and two very happy dogs. They had stocked up on food for us when we got back. We were sad to say goodbye to them.
Margaret - Staines, United Kingdom. July 2018 – 12 days. 5 Stars.
I wish we could have Gareth and Lioba stay every time we go away. It was obvious from the moment they came into the house that the dogs were going to be happy with them and they were. They had changed the beds and washed/ironed the bedding when we got home. Also, because their next 'sit' had asked them to go a day early, Gareth had done a round trip of over 100 miles in the morning to take Lioba and then stayed with the dogs until we got home, then having to face the M25 traffic in the rush hour. They didn't even ask if it would be ok to leave early, even though there are 'dog' flaps so they can get into the garden and garage. Unfortunately we didn’t notice the £5 left in the kitchen for the glass Garreth told us had been broken; it's put away for when they come back to us!
Christine Taunton, United Kingdom. May 2018– 1 month. 5 Stars.
Gareth and Lioba, have just done a months cat sit for me. More than happy to recommend them. They sent me regular updates with pictures proving Polly (the cat) wasn't missing me at all. They coped with her complicated diet requirements. Which was my main concern.
They were happy to look after my large garden including regular watering and grass cutting and the house was as I left it including bedding and towels laundered and beds remade. All more than I expected, but much appreciated. They also insisted on waiting till I got home before leaving. Again appreciated.
Tara - Dorchester on Thames, United Kingdom. April 2018 – 1 weeks. 5 Stars.
Gareth and Lioba looked after our house and two dogs for a week and a half. We couldn't have been happier with how they communicated with us, before, and during the housesit. The house was immaculate when we returned and the dogs were relaxed and happy (and clean)! Would recommend unreservedly! Read more...