Multilingual, retired Canadian couple with extensive international travel experience

About this sitter

Dean and Nicolle Thompson are an older (early 60s) Canadian couple who own and maintain their own home in northern Ontario Canada. We are non-smokers and do not indulge in drugs, with the exception of caffeine in the form of well-brewed coffee in the morning and alcohol, typically in the form of a nice glass of a robust red wine in the evening. We live very quietly and peacefully and have a particular appreciation for beautiful natural landscapes. We greatly enjoy being outdoors and pursue a wide variety of outdoor, silent sport activities including hiking and cycling. Dean is an avid sea kayaker, wildlife photographer and fly fisherman. Over the last several years, Nicolle has developed an addiction to yoga and is also n excellent chef who loves to try out new recipes and further hone her culinary skills. Together we share a particular penchant for international travel and exploring new geographic areas and experiencing different cultures. Collectively we can interact in different languages including English, German, Spanish and to a lesser extent in French. We seek house sitting assignments that provide an opportunity to more deeply experience different lifestyles, cultures and countries around the world and of course particularly those that allow us to escape those cold, Canadian winters which we are no longer quite so fond of as we once were.

Why they want to house sit

Our primary motivation in taking on a house sitting assignment is to allow for a more extended stay in a particular area of interest at a reasonable cost. We feel that actually living in an area is the only way to acquire a detailed understanding of local customs, culture and lifestyle, and that such a level of understanding cannot be achieved through conventional travelling and tourism. In return for facilitating such an experience by allowing us the use of your home, we will happily contribute a portion of our time to ensure that your home, property and pet are safe, secure and well cared for.

Their experience

We have done one extended home/pet sit internationally and the highly positive testimonial of the homeowner is available. In addition, we have owned, renovated and maintained our own home in a rural setting for more than 30 years and thus have extensive experience in that regard. As Dean grew up with the constant companionship of hiighly-trained hunting dogs until the age of 18, he has a significant appreciation for the required level of commitment to care and handling of canines. For several years, we had our own large dog, a Newfoundland named "Maya" as a family pet. Nicolle has many years experience and an innate talent in caring and maintaining her extensive gardens, which include a wide variety of both perennial and annual plants.

What can they bring to the assignment

In addition to the relevant experience noted above, the most important attributes we would bring to a home-sitting assignment are reliability, respect, caring and attention to detail. As home-owners ourselves, we have a full appreciation of the importance of having dependable people to watch over your family home while you are away. As individuals with graduate level degrees in the biological sciences and as professional researchers, we have a strong awareness, respect and appreciation of our environmental responsibilities, for our four legged and feathered friends, as well as a refined sense for attention to detail. Should we undertake a home-sitting agreement, you could be 100% confident that your property and pet will be cared for to a very high standard, closely approximating that which you would provide yourself. We will happily provide character references and a police check should you require them before finalizing an agreement. There are very few countries which we would not consider as potential locations for a home sit, however, we would prefer to do home sits between November and May annually, spending summer months in our own home in Canada.