Experienced pet sitters, reliable, retired, physically fit couple

About this sitter

My wife (Diane) and I enjoy housesitting since we love taking care of pets, traveling and meeting new people. I (Pete) am a New Zealander who grew up on a sheep farm but as an adult lived in the US where I completed a a Ph.D. in chemistry at New Mexico State University. I am semi-retired although I still work as a scientific consultant remotely. Diane also grew up in a country setting, although for her this was on a cattle ranch in Northern New Mexico

In 2017 we spent 6 months traveling and house-sitting in Europe before returning to New Zealand in Jan 2018 to spend the next 18 months housesitting and living on a sailboat. Our European travels include housesits in France, Portugal and Spain, while in New Zealand we completed 14 housesits (additional references available).

We have two daughters who live in the States and we now spend part of the year living in New Zealand and part living in California. We have both cared for many pets and farm animals in our lives and although our current lifestyle precludes having our own pets, we have found that house/pet-sitting nicely fills that void. We pride ourselves in having the time to take loving care of pets with attention to any specific needs explained by the owners. We happily provide house and pet updates, photos etc. during our housesits.
Our Backgrounds

. Together we raised two daughters while Peter worked for thirty years in research and development primarily at two large US companies. We traveled to New Zealand most Christmas holidays visiting family and friends and traveling around New Zealand. After our daughters grew older, Diane studied studio and therapeutic yoga instruction. She has also taught yoga in studios, a workplace, privately and in a hospital setting.
While our children were growing up, we cared for and loved a variety of pets including dogs, cats, a rabbit, rats, mice, chickens, budgies and a cockatiel. In addition to taking care of many pets over the years, we have owned and maintained homes and gardens for 30+ years. We both grew up on farms and are practical people who are comfortable with taking care of animals and gardens. Both of us are physically active and like to stay fit. Diane likes to garden and has created and maintained flower and veggie gardens at all of our homes.

Why they want to house sit

Diane and I both love traveling and have enjoyed the flexibility that housesitting provides. In addition, we both love animals and enjoy taking care of the variety of pets that come with different housesits. Housesitting also takes us to parts of the world that we might not normally travel to, provides opportunities to make new friends, plus gives us a job to do while we are there - we understand that house and pet sitting is a responsibility and that we are providing owners with the flexibility to leave while knowing that their house and pets are in capable and caring hands. Diane and I are quite flexible and independent and have sometimes taken care of overlapping housesits.

Their experience

We began housesitting in Nelson on a trip back to New Zealand in 2015/16 taking care of a house and dog. In France, we took care of an elderly standard poodle, a cat and a fish , plus Peter rebuilt a fence for the owners. In Portugal, we took care of two large dogs and a cat while in Spain, we looked after an historical old house that included many indoor plants and a roof-top garden. In New Zealand we completed 14 housesits during 2018/2019. These included everything from small life-style farms in the country to modern homes in urban areas. Everything from house + 4 horses, 3 large dogs, 3 cats and 2 rabbits, to a house only. We have many additional references available from housesitting in New Zealand via kiwihousesitters.com and in Europe utilizing Trustedhousesitters.com. We would be happy to share our references from these housesits. We also welcome phone interviews via phone, Zoom etc.

What can they bring to the assignment

Diane and I bring maturity, extensive house sitting experience, commitment, responsibility, practicality and above all, a love of animals.