Experienced Caretakers from Alaska Looking to Travel and Be Useful

About this sitter

Our sitting career began with ten years of winter caretaking for remote lodges in Alaska. We lived without running water, electricity, and neighbors, and were responsible for snow removal, wood gathering, general property maintenance and security, and our own safety and well-being. One year, we even had a cat.

These days, we continue remote lodge sitting in the spring and fall but do more house and pet sitting for families, both in their homes and in ours. We've tended dogs, cats, birds (including chickens), rabbits, frogs, fish, and worms. We've administered medicines (including asthma meds via cat inhaler), dressed wounds, provided tube feedings, removed stitches, and catered to special diets and needs. Jen is exceptionally attentive and has a soft spot for old, ill, and difficult animals, from aggressive to shy.

Why they want to house sit

We enjoy traveling and experiencing new places, and we enjoy being useful and helping others. We are an aunt and an uncle, babysitters, house sitters, pet sitters.

Leaving your house and your pets can be stressful for both you and your pets. We want to put you all at ease by being kind, open, and dependable.

Their experience

We have years of experience and can provide as many references as you require, from lodge owners and employers to old friends and neighbors to new friends discovered here at Mind My House.

What can they bring to the assignment

We're quiet, tidy, conscientious people, non-smokers, non-drinkers, healthy, and fit. Mike is a carpenter with experience building houses, lodges, cabins, furniture, and more. Jen is a gardener, growing much of the produce we eat throughout the year. We have basic maintenance and repair skills. We built our own house: Mike learned to plumb, and Jen learned to wire for electricity. We are very self-sufficient.

We're content with a wide variety of locations and conditions. We've lived in remote places and in challenging weather conditions. We spent a winter 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where temperatures dipped below -50 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun didn't rise for seven weeks.

No job is too big or too small; no place too urban or remote.