We were pleased to be accepted for this sit as it gave us a chance to look after Guinea Pigs something which we had not had in our care before. They were easy care, gentle and very amusing little creatures. Their two storey cage shares the balcony with the bonsai plants.

Each morning they were fed fresh fruit and vegetables, hay & pellets. It amazed us how much these little guys could put away. Due to the temperatures in Sydney at the time of our stay we ensured that they never ran out of water and on days 30 degrees plus (which there were a few!) added frozen water bottles to their cage.

While on this sit we were able to take in some of the sights of Sydney. When the owners said the ferry terminal was just across the road, it really was just across the road! Both of us had not been to Sydney for many years and it was nice to visit “The Welcome Wall” at Darling Harbour. Bruno’s name is as the wall which honours all those who have emigrated to Australia. It was also nice to reconnect with the city.

We had started to organise our New South Wales sits mid July and in August the owners accepted us for this sit. We were able to visit prior to the sit starting and pick up keys and information regarding the home, chickens & gardens. To our delight we also found out that we would have a family of kookaburras visit each afternoon for some food and water.

During our stay we enjoyed fresh eggs daily and also any of the beautiful vegetables that were ready to pick. Because of the ongoing drought that these areas are experiencing everything is so dry and brown. There are strict water restrictions and any watering that we did was by watering can only and the grey water from showers & washing. It was sad to see as the owners have beautiful gardens both ornamental and vegetable and are having to let some things go.

Here, we also were using the Fires Near Me App as there was a threat that the fires could easily reach this area. We had constant smoke haze in the sky for our stay. Thankfully for us we didn’t experience anything further but believe that the fires did come close to the whole Bowral/Burradoo area.

We had in our care Jack the Border Collie 17 years old – Junior the Cattle Dog 6 years old and Mishka the cat! Two days into the sit Jack became very unwell and we drove him to the afterhours emergency vet in Inglewood. The decision was taken by his owners after consulting with the vet to have him euthanised. Due to Jack’s age and health problems at the time we feel that this was the kindest but hardest decision the owners had to make. The vets were just wonderful and made him comfortable until the owners arrived in order for them to be with him that night.

During our time in Bargo we had the Fires Near Me Alert on our phone as this was bushfire territory, so much so that the day after we left the owners were evacuated and their property water bombed!

We were able to meet with Rockie and his owners on our way to New Plymouth before returning to Tauranga to start the sit. Rockie is the sweetest little dog that you could ever meet. He was very easy care and loved to go for his walks each day.

Rockie required daily eyedrops, he would sit and allow you to put one drop in each eye, a process made easy as he looked forward to a treat as his reward. He also had a weekly visit to Animates for a bath. The owners had paid for a yearly subscription and Rockie could be taken anytime. Animates was a short walk and we enjoyed taking him each Friday for his wash. We are not sure whether Rockie felt the same way!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Tauranga as the home was situated within walking distance to the city centre and everything that you could possibly need. There are great cafes and restaurants in the area and many nice walks where we were able to take Rockie either by car or on foot.

With all of our sits, be they long or short we feel that we make a close connection with the pets. With this sit the bond between Rockie and Bruno was special and very evident in the following photos!

We contacted Patsy and Clyde’s owners while we were on our first house sit in New Zealand in August. We were very pleased to be accepted for the sit straight up from our first email. Arriving the night before we shared a lovely meal together and got to know Patsy & Clyde a little better before driving their owners to the airport early the following morning.

For the whole duration of the sit we were kept amused by this pair. It was like having two small children in the house at night. Clyde would spend the day outside and come in at night, spend a bit of time with us in the lounge room and then take himself off to bed. Patsy would stay with us in the lounge and when we retired would also take herself off to bed. They slept in their own little baskets next to each other on their owners bed.

The owners built themselves a beautiful home here many years ago with a spectacular view from every window. It really is a piece of paradise and we enjoyed our time here so much. They are mostly self sufficent growing their own fruit trees and vegetables as well as keeping chickens. Of course this meant that we had an ongoing supply of produce and fresh eggs.

Our daily walk with Patsy was to the letterbox a two km round trip. Along the way we had the company of the cows if they were in the top paddock as well as the owner’s sheep that they share with the neighbour.

When at our previous sit we arranged this week with Indie & Mocha’s owners and were able to visit and pick up keys from the family prior to the sit starting. An early morning departure flight on the 5th for the owners was the reason for doing this. In our care we had Indie the Cavoodle (another first for us) and Mocha, a beautiful feline in both looks and nature.

We had so much fun with these two – Indie was still very much at that puppy stage and was always up for a game be it with her favourite toys, playing ball or arriving quickly on the scene if you even remotely looked like you might pay Mocha some attention.

Once again we had lovely walks close by to the home. Our favourite was the Rotary Walkway which skirted the seaside with views across to Mt Wellington. Indie loved her two daily walks and was happy on leash. We were kindly invited to have afternoon tea with a family member and took Indie along with us. An enjoyable visit watching the sailboats race.

We started communication with Bonnie and Pepper’s owner six months prior to the sit and were very excited to book our flights as this was our first trip to New Zealand for both of us and the first time sitters for the owner. From the moment we saw Bonnie and Pepper we fell in love with them both. We had not cared for Shitzu/Bijon Crosses before and found them to be very entertaining and easy to care for with each possessing their own very different personality.

Each day we would venture out with the girls. We discovered so many beautiful and interesting walks where we could have the dogs on or off leash. These walks were either within walking distance of the house or a short drive away. They were very well behaved and just loved the freedom of being off leash.

Previous Sit: 6th August – 18th August 2017

We jumped at the chance to look after Max again after having looked after him for three months in 2018. Max now lives in the beautiful suburb of Bulimba. There are many lovely walks around the area including along the Brisbane River.

Our Responsibilities Included:

Twice Daily Walks With Max

Feed Morning & Night + Water

Security Of the Home/Mail Collection

Lawn Care

Previous Sit: 5th February – 27th April 2018

We visited with Gemma’s owners prior to the sit as we were housesitting close by. Gemma is a sweet little black cat who stays indoors at all times. At first she was a little shy but it only took a day or two before she came out from under the dining table and took to her usual positions around the house including our laps!

Gemma’s home is one of Montville’s beautiful B&B’s. In conversation with the owners at our first meeting we asked whether they would allow us to run their B&B in their absence. They happily agreed for us to do so and we visited again prior to the sit in order to go through the procedure. The B&B is just beautiful!

We are very grateful for being given the opportunity to add this experience to our housesitting lifestyle. We both like to be kept busy and having enjoyed this experience we would welcome the opportunity to do this again.