Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Pets hate it when you leave? I can fix that! Patient, honest, reliable, and quiet sitter who will love your pets and respect your house
United States
Testimonials
They have 5 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Bird(s), Fish, Rabbit(s), Tortoise/Turtle(s), Guinea pig(s) – I raised six pups over ten years to become Guide Dogs for the Blind; rescued and sheltered animals during disasters (fires and hurricanes); transported rescued animals over many miles; bottle fed/raisedover 100 orphaned kittens; and currently volunteer wi
Police check
They have a police check
Availability
From: 1 January 2023
Until: 31 December 2028
(see their busy times below)
Occupation
Director, BARK Therapy Dogs
References
They have referees/references (view below)
About this sitter
Hi, I'm Josie (real name Joanne). I am a female just turned 63 (May 2022) who is the Founder/Director of a Therapy Dog organization (www.barkdogs.org) in Southern California - we help kids learn to read through the dogs. I'm honest, trustworthy, quiet, don't smoke or do drugs, rarely have a glass of wine, and will treat your house and pets with respect.
I regularly house/pet sit locally for several families and my already-booked dates are listed in the availability section. Background check is available.
Why they want to house sit
I love to make animals feel comfortable and that they will be just fine even though someone new is in their house. My 14-year-old Labrador, Groucho, passed away in October 2019 and sitting with pets is a great way for me to spend time with animals. I love to visit new places and sometimes volunteer and get to know a community rather than just buzz in and out and not give back or meet anyone. I hope to make the home/pet owner feel they can relax on their trip and know their pet/house will be well taken care of.
Their experience
I have been house/petsitting for about 25 years (about 26 weeks per year lately) mainly locally and in Northern California but love to travel to other areas. Animal experience is listed below but includes raising six pups over ten years to become Guide Dogs, rescuing and sheltering animals during disasters (fires/hurricanes), raising over 100 orphaned bottle-baby kittens, and transporting shelter/rescued animals over many miles. I also volunteer with a local org taking care of cats available for adoption.
You can also see who I am on this video created by Honda when they awarded me a vehicle for my volunteer work with animals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcISSykqwSk
What can they bring to the assignment
I believe in treating your home and pets as well as I would treat mine - if not better! I like to send pictures of a happy pet so you know all is well. If your pet likes to sleep on/in the bed, then that's where it will sleep. Two walks a day - then that's what we will do. No treats - then no treats. Yes treats - then he/she will get treats. I follow directions well. I am well versed with aggressive and/or large dogs and am experienced in giving medications to both cats and dogs. I am very patient with timid cats or dogs.
You can travel knowing your pets and home are well cared for and I will leave your house as you left it - clean and also well cared for.
Last updated:
7 November 2023
Available to house sit
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South East Asia, South Pacific, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
Availability dates
From: 1 January 2023
Until: 31 December 2028
They have indicated that they are busy at the following times:
6 April 2023 to 23 April 2023
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Membership
MindMyHouse member since 2017
Personal details
Age: 56-65 years old
Total sits
Total completed house sits: 5
References
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About this house sitter
MindMyHouse member since December 2023
Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/30073
Testimonials
Great House Sitter Experience
Josie did a great job as a house sitter. She was fantastic with communication and made sure to run past us any changes such as day trips, etc. or questions about the house or the pool. She took good care of our house and the pool and our animals loved her! I think they were disappointed that she left. We would definitely have Josie house sit again if the opportunity arose.
Nicholas, United States, 30 August, 2023
Great House Sitter
Joanne (Josie) was a wonderful house sitter and we loved having her. She was incredibly prepared and communicative which made us feel very comfortable with the entire process. It was evident that she is an animal lover and experienced with taking care of animals as she did an awesome job with our cat, Midge, who can be a little unwelcoming to strangers. I'm grateful for all of the updates from Josie throughout her stay and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a house sitter. The house was in even better shape than how we left it and Midge may have even become a little more cuddly when we returned after working with Josie. We enjoyed getting to know Josie as well and would love to have her back any time.
Bryce, United States, 18 May, 2022
Dog sitter
She is Excellent!!!!
Clara , United States, 12 November, 2020
Great dog sitter
Josie is now my go-to dogsittier. I trust her 100% to love my dog (Neve) and keep her safe. When I came home, Neve was not frantic and I knew Josie had spent lots of time with her. She sent photos and even did some fun training with her. Neve and Groucho (her Labrador) got along just fine - she follows him out to the yard when they need to "go". Josie followed all instructions for Neve and my house, taking care of my vegetable garden and plants. She's the only dog//housesitter to ask me where the water and gas cutoff lines were in case of earthquake. Because she lives close by, Josie has since stopped by to feed Neve when I cannot get home in time. I have booked her for my October and November trips.
Linda, United States, 25 August, 2017
Best dogs sitter Around
This is the first time I have left my dogs with anyone but family. I was very nervous, but after meeting Josie and her boy Griucho, before I left, I was at ease. My dogs and her Lab were fast friends. My boys were instantly either in her lap or laying at her feet. She put me at ease, This was exactly what i needed. When i left, I got pictures, videos regularly. I could see boys were in the best hands. When I got home my boys, while excited to see me, there was no signs of stress. My home was better than I left it. I could see that Josie went over and above. I highly recommend her to EVERYONE.
Linda, United States, 20 July, 2017