Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Retired GP + teacher couple as house sitters
United Kingdom
Testimonials
They have 9 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s) – Experience with dogs and cats and I used to go horse riding as a child/teenager. I also did quite a bit of work experience with a couple of vets as a teenager and young adult, assisting the vets with both pets and farm animals.
Police check
They have a police check
Availability
From: 8 April 2024
Until: 31 August 2025
Occupation
General Practitioner
References
They have referees/references (view below)
About this sitter
I am a retired GP and my husband Paul is a retired English teacher. We have been living and working in the Scottish Highlands but have now moved to South Ayrshire. Paul is Scottish, I am an 'adopted Scot' but originally from Germany. We both grew up with animals (Paul's family had a dog, I grew up with cats and dogs and enjoyed horse riding as a child and teenager, I also had quite a bit of work experience with a couple of vets as a teenager and young adult) and we are both comfortable around animals and happy to meet, handle, cuddle, feed and play with dogs and cats and other animals and of course take dogs out for walks (and clean up after them). We are both active and love going for walks and cycles and I love going for runs through the countryside and we both enjoy travelling.
We started house and pet sitting in May 2017 and are loving the experience. We will be looking for various house and pet sits for 2023 around Scotland, the rest of the UK and also around parts of Europe. As we are both now retired we want to make the most of our new-found freedom and travel and explore all around the UK and Europe.
Why they want to house sit
House sitting gives us a chance to explore new areas around the UK and Europe and get to know new people and their animals. I have fairly recently retired from my job as a GP and I am really enjoying doing something totally different, looking after other people's pets and houses, travelling, exploring new locations and meeting new people.
Their experience
We started house and pet sitting in May 2017 and have had several fantastic house and pet sits since then, a few in Scotland (looking after various cats, dogs, hens, ponies, horses, sheep and some fish, with a couple of return house sits as well), a few in England (looking after several cats, dogs, hens, ducks, guinea pigs and alpacas), two longer house and cat sits (one 2 month, one 4 weeks) in Germany, a house sit in Norway with a dog, cat and fish and one in Ireland looking after a dog, two rabbits and some hens. We just love it.
We both have experience of handling dogs and cats and are comfortable around animals. Over the couple of years I have also had the chance of grooming and handling a few horses and mucking out at a friend's stable to gain more experience with horses/ponies.
We have always looked after our own house and garden well and would bring the same care to looking after other people's property.
What can they bring to the assignment
We are fit and active people able to look after a house/property and various animals. We are non-smokers and tidy and would look after anyone's house and animals with care. We enjoy having animals around us and would try to keep them as comfortable and happy as possible with their owners away and play with, cuddle, handle, groom/brush, feed and clean up after them, and of course take dogs out for long walks (or runs).
Last updated:
8 March 2024
Available to house sit
Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom
Availability dates
From: 8 April 2024
Until: 31 August 2025
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Membership
MindMyHouse member since 2017
Personal details
Age: 46-55 years old
Family status:
Couple
Total sits
Total completed house sits: 8
References
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About this house sitter
MindMyHouse member since April 2024
Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/31705
Testimonials
Happy to have found you
Kirstin and Paul were our first experience of house and goat sitters and we have been so happy to have found them. It was a pleasure to meet them and to feel that they would be confident, capable and caring with our goats. We were very happy to return home after our holiday to calm and contented goats and our clean and tidy house. Thank you so much to both of them for a great experience.
ruth, United Kingdom, 26 June, 2023
Wonderfully cared for pets and home
Kirstin and Paul were excellent house sitters and we'd recommend them without hesitiation. They arrived a 2 days before we left to become well aquainted with how to look after our dog, 2 rabbits, 3 hens, garden to be mowed and polytunnel (watering and harvesting of strawberries!). From all the regular photos they sent us while away, it was clear they were taking great care of all our pets, and Jackson, our cockapoo, definitely was very lovingly cared for. They stayed in our cottage and part of our house, which they looked after very well. Thank you again for your help Kirstin and Paul, and I hope our paths cross again.
Kathy, Ireland, 21 June, 2019
Our first experience of using pet sitters couldn’t have gone better
Kirstin and Paul looked after our cat, Pixie, for four weeks while we were in Australia. This was the first time we had used the services of a pet sitter, and we were delighted with the experience we had with them. From the very first contact with them everything went brilliantly. They were very understanding of our needs, and listened attentively when we had an initial Skype conversation. We arranged for them to stay with us the night before our departure and we were delighted to see that immediately our cat liked them. She is a nervous cat and often runs away and hides when new people enter the house, but she was completely relaxed in Kirstin’s and Paul’s presence. When we were away Kirstin sent us regular updates and photographs to let us know that Pixie was relaxed and happy. This was very reassuring for us. When we returned home the house was wonderfully clean, the lawn was cut, Pixie was very relaxed and clearly very happy. The whole experience couldn’t have gone better and we would hope to use Kirstin and Paul as pet sitters again, and we highly recommend them. Jane and Mike, Cumbria
Jane, United Kingdom, 03 April, 2019
Kirstin and Paul were the perfect house and pet sitters.
Kirstin and Paul were the perfect house and pet sitters. They communicated well from start to finish and we really appreciated the regular updates and photos of our three hounds. The couple were diligent and thorough in following our routines with the dogs administering medicine to the old boy and coping with his occasional grumpy behaviour. They left our house spotless and tidy and even mowed the lawn for us. We could not have wished for better sitters than these too and would highly recommend them to anyone who needs capable and caring sitters.
Kathi, United Kingdom, 05 May, 2018
Scottish House Sit March- Timmy and Daisy
Kirstin and Paul have just finished my house sit looking after 6 year old Shih Tzu Timmy and 4 year old Yellow Labrador Daisy. I returned on Friday to a lovely clean home, washed bedding and two happy dogs. They kept me informed while I was away on how things were going and sent excellent photographs so I could see how fortunate my two were to have Kirstin and Paul looking after them. I am pretty strict with feeding and do’s and don’ts with my two and they adhered completely to my instructions. Even my neighbours commented to me how impressed they were with seeing them all out each days for walks and how happy my dogs obviously were. I would have no hesitation in recommending Kirstin and Paul and hope they will house sit for me again in the future. Sandy Beer
Sandy, United Kingdom, 25 March, 2018
Second Stay For Us and Still Superb!
Kirstin and Paul came back to sit for us for the second time in December - we were so impressed with them the first time, that this time we organised our family holiday around dates that they could sit for us. Sadly a few days before they were due to arrive our baby daughter was rushed to intensive care and we were in the hospital for over a week with her. We left the house 3 days early - leaving the house unprepaired for Kirstin and Paul and in an absolute mess. They were so amazing to us, not only were they incredibly kind and accommodating to our situation (as I was concerned about letting them down), but offered to still sit for us, even with the house unprepared for them and they helped my parents tidy up and prepare for our return. It was such an amazing help whilst we were going through a very difficult time. My parents thought Kirstin and Paul so lovely, that they now hope to have them sit for their dogs in the future. I hope Kirstin and Paul will be our regular house sitters and we will definitely be planning our holidays around dates that work for them. Our dogs absolutely love them!
Jenny, United Kingdom, 02 January, 2018
2 months cat and house sitting
Kirstin and Paul spend two months looking after my two cats Wilma and the new 5 months old kitten Morle. They were very reliable (even arriving on time despite their car breaking down), tidy, kept in contact and looked after my two cats very lovingly. They clearly cared very much about the cats, and the cats appeared to be very happy with and fond of Kirstin and Paul, getting plenty of cuddles from them. Kirstin and Paul also reacted very flexible to sudden changes in my scedule and it was a pleasure to share some days together. During their time here, Wilma became unwell, and Kirstin and Paul took her to the vet to get her checked over, which was much appreciated. They kept the house tidy, and cleared the garden of leaves and snow as required and fed the birds. As there didn't incur any works in the garden or house, I did not hook theese boxes. I can recommend them to any future house and pet owners and would also be very happy to have them back here to look after my lovely cats.
Michaela, Germany, 05 December, 2017
I Highly Recommend Kirstin and Paul
I have just returned from a 10 day holiday leaving Kirstin and Paul to look after my house, 2 dogs, 2 ponies, 5 cats and fish and they were incredible! I not only received regular updates and photos from Kirstin to put my mind at ease, but came home to all my animals very happy and healthy with no weight loss or gain and an immaculate house – I swear it was cleaner when I arrived back then when I cleaned it before I left! Kirstin even washed their bedding and had it hung out to dry for my return. I honestly cannot recommend them enough and really hope they will come back again for me.
Jenny, United Kingdom, 26 June, 2017
Wonderful house sitters
Kirstin and Paul did a wonderful job of looking after our home and cats while we were away on holiday. They are very experienced with looking after animals, and they formed a special bond with our cats who are quite shy. While we were away they kept in touch by email, giving us regular updates of how the cats were doing. We came home to a beautifully clean and tidy flat. We hope that Kirstin and Paul will house -sit for us again in the future.
Alex and Kelly, United Kingdom, 11 June, 2017