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Sitter available

Retired couple with time, a hankering to travel and a passion to learn & discover

United States

Testimonials

They have 5 testimonials (view below)

Pet experience

Dog(s), Cat(s), Fish, Rodent(s), Reptile(s) – Large and small dogs; cats; fish

Police check

They don't have a police check

Availability

From: 27 January 2024
Until: 1 April 2025

Occupation

Retired from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

References

They don't have referees/references

About this sitter

My husband and I are very active retirees. We both had long careers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Peter taught in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, and I was Director of Recruitment, Fellowships and Student Development for the Graduate School (though in my early career I taught ESL as well).

Our sense of adventure and our careers have taken us all over the world. Peter is a former Peace Corps volunteer (Thailand) and I taught for 3 years in a binational center in Barcelona Spain. We spent the first 2 years of our marriage in mainland China. Between us we speak French, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, and Hebrew.

We love to bike and have been on numerous long distance bike rides both in the USA and abroad. We are longtime homeowners and live in a lovely old home (built in 1896) in a historic district in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

We love music. Peter plays the autoharp and I play the guitar and love to jam with others.

 

Why they want to house sit

 

We find ourselves entering an exciting new chapter in our lives --with the freedom and energy to explore new things.

We love traveling and meeting new people. This is best accomplished by staying in one place for an extended period of time -- really becoming a part of the community.

Their experience

Our housesitting through MindMyHouse have included the following: one month (July 2007) in New Hampshire, two weeks in Boston (Dec.2009), one week in Albuquerque, NM (April 2010) with a 3 week return to the same house (Oct. 2011), Longmont, CO (two weeks, May 2012), Miami, Florida (one month Feb. 2014), St. George, Utah (one month Sept. 2014 & a one-month return to the same house Dec. 2015), one week in New York City(July 2015), one week in Evanston, IL.(2016) , one week in Las Vegas (Dec. 2017), two weeks in Asheville, NC (June 2018), and two weeks in Washington, DC (Dec. 2019 & Dec. 2023). Our charges have been dogs, cats, fish and reptiles! We have had wonderful experiences. I'm sure any of the homeowners would give us strong recommendations.

 

What can they bring to the assignment

We don't smoke. We are friendly, flexible and resourceful. We lived in our own historic Victorian home for 34 years. We have recently passed it on to a new, young family and moved downtown, where we can walk and bike most everywhere! We would treat your home with the same loving care and respect as we treat our own.

Last updated: 27 January 2024

Available to house sit

Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Availability dates

From: 27 January 2024
Until: 1 April 2025

Do they charge?

They don't charge for house sitting services

Membership

MindMyHouse member since 2007

Personal details

Age: 66-75 years old
Family status: Couple

Total sits

Total completed house sits: 10

Testimonials

House Sit 2022 Winona MN

Peter and Karen took excellent care of our 2 house cats for 4 days in October 2022. They left the home in the same clean condition it was in when they arrived. I would definitely recommend them and have them back.

LeAnn, United States, 24 October, 2022

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

Wonderful house sitters

Karen and Peter house sat for us here in Washington, DC for three weeks in December. They are an absolutely delightful couple and I would highly recommend them if you are considering their services. They were highly responsive to any questions we had and were interested in everything about our house and the cats to make sure that they had no issues while we were gone. We returned to happy cats and a clean and orderly house. Karen and Peter were also fun to get to know. We would welcome Karen and Peter to come back an house again for us at any time (we hope they will)!

Kim, United States, 06 January, 2020

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Handy around the house

Amazing Experience

Karen and Peter are a fine example of what makes Mind My House special. Not only did they take exceptional care of our house and pets while we were away on vacation, but we also got to know some very interesting, friendly people!! I would recommend them to anyone looking for a caring, respectful, and interesting couple who will do an impeccable job taking care of your pets and property. You will not be sorry!!!

Will, United States, 22 July, 2018

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

WONDERFUL Caretakers!

Karen and her husband house sat and watched our dog this past winter. Karen was super responsive and even set up a visit prior to our travel date so that we could provide an overview of our apartment and they could meet our JuJu. We would definitely tell her that JuJu was well cared for, we came home to a happy and calm dog. We saw photos of how Karen and JuJu strongly bonded. Another joy was coming home to a CLEAN household and clean sheets on our bed. This was so appreciated after internationally traveling for 20 hours. Karen and Peter’s thirst for travel is so inspiring, we’re so glad to have met them and look forward to keeping in touch. 100% recommend!

Nicole, United States, 16 January, 2018

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

The Best of the Best

Karen and Peter were the best! We only wish we could rope them in to sitting for a much longer time when we're off to Mexico. They were all the things a homeowner would want: responsible, enthusiastic, lovers of our cats, communicative and more. We returned to a clean home with folded towels and sheets. How could as for more? If you can rope this couple, you won't be disappointed.

Jane, United States, 27 October, 2016

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

References

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About this house sitter

MindMyHouse member since March 2024