Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Internationally experienced, reliable and capable, animal loving couple
Canada
Testimonials
They have 3 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Fish, Rabbit(s), Tortoise/Turtle(s), Rodent(s), Goat(s), Reptile(s), Farm animal(s), Other animal(s) – Have pet first aid qualification
Police check
They have a police check
Availability
From: 1 January 2024
Until: 2 April 2025
(see their busy times below)
Occupation
Retired Engineer and semi retired writer
References
They have referees/references (view below)
About this sitter
We are a fit, active, non-smoking, fully vaccinated and responsible English/Canadian couple. We have been house and pet sitting almost full time since May 2012. As homeowners ourselves we are experienced in all the pleasures, trials and tribulations that pet and home ownership brings.
Our ideal sits are preferably in non-smoking households and usually in smaller communities. Although we love to explore new places and cultures we are homebodies so don't need places with lots of night life. We do enjoy cooking though so, so we are always interested in places where we can expand our culinary skills.
Why they want to house sit
We know from personal experience that having capable and caring sitters makes leaving home and pets a lot easier. Providing this much needed service is one of the reasons we enjoy house and pet sitting so much. It allows us to travel the world and explore potential retirement destinations. While offering a valuable service and letting our hosts travel worry free.
Their experience
We have been house and pet sitting since May 2012 and have completed assignments in Canada, England, Italy, Spain, France, England, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, St Lucia, St Vincent in the Grenadines, Barbados, Egypt, Cyprus, Peru, Argentina, Brazil & Ecuador.
We have cared for dogs, cats, chickens, chicks, fish, birds, goats, horses, donkeys and a llama. Plus we have experience with garden, pools, irrigation systems, staff, and vacation rentals.
What can they bring to the assignment
After a decade of full time house and pet sitting in Europe, Central & South America, & the Caribbean, we have developed a wide range of skills and expertise. These include looking after both rural cottages and high end villas. We can deal with irrigation systems, gardens, pool maintenance, and managing staff and holiday rentals. We also have pet first aid training.
Our most important skills are those developed over our lives and careers. Michael's engineering background and Yvonne's down to earth practical nature (and green thumbs) means that we are capable and resourceful.
We pride ourselves on giving our hosts a stress and worry free vacation, in short we offer complete peace of mind.
Last updated:
9 December 2023
Available to house sit
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Caribbean, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Middle East, Monaco, New Zealand, North East Asia, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South East Asia, South Korea, South Pacific, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
Availability dates
From: 1 January 2024
Until: 2 April 2025
They have indicated that they are busy at the following times:
14 December 2022 to 31 July 2023
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Membership
MindMyHouse member since 2017
Personal details
Age: 56-65 years old
Family status:
Couple
Total sits
Total completed house sits: 3
References
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About this house sitter
MindMyHouse member since January 2024
Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/34694
Testimonials
Organised, reliable, and caring pet sitters
Michael and Yvonne cared for our home and very large family (1 dog + 5 cats + 2 garden cats) for a month. From initial contact they communicated well, and kept us up-to-date with pet photos and news while we were away. Our dog can be a bit barky with new sitters but M&Y easily calmed him and they were pals by the time we departed. They were totally on top of it when one cat suddenly needed vet care, and managed to administer all of her meds (she's extremely resistant to pilling). Given our jet lag, we loved that the handover at the end of our trip was simplified by a summary 'report' that Michael and Yvonne emailed us before we arrived home. Our house was spotless and linens washed/folded, a homemade soup was waiting in the fridge, and dog and cats were content and obviously well cared for. We would gladly welcome Yvonne and Michael back for another stay. Recommended!
Robyn, Italy, 13 July, 2023
Extraordinary
Yvonne and Michael come with high recommendations for a reason: they are reliable, thoughtful and truly capable! I feel grateful that my home and animals were cared for by them. My place was left immaculate, all animals, the garden and flowers were well cared for and there were special touches such as flowers, and a salad for us to return home to. I’d love to have them return. I would highly recommend this wonderful couple.
Marilyn, Canada, 31 August, 2020
Ace house sitters !
We were aware of Yvonne & Michael’s house-sitting reputation well before they did this house sit for us. We had seen their website and blog, and it was clear that they knew their stuff. We had tried a few times to schedule a house sit with them, but due to scheduling difficulties didn’t succeed in getting them to house sit until recently, when they came for three weeks in February/March 2020. Their reputation is well deserved, and we could not recommend them enough – absolutely first class in all aspects. They are very experienced house sitters, with publications etc on the subject. They were clearly very comfortable dealing with all the things that might crop up during a house sit – nothing seemed to daunt them. During their stay they had to deal with some unexpected eventualities, including an attack of vampire bats (on the dogs, not people!) and an electrical wiring problem. They were clearly well organized, and sent us a template for house guidance which we used to check the instructions we had prepared. They raised any doubts or questions with us in advance, and we had useful conversations with them after their arrival to get to know each other and clarify various points. They clearly enjoyed sampling the local life, being comfortable touring Rio’s sites and enjoying the more local facilities. During the visit, they were good at keeping in touch via Whatsapp, and sending us photos of the dogs to show how they were getting on. We overlapped with them for a couple of days after our return, and they provided useful feedback. They even prepared a summary note at the end about the dogs’ behaviour, equipment issues etc. They quickly got to know our five dogs and looked after them extremely well, and the same goes for the house and garden. The house was spotless on our return, and everything in order. Besides being very organized, conscientious and able, we also found them to be lovely people, with charm, wit and sensibility. We would not hesitate to recommend them to others. Top marks !
Joe, United Kingdom, 11 March, 2020