Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Active, retired couple with worldwide house and pet sitting experience
United Kingdom
Testimonials
They have 10 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Fish, Rabbit(s), Tortoise/Turtle(s), Guinea pig(s), Rodent(s), Pig(s), Goat(s), Reptile(s), Farm animal(s), Other animal(s) – We are happy to help with all types of pets and have experience of caring for a wide range of exotic animals too.
Police check
They don't have a police check
Availability
From: 21 September 2023
Until: 1 April 2026
(see their busy times below)
Occupation
Retired
References
They have referees/references (view below)
About this sitter
We are a retired couple in our early 60's with a passion for travel and wildlife. Most of our working lives were spent in the Cotswolds, before making the move to Dorset in 2012. Ray retired as a Police officer after 30 years service whilst Sue worked within the local community and as a home maker.
Why they want to house sit
We are looking for the opportunity to house sit and experience new places and challenges. The chance to live in an area, for even a short while, allows us to participate in the local day to day workings and life in a new area and enjoy the company of pets we would never normally have met.
Their experience
We have undertaken numerous house sits both in the UK, Europe and further afield. From Bulgaria to Thailand and Worminghall to Panama. Our four legged charges have ranged from an asthmatic cat named 'Fugly' to 'Jess' an energetic working sheepdog and from the varied creatures in a Spanish wildlife park to a garden full of wandering tortoises.
Our longest home away from home was for 14 months at a villa in Andalucia, looking after the 2 acres of lemon trees and hosting prospective buyers for the property. A full list of previous house sitting experience is available upon request.
What can they bring to the assignment
If you choose us to look after your home and pets you will have the peace of mind that things will be handled correctly and without fuss. The security of your home and the well being of your pets is our priority.
Last updated:
4 February 2024
Available to house sit
Argentina, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Macedonia, Malaysia, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, South East Asia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States
Availability dates
From: 21 September 2023
Until: 1 April 2026
They have indicated that they are busy at the following times:
27 March 2023 to 15 July 2023
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Membership
MindMyHouse member since 2018
Personal details
Age: 56-65 years old
Family status:
Couple
Total sits
Total completed house sits: 8
References
You need to be logged in to see this house sitters' references.
About this house sitter
MindMyHouse member since March 2024
Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/39270
Testimonials
Excellent Housesitters
We can't recommend Ray and Sue highly enough. From their first communication they were helpful, willing, and entirely reliable and trustworthy. Which are important factors when handing over your home and precious animals to people you don't know. During the 3 weeks they sat for us this summer, they put us entirely at ease and sent us frequent updates, which gave us complete confidence. And when we returned, we could tell our home had been well looked after and, most importantly, that our dog had been beautifully cared for. If you're looking for the perfect housesitters, look no further. Owen and Tamsin (and Scout)
Owen, United Kingdom, 17 July, 2023
Great Housesitters
Ray and Sue have just finished sitting for us for a week and we couldn’t have been more delighted with them. They were quick to respond to communication, they arrived in plenty of time to get to know our animals and house before we left. They sent updates as requested whilst we were away and we returned to a clean and tidy house, well cared for animals and 2 carved pumpkins. Would highly recommend.
Lorna, United Kingdom, 01 November, 2022
Wonderful house sitters!!
Ray and Sue looked after our home and dog Lily for a week recently and were the perfect sitters. They arrived an hour before we had to leave so we could show them everything (no mean feat as it was early and quite a drive!). They kept in contact with us during the week, sending a few photos and keeping us informed. We arrived back to a spotless house, a bunch of flowers and a very happy dog. What more could you ask for! Thank you Sue and Ray, you are very kind and I can 100% recommend you to anyone else needing a sitter
Bay, United Kingdom, 05 June, 2022
Ray and Sue were wonderful house sitters. They looked after our dog and cat at the end of October 2021. As they live not too far from us, they visited before the house sit; it was good to have chance to meet them and to give them chance to meet the animals and find their way around the house. We came back to a beautifully clean and tidy house and animals who were very happy and healthy. During the house sit they kept in touch and sent us some lovely photos. I thoroughly recommend them as house sitters and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
Sue, United Kingdom, 01 November, 2021
Ray and Sue Hamilton
Ray and Sue looked after our house and our dog Bruno in August 2021. We arrived back to a spotless house and happy dog - what more could you ask for. Ray kept in touch during the week he was house sitting and they were both very flexible with last minute changes we imposed due to Covid meaning we had to cut short their stay. I would not hesitate to recommenc them and would love to invite them both back again. Catherine, Dorset
Catherine , United Kingdom, 07 August, 2021
5 star house sitters
Ray and Sue looked after our house and two dogs for 10 days in June. They were totally fantastic - great at communication, adaptability, tidiness, caring for the animals and going above and beyond by giving us a lift to and from the station and leaving the house absolutely pristine. They were open and honest with their preparation for the housesit which was really useful as well as their report back to us at the end of the sit about areas that had been a problem. If I can persuade them to sit for us again in the future, I will be very happy.
Stephanie, United Kingdom, 01 July, 2021
Wonderful! It was an absolute pleasure....
This was the first time that we have left our house and animals with someone we didn't know and it could not have gone better for us. We had good communication with Ray and Sue before they arrived and they arrived the day before we went away so we could show them around. Ray and Sue were happy to care for all our animals including our two dogs, donkeys, various cats, ducks and a goat - and we don't think any of them missed us as they has such good care! We appreciate all the other little things that they did for us without being asked, like weeding our gravel and doing some mucking out of the donkey area. Ray's interest and knowledge about wildlife has introduced us to birds and other wildlife we didn't know we had. Ray and Sue kept in contact with us while we were away,so we were reassured that all was well and enjoyed our break. We returned earlier than planned and enjoyed getting to know Ray and Sue a little better before they left - they have a great sense of humour and fun! We couldn't have asked for more and would recommend them to anyone needing a house-sitter.
Joy, France, 15 March, 2020
Just wonderful!
Ray and Sue were the most attentive of house sitters. They left the house immaculate, kept in touch with us and really got into looking after our slightly eclectic collection of pets. They made the most of being in the area and took an enormous interest in our garden and all the wildlife, sending us stunning photographs of what they had seen. They made the effort to come to visit us before the actual house sit to find out more about the house and to understand all that we would need. They turned up when they said they would, sorted out keys and left us notes about visitors, things to attend to and so forth - but always in a helpful way! The garden pots were watered throughout a drought - and there are quite a few of them - and they took time to enjoy the garden. I could not recommend Ray and Sue more highly to anyone else looking for a house sitter. They were an absolute joy.
Rupert, United Kingdom, 04 August, 2019
Absolutely fantastic...
Ray and Sue were just brilliant and exactly what we were looking for. They looked after our home with two dogs for 3 weeks whilst we were away and I never once felt nervous about anything whilst away. The garden had clearly been tended to, the dogs had clearly been for long walks and the house was spotless when we got home. I was updated throughout the time away by Ray and he even helped me with some admin when I had forgotten to do something. We would highly recommend this lovely couple to anyone...
Olivia, United Kingdom, 02 July, 2019
Winter in Andalusia - House/Cat sit Dec 2018/early February 2019
Ray and Sue responded to our original request for sitters until 'early February2019', but due to a change in our personal circumstances whilst in the UK, we needed to extend this requirement and they very kindly offered to stay on until the end of the month, to allow us time to find replacement sitters AND managed the 'hand over' process for the new guys! Along with this extra responsibility, everything went very smoothly during their stay, without any problems. We received regular emails updates and photos - especially of our two cats - and some exotic looking frogs and other 'wildlife', as Ray is a keen photographer! As a retired Police Officer, Ray can be relied upon to deal with things in a practical, calm manner, which is always reassuring. They like to keep active and kept our shrubs, flowers and my 'prize-winning Broad Beans' watered regularly. Sue also made an excellent job of weeding our Rose Garden, which was much appreciated! They are a friendly, easy going couple who we would not hesitate to have back or to recommend them to other Owners seeking reliable, trustworthy House/Pet sitters.
Des, Spain, 03 March, 2019