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Sitter available

Mature & responsible animal lovers with thirst for adventure & travel! We are newly retired and eager to see the world! We have owned beautiful homes, have raised dogs who have lived long and active lives, and have pet sit in the U.S., Europe, Caribbean

United States

Testimonials

They have 3 testimonials (view below)

Pet experience

Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Fish, Guinea pig(s), Goat(s) – We are petsitters on TrustedHouseSitters as well. Here is a testimonial we received from a home and pet owner in North Carolina: Denise and Rick were fantastic pet and house sitters. Somehow our house (and dogs!) looked better when we returned than when

Police check

They have a police check

Availability

From: 1 April 2024
Until: 31 December 2024

Occupation

Retired

References

They have referees/references (view below)

About this sitter

We are a youthful, well-traveled, open-minded, and flexible couple who love animals, beauty in all forms, and adventure. Rick is retired and Denise works primarily remotely. As recent empty-nesters, we downsized and relocated from Charlottesville, VA to the Minneapolis area to reside closer to our rapidly aging parents. We took exceptional care of our home and 3.5 acres, and our Labrador dogs lived to ages 14.5 and 16. Now, that we've lessened our loads, we're eager to explore! Ideally, we are looking to house/pet sit in homes that are clean & tidy, have modern amenities, and located either in city centers, the countryside, or quaint towns and villages. We've had dogs (that required both rigorous and minimal training) and cats as companions, and are loving and attentive to animals. We have experience with dogs, cats, fish, and guinea pigs, and would love to be in the company of and learn about other animals including horses, donkeys, goats, hens, and chickens. We are both in great physical shape and love to walk dogs for long and short distances. Rick is very handy and can fix just about anything in and outside of a house. We both love to hike, swim, bike, cook, dance, read, and watch films, and Denise is an avid yogi and knitter (perpetual beginner!).

Why they want to house sit

It seems like a lovely way to see the world! We lived in the Caribbean years ago and rented a villa which came with a cat and dog, and loved this arrangement. We would rather stay in cozy homes than hotels, and would enjoy the companionship of pets.

Their experience

We have completed over 25 house and pet sits around the world in the past three (earning only 5-star reviews on the TrustedHouseSitters platform). We have also house and pet sat for friends and family for many years. We genuinely enjoy the company of furry companions and strive to keep them healthy and content! We have also hired pet and house sitters over the past 15 years and each sitting was a positive experience for everyone.

What can they bring to the assignment

We are highly responsible, good communicators, and take house/pet sitting seriously. We are non-smoking vegetarians, prefer peace & quiet, favor cleanliness and order, and have solid experience with dogs and cats of all ages. We know how to train puppies and care for senior cats and dogs, and Denise is intuitive and empathetic with animals of all kinds. It is not unusual for anti-social cats to warm up to Denise! We have been fortunate to travel to many destinations around the world, and love to explore new locales and cultures.

Last updated: 5 January 2024

Available to house sit

Africa, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North East Asia, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South East Asia, South Korea, South Pacific, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam

Availability dates

From: 1 April 2024
Until: 31 December 2024

Do they charge?

They don't charge for house sitting services

Membership

MindMyHouse member since 2020

Personal details

Age: 56-65 years old
Family status: Couple

Total sits

Total completed house sits: 3

Testimonials

Denise and Rick: A great experience for us, the house, dogs and chickens

Denise and Rick stayed at our home from New Years Eve 2022 to April 15 2023. While we were away, they dealt with house and pet issues and the 3rd snowiest winter on record for Minneapolis, none of which required any action on our part. We returned to a very clean house, and happy/healthy dogs and chickens. We suspect the dogs were a bit let-down by our return and miss Denise and Rick, but thankfully they have short memories (the dogs, not Denise and Rick). Highly recommend them and hope they'll stay at our home again next year.

Eric, United States, 23 April, 2023

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

Thank you, Denise and Rick, the Best Housesitters we have had!

From the moment we skyped, we knew that Denise and Rick were the right people for our house sit. A couple of weeks prior to Denise and Rick's arrival, we lost our chocolate labrador, which was unexpected and happened very quickly, so we were very delicate, emotional and undecided whether we could go on our travels to the UK, because of leaving our younger dog, our Labradoodle, India who is only 4 years old. Denise and Rick couldn't have been more understanding and sympathetic.............India was well looked after, taken on walks, trips out in the car and given hugs and affection. We returned to a happy girl! Our house, on our return, was lovely, clean, tidy and a hot meal was waiting for us, which was a lovely gesture. Socially, Denise and Rick were fantastic, we shared good food, the odd drink together, all over some interesting conversations. Great Housesitters, that we can highly recommend!

Julie, France, 28 April, 2022

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

Denise & Rick are Top Notch in Pet and House Care

For excellent pet care and a well managed home, I highly recommend Denise and Rick. They are organized, tidy, trustworthy and personable—a lovely and kind vegetarian couple who tenderly cared for my 3 dogs, and cat. They efficiently managed the operation of my coastal home in Mexico for nearly three months. All was organized and in shipshape upon my return, and to my surprise, a delicious dinner was waiting on the table. It was not until later that I noticed their custom spreadsheet of housesitter duties pinned to the fridge—muchas gracias! As a bonus, Rick speaks Spanish and Denise is a pet charmer par excellence. Communication is easy, as they are responsive, thoughtful, intelligent, energetic, enthusiastic and electronically-connected. As a homeowner, I recommend putting this couple at the top of your list!

Trilby , United States, 10 August, 2021

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

References

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About this house sitter

MindMyHouse member since September 2023