Responsible Retired Couple--Will Care for Your Cats and Home!

About this sitter

We are a fit, active retired couple (Bill a lecturer, artist, former college professor, and author of a well regarded book on Van Gogh and Jeanne a retired librarian and administrative assistant) who love to travel and were privileged to tour Europe every summer for a period of 12 years with Bill's college students. We are a childless, nonsmoking couple that can stay in any residence from an apartment to a larger home, from cities to rural areas. We are non-smokers and have both been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with two booster shots as well.

Why they want to house sit

We want to continue to visit the UK and Europe and appreciate all they have to offer, and housesitting gives us the opportunity to do so economically while experiencing local life in a country. Of course, we welcome the opportunity to house sit in the United States and Canada as well. We especially look forward to enjoying the company of cats since losing our Bonnie after sharing our home with her for 18 years.

Their experience

We successfully completed our first house sit in 2021 in the United States and our second in the UK in 2021-22 and have continued on regularly since then both at home and abroad (see testimonials). We have caught the house and cat sitting bug, and have now cared for 18 cats (and counting)! Previous to that, we have both been pet sitters for neighbors' cats (and rabbits) and have formed affectionate bonds with them. We have picked up mail, watered plants, taken out trash and battled ants when necessary! We have been renters in the past and were always appreciated by our landlords for responsibly keeping their property in excellent shape. Bill's parents owned apartments and he assisted in maintaining their properties. He was also had a good deal of practical experience as a farmhand in Iowa for several years while in graduate school and cared for farm animals and his own extensive vegetable garden. His father was a serious gardener and Bill grew up helping him plant, maintain and harvest vegetables, fruit trees and flowers. Now as homeowners for 20 years and loving cat owners ourselves, we would treat your home and beloved pets as our own.

What can they bring to the assignment

We are a responsible, mature and quiet couple and would be very conscientious in caring for your property and pets. We are experienced travelers and would be able to comfortably fit into your community. As a former librarian and executive assistant, Jeanne is detail-oriented and would be an excellent communicator with you regarding the assignment in your home. We would treat your pets as family!

We both have Global Entry membership, which includes an extensive background check, as stated below from the website:

"Global Entry is a risk-based approach to facilitate the entry of pre-approved travelers. Applicants may not qualify for Global Entry participation if they:

-Provide false or incomplete information on the application;
-Have been convicted of any criminal offense or have pending criminal charges, including outstanding warrants;
-Have been found in violation of any customs, immigration or agriculture regulations or laws in any country;
-Are subjects of an investigation by any federal, state or local law enforcement agency;
-Are inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration regulation, including applicants with approved waivers of inadmissibility or parole documentation; or if they
-Cannot satisfy CBP of their low-risk status or meet other program requirements."