Kiwi couple travelling slowly through Europe - Nurse & Business owner, home owners and animal lovers

About this sitter

We're Sheri and Jacob, a couple from Auckland, New Zealand, spending a year travelling slowly through the UK, Europe and beyond. Sheri is a registered nurse and Jacob runs his own business from a laptop, which means one of us is genuinely home during the day rather than just at feeding times.

We're quiet, tidy and easy to have in a house. We'd rather spend an evening in with a dog on the couch than out on the town, and we like a place we can settle into properly and get to know the local community on foot.

What we're looking for is a sit where we can be useful and be at home. Longer stays suit us best, a week upwards, and we're happy with rural, coastal or in-town. We're comfortable with dogs, cats, puppies, older animals who need a bit more patience, and gardens and houseplants that need keeping alive. We own our own beautiful home back in Auckland New Zealand, so we know what it means to hand your keys to someone.

Why they want to house sit

Honestly, the animals are a big part of why we're travelling at all. We love animals because they are honest in a way people rarely are. They love, and they love being loved, they take real joy in life, and they understand far more than most people give them credit for. We both grew up surrounded by pets and we can't wait to have a dog and a cat of our own again once we settle back in New Zealand.

Until then, looking after someone's animals while they're away lets us give a pet real company and routine, and lets us feel at home wherever we happen to be. Hotels are fine for a few nights, but they don't give you a kitchen, a garden, or something warm sitting on your feet in the evening.

We also like that it works both ways. You get to leave your animals in their own home, in their own routine, with people who actually want to be there, rather than in a kennel or cattery.

Their experience

Yes. We've been around animals our whole lives. Growing up, both our family homes were full of dogs, cats, birds and farm animals, so caring for pets is second nature to us.

These days we're the regular sitters for Honey, an energetic but gentle dachshund cross, and Mila, her rescue cat sister, often for weeks at a time along with the whole house. That means daily walks, feeding routines, plenty of company for two very social animals, and handing back the house and garden exactly as we found them. Their owner has given us a written reference and is happy to be contacted.

Jacob has also helped raise two litters of golden retriever puppies over the last few years. Not full time, but hands on and closely involved right through the early months, so he knows what a litter really asks of you.

Sheri grew up on a rural lifestyle block and therefore has extensive experience raising and caring for various livestock, alpacas, and spent a lot of time helping run a stud farm.

Sheri's nursing work means medication schedules, watching for early signs that something is off, and knowing when to call a vet rather than wait and see, are all familiar ground. We're comfortable with older pets who need a bit more care and patience.

What can they bring to the assignment

Someone home during the day. Jacob works from a laptop, so your pets aren't alone from morning until evening, and there is somebody there if anything goes wrong.

A registered nurse in the house. If your pet is on medication, or is elderly, doses happen on time and changes get noticed early rather than mentioned when you get back.

Your routine, not ours. We follow your instructions as written rather than improvising, and we keep animals in their normal rhythm so nothing has to be re-learned when you come home.

Regular updates. Photos and a short note on how they've been, as often as you'd like them and no more than that. If anything is off, you hear it from us straight away.

A clean house and living plants. We're tidy by nature, we own our own home, and we'll water the garden and the pot plants without being reminded. The last owner we sat for specifically mentioned that her indoor plants were thriving when she got back.

No guests, no parties, non-smokers. We're very happy and prefer to do a video call before you decide, and happy to provide ID and references etc.

We can't wait to meet you and your pets!