Retired Canadian Couple • Lifelong Dog Lovers • Trusted Homeowners

About this sitter

We are Ken and Kristine, a happily married retired Canadian couple who have reached a great stage in our lives where we have the freedom to travel and experience new places together.

We are homeowners ourselves. We have a home in Mazatlán, Mexico, and spend our Canadian summers travelling in our fifth wheel and enjoying Ontario. We are comfortable living in different environments and understand how important it is to look after a home properly.

We have both had dogs throughout our lives and are especially interested in sitting for dogs. We would love to care for a dog or two, keep them company, maintain their normal routine and enjoy getting to know their personalities.

We are particularly interested in longer stays, ideally several weeks to a few months, because we would rather really experience a place than simply visit for a few days. We are open to Canada, the United States, Mexico and eventually international destinations.

We are clean, responsible, quiet and respectful people, and we would treat your home and pets with the same care and attention we would expect someone to give our own.

Why they want to house sit

Quite simply, we think house sitting could be the perfect combination of two things we love — travelling and dogs.

Now that we are retired, we have the freedom to spend more time exploring places we might otherwise only visit for a short vacation. We especially like the idea of staying somewhere for a month or two and actually experiencing what it is like to live there.

We also genuinely miss having a dog in our lives. Our beloved Poodle, Murphy, was a huge part of our family for many years. Since losing him, we have continued to look after friends' dogs in both Canada and Mexico, and we have realized how much we enjoy having dogs around us.

House sitting seems like a wonderful way to combine those things. We get to discover new places while giving a dog companionship, love and a familiar routine, and giving a homeowner the peace of mind that their home is being looked after.

At this point in our lives, we feel very fortunate to have the time and flexibility to do this. We think it could make for some pretty wonderful adventures.

Their experience

Yes. Although we are new to using house-sitting websites, we are certainly not new to caring for dogs, homes or other people's property.

We have both owned dogs throughout our lives. Our beloved purebred Poodle, Murphy, was part of our family for many years. Kristine and Murphy successfully completed the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program and regularly visited an elder-care home in Wiarton, Ontario. Kristine still has her certification and can provide references regarding their therapy-dog work.

Since losing Murphy, we have regularly cared for friends' dogs in both Canada and Mexico. We are comfortable with feeding routines, walks, companionship and maintaining the normal routine that a dog is accustomed to.

We are also experienced homeowners and previously owned and operated our own small business. We understand responsibility, organization and the importance of looking after property that belongs to someone else.

We can provide personal references, veterinary references and references relating to Kristine and Murphy's therapy-dog experience.

What can they bring to the assignment

We bring reliability, maturity, flexibility and genuine care for animals.

We are both retired, so we have the time to give a dog plenty of companionship rather than leaving them alone all day while we work. We enjoy walking and exploring, but we are equally happy having a quiet day at home with a dog.

As homeowners ourselves, we understand the little things that matter when you leave your home with someone else — keeping things clean and tidy, respecting your belongings, following instructions and making sure everything is secure.

We are comfortable with normal household responsibilities such as bringing in mail, watering plants, taking care of garbage and keeping the home looking lived-in and cared for.

Most importantly, we understand that the pets come first. We would follow their normal routines, give them plenty of attention and keep you updated while you are away.

We also bring considerable flexibility. Because we are retired and travel regularly between Canada and Mexico, we can sometimes be flexible with dates and are particularly interested in longer assignments.

And if you have a dog that needs a little extra love and companionship while you're away, that's exactly the kind of assignment we would be happy to take on.