Dog Sitting in Idle Hour

Gregory

Due to a family emergency, I had to leave the country earlier than I had planned, and needed a sitter to fill in the gap between my departure and another sitter. Michele responded within minutes of my posting the sit, and then we spoke and confirmed the sit within hours. Her husband, Israel, was coming from Mexico to France, while she and her kids were to come from Sweden. When Michele’s travel plans changed, and she wouldn’t be able to come with her children, she assured me that Israel would still come to look after the house and dogs. To do this, for a stay of only five days, he flew to Paris, and then to the south of France, where he rented a car and drove the rest of the way to my place. As I was already traveling, the previous sitters filled him in on the various things that needed to be tended to: caring for two dogs, tending to hens, watering 90 young olive trees daily, as well as other things. The place is big and it took me 3-4 weeks when I first moved in to figure out where things were and what to do. Israel mastered everything upon his arrival, sent me daily updates with photos of my two VERY happy dogs. In addition to all the upkeep, he managed to hike with the dogs daily. I arrived home to find everything perfectly maintained, two fit and and Israel’s guest house cleaner than it was when he arrived. Immaculate. I cannot even express my gratitude for to both Michele and Israel for such a sacrifice and commitment to do that for me. It was a very difficult time, as I was dealing with the loss of both my son and my mother. I did not worry for one second while my dogs and home were in Israel’s hands. Thank you both, so, so much. You’re welcome back anytime, with the entire family, even just for a visit, maybe just a well-deserved holiday, with no dog- or house- sitting!

Christina

Maryna was an excellent pet sitter and houseguest! Communicating with her was easy, and she always responded to my messages quickly. She was also incredibly self-sufficient! Moreover, Maryna graciously agreed to check on my neighbor's cat for a couple of days as well. My dog bonded with her quickly and was happy and healthy when I returned. The house was also spotless. I would happily have Maryna sit for me again!

Joelle

Theresa is a reliable and experienced pet sitter in addition to being great at keeping house! She was very accommodating in meeting me & the dogs in advance of our sit, which proved she is a true pet person: attentive to my dogs and eager to know how they should be cared for. She kept me posted while I was away & I returned to a tidy home & happy dogs!
I highly recommend her!!

Stephen

Lea is seriously the best! We lucked out big time with her as our house sitter. She didn't just watch our home; she made it sparkle, and our dog Mezy? Well, he fell head over paws for her!

Mezy's doesn't always warm up to new folks so easily but Lea had this magical charm that had him wagging his tail from day one. She showered him with cuddles and playtime, and we got daily photo updates that were basically cuteness overload.

But Lea didn't stop at being the dog whisperer. Every nook and cranny was squeaky clean, and it felt like we were walking into a Pinterest-worthy home. Our plants thrived under her care too.

Communication was a breeze with Lea. She kept us in the loop about everything and replied to our messages super quickly. It gave us peace of mind knowing she had everything under control.

Lea's not just a house sitter - her friendly, laid-back vibe made everything so easy. We can't thank her enough for taking such great care of Mezy and our home. We're definitely booking her for all our future adventures.

If you want your pets to adore your house sitter and come back to a spotless home, Lea is the one to call. Thanks a million, Lea!

Julianne

Emily  and  Chris were absolutely incredible house and pet sitters. They took care of our dog and two cats for 10 days and were some of the best sitters we've ever had. They took amazing care of all three animals -- giving medicine to our aging dog and managing to befriend our very shy cats on day one.  We received adorable picture and video updates each day and it was clear that the pets loved spending time with them. Additionally they left the house in pristine shape and were incredibly diligent in all aspects -- bringing in packages, taking out the trash and recycling, etc.  I can't recommend them highly enough!

Andrew

Brian is awesome - he is simply the best pet sitter and house sitter that we have EVER had and we've had a bunch. He is experienced, thoughtful, respectful, loving, appreciative, helpful, enthusiastic...the list just goes on. Started with our initial call - it was our first sit with zeewoi and he immediately instilled confidence in us in how he talked about his experience and how he saw his role.  In the pre-planning, he had great questions for us and helped us to get organized.  He was thorough through the instructions, came in a day early to make sure he understood everything about our house and our dog and then followed through on everything.  He even drove us to the airport and picked us up on the return.  Along the way we were gone, he sent us pictures and kept us updated - always making us feel good about being away and knowing Jorge and the house were in great hands. We had workers coming to fix a fence while gone and some other activity at the house - he was helpful, available, and willing to do whatever was needed to be done.  He was self-sufficient and when it came time to leave, he had everything organized and cleaned at the house - he left it in better condition than he received it.  We would love to have Brian sit whenever we are away (and in fact will invite him and hope he says yes!) - any one would be lucky to have Brian as their house and pet sitter.

Monika

Joe arrived some days before I left, so I could show him some nice places in Switzerland and he had enough of time to learn all about the dogs and how to handle them. He is an amazing nice and an animal/natur loving person who took care of my dog with incredible affection when I was in vacation. I could really enjoy it, because I knew, everything is ok at home. He sent me picutres and I could see, how much fun they have together. He cooked for the dogs, mad a lot of nice hikes with them and huged them, when they need it - so he even got the trust from Artu (as a man really not easy). 
And not only that, he made woodruff punch for me and sowed my tomatoes and spoiled them with melt water. And he helped also the women which looked after the horses and helped her to going walk with them.
Generelly he is super friendly, so everyone in the village likes him.

He is considerate of your belongings and has handed the house back neatly. He is just the best. I'm so gratuful he was here.

So, if you have a chance to get him as a sitter, take it. Your animals will be grateful to you and have a good time while you are on vacation.

Joe, you're not just a dog sitter for me. You were so familiar to me from the first moment. We had a lot of fun and we already miss you sooooo much. I'm really looking forward to see you again in some monthes.

Kathleen

Lisa was a terrific sitter for our sweet Rosie.  She arrived the evening before the sit, and we immediately could tell how much love and attention Rosie was to get.  She provided updates and pictures which we were delighted to read, and we could tell Rosie was happy and well-cared for with Lisa on their walks and fetching sessions, on their car rides, and during Rosie’s many daily naps.  Lisa left the house in great condition, she’s very tidy and clean. Lisa’s experience with dogs and her friendly, sweet personality makes her an excellent sitter taking good care of animals while also being easy to communicate with.  I would recommend her and would gladly invite her back.

cookie

Ranji was a wonderful pet sitter for my dog Zoe and was very easy to communicate with and kept me informed.  She took wonderful care of our condo and wouldn’t hesitate to have her in my new home in NJ if she wants to check out a new area.

Heather

Veronica House sat for us for a month.  She cared for our two Dobermans and our cat.

Veronica is so enthusiastic about animals.  They immediately pick up on her joy and love for them.

When some bold alligators made our dogs’ normal exercise routine unsafe,  she was faced with the challenging situation of keeping two Dobermans with very different temperaments exercised and entertained in the height of Florida summer with its bugs, heat, and humidity.  She met this challenge by taking the dogs for individual outings. She drove our young social dog to the dog park, finding the times when he would most likely have other large playmates and drove our socially anxious dog to the quiet areas of town for walks.  This took a lot more time than our normal routine, but it kept our dogs safe and happy.

A lasting benefit for us is that our younger dog, once a terror in the car, now rides much more calmly and our anxious dog, once fearful of what the car ride would bring, now happily hops in.
 
Our cat was so content and well-groomed​ upon my return, it was obvious that she had been getting lots of daily attention,  too.

Veronica communicated with us on all the happenings with our pets and property every day.

I came home to happy and healthy pets and a well cared for home.

We feel so fortunate to have had Veronica as a house sitter and look forward to her sitting for us again.