Pets That Pack

Virgin Australia have recently released frequent flyer points for pets.

The program even has a pet ambassador, but I think my part time pets would have given Pepper a run for the top job - if only they hadn't snoozed through the nomination phase!

It made me smile as I imagine the next stage being a Virgin debit card that allows pets to get extra points when they login online and buy their fav chicken treats, chew bones and greenies.

I daresay with enough points they will be able to have their treats delivered inflight, on demand.  Sophie, one of my part time pets in San Fran knew exactly when it was 9PM and her greenie got dished out - 9:01 was never an appropriate time!

Perhaps their own private lounge if they're flying business class, where only the most discerning butts get sniffed pre flight.

Then how about the inflight meals provided by chef Luke Mangan served in crystal bowls when they get to platinum status.

I know many of my discerning part time pets prefer to stay at home and have me come by and sit with them so they get their every need met in the comfort of their own home.   But if my four legged friends gotta fly, well then I trust the flight attendants will store their cuddly rug, chew bone and favourite toys in the over head locker, just the way they like it and that their seat back and tray table will be moved for them into the upright position when they have to awake from their snooze.

By the time they get all their special stuff packed, I suspect flying a pet would require more excess luggage fees than travelling with kids!

You can check out the program here:
http://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/ProgramBenefits/pets/index.htm

Your Pet Gets A Treat While You're Away

I saw this wonderful new invention today and just loved it!

Gadgets and machines should never take the place of human contact, but I know many of the owners I sit for would love to check in with the pet while they are away.

This clever contraption fits into a wall socket and connects to the wifi in the house.

Then the owner can log in from any remote device like an iPhone, tablet, laptop or android device and talk to the pet and even deliver a treat.

For a nervous dog this would give comfort that their folks weren't too far away AND they get an extra treat.

My furry friends would figure out how to get me to give them a treat and then tell the owners I'd been starving them and get another treat off their folks!

Take a peak at the video, it just gorgeous.

Indiegogo Introduction from Petzila on Vimeo.

I'm pretty sure it would work well for cats too - but you'd need to make an appointment :-)

Poop and Scoop or Risk a Visit From The Postie

In Madrid, dog poo left in public places is mailed back to owners

Littering public places makes me steam under the collar, so when I saw this article it made me smile.

http://www.springwise.com/madrid-dog-poo-left-public-places-mailed-owners/

Poop Machine? ..... Moi?

Housesitters get very adapt at the "Poop and Scoop" routine.  It amazes me though how many people walk their dogs in areas that have a lot of time and effort afforded them by local council, but still, despite the signs, don't scoop.

The Madrid council mentioned in the article had such a bad problem with doggie doo that it took radical action to get a decline in people leaving poop on the ground.

They got people out on the streets spying on the naughty people who didn't do the right thing.  The inspector would then go over and bag the poop, then find a way to get in conversation with the owner, eventually leaving with the dogs name and breed.  This info then got fed into the council's pet database and bingo - a couple of days later the little parcel got delivered back to the offending owners, via the postie, with a note saying next time it would be a fine.

It decreased the problem by 70% - good result I'd say!


Of course my part time pets always insist they get picked up after and I can generally be assured of finding several plastic bags in my jacket pockets even if I'm not currently minding a dog!

“Integrity is doing the right thing,
even when no one is watching.” 
C.S. Lewis

Its interesting how people will do the wrong thing when they think there is a slim chance of getting away with it, but as soon as they know someone is watching, suddenly they start doing the right thing.  Would it not just be easier to do the right thing up front?  What do you reckon?

Bed Time Stories for Dogs

I can't help thinking I've seen it all now.

I also can't help thinking that a few of my part time pets would just love this!

I still think the "in person" bed time story would be even better, but this could be a nice way to calm an anxious pet, especially in the first few days of a sit when they are getting used to their new sitter and coming to terms with the fact that their family might be away a little longer than they anticipated.

The Cost of Getting Pets Minded

Just how much do you save by having a house sitter come in and mind your beautiful pets?

Well Guardian reporter Miles Brignall over at The Guardian did an interesting article that shows some of the options for pet minding services.  You can read the article here

The thing he doesn't address is the invisible cost of leaving your pet in a strange environment.  I left my Great Dane for the day at a kennel while I went off with my parents on a boating trip.

First my dog was rather unimpressed at not being included in the outing, then secondly it seemed I stepped onto very shaky ground as I dared to treat her like ......... well ....... a dog!

My Great Dane Sarah - any wonder she
didn't like being left at a kennel - they
didn't even let her bring her own sofa!

She looked at me with the saddest eyes as I left her behind bars and you could see her wondering what on earth she had done wrong to deserve this type of treatment.  She had never been locked up before in her life, well we did try to put in her a very expensive kennel in the back yard once and we came home to find she had eaten her way out of it. 

But the heartache of leaving her wasn't the worst part of the ordeal.

When I went to collect her I was appalled to see how much condition she had lost from fretting just in a very short period of time.  She was listless, depressed and I think if she had been left there a few more hours she would have been in need of an expensive emergency trip to the vets office.

I'd made sure the kennels were clean and the people nice, but she was just not the kind of dog that you could treat like a dog.  She thought she was a person from day one and was used to a lot of people around her.  It was just too much for her to be suddenly confined with no people to interact with.

Dogs give unconditional love and to lock them up, no matter how fancy the boarding kennel, it can never replace the safety and security they feel being in their own home.

I've sat for several dogs know who think they are people.  I find most sulk for a few hours.  They sometimes hide or seek refuge in their little pet beds.  But as soon as their lead rattles or their dinner dish rings out a meal is on the way I see the first of many tail wags as they let me into their heart.

I've found the secret is to be very kind and chatty with them during those first few hours of sadness after their Mum's and Dad's have left, but not to be too pushy with them.  I just let them have their little sulk but let them know its ok if they feel they need a pat or some one on one time with me.

The longest any of the part time pets have sulked is for 24 hours, then they just accepted the situation and got on with sitting beside me in the office, sitting with me while I watch tv and if allowed sleeping on the end of the bed or beside it.  

Usually by day two we best friends and all is well.

The most heart warming thing is to see the joy in the tail when their folks do return and the pleasure on their owners face when they are met by a joyous happy, healthy dog in great condition.

Even the poshest pet hotels can't give a pet the same experience a dog can get from being at home and with many dogs competing for attention in those places, its hard for you pet to get the love and attention they need and deserve.

The cats however are another story all together ....... beware a returning cat owner, no matter how good of a time they've had with me, you're going to get a lot of guilt!

How To Get The Best HouseSitter

Leaving what for most is their most valuable asset in the hands of a complete stranger is a daunting process. 

There are several things you can do at the time of listing your housesitting position that will help you greatly to secure a house sitter who is going to do a fine job for you.

It is my belief that most housesitters want to do a great job and take pride in the way they return both your home and your pets.  To attract the person who is serious about what they do, well it makes sense that you have to put some effort into your listing.

When you’ve done a lot of housesitting you get good at reading between the lines.  People leave clues and if you haven’t included certain details, you can bet that a good house sitter will disregard your listing.

Seven things you must include if you don’t want to be the listing that gets all the fly by nighters.

1.  Make It Appealing

Your text in your listing needs to be appealing.

Think like a real estate agent does when they are listing properties.  Make your property come alive for us.  The good sitters take the cream off the top because we know we have good references and we know we present well, so we go for the great listings and leave the rest.

The more appealing your listing is, the more appealing your applicants will be.

2.  Include Photos

I rarely consider listings without photos.

Please include relevant photos of your property and the animals that will be cared for.  Many include pictures of historic landmarks.  I can get sightseeing tips on Google once I get the sit.  What I want from a listing is to ascertain if I think I can live and work in your property. 

If there are no pictures of the inside and outside of the property, then I assume you have something to hide.

3.  Incorporate Details That Will Be Relevant to a Sitter

There are very many types of sitters but in general there are two types of people you want to attract, travellers who may wish to take in the sights and people like me who live and work on the road. 

Many listings only speak to travellers, but someone like me who works from their laptop will be home all day with your pets.  I believe the reason I’ve had such great results with the pets I’ve cared for is because I’m home with them 90% of the time. 

The sorts of things that someone with a mobile office seeks to know are:

After being on the road for several
months, this well designed and ultra well
organised home office was heaven for me

• Do you have fast wifi 

• Is your property easily accessed via public transport 

• Are there shops near by

• Do you have a separate office space

• Is your space quiet

The more detail you have in your listing, the more likely you are to attract the right person.

4.  Share Your Dates

Sounds like a DUH point huh!  Well you would be surprised how many people put up a listing and give no indication when they will be away.

If you only have a vague idea of your travel plans, that’s better than no details at all.

I would view a listing without dates with extreme caution because it would indicate to me that someone who can’t get that detail right, well I’d wonder how organised the rest of their life is.

The good house sitters aim to have their calendars full months ahead.

By being vague you could lock out the perfect person.

Someone really good may not even consider your ill-defined offering, but they could have been the absolutely perfect to look after your property.

As housesitting becomes more and more popular, there are many perfect sits all around the world.  The smart sitter will go for the people who provide the most details initially.

5.  Animate Your Pets

When it comes to pets, I have a couple of things I’m looking for beyond the usual - “they're well behaved”. 

I look for three key things

• Names of the pets included in the listing

• People talking lovingly about their pets

• Pets likes and dislikes

One Very Sweet Cat As It Turned Out

I remember one sit in particular, the owner headed up their listing with ”San Francisco Bay area 2BR house with 1 sweet cat”.

This delightful photo of Sylvie was included with the listing.

When I turned up, that was exactly what I got .... a delightful and sweet cat and a very successful sit. 

Of course, if they're not sweet don't describe them that way.  Its important that you are honest and that honesty, even if perhaps they aren't the best behaved will pay off in the end.  Maybe you'll get someone who enjoys the challenge of a spirited dog.

Another listing described how they took their dog to the park for an arranged meeting everyday with neighbours and their dogs.  This showed me that they must really love their dog if they are willing to put their life on hold everyday at 3pm.  The couple treated me exceptionally well too.  Like I say people leave clues.

6.  Describe Your Area in Detail

The Saturday Morning Markets in Sechelt BC Canada

Again the details bring an area to life.  For instance most say “plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby", but the following actual example gives so much more detail.  "The neighborhood is wonderful--ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, but safe. Some of our favorites restaurants in walking distance include Vietnamese, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, and vegetarian food".

This high level of detail will also repel the people who are wrong for your sit.  For instance someone who is used to living in a gated community may have struggled with this ethnically diverse community.  I loved it because it reminded me of the eclectic suburbs in Melbourne Australia.

Perhaps your area has local markets or bike and hiking trails.  Bring your local area to life for us so we choose your over the listing that is in an area that sounds much more alive and appealing.

7.  Be Generous

I’m very generous with my time and what I do when I’m in a sit.  If I see something that needs doing and it hasn’t been mentioned, such as watering the garden if the weather gets unexpectedly hot, then I just do it.

I often get a sense when reading listings that some people think they are doing the sitter a favour by letting them stay over.  Indeed there is huge value in being able to stay rent free in a beautiful setting.  But something that is important to remember is that having your pet in a kennel or cattery will cost upwards of $40 a day.  That’s a saving of $560 over a two week period.  Plus the pets won’t fret so much if they are in familiar surroundings, so you don't come back to sick pets and massive vet bills when you return. 

Plus you have someone in the house ensuring the place looks lived in and that someone is home.  Anyone who has returned home to find their house ransacked by alert burglars would consider having the place look lived in as a priceless gem.

I believe the core essence of a successful sit is mutual generosity of spirit and genuine gratitude shown by both parties for the equal exchange that is occurring. 

Every sit I’ve done so far the people walk out telling me to eat whatever I like and use whatever I like.  They show a degree of trust that makes me want to do an extra good job for them. 

So when you write your listing, put yourself in the sitters shoes and bring your listing to life .... I’d like to bet you get a much better batch of contenders to choose from.

Playing Ball

A large part of a housesitters life is spent playing ball.  You become an expert!



One of the greatest ball players I've known is a gorgeous little Lhasa Apso gal named Shanti.

Shanti McGanti came to stay with me over Christmas one year and I swear I threw that ball a thousand times.

She would run down the hall, as she flew through the fly screen door, it would be open long enough for me to throw the ball through from the top step in the hall before the fly screen door closed.  She would race down the stairs and be ready to chase the ball as it hit the concrete below.

It always made me laugh that she took so long to get back up the steps because they were open, but she flew down them (technically way more dangerous) at speed without worrying.

Yes, you guessed right, I got sick of the game first :-)

Everyone Knows Ellie

Bush walk through to the Beach

My Beach and Camel Rock -
look carefully and you'll see the camel

Life's a Beach and Even More People Know Ellie Now!

Going out walking with my new part time pet, well its like being in a rock stars entourage - every time we go for a walk someone stops for a chat with Ellie and I invariably hear the phrase "oh everyone knows Ellie". 

Looking out toward Bermagui

Life's a Beach

Come In?  What's She Talking About?
She Knows I Swim At The Lake NOT the Beach!

Track through the caravan park to the lake

Ellie does her Thorpie imitation -
even if you had video - it would look the same -
she just likes to stand in the water and cool off

A very small part of Lake Wallaga

Never Settle - The Answer Could Be Where You Started!

There is always lessons on the road to not settling.

We landed at LAX this evening and the United terminal is pretty dismal - so I went for a wander seeing I'm going to be sitting for 14 hours straight. I wanted to find an experience like I had at the Alaska terminal some months earlier. They have big long benches where you can sit and work - each bench with multi power points, big tall stools to sit on - they've totally thought the whole process out.

As I wandered the concourse of the three possible terminals none came close, nothing that even bore a passing resemble to a work station.

I passed many people sitting on the floor plugged into the power points the cleaners used. Nearly ready to give up and go the balancing the laptop on the knee trick, the only choice was to go back to the terminal I arrived at.

With nothing better to do I wandered through and discovered a magical sign. "Alaska boardroom this way" As I went through, sure enough, there I was in the Alaska terminal - its quiet, there are heaps of spaces at the desks and all it took was to not settle for the very first terminal. I've set my alarm so I don't forget to get on my flight and I got to go to Ruby's again.

New motto - never settle for what the other folks settle for. Interesting it was just around the corner and I was already there when I landed!

The Tale of the Office Power Play

All well for two weeks, now an imposter not only lurks but perks the top spot in the office.

I thought the power plays in the corporate world were horrendous but nothing compared to the power plays of two part time pets in San Francisco.

When I first arrived little Sophie the lovingist little dog wanted to come and sit on my knee in the office. There just wasn't room, so I bought her groovy little growlie day bed in and put it beside me.

She was happy with that arrangement so long as she got the right amount of pats and attention throughout the day.

Marcel the very sweet natured three legged cat with a cone on his head was happy down in the lounge for ages.

Then one day he decided he'd get in on the office action when he figured out he could lay in the sun and get some of the extra attention too.

All went well with that arrangement for days on end.

In fact both would share the floor when the sun was in the exact right spot.

Then sweet and timid little Marcel who has been very quiet for the whole time just yesterday he stepped up and decided the growlie bed was for him, leaving Sophie out on the carpet.

Now there is a race for top spot.

Even though he's only got three legs - Marcel seems to be winning

But Sophie has fought back with a valiant strategy to achieve the sympathy vote .... she took up residence in my backpack.

The coaching lesson in all this:  with the right fire in your belly, anyone, despite their circumstances can claim their rightful place in the world, if they have the courage to make the move.

AND there is always a bigger bed ......... luckily big bro Luke has been at behavioural bootcamp while I've been here and his vacant bed has now been made available for Sophie allowing my KnoMo backpack to remain in its original shape. 

But we all know what's going to happen next ............ yep you guessed right!

The Power Play Continues.................



Love my part time pets!