silentchild Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 http://www.robyn-and...se-sitting.com/ Their website sounds great but I am just after any personal experiences if anyone has used them, or knows someone that has used them before to look after your dogs when away? My overseas trip is still more than a year away but I have started looking around now for a house sitter / pet-minder I can trust for when I will be away for 3 weeks. If anyone has anybody they can suggest or recommend I'd really appreciate it. I'm very very particular about how I want my pets to be looked after and treated so I think organizing someone trustworthy to look after my dog and cat will be difficult! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emgem Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 If it is personal recommendation you are looking for, I have a couple of cousins that housesit. http://happyhewitts.com/ They are a lovely older couple who love animals, and really enjoy looking after them. They get a lot of repeat business and can be hard to get at peak periods. They have mostly been house siting in the Brisbane area, but are branching out now that they are both retired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wundahoo Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 If it is personal recommendation you are looking for, I have a couple of cousins that housesit. http://happyhewitts.com/ They are a lovely older couple who love animals, and really enjoy looking after them. They get a lot of repeat business and can be hard to get at peak periods. They have mostly been house siting in the Brisbane area, but are branching out now that they are both retired. I went to have a look at this site and got a virus warning !! emgem, perhaps you need to contact your cousins to tell them their site has been compromised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentchild Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 Thanks emgem, I'll add them to my list. Does anyone else have experiences / recommendations? Or are there any DOLers that provide this service? PMs are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliwake Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 If it is personal recommendation you are looking for, I have a couple of cousins that housesit. http://happyhewitts.com/ They are a lovely older couple who love animals, and really enjoy looking after them. They get a lot of repeat business and can be hard to get at peak periods. They have mostly been house siting in the Brisbane area, but are branching out now that they are both retired. I just had a look, and they sound wonderful!! Do they genuinely not charge for their services? I'm not sure what I'm missing - they seem too good to be true! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 If it is personal recommendation you are looking for, I have a couple of cousins that housesit. http://happyhewitts.com/ They are a lovely older couple who love animals, and really enjoy looking after them. They get a lot of repeat business and can be hard to get at peak periods. They have mostly been house siting in the Brisbane area, but are branching out now that they are both retired. I went to have a look at this site and got a virus warning !! emgem, perhaps you need to contact your cousins to tell them their site has been compromised. Just an FYI, the site hasn't been compromised it's a line of raw code no enclosed in a tag triggering a false positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemappelle Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 If it is personal recommendation you are looking for, I have a couple of cousins that housesit. http://happyhewitts.com/ They are a lovely older couple who love animals, and really enjoy looking after them. They get a lot of repeat business and can be hard to get at peak periods. They have mostly been house siting in the Brisbane area, but are branching out now that they are both retired. I went to have a look at this site and got a virus warning !! emgem, perhaps you need to contact your cousins to tell them their site has been compromised. Just an FYI, the site hasn't been compromised it's a line of raw code no enclosed in a tag triggering a false positive. I can see the raw code but can't move past the first page - there don't seem to be any links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) If it is personal recommendation you are looking for, I have a couple of cousins that housesit. http://happyhewitts.com/ They are a lovely older couple who love animals, and really enjoy looking after them. They get a lot of repeat business and can be hard to get at peak periods. They have mostly been house siting in the Brisbane area, but are branching out now that they are both retired. I went to have a look at this site and got a virus warning !! emgem, perhaps you need to contact your cousins to tell them their site has been compromised. Just an FYI, the site hasn't been compromised it's a line of raw code no enclosed in a tag triggering a false positive. I can see the raw code but can't move past the first page - there don't seem to be any links. Site and links work fine for me, using firefox as a browser. Edited September 10, 2013 by Noishe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 The only issue here I can see is that the Hewitts are in NSW and Silentchild is in Victoria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lasareina Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I get the warning: object: http://happyhewitts.com Threat: JS/Kryptik.AOJ trojan Information: connection terminated - quarantined. not sure if that is something to be concerned about? looks scary haha With regards to house sitters not charging - My Grandparents have done this a bit ... they travel all over the place so instead of staying in their caravan or whatever they will go and house sit for someone and looks after their pets/ gardens etc. One time they looked after a lady with a number of goats... turned out to be a bit more work then they expected! The goats had about 7 different barrels of feed that made up their special mixture, and required worming while my grandparents were looking after them. (my grandparents are from suburban Adelaide and in their late 60/ early 70's so this was an eye opener for them) They also had 3 dogs, one of which continually escaped and nicked off to the neighbors place. I don't think they have house sit since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemappelle Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I can see the raw code but can't move past the first page - there don't seem to be any links. Site and links work fine for me, using firefox as a browser. I'm also using Firefox but I think AVG has blocked the "suspicious" content? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I can see the raw code but can't move past the first page - there don't seem to be any links. Site and links work fine for me, using firefox as a browser. I'm also using Firefox but I think AVG has blocked the "suspicious" content? Ah I don't touch AVG with a 40ft pole lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SydneyHouseSitter Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Hi there, I understand you are looking for personal recommendations, but as a house sitter I thought I would share some suggestions. A recommendation is always best, but if you don’t know anyone I would try these sites: mindahome.com.au aussiehousesitters.com.au stayme.com.au I have used them all and looked after some beautiful homes and pets. I would recommend you use an experienced house sitter rather than an acquaintance. I say this, because I do know someone who had a work colleague offer to look after her dog. She accepted but unfortunately they were careless with her house. Perhaps because they didn’t appreciate the responsibility that comes with not only looking after a pet, but someone’s home too. You should always request references and should be able to speak to a referee if you would like. We always met home-owners a couple of times, to make sure everyone is comfortable. We like to get clear instructions too. This will often extend beyond pet care into garden and pool maintenance. By clearly thinking and outlining what you want your sitters to do, they will be crystal clear on what you expect. Don’t forget what might be routine for you, probably won’t be for them. Hope this was of help, best of luck with your search Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Don’t forget what might be routine for you, probably won’t be for them. Excellent point. Lots of little things we do automatically to keep the house clean and tidy, the dogs fed, watered, played with, etc etc. The few times I've used housesitters, I have left very detailed instructions for every day, eg not just a general instruction that the dogs are fed morning and evenings, but a schedule for every single day I am away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I would recommend you use an experienced house sitter rather than an acquaintance. I say this, because I do know someone who had a work colleague offer to look after her dog. She accepted but unfortunately they were careless with her house. Perhaps because they didn't appreciate the responsibility that comes with not only looking after a pet, but someone's home too. I disagree with this and have found the opposite. The times I used a professional, instructions weren't followed at all and the house was left untidy. The many times I have used acquaintances, instructions were followed to the letter and house cleaner than it's ever been. There are good and bad sitters everywhere, it's just a matter of following your gut and choosing the right people - whether they be a professional or just someone you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I have left very detailed instructions for every day, eg not just a general instruction that the dogs are fed morning and evenings, but a schedule for every single day I am away. I am the same. To the point where I feel embarrassed about how detailed it is. My property is all about routine, sitters comment how well behaved the dogs are, but really it's just that they know their routine and if sitters dont stick to it they will see the dark side of the dogs :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SydneyHouseSitter Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 You are right Quacking Mad, we can only go by our personal experiences. Whatever approach you take, you are putting a huge amount of trust in someone. So, if you ask the right questions and trust your intuition, you stand the best chance of having a positive house-sitting experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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