Coffs Harbour homeowner gives rap for retired housesitters WeCare

"I recently used your service for the first time to find house sitters for my home and animals.

The response I had to my add was amazing.So many genuine people applied it was difficult to choose.The couple I chose,Barney and Sandy (House Sitters username Wecare) were an absolute delight and I would thoroughly reccommend them to anyone.

The animals had a ball and my home and car were sparkling when I returned.A big thank you to House Carers for a fantastic service and to Barney and Sandy for a great job.
Kind Regards Jenny (username Kalmiah)

Housesit Details: Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia
16 days From Sept 7 2009

I need a caring person/persons to look after my 2 dogs and cat.

Sprat is a small terrier cross and Tiffy a look alike Disney shaggy dog(clipped at the moment) Tootsie is a geriatric Birman cat who sleeps most of the time.

I live in a nearly new 3 bedroom townhouse 2 minutes from the CBD of Coffs Harbour. With beautiful mountain views from the front and back of the house I am only 5 minutes from main beach and Jetty areas. There is an enclosed dog park 2 minutes away and I walk the dogs there every morning.I would like you to be able to continue to do this. Other than that your time is free to enjoy this beautiful area.

Housesitter found to experience Irish rural life 90 minutes drive south of Dublin in the rolling countryside of County Wicklow Ireland

"I just want to say how impressed we are with the efficiency and scope of your service.

We received an excellent response to our search for housesitters and have made arrangements with one of the partys to cover for us while we're away for 10 weeks. We'll report further in completion of the assignment.

Maenwhile, many thanks for allowing us to avail of your fantastic concept!

Richard & Grania, (Wicklowway)

P.S.
We have replied to all unsuccessful enquirers.


Housesit details: 10 weeks from 2009-11-22

County Wicklow 90 mins south of Dublin Ireland

We're seeking a practical couple to house-sit our property, pets (2 dogs, cat, hens, 2 horses and 2 donkeys) and 5 acre smallholding located about 90 minutes drive south of Dublin in the rolling countryside of County Wicklow, while we're absent from 26 November 09 until 31 January 2010.

Although December and January are not Ireland's best month's weather-wise -too little sun too much rain- the "cold spells" temperature seldom drops more that a couple of degrees below freezing.

This is an ideal opportunity for a mature and practical couple who want to experience Irish rural life, be within easy access of a capital city and spend Christmas away from it all in the company of a few special friends who could join them for the festive season. If interested in finding out more, please get in touch via Housecarers . We look forward to hearing from you

Housesitters CaringDuo land housesit for gorgeous home in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming

"I wanted you to know that we are presently house sitting a gorgeous home in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. We found the house sit through your site, all the pieces fell into place, and we plan to be here for perhaps 3 years.

The couple who own the house are delightful and happy to have us here. They are in Houston working on a goverment contract and have told us that they have piece of mind knowing that we are caring for their property.

You have a great service and I wish you much success. As you can tell from our renewal, we still what to keep ourselves briefed on what is available - we could leave here for a short house sit (vacation) in the region."

View profile for house sitters CaringDuo

Exessive charges being asked by some Canadian homeowners

There appears to be a practice in Canada where homeowners are asking up to 800 a month for utiliites. This is not in the spirit of housesitting, particularily when considering the benefits a house sitter brings - and the alternate high cost of leaving a vacant home eg costs of winterizing a home. Stata or Condo fees should not be included in the utilities as - condo owner has to pay monthly regardless of  occupancy.

I am including below a comment from a Canadian house sitter:

“The posters are definitely calling their charges utilities, not rent. However, if the posters couldn't find a housesitter, they would have to pay someone to remove snow from their sidewalk, rake leaves or water plants; or put some effort into what's called "winterizing" your home if you want to shut it down for the winter.

And finding a short term renter through traditional means is difficult, so they use your site to do it. In some ways a housesitter is doing them a favour: they want their house occupied while they're away, yet they want to charge for it. I live on the southwest coast, so can't say what heating costs are in colder areas, but $800 for all utilities is absurd, particularly in this Alberta case where they're called "strata fees" — a fee a Canadian condo owner has to pay monthly regardless of occupancy.

This is what we say in our guidelines:

"Other recurring bills such as phone rental, rates, condo association fees, body corporate fees, strata fees, local council rates, water, sewer, cable TV rental, ISP rental, or property taxes usually remain the responsibility of the owner. If your arrangement will be 12 months or more in duration, you might consider allocating all or a portion of the recurring bills to the house sitter


We urge you to incorporate your utility/tax payment conditions in your written contract."

Peacehousesitter shares her Bundanoon Pet sitting experience, including a blind Parrot

Just wanted to give you some feedback from recent experiences.

Bundanoon was great, the Arts Festival was on and the house was fabulous. Looked after a little old cat and a very old bird who gave me wolf whistles all day. I would like to take that as a compliment but he was mostly blind. I found her books very interesting as we had a lot of the same interests,,, Jeanette

Peacehousesitter

Newbie house sitter Norma sits All solar home in Sonora deserta

"I wish I had become involved in house sitting years ago....I am new to your service and have a 3 month assignment in the Sonora desert in a all solar home,

I love new situations! Going to sit out of the country would be really exciting.
Thanks for your wonderful service"

Norma (crazy4pets)


View profile for House Sitter crazy4pets

Auckland NZ homeowner finds site very easy to follow

"We have found a house sitter, thank you. Your site is great, very easy to follow.

Thanks" Liz UserName: quilty

House sit details:

Howick Auckland East approx 3 weeks AvailFromDate = 2010-03-14

Our house is situated in Howick Auckland New Zealand. We have 4 bedrooms, but only 3 will be available as one is a workroom. There are 2 bathrooms and 2 living areas.

We need someone to look after the garden, which comprises roses shrubs and a vegetable area. These will need watering only if the rain stops!

We have a toy poodle with attitude who loves his walks. To ease your aches and pains there is a spa pool for you to enjoy. We are within walking distance of a supermarket and bus stop.

There is a ferry service to the city should you care to go but we have great shopping in our area. There is a large enclosed deck perfect for relaxing.

All mod cons can be found in our home and you will be very comfortable.

Housecarers unavailable while we move to a better home 23/9/09 from 11PM EDT

Housecarers will be unavailable from

September 23/09 starting around 11pm EDT for approx 4 hours while we move
to a new facility. This facility owned by hosting.com will provide far better connectivity,
security and uptime for all our members.

Ian

House sitters required to Enjoy Southern Spain

"Just to say thank you so much once again for providing such a great site.

It's a fantatic service and I have had many successful house sits.

I like to know that someone is looking after the house, garden and animals while I am away...and they enjoy their time away from home too."

Thanks and best wishes Enjoysouthernspain

Housesit details: = Conil de la Frontera, Cadiz Spain

Charming two bedroom villa on 350 sq metre plot with large enclosed patio, parking, flower beds, sunbeds and ornamental pond on the outskirts of Conil.

Queen Size bed,air conditioning, flat screen UK/Spanish TV, bath/shower, kitchen with electric hob/oven, fridge/freezer, washing-up machine. Wi-fi connection. 2 mins walk to shops and local ventas, national bus stop across street, 5 mins drive to beach, walk straight into countryside.

Requirements are to enjoy the house, feed and play with the 6 month old kitten and walk and play with delighful, easy, medium size dog and keep an eye on watering the garden if necessary.

Canine Influenza Virus risk for Dogs - another reason to find a House Sitter rather than a boarding Kennel

USA Today is reporting on the spread of the highly contagious canine influenza virus (CIV).

"it causes acute respiratory infections in dogs, and virtually all dogs who are exposed become infected. During the incubation period of two to four days, pets who appear healthy can still be spreading the germs."

Says Kimberly May, spokesperson for the American Veterinary Medical Association

Backgrounder: Canine influenza

May, also recommends exploring options such as having a house sitter stay with your pet.


Read full story- USA Today - Boarding your dogs? Find out if they need a flu vaccine

Denver Colorado Homeowner shares their house sitting experience

We've been using house-sitters for many years now and have become friends with some.
It's very important to be a good judge of character and to get references. I always check the potential house-sitter out on the internet if they pique my interest.

We don't pay our house-sitters and in fact, they're responsible for paying the utilities (other than water) while they're house-sitting. Most of our house-sitters are amenable to this because living in a different state or country gives them the opportunity for a "free" vacation. We let them use our vehicle while they're here. Our major requirement of house-sitters is that they vet our mail and let us know of bills due, to whom, the address and amount.

Yard maintenance is also an expectation. With one house-sitter, we set up an account for $1,000, in our joint names so that they could pay the bills for us. That worked out well, though I wouldn't recommend it unless the homeowner really trusted the house-sitter....

Read Full report in House Sitting Forum

2 months housesit Denver - Details:

We require a mature age couple or perhaps single non-smoker(s) to care for our home while we are on vacation.

We do not have pets.

No yard work is required other than shaking snow off trees and clearing of path and sidewalk (about 20 feet) if there is snow.

We require attention to our mail and e-mail notification of bills, so that we can timely pay them. The housesitter is responsible for paying electric/gas utilities and phone. We pay water bills.

Our home is two-storey and is located near Denver University and about an hour from the nearest ski fields. Denver has a good theater district. The home is handy to all facilities, such as supermarkets, post office, dining out, bus service and light rail to city.

Victoria British Columbia couple find wonderful Housesitter and Llama sitter

Thank you so much for your services. We have found a wonderful person - "charitygirl" who lives close by. We have met with her and
feel it will be a good contact. Please remove our ad for a sitter
now. Thank you. "Gigfreck "

House/ Llamas sit details :

We are 45 mins from Victoria BC. on the south western coast of Vancouver Island. 10 ks west of Sooke. Sunny, private, modern home and small llama farm on 10 forested acres. Magnificent ocean views and sunsets, 5 min walk to amazing beachcombing beach. Great hiking trails and other beaches close by. Super restaurants to choose from. We have one little cat 22 yrs old very healthy who needs a lap to sit on in the evenings and a hello during the day. The llamas are very easy to look after

Perfect house sitter found for 5.5 month housesit in Edmonton Alberta Canada

"Ian !
I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to use your Home Sitting Service!
We found the perfect person for our home sitting needs in less than 24 hours!
I was worried about finding a sitter and now know where to get the help i needed!
I would highly recommend your site to anyone!!!!!!!
Thank You !!!!!
Don (drkdrummer)


Housesit details: 5.5 Months, Edmonton Alberta Canada
1500 sq ft Bungalow, 3 bedroom, 2-2/2 Bathrooms, Developed Basement, pool table, shuffle bd and Sattelite TV 52". Front driveway parking. N/S N/P Close to Bus, shopping and 5 min to freeways. Oct 18th/09 to Apr 1st/10 Pay for utilities only!

Hervey Bay homeowner finds a housesitter and doesnt have to impose on family and friends

"Dear Housecarers,

I would like to thank you for the excellent service you have provided. You have made everything so easy and it's great not having to impose on family and friends. I have chosen a couple who were housesitting in the area so it was good to meet wit them in person.I will certainly use your service again if need be..." Tobyjug


House sit details: Hervey Bay QLD Australia

My house in Hervey Bay is a double storey home with 3 bedrooms upstairs, granny flat & bar room downstairs.

There is a huge balcony with unobstructed views of the ocean,Fraser Island & Bargara.We are about a half hour drive to historic Maryborough and about 80mins to Bundaberg T

he main shopping centre is 10mins from here.

I have a small dog that I take to the beach every morning and a quiet house cat.I hope I can find someone to take care of my pets and water the plants

Sitter reliable_pair report a very satisfying 27 months of house sitting, whilst awaiting their apartment, which is now finished

Thanks for a very satisfying 27 months of house sitting, whilst awaiting our apartment, which is now finished. Your notification service is excellent thankyou.
We have had the pleasure of minding some wonderful pets and have met some extraordinary people.

House sits have been at:


Macclesfield, SA
Morgan, SA
Glenwood, Qld
Mareeba, Qld
Townsville, Qld
Hervey Bay, Qld

regards

Helen: username reliable_pair

Pennsylvania HOme/dog owner forms close relationship with local house sitter

"I found your website invaluable.

When I needed a sitter for home and dog I posted an ad and got lots of responses.

I found a gentleman who lives very close to me and he has been dog and house sitting for me ever since. Thanks so much for your website!!

... Paula - (traveller1)

House/Pet sit details:
Philadelphia Pennsylvania

I have a small twin house in Drexel Hill - private backyard, porch, driveway.

I need someone to stay in the house and take care of my dog. He is a 10 year old australian sheepdog - 39lbs. and a real sweetheart. I don't want to leave him alone.

Person doesn't have to be in the house all day - just walk and feed him in the morning, walk him in the late afternoon and walk and feed him at night. Must spend the night in the house and take in the mail and just be a presence in the house. Keep my pup company!!

Manhattan Long Island homeowners settles on House Sitter for the third time.

well my goodness, i placed the ad last evening and we have already settled on someone. the couple sound just perfect and we are looking forward to their stay. we already checked out their references and everything is looking well.


our past two experiences with house carers.com have been totally and without exception, great.

thank you................portlovers.

House sit details

We need a housesitter for 3 and a half weeks around July 20th thru Aug 10th (approximately) for an elderly beagle, Mollie, and her sister, a manx cat named Toots.

Toots is an indoor cat and needs some attention but Mollie is getting on in years and does need her small walks and more attention as she has lost her hearing and now has arthritis

Our medium sized home with fireplace is located on a penninsula; a boating town not 20 miles from Manhattan by LIRR train. Our 2-2 bedroom home has a lovely backgarden with deck and one can sit out there in the evening, with Mollie on a leash, and watch the birds in their feeder or birdbath.

You can walk to lovely parks, beaches, library, restaurants, public transportation, movie theatres, and harbor overlooking Long Island Sound. It is a small, little jewel...quiet and peaceful but hop on the train, and you are downtown Manhattan in 30 minutes!!!

We are near many attractions too numerous to mention which are easily reached by public transportation. Our animals can be left for brief periods of time but need someone at night of course, and in the day to walk as needed and basically, just love as needed.

Austadventure from Cairns North QLD Australia efficiently finds a housesitter

"Thank you so much for this service. It has resulted in an efficient process of selecting a suitable sitter. We are very grateful for you help."

.... Austadventure.

House sit Details:

Wanted suitably referenced, mature, reliable non- smoking person/s to look after delightful home and pets from mid Sept to end October 2009 in suburb (10mins) to north of Cairns


Find house sitters listed as available for Cairns QLD Australia

Coffs Harbour homeowner finds wonderful housesitter and looks forward to her overseas trip

hi

"I have just used your service for the first time and have been amazed at the response to my add.All the applicants sounded so nice and it was difficult to choose just one.

I have recently met the successful applicants and feel they will prove to be wonderful house sitters for me. I will let you know after I return from my overseas trip.

I look forward to using your srvice in the future and have passed on your details to several friends.Kind regards."
Jenny (username Kalmiah)

Coffs Harbour North Coast NSW Australia housesit details:

I need a caring person/persons to look after my 2 dogs and cat.

Sprat is a small terrier cross and Tiffy a look alike Disney shaggy dog(clipped at the moment) Tootsie is a geriatric Birman cat who sleeps most of the time.

I live in a nearly new 3 bedroom townhouse 2 minutes from the CBD of Coffs Harbour. With beautiful mountain views from the front and back of the house I am only 5 minutes from main beach and Jetty areas. There is an enclosed dog park 2 minutes away and I walk the dogs there every morning.I would like you to be able to continue to do this.Other than that your time is free to enjoy this beautiful area.


House Sitters avaiailable for Coffs Harbour NSW

The Don'ts of Dog Training

Dog ownership can provide some of the richest and most fulfilling experiences in a person's life. That being said, dog training can sometimes drive a person to the point of pulling his or her hair out. Although, most dogs are exceptionally intelligent, they also tend to be quite hyperactive and often possess short attention spans.

Many dog training methods suggest all sorts of different techniques to try. However, most people are surprised to learn that effective dog training has less to do with the methods that are employed, and more to do with avoiding two fundamental mistakes.

Lack of Consistency

Unsuccessful dog training is almost always a result of inconsistent patterns of behavior by the trainer. Like children, dogs crave consistency. Effective dog training requires that the trainer react with the same response each time the dog fails to comply with a command. For every action the dog takes, there must be an expected reaction from you. This helps the dog learn that there will always be a single certain consequence when it behaves a certain way. It doesn't matter if you respond to the dog with physical discipline or with the simple word, "no." If the rule is: no dogs in the bed, but sometimes you let him get away with it, you can bet your dog will never transition into a well-mannered pooch. Although, it may seem harsh at times, tough love through consistent discipline is the only way to teach a dog what is acceptable and what isn't. Consistency is the key, and no dog training method can be effective without it.

Improper Physical Discipline

Physical discipline can be an extremely effective method of dog training. That being said, you should never swat or spank a dog on the nose. Although, a quick tap on the nose may seem like a good way to get your dog's attention, the unintended consequences can have a drastic long-term effect on your dog. Training a dog this way often causes them to develop a tendency to flinch and cower. This generally makes the dog fearful and hesitant to approach when he or she is called. Also, this method of dog training produces poor guard dogs as a simple raise of the hand tends to send them cowering.

If you decide you want to incorporate physical discipline into your dog training methods, your best bet is to use either a choke chain or a traditional swat to the dog's backside. This will get the dog's attention, but won't have the same unintended consequences as a swat to the nose.

Copyright © 2009, Ian White housesitting.com

Join forum discussion on dog or puppy training issues

Puppy Training information site