My wife and I are in our sixth year of full-time pet and property sitting, looking after a house, three elderly horses and a dieting cat for six months here in Qualicum Beach.
We’ve been literally around the world, on medium-and long-term sits, in nine countries on three continents and we’ve heard occasional horror stories from homeowners we’ve sat for.
Recent letter writer J. Hill’s experience with a house/pet sitter was regrettable, but the key to finding a good one is to perform due diligence. After all, you’re entrusting your home, its contents, and, very often, your beloved animal companions to strangers. A reference from a friend who has used the candidate’s services for a weekend or two is a pretty slender reed on which to put so much trust.
When we apply for a sit, we provide several references from people we’ve sat for, and we fully expect prospective clients to contact them and ask pointed questions about our honesty, our dedication to the animals we’ve cared for, and the way we looked after the homes entrusted to us.
I hope J. Hill isn’t put off by an encounter with a bad apple and, next time, gets a caring, responsible sitter.
Matt Hughes
Qualicum Beach