Sarah

** Longer term sits (min. 4 weeks) preferable **

Hello! Sarah here, I'm 33yo, WFH and I pet/house sit full time along the NSW/QLD coast.
I initially decided to start this after a major life overhaul and needed a change, but I ended up loving it and have had the most amazing time with new pets, towns, people and experiences. I take it very seriously as I had my own apartment and dog in Sydney and know how important it is to have someone trustworthy in your space to look after your beloved pets and home.
I am originally from Ireland, have lived here for 9 years, mostly living in Sydney but have travelled all over Australia in my first couple of years here so I am comfortable in most areas, both urban and secluded.

I sit elderly dogs and cats, kittens, puppies, fish, reptiles, livestock, any animals in between and also homes that need just gardening/security required.


My experience with dogs is the most extensive as I grew up with Border Collies in Ireland. I got my own BC puppy Bill 4 years ago and I trained him myself with the help of puppy school, various 1 on 1 trainers, local obedience/agility groups, online courses with ongoing community support, trainer forums/resources, books and YouTube.
Bill now lives with my ex-partner (not by choice), so I am free to come to look after your pets and give them as much or as little attention as they need.
I love to get to know your pets’ personalities and see what I can bring to the table while you are away or just blend into your routine, however you like.

My areas of training/knowledge with dogs:
- Puppy training (basic commands, i.e. sit, stay, drop, leave it, toilet training, recall etc.)
- Socialisation to sounds, people, places etc. (not the dog park)
- Crate training
- Resource guarding (food/toy aggression)
- Slow introductions to other dogs/cats/chickens/horses etc.
- Separation anxiety
- Reactivity/Fearful dogs (Bill got protective during Covid due to isolation and an unprovoked attack on us both. I got a specialist trainer in to resolve that who also left a full guide for ongoing support, and I have been regularly looking after reactive dogs since.)

Personally, I think there's nothing like staying in on an evening, surrounded by the comforts of home, plants, artwork, cushions, blankets, pets snuggled beside you (if they want), a glass of wine and a movie. It's blissful!
I love to explore your area on the weekends for markets, local events etc. but during the weekdays I am at home working and then relaxing in the evenings or I may go to a local trivia night, pool competition or a class mid-week, if it is convenient.


I work remotely full time in the facilities sector, assisting in maintaining the critical infrastructure of high-rise office buildings in Sydney so anywhere I go, I need to ensure that an extremely good WiFi connection is available to me and ideally a dedicated place to work but a dining table can work just fine too lol. I also have a lot of daily meetings so if you do have any regular noisy disruptions (barking dogs, disruptive neighbours, cleaning staff, gardeners etc.), please let me know prior.

I have a long-distance partner that lives in Sydney, works from home too in the same industry and will come up to visit me every couple/few weeks for a while depending on the location. I am the sitter and he does help out when with me but the care is my sole responsibility.


I drive up and down the East Coast for my sits but I am open to other areas/states if they are long term and I can justify the travel etc.


Please message me anytime if you have any questions as I am more than happy to work out any details with you. Really looking forward to chatting with some fellow passionate owners!

All the best and chat soon,
Sarah.


*** Please note that payment may be involved in some cases.
Daily or weekly costs would be determined based on the level of care/work required, time of year (Christmas, Easter, School Holidays etc.), travel and any other varying factors.
Any fee (if needed), would be discussed upon receiving the full list of tasks from the owner, would be clearly stated prior to confirming the sit and would be invoiced via ABN.
Invoices would be issued in full prior to arrival for the total sit value or issued weekly/monthly depending on sit length but payment terms would apply.
Again, please reach out if you have any questions on this as charges may or may not apply.