Richard

Preamble:
I am an aged pensioner. My new meme for owners is "please do not forget that this is a holiday\ vacation\ respite for your pet(s) as well as yourself & that I am an individual expecting truth in advertising & all dealings".
My unpaid broadcasting career was of folk & traditional music, performed poetry, classical music & jazz. Interviewees always enjoyed being invited to tell their stories. If you are paranoid, OCD, duplicitous, abusive or stupid we are not likely to get on so please just reply not compatible.
I am double vaccinated & to my chagrin Pfizer boosted against C19.
My last furry companion was my beloved PussPuss who shared my life for over 22 years.
In earlier times an inherited old Labrador, and a Jack Russell Terrier were companions. Zebra finches and mice have briefly been part of my life.
A 3 month premmie born daughter occupied a lot of my life when I didn't have animal companions. She now has her own family.

I was left for dead at the side of the road by a hit & run motorist in 2003. Consequently I now have 2 prosthetic joints but no longer need a walking stick.
A Nordic walking pole if carried is now only to fend off ferals to protect your animal & myself if threatened.

Any questions please ask.

A recent defammatory review claimed that I did not return the property clean & failed to look after an owner traumatised dog requiring 7½ vet prescribed anti anxiety tablets & regular treatment from an animal behaviourist. None of this was advertised or stated before I arrived for the engagement. I now include in my photos a composite of photos of the house condition when I left. No complaint was made til 6 weeks later after I expressed dissatisfaction at the owner's failure to return an expensive security key to me. I & I believe Housesitters have requested evidence of the allegations made. They have not been supplied. I can only conclude that I've been dealing with a disingenuous owner lying through omission & prepared to make libellous review.

If you find that I have contacted you but my availability calendar shows me booked it either means that I've made a huge mistake (goofed) or the booked sit includes days that can be covered by backups in the event of airline delays. Back ups are necessary for the protection of your animals, no matter who is looking after them.

Housesitting considerations:
In a nutshell - I provide care for your animals only bettered by that you give to them or possibly better if you have partner & children also requiring attention, I require a contribution to my motoring cost to & from yours before I leave my home, I do not charge for my time, I require you to arrange\ have in place emergency backup for if anything disastrous happens like my being unable to care for your animals because I've been mugged by your local thugs at Woolies and hospitalised, I need a hard bed or space for my own camp bed to sleep on, lastly a phone number or email address to send your daily reports & photos of how your pets are enjoying their time with me. I also prefer to meet you at start and finish of your vacation.
I try to leave the least or no footprint on your lives other than happy fulfilling ones.
Anything else that is not in my profile & references just give me a call to clarify - please send an SMS first to say that it's you so I will answer & not ignore thinking it spam.

Long windedly:
* I do not charge for my sitting time nor expect you to provide bed, linen, crockery, pans, food or drink. I bring my own in my car. My bed requires 2.5 m. x 1.5 m. floor space in shelter under a roof. If you have a bed suitable for a bad back I have protective mattress covers. Please advise if I need the arctic sleeping suit. :-)

* I care for your pets in your house - feeding, grooming, walking, medicine administration, love, as if they are my own. I try to maintain a schedule of daily grooming to rapidly identify ticks or fleas picked up as well as create bonding & good hygiene. Please let me know if I need to bring my own sterilized brushes, combs & clippers.
* I do basic house cleaning, basic emergency repairs & or repair trade arrangement-management, basic garden & pot plant watering, & provide a security presence. I do mail collection, rubbish bin collection & roadside set out.
I report to you daily by SMS or email supplying professionally edited photographs. This is also a security measure for your pets & you. It is therefore essential that you respond or make other arrangements if unable to respond each day. It's also pleasing to be told that the photo caught a humourous moment, good pose, expression or experience in my care of your animals.

*Please note that I have my own residence in Western Victoria & expect arranged contribution of return cost of motoring to your location. This will not exceed, unless you wish to generously gift more, an amount based on Google maps shortest travel distance multiplied by the ATO basic per kilometre motoring cost. If running a business I believe that this is tax deductible for you but check with your advisors & or the ATO.
Payment is required prior to starting out on my journey to you but is fully refunded if I don't get there.

*If having arrived I have an accident, fall ill or become unable to continue caring for your pets & house during the contracted period I expect you to have emergency plans to ensure your animals continuing welfare whether it be your relative, friend, neighbour, kennels, vet or local council animal protection rangers.

*If lockdown for covid19 or other reason is introduced that prevents me from returning home I expect you to continue to provide me the same degree of comfort given whilst caring for your animals in your absence, either at your residence or at a local motel. Every effort is made to return to my home & this requirement, despite numerous lockdowns has never had to be invoked.

*I am not responsible for your vacation having to be cancelled for any reason.

* At the beginning of the caring period I expect you or your representative to introduce me to the animals, the property & all of their idiosyncracies. And, at the end for you or your representative to inspect that the animals & property are received back in good order.
(It's no use whinging about an unswept floor, dirty cup, unemptied rubbish bin etc. when I'm 200 kilometres down the home road. I will not return to do it & I do not expect to lose a rating star because you didn't tell me that you didn't want fire ashes safely spreading in an empty garden bed whilst it was raining.)

Oh, & don't forget to ask for your key back.

* I also require you to provide written instructions stating each animal's name, feeding times & quantities, plus their exercise routines which if possible will be adhered to. Vet names & phone numbers.
Please supply your phone numbers for Australian, WhatsApp or Signal App contact, email address for overseas or limited overseas contact, your emergency backup names, numbers & addresses.

* I need to know your household operating procedures:
bin nights,
mail box location (& key if required),
fuse box, electric generator operation manual, vacuum cleaner locations & cleaning\ disassembly instructions,
tv, video & washing machine usage instructions.
Gardener, cleaner, dog walker & other scheduled trades visits during your absence. . . & if expecting a visit from Freddy Krueger the time & date, the key to the shotgun cabinet & police panic button! 🤣

* List household forbidden substances because of normal occupant health issues eg. Shellfish, gluten intolerance, cleaning products etc.
FYI I do not smoke or take drugs & rarely drink other than rare Apera or Cooper's Ultra light beer. I am a carnivore & like hot dishes.

*Lastly I need to know your location before I set off to travel there.

For anything else that you wish to know please get in contact.
Thank you for reading & stay safe.