Couple61, Retired
61, Retired
*** Please note - we are now fully booked for Australia for 2023 ***
We are Mary and Matthew, a long time married couple with a varied background. She is Canadian; he is Australian and we met while cycling in the States. We've worked, traveled, owned our own business, had a child, farmed, worked some more, and have recently reached our longed-for retirement. Mary, in her youth, was a competitive three-day eventer with her horses, and we both gained enormous experience with livestock large and small as goat farmers in the Cariboo. We've done basic veterinary care for the goats, pigs, livestock dogs, three rescue Boxers and Greyhounds and our Standardbred ex-racehorse, Mercy.
We are non-smokers - our bad habits tend more towards spending too much time on our laptops and sampling too much good local chocolate...
Pets have been a part of our lives since the beginning. When we decided that retirement was going to consist of long periods of time in countries other than our own, we realized that we were going to have to reconsider having pets. This was unacceptable and caused a great deal of stress. Then we heard about pet-sitting. What a fantastic concept! To be able to travel as much as we'd like and yet still have furry friends, albeit temporarily. We were instantly sold. We also realized we'd be offering a valuable service to other pet lovers - they could take their much-needed holidays while being assured that their four-legged family members would be left in trustworthy hands.
Our first house sit was Christmas 2017 for a gorgeous Bernese Mountain dog. It went so well (thank you, Annette!) that it was soon followed by three more in BC. We arrived in the UK in Nov 2018 and began housesitting our way around the country, sharing our adventures with new cat, dog, parrot friends and even an entire kennel near Liverpool!
We'd like to offer our assurance to you that your pets will be cared for as though they were our own. Please feel free to reach out - we'd be delighted to hear from you!
Mary was an absolute delight. She looked after the house beautifully but more importantly took impeccable care of our precious pets. She sent us regular updates and communication was excellent all along. She even dealt with an incident with the house without fuss or causing us stress on holiday. So glad to have met Mary and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone.
Mary was very capable and so I felt very relaxed leaving my animals in her care. .
She had to put up with some pretty miserable weather but continued to walk the dogs and feed and care for the ponies throughout.
There was a 24 hour power cut during her stay and she took soup to my neighbour who relied solely on electric - just one example of her kindness!
She had a lovely stew cooking on the Aga for when I returned as well as making sure I had food in the fridge.
A definite 5 star ... MORE
Mary and Matthew were the best house sitters we have ever had. Everything about them was perfect. So much so, that in future we will try to book our holidays around their availability! Our house was never left cleaner, our pool and garden looked after like it was their own, and most importantly, took care of our dog as well as we do. Their communication skills were top notch from day one, and they sent us daily photos/videos of our dog having more fun than if we hadn’t gone away! Five ... MORE
We were so fortunate to have Mary and Mathew house sit for us. Mary kept us up to date with tales of our very pampered lab Nala (who was so very well cared for), we did not have any worries whilst away as we knew the house and Nala were in such capable hands. Don’t hesitate to grab them if they are available!
Mary and Matthew are superstars and anyone would be lucky to have them house/pet sit! They were great communicators from when we first spoke to them, right through to the end of the sit.
They took excellent care of Ashby and regularly sent fun updates of what he’d been up to that was so reassuring and nice to receive.
They also looked after the house and garden so well, everything was spotless on our return.
Thank you Mary and Matthew, come back again - Ashby misses you already x
Leaving our puppy cockapoo for 3 weeks including missing her 1st birthday was nerve wracking for us but we need not have worried. Mary came to stay the night before we left as we had an early flight. It was great to see how much Teddy warmed to Mary during this time and responded well to her. During our time away we had regular updates via texts photos and videos which was very reassuring for the children especially. We had forgotten our driving licenses and Mary was kind enough to post them ... MORE
What a perfect introduction to the world of housesitting. Before we left, Mary & Matthew filled us with confidence & we went away feeling happy to be leaving our "boys" & house in good hands.
We came home to find soup on the stove, a wonderfully clean house & most importantly happy, happy . If you are lucky enough to get an offer from this couple, grab it without waiting!
Mary and Matthew were perfect housesitters. Lexi (our cockerpoo) loved them looking after her. We can tell she had a great time and was that she was happy and well looked after during our week away. She had lots of walks and cuddles. We came home to a spotless house with bedding and towels washed and even some beautiful soup made for us. Mary kept in contact while we were away with updates and sending some photos of Lexi. She always responded quickly to texts and messages which was great.
... MORE
Mary & Matthew were the perfect house and cat sitters during the 4 weeks. They were easy to communicate with before and during the sit. They left the house spotless and maintained the garden well.
I would highly recommend them and would willingly have them back
Brilliant house sitters Mary and Matthew. Fantastic communication, my dog misses them both now we are home!
Mary even cooked us a delicious home made meal for our return. Couldn't recommend this couple high enough.
Matthew looked after our 14yo dog Gus for 2 werks in January. He did a fantastic job looking after Gus and also our house and garden.
The house was spotless on our return and he even restocked the fruit bowl and milk and bread which was very considerate.
Gus was so happy and relaxed on our return he barely noticed us so we could tell he had a great time.
Matthew also kept in regular contact with updates so we knew eveything was ok.
I would definately recommend Matthew and Mary ... MORE
Mary and her partner have done a wonderful job caring for Skye. It was our first time using this website and we have had a very positive experience with their care and communication!! Thank you so much!! Come back to Sylvania any time!!!
We were more than happy to leave our dogs and house in Mary and Matthews hands. Easy going kind and caring couple. Kept us upto date on the girls and sent through photos of the girls. Very happy doggies on our return.
Mary and Matthew looked after our house for 10days while we were away. We have 3 dogs and they were left in the best hands! Mary and Matthew are very clean, respectful, they stay in regular contact and walked our dogs every day. Even organised a play date with our greyhounds best friend. If you have Mary and Matthew house sit your animals are in safe hands. Please don't go back to Canada yet!!! Thanks so much :)
I have just returned from a short holiday. Whilst I was away I had Mary & Matthew take care of my home and my 2 fur female doggies, Gabby & Mitzi in Dunsborough WA. On my return I was greeted by Mary & Matthew with open arms as well as 2 very happy and healthy dogs. To me, it was obvious they had lots of love, attention, walks and play time. I also came home to a very clean and tidy home. They also kept in touch with me every day by email and texts with lovely photos of my dogs which put my ... MORE
Mary and Matthew house sit for us while we went on our first family holiday to the Gold Coast for 1 week 4 days. I was excited when Mary contacted me about our ad and felt very confident with their experience and communication that we had chosen the right sitters. Communication was great from the beginning and throughout the sit. We had regular updates and photos daily of how our pets were going. It sounded like our pets had more fun with Mary and Matthew then we did on our holiday. :) They ... MORE
It was a pleasure to have Mary and Mathew who are a lovely friendly couple look after our dogs which they carried out in an excellent manner they kept us well informed and look after our house beauitful I have no hesitation in recommending them for any future house sitting position Thank you so very much Mary and Mathew safe travels and enjoy your adventure
It has been a pleasure to have Mary and Matthew looking after my cat and house while I have been away for the best part of 4 months on sabbatical. Communication with them has been excellent from start to finish. As well as initial emails and a phone conversation, Mary came to Exeter (when they were in Bristol) to meet me and my cat and see the house etc (they were looking after 5 dogs at the time so understandably they were not both able to take the day off to come and visit). My cat, who is ... MORE
Mary and Matthew sat my house and german shepherd Kai for over two weeks in January 2019 whilst they are travelling and seeing the UK. Communication prior to the sitting was excellent as were their commitment to fulfilling the sit. A great relief!
My dog was very happy on my return and from the description of the walks they did, she was exercised very well. The house was kept very clean which was also appreciated.
I would have no difficulty in recommending Mary and Matthew to anyone. In ... MORE
we have had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Mary and Matthew into our home while we took a break. What a wonderful couple!
From the minute we confirmed the dates, they kept in touch and made sure we felt confident and relaxed about leaving our babies with them. The dogs loved them on sight, the parrots often won't speak for strangers but were chattering instantly which is a first.
we came back to happy dogs, a clean house and Mary had even made us dinner as we were late home. A ... MORE
I'm more than happy to recommend Mary and Matthew if they offer to look after your pets / house. They're both very friendly, 100% trustworthy, and maintain excellent communications both before and during the sit. They kept Jasper thoroughly walked and entertained (despite the constant rain!), and even left the house cleaner than I left it! All the sheets were laundered on my return (despite insisting that they didn't need to worry), and my pans looked like new (which is quite a feat!). MANY ... MORE
With a house sitter looking after your pets, house and garden - you can really relax. Happy days.
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