Kiwi House Sitters

The largest pet & house sitting site in New Zealand
 
 
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Platinum (36mths+)
House Sitting Preferences
  • 1 - 2 weeks, 2 - 4 weeks, 1 - 2 months
  • Dog(s), Cat(s), Fish, Bird(s), Rabbit(s)/Guinea Pig(s), Chickens/Ducks/Geese, Reptile(s)
Preferred Locations
  • Anywhere in New Zealand

Experience makes a difference!

61, Freelance writer/editor

Extremely reliable, responsible, capable, mature (but fit and healthy), non-smoker, fully vaccinated and boosted, Australian professional. Lived in NZ for a decade in the 1980s and was back in 2020 for a long stay for the first time, which I had to cut short due to the pandemic. Back now until mid Feb 2022 in the country that holds a very special place in my heart and is still "home" in so many ways.

I have years of house/pet-sitting experience in several countries and have plentiful reviews/references. While I'm active on several housesitting sites, including 2 of the "sister" sites to this one (my reviews from which you can see on my profile here), I've rarely used this site. I also have attachments I can send you with my reviews from other sites, including the largest international one (not allowed, understandably, to name it here). Also have plentiful offline references, a criminal history check, and am more than happy to give you any other documentation you need to feel entirely confident about me. Many of the people I've sat for have become good friends and are very willing to talk to a houseowner who's considering picking me as their housesitter.

I've taken care of dogs, cats (and am a lifelong dog/cat lover), fish, chickens, birds, hermit crabs, rabbits, hamsters, a peahen, and an ancient tree frog in my time. In fact, I seem to have developed a minor "specialty" with chickens, after several sits involving same - up to 2 dozen on several occasions. And have even looked after one none-too-friendly goat! I've had to administer pills to dogs, and oral meds, pills, and an inhaler to cats - even managed to do so without getting scratched or bitten.

I work remotely as a freelance writer/editor, so am "at home" a great deal to provide plenty of love and attention to pets. I take your privacy and trust in me very seriously, along with respecting your neighbours' peace and quiet. I always aim to leave a place even cleaner that when I arrived.

As a home-owner myself, I know how crucially important it is to have someone you can completely trust in your home, and caring for your pets/plants/garden. Plenty of experience dealing with household emergencies: both minor ones like the water heater dying, and major ones, like (in one place I house-sat for, years ago), the ceiling collapsing! Not because of anything I did, I hasten to add.

Keen gardener, with something of a green thumb, so promise I won't kill your plants! Happy to weed and mow lawns for you. Having lived for many years in Minnesota in the US and Adelaide, South Australia, I'm no stranger to weather extremes at either end of the spectrum: heatwaves, humidity, cold, snow, and ice. And I must be the only lunatic who'd actually choose to housesit in Winnipeg, Canada (the country's coldest city) for 4 months in an even-colder-than-usual winter!

Happy to consider anywhere I can get to. Generally prefer longer-term (3+ weeks), rather than short-term housesits, although if you have a short-term one, I'll try very hard to find another one nearby with which to combine it.

Hoping you'll take a look at my profile. Please feel free to message for more info.

P.S. As a kid, I always used to feel really, really boring when my school report cards invariably said "Very responsible." Now I value that - and I'm still very responsible!

Reviews (10)
Jo did a great job looking after my house and my elderly dog. Communication was good and she was very flexible about times etc. I highly recommend her for future housesits.
 
PETRA (Glengowrie SA, Mar 2023 - 1 week) From Aussie House Sitters
An amazing sitter for our very energetic Jack-Russell, Tilly. Jo was extremely organised and her experience meant the handover was very efficient which gave us a lot of confidence. Jo was interested in Tilly from the start, and clearly knew all the right questions to ask. She was very accomodating and happy to take on our simple requests around eating, sleeping and exercise. Tilly was a very happy dog on our return and clearly had enjoyed her time with Jo. House was immaculate with sheets ... MORE
 
SARA (Nelson South Island, Jan 2023 - 5 days)
Jo recently looked after our house and our very timid moggy, Jesse, for almost 3 weeks while we were away. We felt completely at ease leaving her with our precious boy and went off to enjoy our holiday without any qualms. We came home to a spotless house, the bed re-made and the towels washed. Jo drove to Launceston to take us to the airport and returned later to collect us. She had left bread, milk and eggs in the fridge for us, so we didn't starve on our return home. We found Jesse very ... MORE
 
JULIE (Wynyard TAS, Dec 2022 - 2 weeks 6 days) From Aussie House Sitters
Excellent- Highly recommend! Jo was great from the first point of contact. We have very high standards, and Jo exceeded all of them. She looked after Fred very well, and sent regular updates. It rained almost every day while we were away- but she took him out walking anyway. She met up with Fred's usual dog walking group so he could see his friends, and got on very well with our neighbours. We arrived home after almost a month to a spotless house, with all the sheets and towels washed and back ... MORE
 
TANIA & DAVID (Randwick NSW, Oct 2022 - 3 weeks) From Aussie House Sitters
Thanks, so much, Tania!
This was our first house sit. Jo communicated with confidence and experience, including helping us create a template for feline/home instructions. Her care for our pair of demanding Siamese cats (one a 7 month old kitten-terror) was exceptional, and she administered daily asthma inhaler treatments easily and kept our heritage home ship shape. Without hesitation we'd trust our home and four legged family to her again. This experience has opened up a new world of travel for us.
 
TARA ( British Columbia, Oct 2019 - 3 weeks) From House Sitters Canada
This is the first time we have chosen a house sitter from House Sitters Canada. We found Jo to be a very capable, trustworthy person who took good care of our home. She also provided loving care to our Springer spaniel and provided daily updates and photos via email. We have a big garden and our only request of Jo was that she water it. There was plenty of rain during her time here, so that duty was not required. We would be glad to have Jo sit for us again. Thank you, Jo!
 
BARRY AND JAN ( British Columbia, Sep 2019 - 2 weeks) From House Sitters Canada
From the moment I read Jo's profile, on the Aussie House Sitter's website I felt she would be a good fit for our home, garden and pets. I only met with Jo twice, but her calm, friendly and assured manner, left me with no doubt that we were leaving our home and pets in excellent care. We returned home to a well tended garden, a very clean home and happy and contented animals. Her communication was excellent, always responding promptly to emails and messages. We would be delighted if our ... MORE
 
ROSIE (Nailsworth SA, Mar 2019 - 1 month 1 week) From Aussie House Sitters
No rating Jo was a fabulous sitter! A pleasant person, and easy to get along with; and a true animal lover, who took excellent care of our dog, cat, fish & (30) chickens. She regularly updated us with their status, letting us know there were no problems, and in particular, dog walking was not issue, as she too enjoyed the walks. And upon our return, our home was neat and tidy, with a bonus of a good book she left behind, plus a great pot of yummy home-made soup so we didn't have to cook after our ... MORE
BRAD + JULIE ( British Columbia, Nov 2018 - 4 weeks) From House Sitters Canada
No rating Jo did a wonderful job looking after our house during a long and difficult Winnipeg winter. She took great care of the plants, kept the snow at bay and kept us informed about any developments as they happened. We feel very lucky to have had Jo looking after our house, and give her our highest recommendation.
MARY (Winnipeg Manitoba, Jan 2018) From House Sitters Canada
No rating We could not be more happy and satisfied with Jo as our house sitter. She maintained communication with us while we were away and expertly handled even unexpected issues such as power outages. Our requirements included caring for our two Siamese cats. Sadly, one died before Jo's arrival and the other one developed health issues that necessitate three different medications per day. Not easy with a difficult cat! Jo cheerfully handled it all and formed a great bond with the ailing cat. Wish she ... MORE
STUART AND JANINE FRASER ( Quebec, Oct 2017 - One month) From House Sitters Canada
 
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