Active couple love to travel at home and abroad (far and near) .
After 32 years with dogs of our own, usually in pairs, we welcome a chance to look after other people's pets in their own homes as we remember how our dogs hated going to the kennels. We have enjoyed looking after cats and dogs for family friends and house-sitting for friends away across the seas on their holidays happy to leave the house secure and cared-for by us. Between us, our careers have covered translating, teaching, reflexology; printing, bus driving and driving instructor; and we owned and ran a successful teashop in Devon.
We have outgrown our tent!
Having had pets of our own, and children, we are now free to travel the world and help people who feel they would like a break, and do not want to subject their loved pets to a cattery or kennels.
As Quakers we have been Wardens for over 11 years of 2 Quaker Meeting Houses so know how to care for others' property and gardens. As house/pet sitters we have returned to previous assignments with friends and family. When we travel abroad we usually make new friends, whether in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, because we are friendly and outgoing, speaking French fluently and ready to cope in German, Italian, Portuguese and, even a little Australian! We have recently completed our first assignment with a professional house/pet sitting agency who will be happy to provide a reference. We have up-to-date disclosure certificates and character references.
I can't praise them enough . They were so tidy , bought flowers for me . Really cared for my little arthritic spaniel but always having time to give the young lab enough exercise . I would love them every time .
They are a reliable and responsible couple which I highly recommend. Would love to have them sit again sometime.
We are so grateful to Valerie and John for looking after our elderly terrier and our home while we were away for two weeks. We felt completely safe leaving both in their hands, and our confidence was completely justified. They coped with an unexpected visit to the vet without fuss and even gave us a lift to and from the airport bus. We came home to a peaceful and contented dog, and a clean and tidy house. We can't thank them enough and wholeheartedly recommend them!
John and Valerie arrived the evening before allowing time to look at the house information and cat feeding routines - followed by a delightful evening of chat. We had an enjoyable time away with updates via email and on our return found the cats looking well - they are elderly - and the house clean and tidy. Thank you for your excellent cat/housesit, we hope to see you again. We would certainly recommend John and Valerie.
John and Valerie house sat for us recently for 4 weeks.
It was great to meet before hand and discuss any questions we had and I found it very reassuring that they asked lots of questions to understand what I required while we were away.
Came back to a very happy cat and a lovely clean house. They had also set up a very sweet scene for our kids and it was so welcoming to come home to after a long journey. They even took some photos of Polly's (cat) time which my kids adored.
I found Val and John to be very trustworthy and honest and look forward to having them housesit again. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
Valerie and John (her husband) were resident caretakers/wardens of a Quaker Meeting House in Bristol. During their residency they were answerable to me, first as Treasurer, and later as the Clerk to the Meeting. I can confidently recommend them to any one willing to trust their home to their safe keeping.
I have known Valerie for nearly twenty years and throughout that time she has been a deeply loyal and trusted dear friend. She is totally flexible and approaches life with a no-nonsence attitude. She has great practical skills and can identity and quickly appraise developing situations (good, bad or indifferent). She permanently holds keys to my apartment and stays here regularly when I am on my travels.