Long holiday

bugslett

Thanks purple, I was originally thinking of the pet sitter route and havent written it off. The biggest stumbling block is finding someone that would want to spend winter in Runcorn.

Gavin, I don't mind travelling, how about if I drop them off tomorrow for a trial run to see how your cat feels about it:rotfl:. More seriously no I dont know anyone. Two giant breeds and a small constant moulter is a lot to ask.

jackieblack

The other advantage of a pet sitter is that most home insurance policies have restrictions on how long the house can be left empty for.

Your vet might have details of pet sitters - several of the vet nurses at my local practice do pet sitting for clients. And they’re local anyway so the location/time of year isn’t an issue.

bugslett

Not thought of asking the vets, thanks jb.

Brambling

You might find someone happy to sit in your house using your heating for the winter . A retired neighbour of mine used to go cat sitting all over the uk, paid a small amount to sit in someone else's house using their utilities saved on her bills

bugslett

Good point rambling!

UsualSuspect

For the past 18 months or so I've been using the website TrustedHousesitters.com and have been absolutely delighted with it.

You pay a joining fee to use the website which gives you a whole year of access. I'm not allowed to post my referral link but feel free to message me and I'll send it over, if you use my code you'll get 20% off.

Create a profile, add your dates and then wait for the applications to come through. All the house sitters have been verified, some even offer CRB checks, there are some incredibly experienced people out there who would look after both your home and your beloved pets.

I completely understand your worries about leaving them behind while you go on holiday, I feel the same when I go away. But the wonderful people I've found on Trusted Housesitters have always done an incredible job; I've come back to both a spotless home and a very happy pet. Plus I've had photo and text updates while I've been away too, which goes a long way to putting my mind at rest.

Good luck!

Vates

Luckily my Sister has me to stay at her house with her dogs (& I adore it. Whippet sleepover!). But she did have someone (who ran dog sitting business and therefore had all the necessary insurance) look after them at their own house when she went to New Zealand for 3 weeks. Luckily they were a family friend so knew they were trustworthy. Best thing is to get a recommendation from someone you trust.

jjhdee

I'm lucky to have family and friends who love pets... so they took turns taking care of my labrador when I was away for a backpacking trip in Asia.