Ross & Jillian
About Ross & Jillian
Ross (Canadian/Australian) and Jillian (Australian) are semi-retired professionals; Ross has worked in nature conservation management and Jillian in leadership development for both government and private industry. We love hiking, bird watching and being with and caring for animals.
Ross (Canadian/Australian) and Jillian (Australian) are semi-retired professionals; Ross has worked in nature conservation management and Jillian in leadership development for both government and private industry. We love hiking, bird watching and being with and caring for animals.
Why we want to house sit
House-sitting around the world and befriending many people and their fur-pals, has added extraordinary depth and richness to our lives in recent years. It offers us the opportunity to have a variety of different experiences with the comforts of home and animal companionship. It also helps us to get to know other people, live in their communities, and appreciate their cultures In a way that can never be gained as a tourist. As home owners ourselves, we appreciate looking after another’s home and pets as we would expect our home and pets to be cared for.
Our experience
We have looked after other people’s homes and pets on many occasions in Australia, Canada, Mexico, US, Malaysia, Norway and UK, and have received all 5 star references. We own our own lovely home in the Australian Alps and appreciate the trust that people place in others in house-minding situations and the expectations they may have. When we recently worked for two years in Canberra for the Australian Government we also leased a garden apartment there and can provide a reference from the owner. In Canberra we cared for our neighbour’s beloved Labrador dog while her mum, a professional sports woman, was away.
We’ve cared for dogs and cats for most of our lives, together with the occasional native orphan animals - mostly wombats and kangaroos. Our last two pets, a 20 year old cat and our 14 year old dog have both gone to where all beautiful friends go when it is time. We miss them very much but looking after other people’s loved pets while their folks are away helps us get our animal fix and keep that special animal presence in our lives.
As mature semi-retired professionals, we are responsible people who keep up with domestic duties to ensure that the house and outdoor areas are neat, tidy. Light indoor and outdoor maintenance is part of housekeeping so lawn mowing; gardening etc is all fine (after we walk the dog, or cuddle/play with the cat).
We are reliable, honest and trustworthy. Neither of us have had any criminal convictions and we have both been granted Australian federal government security clearances as part of our work. We have been recognised as Paul Harris Fellows by by Rotary International for our services to our community. We have international driver’s licences, and as we live in the mountains we are experienced at driving in snow and ice if necessary. Ross, having grown up in Canada, can even shovel snow if he really has to! Jillian can look after swimming pools, swim like a fish and make a mean sandcastle or snowperson if that’s part of the deal! She also speaks very basic Spanish, Norwegian, French and German.
We are non-smokers who enjoy a good whisky, a cold beer or a glass of wine. We are both healthy, fit and active - practise yoga regularly, walk daily in the bush land around our home, and go hiking, biking and cross-country skiing. Having lived in both urban and remote environments we are comfortable and flexible about the locations in which we house-sit. We’re friendly and quiet, so we won’t get the neighbours off-side – actually, we’d like to make new friends too.
Reviews (7)
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Bev - Sooke, British Columbia, Canada
15 August - 14 September 2018
We found Ross and Jillian to be very conscientious in looking after our home and animals. They took care of our home and yard during a very hot and dry summer (no easy task). Benny, our dog, and Franklin, our cat, were obviously well cared for and missed Ross and Jillian after they had gone. Th...
We found Ross and Jillian to be very conscientious in looking after our home and animals. They took care of our home and yard during a very hot and dry summer (no easy task). Benny, our dog, and Franklin, our cat, were obviously well cared for and missed Ross and Jillian after they had gone. They are a lovely and fun couple and we enjoyed their company while we were here with them. We would recommend them highly to anyone needing house sitters and we would ask them to sit for us again.
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Response from Ross & Jillian
Thank you for your lovely review of our time caring for your beautiful home and pets. For us it was such a happy and peaceful experience. Benny and Franklin are very special and we loved them from the start. They are so happy and well-behaved yet with loads of fun and personality. We miss them like crazy! Thank you for all the preparation you did to help us feel at ease and well-informed about the house and the local area, and for your generosity in sharing food and fresh produce from your veggie garden. We hope to see you all again!
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Liz - Cheltenham, United Kingdom
12 July - 22 July 2018
Jillian and Ross were lovely to meet - we soon got to know them well! Ross is excellent with our dogs, they behaved much better when we got home than when we'd left! Plenty of our neighbours also mentioned they'd met Jillian or Ross and were very complementary. Hope you enjoyed your stay in the C...
Jillian and Ross were lovely to meet - we soon got to know them well! Ross is excellent with our dogs, they behaved much better when we got home than when we'd left! Plenty of our neighbours also mentioned they'd met Jillian or Ross and were very complementary. Hope you enjoyed your stay in the Cotswolds, and will visit again soon! Have fun in Canada xx
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Response from Ross & Jillian
We thoroughly enjoyed caring for our 4 cats and 2 dog-friends, and the unique environment of the Cotswolds. Thank you for your generosity in leaving food for us, and for such a comfy room. Even watering gardens at the end of hot dry days was satisfying and peaceful. We’re glad you enjoyed coming home to a clean and tidy house, happy pets, and new flowers - and some rain!
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Jasmin - Gjøvik, Norway
28 April - 22 June 2018
We had the pleasure of meeting Ross and JD while we were down under, just before they flew to Norway to take care of our house and cats. They are a lovely couple and we had every confidence in the fact that we were leaving them in charge. Before and during their housesit, communication with JD an...
We had the pleasure of meeting Ross and JD while we were down under, just before they flew to Norway to take care of our house and cats. They are a lovely couple and we had every confidence in the fact that we were leaving them in charge. Before and during their housesit, communication with JD and Ross was perfect. Both have very high standards when it comes to cleanliness, teamwork, common courtesy and respect, so there is no problem in trusting them with a house or animals, etc. or anything for that matter. Our two cats Lily and Leo loved both of them, which we could see in the photos we received from JD and Ross everyday. This was very reassuring. I think Leo and Ross developed a true bromance, and Lily and JD got up to some secret women's business. :) Ross went beyond the call of duty to even do some maintenance work we needed on our house, which is fantastic. He is always welcome back :D I think both JD and Ross enjoyed their time at our place in Norway, and got to experience an incredible summer. I'm sure they won't forget their time, and we thank them for their attention to detail, professional attitude and genuine care. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending them highly for any future housesits. Good luck in the future and we hope to see you again, either down under or back in Norway.
- Organised
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Response from Ross & Jillian
Thank you to Jasmin and Hildegunn for your review on the three months we spent in Norway caring for your lovely home and adorable kitties, Leo and Lily. You’re right, we loved Norway, and a lot of that is thanks to your generosity and attentiveness. You provided a very detailed Guide and also answered any additional questions we had very promptly. You were very helpful with extra information to make our stay in your home and our time in Norway so special. Thank you for all the extra tips you gave us about everything from shopping to sightseeing to the edible plants in your garden. Your home is very comfy and it was easy to keep it spick and span, and to complete a few extra maintenance tasks to make things work a little more smoothly. When there were difficulties with the car (through no fault of yours or ours) we appreciated your swift and ‘no expense spared’ approach to getting it back on the road, and also your generosity in encouraging us to use it for sightseeing trips whenever we could. You are fabulous hosts!
Which brings us to Leo and Lily. We came to love them so quickly that it was very difficult to leave them even for a night, even though you were very supportive of us doing that. They are so sweet and affectionate, and you’re right - Leo had a real crush on Ross, while Lily and JD did some quiet muttering together at times :-)
Thank you for entrusting us to hand-over to the next house-sitters. They seemed to appreciate our attention to detail, and we feel confident that they already love Leo and Lily and will care for them as we did.
We would love to return - to Leo and Lily, to Landasbygda, to Norway, and to the lovely friends and neighbours we have there.
Til neste gangen!
Ross and JD
About Ross & Jillian
Ross (Canadian/Australian) and Jillian (Australian) are semi-retired professionals; Ross has worked in nature conservation management and Jillian in leadership development for both government and private industry. We love hiking, bird watching and being with and caring for animals.
Ross (Canadian/Australian) and Jillian (Australian) are semi-retired professionals; Ross has worked in nature conservation management and Jillian in leadership development for both government and private industry. We love hiking, bird watching and being with and caring for animals.
Why we want to house sit
House-sitting around the world and befriending many people and their fur-pals, has added extraordinary depth and richness to our lives in recent years. It offers us the opportunity to have a variety of different experiences with the comforts of home and animal companionship. It also helps us to get to know other people, live in their communities, and appreciate their cultures In a way that can never be gained as a tourist. As home owners ourselves, we appreciate looking after another’s home and pets as we would expect our home and pets to be cared for.
Our experience
We have looked after other people’s homes and pets on many occasions in Australia, Canada, Mexico, US, Malaysia, Norway and UK, and have received all 5 star references. We own our own lovely home in the Australian Alps and appreciate the trust that people place in others in house-minding situations and the expectations they may have. When we recently worked for two years in Canberra for the Australian Government we also leased a garden apartment there and can provide a reference from the owner. In Canberra we cared for our neighbour’s beloved Labrador dog while her mum, a professional sports woman, was away.
We’ve cared for dogs and cats for most of our lives, together with the occasional native orphan animals - mostly wombats and kangaroos. Our last two pets, a 20 year old cat and our 14 year old dog have both gone to where all beautiful friends go when it is time. We miss them very much but looking after other people’s loved pets while their folks are away helps us get our animal fix and keep that special animal presence in our lives.
As mature semi-retired professionals, we are responsible people who keep up with domestic duties to ensure that the house and outdoor areas are neat, tidy. Light indoor and outdoor maintenance is part of housekeeping so lawn mowing; gardening etc is all fine (after we walk the dog, or cuddle/play with the cat).
We are reliable, honest and trustworthy. Neither of us have had any criminal convictions and we have both been granted Australian federal government security clearances as part of our work. We have been recognised as Paul Harris Fellows by by Rotary International for our services to our community. We have international driver’s licences, and as we live in the mountains we are experienced at driving in snow and ice if necessary. Ross, having grown up in Canada, can even shovel snow if he really has to! Jillian can look after swimming pools, swim like a fish and make a mean sandcastle or snowperson if that’s part of the deal! She also speaks very basic Spanish, Norwegian, French and German.
We are non-smokers who enjoy a good whisky, a cold beer or a glass of wine. We are both healthy, fit and active - practise yoga regularly, walk daily in the bush land around our home, and go hiking, biking and cross-country skiing. Having lived in both urban and remote environments we are comfortable and flexible about the locations in which we house-sit. We’re friendly and quiet, so we won’t get the neighbours off-side – actually, we’d like to make new friends too.
Verifications
Verification level
Standard level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (7), Identity & Document Check
All Standard Verification checks are carried out by a specialist 3rd Party
Animal Care Experience
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Dogs
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Cats
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Horses
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Poultry
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Farm animals
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Bird
Availability
Preferred Countries
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Ross and Jillian have done 7 house sits since 2014
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SookeCanadaAug - Sep 2018 -
CheltenhamUnited KingdomJul 2018 -
GjøvikNorwayApr - Jun 2018 -
Kuala RompinMalaysiaJun - Jul 2017 -
XcalakMexicoSep 2016 -
CanberraAustraliaSep 2015 -
CanberraAustraliaAug - Sep 2015
