Peter & Debra
Peter & Debra
Energetic, happy, active, adventurous, non-smoking couple with 103 house sitting experiences (with 405 pets) and loving all that housesitting offers.
About Peter & Debra
We are a retired, happily married couple from Australia, currently in our eighth year of continuous house sitting around the world and both non-smokers.
Fortunate enough to have been able to retire early we have a passion to travel and have been doing so for the past sixteen years. And have had this enhanced exponentially by being able to sha...
We are a retired, happily married couple from Australia, currently in our eighth year of continuous house sitting around the world and both non-smokers.
Fortunate enough to have been able to retire early we have a passion to travel and have been doing so for the past sixteen years. And have had this enhanced exponentially by being able to share with other people's pets and care for their properties since late 2010.
Our enthusiasm for the task only gets stronger as indicated in references from
(i) Patsy, a home owner from central France, in late 2014 '....this duo are effervescent, vivacious and extremely enterprising. And they are great fun to be with
(ii) Corin, from the high Pyrenees, in June 2017 '.... meticulous in their attention to detail, with an obvious love for animals, as well as being prepared to go the extra mile to make a difference, they enhanced our time away by giving us the confidence and peace of mind....'
(Iii) Lynne, from Brittany in France, in May 2018 '...super communicators, they are organised, they are very caring, they respected our home, they are fun loving, happy, smiley people who were an absolute joy to have in our home....'
In January 2018, the Daily Mail posted this article featuring us and our views on housesitting. This can be viewed at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5237669/The-couple-house-sitting-seven-years.html
New pets seem to accept and trust us very quickly (perhaps that innate ability of animals to identify friendliness or is it the reside pet smell that lingers in our clothing?) and as we go along we better understand what owners expect of us reacting with their properties and pets. Still, we actively seek to continue this adventure and lifestyle.
We are currently in Port Kennedy, a coastal suburb south of Perth Australia, on our one hundred and third (103) house sit, this time with three completely different natured cats - Ginger who loves to live outside, Ms Kitty an inside cat and Taz who has best of both worlds - all of who enjoy someone giving them attention.
We have been extremely fortunate to have been asked to housesit at various times into late 2019 (as shown on the availability calendar attached to our profile). If you would like to discuss any opportunities that fit your dates we would welcome the contact.
Why we want to house sit
House sitting offers the opportunity to travel and visit places that we had not thought about – it is the owners that drive the destination - and share with animals who require the ongoing attention and affection that is provided by their owners. We are able to travel and absorb things at a much slower pace.
Our experience
With house-sits in France, Thailand, Spain, Turkey, the USA, England, Canada, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium and Germany we have
• owned pets during our lifetime can understand the importance of animals in people’s lives and know how to enjoy their company and provide the necessary care
• cared for 405 different pets (dogs, cats, fish, a horse, donkeys, chickens, rabbits, frogs, goats, gerbils, guinea pigs, an Iguana, sheep, ducks, a pig and various types and sizes of fish). Living inside or outside the house. Some big and strong, some small and timid. Some requiring special attention and medication (including post surgical care, injections and administering daily doses of various medicines). And most needing love and affection. And we would like to think we can remember most of their names or if given a couple of moments probably them all or will at least try to.
If you a chance please look at the video we entered in a 2016 trustedhousesitters.com competition at (just highlight, copy and paste the following link into your browser)
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/pets/the-winner-of-moments-memories-happypets-is-revealed/
In addition to our profile video, the new one highlights a journey of happiness and fun with pets in the last eight years.
• cared for very old fragile dogs and cats, four lively boisterous 6 week old puppies requiring toilet and on-lead training and on 6 other occasions taken the reins on newly acquired puppies that the owners could not resist taking in just prior to our arrival
• cared for animals from different backgrounds. Some being strays turning up in people's lives by various means (sitting in front yard, wandering streets abandoned and lost), 'rescue' animals that have been adopted from refuges, animals with pedigrees, animals of unknown breeds (we call Bitzers - bits of this and bits of that) and animals who have been unceremoniously dumped at owners doorsteps. But in all cases now pets which are now loved and an integral part of people's lives
• on six occasions have had a pet-free house sit, another with 6 dogs and 8 cats, on two other occasions 6 dogs/4cats, 2 ocassions 8 cats and 1 dog and a house sit in Turkey we shared with 16 cats (was supposed to be 14 but 2 more turned up after hearing that we had arrived) and 2 dogs. And at other times have enjoyed the company of one or two pets!
• on four occasions were asked to extend the designated responsibilities by accepting to care for pets of the owners friends, who decided to travel at the last minute.
• been responsible for large acreage properties to small village land holdings and 1 and 2 bedroom apartments/townhouses
• looked after large gardens, mowed large lawn areas using all types of machinery including sit on mowers (on large property required a 7 hour mow every 7-10 days), push mowers, strimmers, chainsaws, driven snow ploughs to clear long driveways of snow (and also shovelled it away), tenderly cared for delicate indoor plants, swept driveways, trimmed trees/shrubs, nurtured a vegetable patches, planted new garden rows, painted outdoor furniture and maintained swimming pools.
• lived by the ocean, in cities, rural (working and hobby) farms and remote mountain villages; in the heat, in humidity, in the rain and in the cold beautiful scenic world of snow and ice.
• survived flash floods while keeping pets safe, lived without water in places that freeze in winter, embraced diverse climates that change dramatically by the hour and put it all down to experience!
• lived in countries deemed to be safe and free; countries bound by century old traditions and countries that require attention to health and safety and loved them all
• stayed for one week up to three months; and willing to do longer sits if needed
• have been invited to return and have done so on many, many occasions, the most to the one property being 10 times
• have been recommended by owners to friends; have provided references to home owners; have recommendations of friends accepted by owners and continually provide advice to people seeking information on house sitting.
• opened up our horizons with new friends and cultures
• never charged for our services as house sitters.
Being home owners and long time rental properties owners we
• have an understanding of the value that an owner has on their property
• have an understanding of people that wish to come and live in your property. And their needs!
• can use our life experiences for problem solving and those unexpected events that happen from time to time and continue to go so with own rental properties in Perth whilst we travel extensively
• have better than basic house maintenance/gardening skills (minor repairs, lawn mowing, cutting wood, pruning, painting, clearing snow from driveways and paths using large machinery and manual methods, replaced reticulation systems etc) and have no fear in trying something new and unexpected
Being very active and adventurous we are
• willing to travel anywhere in the world
• willing to learn new cultures and languages
• prolific walkers having trekked extensively in Western Australia, NZ, Nepal and Africa (since starting house sitting we have probably covered more distance walking with pets than we have in all our other treks combined)
• recreational (and seasoned) bike riders having cycled 7000km across Australia and on a three month 3500km adventure through France
• motivated to go to places that we have not been to or heard of!
Coming from professional backgrounds (Deb being a State Sales Manager and Peter a self-employed Computer Consultant, Property Manager and Web Co-Coordinator), we
• are very organised and reliable
• have good communication and computer skills
• understand technology and its use in keeping in touch with owners
• know how to follow instructions.
We periodically post photos during each house-sit on the web so that owners can get a ’pet/property fix’ whenever and wherever they are at any time. In addition we have posted pictures of our Australian home to show how we live and the standard of cleanliness we bring with us. We can provide that link to you if you are interested to view this offering.
All of our previous house owners have provided references and are available for personal contact if you require. We can also provide those details to you.
In 2014 we provided a Xmas house sitting blog for trustedhousesitters.com. This can be read by copying the link below and pasting it into your browser.
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/house-sitting/peter-debra-australian-house-sitters-experience-their-first-white-christmas/
Thank you for reading our profile. If you require any more information or clarification please do not hesitate to contact us.
Reviews (49)
-
Lynne - Kergrist-Moëlou, France
05 May - 23 May 2018
WOW….what a great way to embark on our Trusted Housesitter journey.
Peter & Deb Holtz are the A Team….
They are super communicators, they are organised, they are very caring, they respected our home, they are fun loving, happy, smiley people who were an absolute joy to have in our home.
We are ...WOW….what a great way to embark on our Trusted Housesitter journey.
Peter & Deb Holtz are the A Team….
They are super communicators, they are organised, they are very caring, they respected our home, they are fun loving, happy, smiley people who were an absolute joy to have in our home.
We are sure that our Spottie Dog, Meeka had a wonderful time with them….we regularly received photos of her out on an adventure. We returned after 3 weeks to a fit, happy, relaxed dog….
These two lovely people really go the extra mile during their stay. Our house was super clean & tidy (Deb has very high standards!), our grass was cut regularly, the car had been cleaned.
Peter made yummy lunch & dinners for us when we arrived home….He is a great chef!!
We cannot recommend this special couple, highly enough & really hope they will return to us in the future….Miss you…Love you Guys xxxx- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
-
Cherie - Roumazières-Loubert, France
24 May - 29 May 2018
Peter Housesat for us for a few days and he was such a great guy to meet, a total gem of a sitter, we left the house feeling very secure in the knowledge that our home and Clio would be well looked after. Peter is a very helpful guy full of great tips to us still quite new in the housesitter worl...
Peter Housesat for us for a few days and he was such a great guy to meet, a total gem of a sitter, we left the house feeling very secure in the knowledge that our home and Clio would be well looked after. Peter is a very helpful guy full of great tips to us still quite new in the housesitter world. A very thorough and knowledgeable guy who is easy going and relaxed. We would highly recommend him and would definitely have him back again. Clio felt very comfortable with him immediately and that for us is key to leaving her. Peter went beyond expectations in his short time staying in our home and helped out with chores in the garden, for which Im very grateful. Thanks Peter hope to meet up for Coffee when we both land in the same city on our travels.
- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
-
Michael - Heidelberg, Germany
26 April - 29 April 2018
We had the pleasure of meeting Peter and Debra the other week, and I can tell you they're wonderful people. I instantly accepted they're invitation after seeing their multitude of 5 star reviews. They are consummate professionals when it comes to housesitting and it's easy to see they love the gi...
We had the pleasure of meeting Peter and Debra the other week, and I can tell you they're wonderful people. I instantly accepted they're invitation after seeing their multitude of 5 star reviews. They are consummate professionals when it comes to housesitting and it's easy to see they love the gig. It was also clear to see how much they cared for our dogs and animals of all types. No hesitation recommending these two.
- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
About Peter & Debra
We are a retired, happily married couple from Australia, currently in our eighth year of continuous house sitting around the world and both non-smokers.
Fortunate enough to have been able to retire early we have a passion to travel and have been doing so for the past sixteen years. And have had this enhanced exponentially by being able to share with other people's pets and care for their properties since late 2010.
Our enthusiasm for the task only gets stronger as indicated in references from
(i) Patsy, a home owner from central France, in late 2014 '....this duo are effervescent, vivacious and extremely enterprising. And they are great fun to be with
(ii) Corin, from the high Pyrenees, in June 2017 '.... meticulous in their attention to detail, with an obvious love for animals, as well as being prepared to go the extra mile to make a difference, they enhanced our time away b......
We are a retired, happily married couple from Australia, currently in our eighth year of continuous house sitting around the world and both non-smokers.
Fortunate enough to have been able to retire early we have a passion to travel and have been doing so for the past sixteen years. And have had this enhanced exponentially by being able to share with other people's pets and care for their properties since late 2010.
Our enthusiasm for the task only gets stronger as indicated in references from
(i) Patsy, a home owner from central France, in late 2014 '....this duo are effervescent, vivacious and extremely enterprising. And they are great fun to be with
(ii) Corin, from the high Pyrenees, in June 2017 '.... meticulous in their attention to detail, with an obvious love for animals, as well as being prepared to go the extra mile to make a difference, they enhanced our time away by giving us the confidence and peace of mind....'
(Iii) Lynne, from Brittany in France, in May 2018 '...super communicators, they are organised, they are very caring, they respected our home, they are fun loving, happy, smiley people who were an absolute joy to have in our home....'
In January 2018, the Daily Mail posted this article featuring us and our views on housesitting. This can be viewed at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5237669/The-couple-house-sitting-seven-years.html
New pets seem to accept and trust us very quickly (perhaps that innate ability of animals to identify friendliness or is it the reside pet smell that lingers in our clothing?) and as we go along we better understand what owners expect of us reacting with their properties and pets. Still, we actively seek to continue this adventure and lifestyle.
We are currently in Port Kennedy, a coastal suburb south of Perth Australia, on our one hundred and third (103) house sit, this time with three completely different natured cats - Ginger who loves to live outside, Ms Kitty an inside cat and Taz who has best of both worlds - all of who enjoy someone giving them attention.
We have been extremely fortunate to have been asked to housesit at various times into late 2019 (as shown on the availability calendar attached to our profile). If you would like to discuss any opportunities that fit your dates we would welcome the contact.
Why we want to house sit
House sitting offers the opportunity to travel and visit places that we had not thought about – it is the owners that drive the destination - and share with animals who require the ongoing attention and affection that is provided by their owners. We are able to travel and absorb things at a much slower pace.
Our experience
With house-sits in France, Thailand, Spain, Turkey, the USA, England, Canada, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium and Germany we have
• owned pets during our lifetime can understand the importance of animals in people’s lives and know how to enjoy their company and provide the necessary care
• cared for 405 different pets (dogs, cats, fish, a horse, donkeys, chickens, rabbits, frogs, goats, gerbils, guinea pigs, an Iguana, sheep, ducks, a pig and various types and sizes of fish). Living inside or outside the house. Some big and strong, some small and timid. Some requiring special attention and medication (including post surgical care, injections and administering daily doses of various medicines). And most needing love and affection. And we would like to think we can remember most of their names or if given a couple of moments probably them all or will at least try to.
If you a chance please look at the video we entered in a 2016 trustedhousesitters.com competition at (just highlight, copy and paste the following link into your browser)
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/pets/the-winner-of-moments-memories-happypets-is-revealed/
In addition to our profile video, the new one highlights a journey of happiness and fun with pets in the last eight years.
• cared for very old fragile dogs and cats, four lively boisterous 6 week old puppies requiring toilet and on-lead training and on 6 other occasions taken the reins on newly acquired puppies that the owners could not resist taking in just prior to our arrival
• cared for animals from different backgrounds. Some being strays turning up in people's lives by various means (sitting in front yard, wandering streets abandoned and lost), 'rescue' animals that have been adopted from refuges, animals with pedigrees, animals of unknown breeds (we call Bitzers - bits of this and bits of that) and animals who have been unceremoniously dumped at owners doorsteps. But in all cases now pets which are now loved and an integral part of people's lives
• on six occasions have had a pet-free house sit, another with 6 dogs and 8 cats, on two other occasions 6 dogs/4cats, 2 ocassions 8 cats and 1 dog and a house sit in Turkey we shared with 16 cats (was supposed to be 14 but 2 more turned up after hearing that we had arrived) and 2 dogs. And at other times have enjoyed the company of one or two pets!
• on four occasions were asked to extend the designated responsibilities by accepting to care for pets of the owners friends, who decided to travel at the last minute.
• been responsible for large acreage properties to small village land holdings and 1 and 2 bedroom apartments/townhouses
• looked after large gardens, mowed large lawn areas using all types of machinery including sit on mowers (on large property required a 7 hour mow every 7-10 days), push mowers, strimmers, chainsaws, driven snow ploughs to clear long driveways of snow (and also shovelled it away), tenderly cared for delicate indoor plants, swept driveways, trimmed trees/shrubs, nurtured a vegetable patches, planted new garden rows, painted outdoor furniture and maintained swimming pools.
• lived by the ocean, in cities, rural (working and hobby) farms and remote mountain villages; in the heat, in humidity, in the rain and in the cold beautiful scenic world of snow and ice.
• survived flash floods while keeping pets safe, lived without water in places that freeze in winter, embraced diverse climates that change dramatically by the hour and put it all down to experience!
• lived in countries deemed to be safe and free; countries bound by century old traditions and countries that require attention to health and safety and loved them all
• stayed for one week up to three months; and willing to do longer sits if needed
• have been invited to return and have done so on many, many occasions, the most to the one property being 10 times
• have been recommended by owners to friends; have provided references to home owners; have recommendations of friends accepted by owners and continually provide advice to people seeking information on house sitting.
• opened up our horizons with new friends and cultures
• never charged for our services as house sitters.
Being home owners and long time rental properties owners we
• have an understanding of the value that an owner has on their property
• have an understanding of people that wish to come and live in your property. And their needs!
• can use our life experiences for problem solving and those unexpected events that happen from time to time and continue to go so with own rental properties in Perth whilst we travel extensively
• have better than basic house maintenance/gardening skills (minor repairs, lawn mowing, cutting wood, pruning, painting, clearing snow from driveways and paths using large machinery and manual methods, replaced reticulation systems etc) and have no fear in trying something new and unexpected
Being very active and adventurous we are
• willing to travel anywhere in the world
• willing to learn new cultures and languages
• prolific walkers having trekked extensively in Western Australia, NZ, Nepal and Africa (since starting house sitting we have probably covered more distance walking with pets than we have in all our other treks combined)
• recreational (and seasoned) bike riders having cycled 7000km across Australia and on a three month 3500km adventure through France
• motivated to go to places that we have not been to or heard of!
Coming from professional backgrounds (Deb being a State Sales Manager and Peter a self-employed Computer Consultant, Property Manager and Web Co-Coordinator), we
• are very organised and reliable
• have good communication and computer skills
• understand technology and its use in keeping in touch with owners
• know how to follow instructions.
We periodically post photos during each house-sit on the web so that owners can get a ’pet/property fix’ whenever and wherever they are at any time. In addition we have posted pictures of our Australian home to show how we live and the standard of cleanliness we bring with us. We can provide that link to you if you are interested to view this offering.
All of our previous house owners have provided references and are available for personal contact if you require. We can also provide those details to you.
In 2014 we provided a Xmas house sitting blog for trustedhousesitters.com. This can be read by copying the link below and pasting it into your browser.
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/house-sitting/peter-debra-australian-house-sitters-experience-their-first-white-christmas/
Thank you for reading our profile. If you require any more information or clarification please do not hesitate to contact us.
Verifications
Verification level
Standard level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (30), Identity & Document Check
All Standard Verification checks are carried out by a specialist 3rd Party
Animal Care Experience
-
Dogs
-
Cats
-
Reptiles
-
Horses
-
Fish
-
Poultry
-
Farm animals
-
Bird
-
Small pet
Availability
Preferred Countries
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Peter and Debra have done 57 house sits since 2012
-
BrightonAustraliaJul - Aug 2018 -
PerthAustraliaJun - Jul 2018 -
Roumazières-LoubertFranceMay 2018 -
Kergrist-MoëlouFranceMay 2018 -
HeidelbergGermanyApr 2018 -
AntwerpenBelgiumMar - Apr 2018 -
Clermont-l’HéraultFranceMar 2018 -
PauFranceNov - Dec 2017 -
BassouesFranceNov 2017 -
LondonUnited KingdomOct 2017 -
PauFranceSep - Oct 2017
-
ParcentSpainAug - Sep 2017 -
HelsinkiFinlandJul 2017 -
NîmesFranceJun 2017 -
BournelFranceJun 2017 -
Bagnères-de-LuchonFranceApr - Jun 2017 -
UzèsFranceJan - Apr 2017 -
NîmesFranceDec 2016 - Jan 2017
-
BassouesFranceNov - Dec 2016
-
UzèsFranceOct - Nov 2016
-
PauFranceJul - Oct 2016
-
HaverfordwestUnited KingdomJun - Jul 2016
-
ParcentSpainJun - Jul 2016
-
Bagnères-de-LuchonFranceApr 2016 -
CrewkerneUnited KingdomFeb - Apr 2016 -
Samois-sur-SeineFranceDec 2015 -
Sarlat-la-CanédaFranceNov 2015 -
ExeterUnited KingdomOct 2015 -
Gourdan-PolignanFranceSep - Oct 2015 -
Gourdan-PolignanFranceSep 2015
-
UzèsFranceSep 2015 -
Gourdan-PolignanFranceAug 2015
-
Gourdan-PolignanFranceJul - Aug 2015
-
Saint Peter PortGuernseyJul 2015 -
Gourdan-PolignanFranceJun 2015
-
Sarlat-la-CanédaFranceJun 2015
-
AmbertFranceMay 2015 -
SamatanFranceApr 2015 -
UzèsFranceMar 2015
-
CussayFranceMar 2015 -
AberystwythUnited KingdomFeb 2015
-
LourdesFranceJan 2015 -
RevelFranceJan 2015 -
MontcuqFranceJan 2015 -
ÉchenevexFranceNov 2014 -
BevagnaItalyNov 2014
-
FounexSwitzerlandNov 2014
-
UzèsFranceOct 2014
-
ÉchenevexFranceOct 2014
-
AmbertFranceSep 2014
-
ClaremontAustraliaJul 2014 -
SydneyAustraliaApr 2014 -
LourdesFranceDec 2013
-
Saint George'sGrenadaAug 2013
-
SurreyCanadaApr 2013 -
Point RobertsUnited StatesApr 2013 -
Newport CenterUnited StatesSep 2012
