Sue & Steve
Sue & Steve
Reliable, Responsible, Multi-Skilled Animal Loving Couple
About Sue & Steve
We are experienced house-sitters having a wonderful time combining house sitting and animal care with travelling. We 'dropped anchor' in Nelson, New Zealand over a year ago, partly to replenish our funds! Steve gained employment in the construction industry and I have been working in Nelson Hospital. We are leaving this area at the end of Sep...
We are experienced house-sitters having a wonderful time combining house sitting and animal care with travelling. We 'dropped anchor' in Nelson, New Zealand over a year ago, partly to replenish our funds! Steve gained employment in the construction industry and I have been working in Nelson Hospital. We are leaving this area at the end of September 2018 and travelling to the North Island where we are looking for house sits from October onwards.
We are fit and active non-smokers who love the countryside and have a great affinity with animals. We treat every pet in our care as if it was our own and every house sit as a new and interesting challenge.
Why we want to house sit
We see house sitting as a key ingredient in our travelling plans, giving us the chance to get to know an area by staying in the community rather than just 'passing through'. Our challenge also extends to building a relationship with the animals in our care who rely on us for food, affection and exercise. We believe pets thrive in a safe, familiar and structured environment where they can be offered plenty of love and attention, Having employed a wonderful house sitter ourselves, to care for our elderly labrador in her declining years, we know just how important it was for our dog to feel comfortable in her own home and for us to have peace of mind when we were away.
Our experience
We started house sitting at the end of March 2015 and have now completed successful sits in France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. We've looked after dogs, cats, donkeys, horses, pigs, sheep, cattle, hens, ducks, geese, aviary birds. a rabbit, guinea pigs and fish. We have also taken care of several large gardens and one smallholding, facing up to the challenge of keeping plants and crops watered in drought conditions.
Before embarking on our latest travelling adventure we both ran successful businesses in South Devon, Steve as a fully-qualified carpenter/joiner and Sue as a professional gardener and painter/decorator. We have several years experience maintaining and upgrading holiday homes in this area. Sue started her working life with horses - as a groom and show-jumping rider; she then spent 5 years as a general assistant working in a mixed Veterinary Practice in Somerset. Her career path has been divergent, to say the least, from promoting film locations in the SW of England to packing chocolates in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Colorado. She is, above all, a very practical person with a flexible approach to life and a great affinity with animals. She holds a Royal Horticultural Society Level II Certificate, a BTEC HND in Public Administration and BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Steve was born in Merewether, Newcastle and still travels on an Australian passport but has lived in the UK for over 30 years. He has worked as a carpenter/joiner nearly all his life and has comprehensive knowledge of the building trade. He is also a fully qualified lifeguard, having worked in this capacity in Australia and the UK, and has experience in swimming pool maintenance. He is a qualified grounds man and holds a certificate in cricket pitch maintenance. Needless to say he's excellent at mowing lawns!
Reviews (12)
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Denise - Raglan, New Zealand
16 October - 24 October 2018
Sue and Steve entered my world of Caos, where the three family dogs were the centreof the world. I was a little nervous meeting them for the first time only two days before we went away. However I had nothing to worry about. They just blended in, like family. Very comfortable sharing a littl...
Sue and Steve entered my world of Caos, where the three family dogs were the centreof the world. I was a little nervous meeting them for the first time only two days before we went away. However I had nothing to worry about. They just blended in, like family. Very comfortable sharing a little of themselves whilst quietly engaging and getting to know my three spoiled spaniels. They took time asking about routines and the special things that were important to the dogs whilst we took them for a walk at the beach. They were comfotable driving our care, taking the dogs to the beach (26km) each day to run free off there leads and playing with them throughout the day. On our return it was evident that bonds had been developed. The dogs were really happy. Sue and Steves experience was evident as they worked through there check list (gained from there own experience). Great learning for me also. I felt very humbled on return when I found Sue and Steve had done some washing and cleaning for me. The little things do count and I noticed. On return They both stayed up to meet us. Our car was parked ready to go to work, filled up with petrol, house was warm and tidy, left me a receipt for the petrol. It was lovely coming home to this and chatting about our trip. Sue emailed us whilst away. This contact and knowing all was going well really enabled me to relax and not worry. Meeting Sue and Steve has enriched my dogs and our lives. Their relaxed, organised, caring approach was really appreciated. I would at any time welcome them back to stay and or pet sit. Thank You Sue and Steve You are both very special people. Thank you Denise Bregmen Hurst, Dave Hurst, Max, Floyd and Billie (who gives a special kiss to Steve).
- 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 Sue & Steve
Thank you Denise for such a lovely review. We thoroughly enjoyed looking after Max, Floyd and Billie; they're all unique and wonderful characters, great company and good fun. Taking them to the beach each day was a real pleasure for us and we loved staying in your peaceful house warmed by the log burner in the evenings. We hope our paths cross again sometime in the future and that we have the opportunity to build on our friendship with you and Dave and, of course, your 3 special dogs.
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Elizabeth - Nelson, New Zealand
22 December - 11 January 2018
Sue and Steve looked after our 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 12 chickens while we were away overseas. The pets were all cared for beautifully and taken on many outings to the beach for walk and swims. The house was clean and tidy when we arrived home. We received updates during our time away to say how eve...
Sue and Steve looked after our 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 12 chickens while we were away overseas. The pets were all cared for beautifully and taken on many outings to the beach for walk and swims. The house was clean and tidy when we arrived home. We received updates during our time away to say how everything was going. Thank you for your energy, love and care towards all of our animals.
- 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 Sue & Steve
We really enjoyed staying in Elizabeth and Jono's beautiful house over Christmas. The views are spectacular! Lucy and Jet are lovely dogs to look after; Manu and Millie, the ragdoll cats were enchanting too. Potential sitters should be aware that Lucy is a big, strong dog to handle on the leash but she's responsive and easy to manage on the beach. Jet is still young but very quick to learn.
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Don - Nelson, New Zealand
01 September - 16 October 2017
We are very happy to recommend Sue and Steve as house/petsitters. They looked after our house and Mitzi perfectly, with regular updates to reassure us that all was well, including photos. This meant we could enjoy our holiday, without worrying about anything back home. The house was clean and ti...
We are very happy to recommend Sue and Steve as house/petsitters. They looked after our house and Mitzi perfectly, with regular updates to reassure us that all was well, including photos. This meant we could enjoy our holiday, without worrying about anything back home. The house was clean and tidy on our return, Sue even bought us some eggs and milk. We wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
- Organised
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- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
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Response from Sue & Steve
We really enjoyed looking after Mitzi - she's a great character and fun to be around. Don and Jill's house is very easy to manage and in a great location, close to stunning countryside yet within a few minutes drive of all amenities. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend this house sit to anyone wanting to spend time in the beautiful Nelson/Tasman area.
About Sue & Steve
We are experienced house-sitters having a wonderful time combining house sitting and animal care with travelling. We 'dropped anchor' in Nelson, New Zealand over a year ago, partly to replenish our funds! Steve gained employment in the construction industry and I have been working in Nelson Hospital. We are leaving this area at the end of September 2018 and travelling to the North Island where we are looking for house sits from October onwards.
We are fit and active non-smokers who love the countryside and have a great affinity with animals. We treat every pet in our care as if it was our own and every house sit as a new and interesting challenge.
We are experienced house-sitters having a wonderful time combining house sitting and animal care with travelling. We 'dropped anchor' in Nelson, New Zealand over a year ago, partly to replenish our funds! Steve gained employment in the construction industry and I have been working in Nelson Hospital. We are leaving this area at the end of September 2018 and travelling to the North Island where we are looking for house sits from October onwards.
We are fit and active non-smokers who love the countryside and have a great affinity with animals. We treat every pet in our care as if it was our own and every house sit as a new and interesting challenge.
Why we want to house sit
We see house sitting as a key ingredient in our travelling plans, giving us the chance to get to know an area by staying in the community rather than just 'passing through'. Our challenge also extends to building a relationship with the animals in our care who rely on us for food, affection and exercise. We believe pets thrive in a safe, familiar and structured environment where they can be offered plenty of love and attention, Having employed a wonderful house sitter ourselves, to care for our elderly labrador in her declining years, we know just how important it was for our dog to feel comfortable in her own home and for us to have peace of mind when we were away.
Our experience
We started house sitting at the end of March 2015 and have now completed successful sits in France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. We've looked after dogs, cats, donkeys, horses, pigs, sheep, cattle, hens, ducks, geese, aviary birds. a rabbit, guinea pigs and fish. We have also taken care of several large gardens and one smallholding, facing up to the challenge of keeping plants and crops watered in drought conditions.
Before embarking on our latest travelling adventure we both ran successful businesses in South Devon, Steve as a fully-qualified carpenter/joiner and Sue as a professional gardener and painter/decorator. We have several years experience maintaining and upgrading holiday homes in this area. Sue started her working life with horses - as a groom and show-jumping rider; she then spent 5 years as a general assistant working in a mixed Veterinary Practice in Somerset. Her career path has been divergent, to say the least, from promoting film locations in the SW of England to packing chocolates in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Colorado. She is, above all, a very practical person with a flexible approach to life and a great affinity with animals. She holds a Royal Horticultural Society Level II Certificate, a BTEC HND in Public Administration and BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Steve was born in Merewether, Newcastle and still travels on an Australian passport but has lived in the UK for over 30 years. He has worked as a carpenter/joiner nearly all his life and has comprehensive knowledge of the building trade. He is also a fully qualified lifeguard, having worked in this capacity in Australia and the UK, and has experience in swimming pool maintenance. He is a qualified grounds man and holds a certificate in cricket pitch maintenance. Needless to say he's excellent at mowing lawns!
Verifications
Verification level
Enhanced level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (27), Identity & Document Check, Criminal Background Check (issue date: 5 Oct 2016)
All Standard and Enhanced 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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Fish
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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
Sue and Steve have done 12 house sits since 2015
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RaglanNew ZealandOct 2018 -
NelsonNew ZealandDec 2017 - Jan 2018 -
NelsonNew ZealandSep - Oct 2017 -
NelsonNew ZealandJun - Sep 2017 -
KaiwakaNew ZealandNov - Dec 2016 -
KaiwakaNew ZealandOct - Nov 2016 -
TownsvilleAustraliaJun - Jul 2016 -
EdenAustraliaFeb 2016 -
TortosaSpainOct 2015 -
Bligny-sur-OucheFranceAug 2015 -
Sainte-Sabine-BornFranceJul 2015 -
Piégut-PluviersFranceJun 2015
