Kate & Howard
About Kate & Howard
Hi, we are a retired Australian couple currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and travelling the world to see as much as we can before it's too late (for us!). In 1986, Howard retired from the Royal Australian Navy after serving 20 years to take up a role in the corporate world in Sydney. Kate was already in that realm and in 1988 we both de...
Hi, we are a retired Australian couple currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and travelling the world to see as much as we can before it's too late (for us!). In 1986, Howard retired from the Royal Australian Navy after serving 20 years to take up a role in the corporate world in Sydney. Kate was already in that realm and in 1988 we both decided on a tree change. We purchased a 220 acre property in rural NSW and spent the next 8 years farming, both beef cattle and dairy. Needless to say we had plenty of animals to look after. Not only cattle but horses, cats, dogs and occasional goldfish. After selling our farm we turned to bookselling opening 2 bookshops in local towns. We continued with this for 15 years before deciding it was our time. Three months later we were living in Chiang Mai! We have now been here for 3 years and use it as a base for our travels. Incidentally, we love living in Chiang Mai.
Over all these years a constant in our lives were our pets. Mainly dogs and cats and whilst on the farm, horses. Kate has been an avid rider for most of her life and at one stage owned 4 horses.
Our last two dogs were rescue pups, one of whom in particular had been badly treated and was very frightened of men. She was a Ridgeback cross, a gentle soul and very timid. She went, in the space of a few weeks, from being terrified of Howard to being his lapdog (or so she thought).
Why we want to house sit
Hotels are very impersonal and don't allow you to experience the atmosphere and flavour of a region like a local. To have the opportunity to live in the comfort of a home, cook our own meals and spoil some gorgeous pets is a wonderful idea. We miss having a pet and Trusted Housesitters seems to be the best way to combine our two loves - travel and animals. Plus it has obvious economic benefits!
Our experience
After a year of house sitting with 5 star reviews all the way, we have decided that this is definitely the life for us. We are so grateful that we can interact with gorgeous pets and live "like a local" at the same time. The only downside is leaving our new found furry friends at the end of a sit. We miss them so much!
We have fulfilled pet and house sitting in Thailand, Australia, England and Scotland looking after dogs, cats, sheep, chickens, horses, ducks and fish. We have had some wonderful experiences and are looking forward to more of the same.
Reviews (10)
-
Jody - Berlin, Germany
17 April - 22 April 2019
Kate and Howard are very nice people and are easy to get along with. They sat our wire fox terrier Leon (3) for 4 days over Easter. We did have a little bit of miscommunication (from both parties) in the beginning but I am pleased to say we were able to resolve everything before they arrived, giv...
Kate and Howard are very nice people and are easy to get along with. They sat our wire fox terrier Leon (3) for 4 days over Easter. We did have a little bit of miscommunication (from both parties) in the beginning but I am pleased to say we were able to resolve everything before they arrived, giving us just enough time to find another sitter for their departure day.
Unfortunately, Kate and Howard did not have a working phone when they sat for us but did aim to communicate via email. This worked but it would have been more reassuring to have a phone number as we were in and out of wifi and our little guy has a few health issues, we like to stay in contact just in case problems arise.
We came home to a clean house and a tasty soup left on the slove for us.- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
Response from Kate & Howard
We loved sitting with Leon. He is the perfect city dog and came everywhere with us. Jody and Niall insisted that we communicate via Whatsapp an app I am not overly familiar with but we managed more than adequately with email. They are very anxious about Leon who has has health issues. There was a misunderstanding initially when my email was not replied to and I assumed what I had suggested was acceptable. Giving us less than 5 stars because of whatsapp when we did everything we could is being very pedantic. We changed our inbound flight at their request even though it incurred considerable expense to us. Very disappointed in their assessment.
-
Gwyneth - Cheltenham, United Kingdom
21 May - 29 May 2018
First class sitters, great couple and can recommend thoroughly to anyone needing a house sit. All left clean & tidy and dogs fine. Would be very happy to have here again if they were available.
First class sitters, great couple and can recommend thoroughly to anyone needing a house sit. All left clean & tidy and dogs fine. Would be very happy to have here again if they were available.
- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
-
Stan - Thornhill, United Kingdom
10 May - 19 May 2018
Kate and Howard looked after Bruce and our home perfectly; we came home to a very happy dog and a clean and tidy home. They are lovely people and their love for animals shines through in everything they do.
Kate and Howard looked after Bruce and our home perfectly; we came home to a very happy dog and a clean and tidy home. They are lovely people and their love for animals shines through in everything they do.
- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
About Kate & Howard
Hi, we are a retired Australian couple currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and travelling the world to see as much as we can before it's too late (for us!). In 1986, Howard retired from the Royal Australian Navy after serving 20 years to take up a role in the corporate world in Sydney. Kate was already in that realm and in 1988 we both decided on a tree change. We purchased a 220 acre property in rural NSW and spent the next 8 years farming, both beef cattle and dairy. Needless to say we had plenty of animals to look after. Not only cattle but horses, cats, dogs and occasional goldfish. After selling our farm we turned to bookselling opening 2 bookshops in local towns. We continued with this for 15 years before deciding it was our time. Three months later we were living in Chiang Mai! We have now been here for 3 years and use it as a base for our travels. Incidentally, we......
Hi, we are a retired Australian couple currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and travelling the world to see as much as we can before it's too late (for us!). In 1986, Howard retired from the Royal Australian Navy after serving 20 years to take up a role in the corporate world in Sydney. Kate was already in that realm and in 1988 we both decided on a tree change. We purchased a 220 acre property in rural NSW and spent the next 8 years farming, both beef cattle and dairy. Needless to say we had plenty of animals to look after. Not only cattle but horses, cats, dogs and occasional goldfish. After selling our farm we turned to bookselling opening 2 bookshops in local towns. We continued with this for 15 years before deciding it was our time. Three months later we were living in Chiang Mai! We have now been here for 3 years and use it as a base for our travels. Incidentally, we love living in Chiang Mai.
Over all these years a constant in our lives were our pets. Mainly dogs and cats and whilst on the farm, horses. Kate has been an avid rider for most of her life and at one stage owned 4 horses.
Our last two dogs were rescue pups, one of whom in particular had been badly treated and was very frightened of men. She was a Ridgeback cross, a gentle soul and very timid. She went, in the space of a few weeks, from being terrified of Howard to being his lapdog (or so she thought).
Why we want to house sit
Hotels are very impersonal and don't allow you to experience the atmosphere and flavour of a region like a local. To have the opportunity to live in the comfort of a home, cook our own meals and spoil some gorgeous pets is a wonderful idea. We miss having a pet and Trusted Housesitters seems to be the best way to combine our two loves - travel and animals. Plus it has obvious economic benefits!
Our experience
After a year of house sitting with 5 star reviews all the way, we have decided that this is definitely the life for us. We are so grateful that we can interact with gorgeous pets and live "like a local" at the same time. The only downside is leaving our new found furry friends at the end of a sit. We miss them so much!
We have fulfilled pet and house sitting in Thailand, Australia, England and Scotland looking after dogs, cats, sheep, chickens, horses, ducks and fish. We have had some wonderful experiences and are looking forward to more of the same.
Verifications
Verification level
Basic level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (2)
Animal Care Experience
-
Dogs
-
Cats
-
Horses
-
Poultry
-
Farm animals
Availability
Preferred Countries
- Australia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
- Aland Islands
- Albania
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antarctica
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bouvet Island
- British Virgin Islands
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Finland
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- French Southern Territories
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guatemala
- Guernsey
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Malta
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- New Caledonia
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Republic of the Congo
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Sint Maarten
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Kate and Howard have done 11 house sits since 2016
-
BerlinGermanyApr 2019 -
SichonThailandOct 2018 -
CheltenhamUnited KingdomMay 2018 -
ThornhillUnited KingdomMay 2018
-
Bishops LydeardUnited KingdomApr - May 2018 -
DarwenUnited KingdomMar - Apr 2018 -
UckfieldUnited KingdomMar 2018 -
TavistockUnited KingdomFeb - Mar 2018 -
Hatfield PeverelUnited KingdomFeb 2018 -
LochinvarAustraliaDec 2017 - Jan 2018 -
BangkokThailandSep 2017
