Melanie & Chris
Melanie & Chris
Loving Care for your Pets and Home, the Same as our Own!
About Melanie & Chris
Hi, we are Melanie and Chris, a semi-retired couple. Our two passions in life have always been sharing our lives with our many companion animals and traveling the world. We can't think of a better way to see the world than enjoying the companionship of your furry friends while lovingly caring for them and your home.
It is important to us to ...
Hi, we are Melanie and Chris, a semi-retired couple. Our two passions in life have always been sharing our lives with our many companion animals and traveling the world. We can't think of a better way to see the world than enjoying the companionship of your furry friends while lovingly caring for them and your home.
It is important to us to accommodate ourselves to your pet's routine and personalities when being allowed into their home and lives. Their well being, care and exercise is always our top concern. We completely enjoy spending a lot of time with them to be able to learn their personalities and special characteristics, and tend to become quite fond of all the pets that we sit for. You can be certain that your well loved companion will receive plenty of attention, exercise and cuddles while you are gone to ensure their well being in your absence.
We will enjoy updating you regularly with pictures (and I do mean quite a few!) and stories about how they are doing. Of course your home, plants and garden will be looked after as well, with the same attention to detail for their care and upkeep, allowing you to have a wonderful worry free vacation.
We are both very active, fit non-smokers and prefer to house and pet sit in non-smoking homes.
Why we want to house sit
Traveling as a tourist and staying in hotels is a far different experience than "living" in a community. We have always enjoyed our travels and explorations so much more when we're somewhat rooted into an area. We also love animals and miss ours a lot when we are gone. So to travel and have the added richness of staying in a home with the warmth of pets while we are away from home is ideal for us. We truly want to care for your home and pets the same as we would for our own, and yet, because we have four pets of our own, we are unable to consider pet sits of more than 3 weeks in duration.
Our experience
We have had rescue cats and dogs our whole lives, as well as some fish, turtles and hamsters. Several of our pets have been medically compromised, requiring medications, IM and subcutaneous shots, renal drip hydration and other modalities of care beyond the usual scope of pet care. We've both worked as volunteers with our local SPCA and in the months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, we worked for three months with an animal welfare group (with only 3 of us!) caring for 287 cats rescued by the National Guard and placed into our care. We feel completely capable of handling ANY personality and breed of cat. Our personal canine experience is with larger breed (very strong) dogs with assertive personalities and high energy exercise needs, although we are comfortable with smaller dogs as well.
We recently had a thorough background check (including fingerprinting) done by both the US Army and the German Government which allowed us to access and work on a secured US military base in Germany for 18 months.
As owners of our own home and also rental property, we are well versed in getting unexpected repairs done on the fly. Chris is quite handy with small household repairs, lawn care, and pool maintenance. Melanie is a top-notch "cleaner" with very good communication skills who loves photography. And while certainly not experts, we both enjoy gardening.
We are both willing and able to care for your home and pets, allowing you to enjoy your travels without worry for their care and well being while you are away :)
Reviews (15)
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Peter - Oviedo, Spain
23 March - 05 April 2017
Melanie and her father, Frank were wonderful sitters for our dog Tango and our house. They made our first experience with TrustedHousesitters a very positive and enjoyable experience. They arrived a day before our departure in order to accustom themselves with the house and with Tango's routine....
Melanie and her father, Frank were wonderful sitters for our dog Tango and our house. They made our first experience with TrustedHousesitters a very positive and enjoyable experience. They arrived a day before our departure in order to accustom themselves with the house and with Tango's routine. From the outset it was clear that he was happy in their company.
During our holiday, Melanie kept us up to date with photos and messages and Tango was given plenty of exercise. Melanie and Frank fitted in very well with our Spanish-speaking neighbours who found them very friendly and were impressed with the way they looked after Tango.
We returned home to a relaxed and happy dog and a beautifully clean and tidy house. Melanie and Frank had prepared a meal of a delicious cajun-style fish stew for us. We would recommend them as pet sitters and would love to have them return some day.- 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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Barbara - Rochester, WA, United States
14 September - 18 September 2016
Melanie (and Laural) did an excellent job of sitting at our small farm. This was our first experience using Trusted Housesitters. We were gone for 5 days and they watched over our 3 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats. They also fed the 4 goats and 1 turkey daily, and watched over our 11 alpacas. Melan...
Melanie (and Laural) did an excellent job of sitting at our small farm. This was our first experience using Trusted Housesitters. We were gone for 5 days and they watched over our 3 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats. They also fed the 4 goats and 1 turkey daily, and watched over our 11 alpacas. Melanie made a great effort by cleaning the house before leaving her assignment, so we came home to something wonderful! All pets and livestock were in great condition. Thanks to you both.
- 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 Melanie & Chris
Barbara and LJ, we just fell in love with all three dogs and really enjoyed the experience of spending time with the alpacas and goats. Watching Nick the turkey herd the female alpacas around was a hoot! Just wish we could have completely cracked the cats shyness. Thanks for allowing us to spend time with your pets and farm animals!
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Rachel - Boulder, CO, United States
07 August - 09 August 2016
Have you ever gone on vacation guilty that you've left the furry members of your family behind? Is your enjoyment tinged with despair because you wonder if your pets are happy? Do you worry about your home / garden / houseplants?
RELAX! Just ask Melanie and Chris to care for your pets and home...Have you ever gone on vacation guilty that you've left the furry members of your family behind? Is your enjoyment tinged with despair because you wonder if your pets are happy? Do you worry about your home / garden / houseplants?
RELAX! Just ask Melanie and Chris to care for your pets and home, and you will be grateful!!
We had no doubt about the love our canine and feline children were receiving at home thanks to frequent (and funny!) updates. Our puppy was spoiled with activities: fetch, walks, belly-rubs and cuddles. While our older kitty was treated like the princess she knows she is; all proper obeisances were made to her throne on the piano and much purring ensued.
And, who calls their friend to find out how to get the coffee stains out of a white sink leaving your kitchen sparkling like never before? Melanie does.
Finally, when our return ran long, Melanie and Chris adjusted their plans to ensure responsible humans were on-hand.
I hope you do yourself a favor by enlisting Melanie and Chris to care for your home and pets - you will enjoy your time away guilt-free!- 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 Melanie & Chris
Thanks Rachel and Shannon! We really enjoyed ourselves in Boulder, getting to spend time with Lola and Princess Mary, while also fitting in a few local bike rides, a hike, and several great restaurant meals. Thanks so much for the folder of tips and local suggestions that you left for us...it made our stay easy! And so glad I was able help out with whitening the sink and bathtub :) Loving pats, behind the ear scratches, and belly rubs to Lola and Mary from us! Melanie & Chris
About Melanie & Chris
Hi, we are Melanie and Chris, a semi-retired couple. Our two passions in life have always been sharing our lives with our many companion animals and traveling the world. We can't think of a better way to see the world than enjoying the companionship of your furry friends while lovingly caring for them and your home.
It is important to us to accommodate ourselves to your pet's routine and personalities when being allowed into their home and lives. Their well being, care and exercise is always our top concern. We completely enjoy spending a lot of time with them to be able to learn their personalities and special characteristics, and tend to become quite fond of all the pets that we sit for. You can be certain that your well loved companion will receive plenty of attention, exercise and cuddles while you are gone to ensure their well being in your absence.
We will enjoy updating......
Hi, we are Melanie and Chris, a semi-retired couple. Our two passions in life have always been sharing our lives with our many companion animals and traveling the world. We can't think of a better way to see the world than enjoying the companionship of your furry friends while lovingly caring for them and your home.
It is important to us to accommodate ourselves to your pet's routine and personalities when being allowed into their home and lives. Their well being, care and exercise is always our top concern. We completely enjoy spending a lot of time with them to be able to learn their personalities and special characteristics, and tend to become quite fond of all the pets that we sit for. You can be certain that your well loved companion will receive plenty of attention, exercise and cuddles while you are gone to ensure their well being in your absence.
We will enjoy updating you regularly with pictures (and I do mean quite a few!) and stories about how they are doing. Of course your home, plants and garden will be looked after as well, with the same attention to detail for their care and upkeep, allowing you to have a wonderful worry free vacation.
We are both very active, fit non-smokers and prefer to house and pet sit in non-smoking homes.
Why we want to house sit
Traveling as a tourist and staying in hotels is a far different experience than "living" in a community. We have always enjoyed our travels and explorations so much more when we're somewhat rooted into an area. We also love animals and miss ours a lot when we are gone. So to travel and have the added richness of staying in a home with the warmth of pets while we are away from home is ideal for us. We truly want to care for your home and pets the same as we would for our own, and yet, because we have four pets of our own, we are unable to consider pet sits of more than 3 weeks in duration.
Our experience
We have had rescue cats and dogs our whole lives, as well as some fish, turtles and hamsters. Several of our pets have been medically compromised, requiring medications, IM and subcutaneous shots, renal drip hydration and other modalities of care beyond the usual scope of pet care. We've both worked as volunteers with our local SPCA and in the months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, we worked for three months with an animal welfare group (with only 3 of us!) caring for 287 cats rescued by the National Guard and placed into our care. We feel completely capable of handling ANY personality and breed of cat. Our personal canine experience is with larger breed (very strong) dogs with assertive personalities and high energy exercise needs, although we are comfortable with smaller dogs as well.
We recently had a thorough background check (including fingerprinting) done by both the US Army and the German Government which allowed us to access and work on a secured US military base in Germany for 18 months.
As owners of our own home and also rental property, we are well versed in getting unexpected repairs done on the fly. Chris is quite handy with small household repairs, lawn care, and pool maintenance. Melanie is a top-notch "cleaner" with very good communication skills who loves photography. And while certainly not experts, we both enjoy gardening.
We are both willing and able to care for your home and pets, allowing you to enjoy your travels without worry for their care and well being while you are away :)
Verifications
Verification level
Standard level
Animal Care Experience
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Dogs
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Cats
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Reptiles
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Fish
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Poultry
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Farm animals
Availability
Preferred Countries
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Melanie and Chris have done 15 house sits since 2013
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OviedoSpainMar - Apr 2017 -
RochesterUnited StatesSep 2016 -
BoulderUnited StatesAug 2016 -
CharlestonUnited StatesJun 2016 -
San Miguel de AllendeMexicoMay 2016 -
DurasFranceFeb 2016 -
Fort WorthUnited StatesJan 2016 -
Broadview HeightsUnited StatesNov 2015 -
RiverdaleUnited StatesSep 2015 -
BalaclavaAustraliaJan 2015 -
San MartínSpainOct 2014 -
Chevy Chase VillageUnited StatesSep 2014
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RiverdaleUnited StatesFeb 2014
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DunedinNew ZealandJan 2014 -
Chevy Chase VillageUnited StatesJan 2014
