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 ac...
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 (21)
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Tony - Meridian, Idaho, United States
17 August - 26 August 2018
Melanie and Chris did an AWESOME job caring for our two Dogs Rusty a 14 year old German Shorthair Pointer and Addy a 3 year old Labrador along with taking great care of our home. We so appreciated the daily pictures and detailed updates they provided. We had a worry free vacation knowing our Pups...
Melanie and Chris did an AWESOME job caring for our two Dogs Rusty a 14 year old German Shorthair Pointer and Addy a 3 year old Labrador along with taking great care of our home. We so appreciated the daily pictures and detailed updates they provided. We had a worry free vacation knowing our Pups were being well taken care of. We came home to a clean and tidy home, freshly mowed lawn along with a pot of homemade Elk Stroganoff!!! Now that is nice! We hope to meet up with Melanie and Chris again in the future in a more social aspect. Just wonderful folks. Thank you for taking care of Rusty and Addy.
- 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
Spending time with Teresa and Tony before their departure was a pleasure, as they were kind enough to collect us from the airport and to treat us to drinks at a local brewpub. We also enjoyed a dinner out with them on our first night. They left some great local recommendations for us, helping us to get the most out of our time in the Boise area (which we truly loved!) Rusty (such a love) and Addy (such a fun high energy girl) were a delight to spend time with (even with Rusty getting up to go outside about 5:30am each day). We would gladly return to spend time with the dogs in Tony and Teresa's lovely home and hope to meet up with our new human friends at our place someday soon! Thanks again T & T for the warm hospitality :)
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Michaelle - Breckenridge, Colorado, United States
24 July - 27 July 2018
Melanie was a wonderful pet sitter. She and her husband came over to meet the dogs a few days before the trip and then she came to the house thirty minutes before I left for the airport. She was playing ball with Tiger when I left and he didn't mind my leaving because he was having fun. Melani...
Melanie was a wonderful pet sitter. She and her husband came over to meet the dogs a few days before the trip and then she came to the house thirty minutes before I left for the airport. She was playing ball with Tiger when I left and he didn't mind my leaving because he was having fun. Melanie was very kind and gentle with the dogs and took them in her car to various trails to hike. She sent me daily updates and pictures of the dogs hiking, sleeping and eating.
On our return trip we landed at ten o'clock PM and Melanie checked to be sure we were on our way. She walked and fed the dogs before she left. The house had soft lights and calm music playing on the TV when we got home and the dogs were happy. The next morning Melanie texted to make sure we were home with the dogs. Her concern and kindness for my dogs was truly touching.
The house was in great shape with the sheets washed and the bed made. She washed and folded her towels as well as cleaning the bathroom in her suite.
I highly recommend Melanie as a sitter. She could not have been any better.- 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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Torri - Denver, Colorado, United States
23 June - 24 June 2018
Melanie was the perfect dog sitter and house guest! She was very communicative during planning and flexible when our plans changed. We really appreciated the updates that Melanie sent while we were on our trip and were thrilled to see what a great time they had together. Wrigley can be shy with s...
Melanie was the perfect dog sitter and house guest! She was very communicative during planning and flexible when our plans changed. We really appreciated the updates that Melanie sent while we were on our trip and were thrilled to see what a great time they had together. Wrigley can be shy with strangers, but warmed right up to Melanie and we would love to have her back in the future.
- Organised
-
- Reliable
-
- Self-sufficient
-
- Tidy
-
- Pet care
-
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 you......
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
Enhanced level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (24), Identity & Document Check, Criminal Background Check (issue date: 21 Jan 2018)
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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Reptiles
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Fish
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Poultry
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Farm animals
Availability
Preferred Countries
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Austria
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Cambodia
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- China
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Dominica
- Estonia
- Gibraltar
- Guatemala
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Japan
- Laos
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Maldives
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Reunion
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Thailand
- Vatican
- Vietnam
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Melanie and Chris have done 21 house sits since 2013
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MeridianUnited StatesAug 2018 -
BreckenridgeUnited StatesJul 2018 -
DenverUnited StatesJun 2018 -
NewtonUnited StatesMar - Apr 2018 -
Wimbledon ParkUnited KingdomDec 2017 - Jan 2018 -
AnnapolisUnited StatesJul 2017 -
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 -
MelbourneAustraliaJan 2015 -
GuadiaroSpainOct 2014 -
Chevy Chase VillageUnited StatesSep 2014 -
RiverdaleUnited StatesFeb 2014
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DunedinNew ZealandJan 2014 -
Chevy Chase VillageUnited StatesJan 2014
