"Pets are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."

Stephen

6 reviews

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Stephen from Austin, Texas, United States

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Stephen

"Pets are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."

Austin, Texas, United States

6 reviews

Join to Invite Stephen

Sits for free

About Stephen

Hello there! My name is Stephen and I couldn't be more excited to be here. For the last decade I've travelled the globe working with nonprofits focused on providing safe water for children. This has lead me to jungles in El Salvador, UN meetings in Stockholm, and everywhere in between.

Now, in my mid-30's, I've recently made the leap to work freelance. Along with more diversity in my work, a big motivation for this is my desire to travel North America in my Honda Element ECamper.

A friend and fellow Trusted House Sitter recommended that I look into the site, knowing my heart for new places AND for animals. I grew up with pets: dogs, cats, fish, and have carried that love and care ever since. My long-distance work travels have limited my ability to be a pet owner as an adult, but I've always been the go-to for friends when needing a pet-sitter and have been fortunate to be a temporary foster home for pet shelters.

If you're looking for a mature, responsible person to care for your home and animals while you travel - I'm your guy! I'm clean, organized, make my bed every day, and always put the toilet seat down. ;) I'll be a great step-parent for you animals, tending to every detail and request - making sure you return home to a happy, healthy pet and home.

Why I want to house sit

Ask anyone who knows me, I care (a lot) about home design, architecture, creating and caring for environments that show the personality of the homeowner. I'm incredibly clean, organized, and detail oriented - which I know might be a rarity for single men in their 30s. But it's true!

As a lifelong nonprofit worker, I care a great deal about the needs of others. I view the opportunity of house-sitting as a sacred task. It's not something I take lightly, you inviting a stranger into your environment. I'll be sure to honor and protect that invitation as if it were my own space.

When I've traveled, I always make a point in staying in AirBNB's. Not simply for the cost-savings, but because I love living in the real environment of the locals. I'm happy to share my reviews with you.

My experience

I have always loved animals. I grew up in a home with dogs, cats, and aquatic animals - and when possible have always made sure to include pets in my adult life. While in college I completed a semester-long horsemanship class, I've fostered dogs with PAWS of Austin, I've helped care for chickens, ducks, and rabbits on my brothers farm in Kentucky, and I've always been the go-to pet-sitter for friends locally. My extensive international travels with work haven't allowed me to be a pet owner in recent years, perhaps the only drawback of my work.

I understand that caring for your animals is no different than caring for your children. I take that responsibility very seriously. And -- I love it! I enjoy the long walks, I love the dog park, I'm not scared of cleaning out litter box or mucking a donkey pen. It's things like this that make our lives more whole and more full.

I look forward to serving you and your animals. If there are any questions I can answer, don't hesitate to send them my way!

Reviews (6)

Clare - Brooklyn, New York, United States

09 July - 14 July 2018

Stephen stayed with my cats for 5 nights. He was friendly, easy to communicate with and quick to respond. I felt confident that my home and my cats were in good hands with Stephen. I came home to happy cats and a clean apartment. I'd definitely recommend him as a housesitter! + More

Stephen stayed with my cats for 5 nights. He was friendly, easy to communicate with and quick to respond. I felt confident that my home and my cats were in good hands with Stephen. I came home to happy cats and a clean apartment. I'd definitely recommend him as a housesitter!

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

Response from Stephen

This was a fantastic sit! Clare’s two kitties were just the sweetest - and as she mentions, incredibly low maintenance. Clare’s apartment is in a fun spot in Brooklyn, close to great restaurants and to subway lines. And Clare was a pleasure to work with, she went above and beyond to prep for the sit and make sure everything was in order. Five stars all around.

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Susan - Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., United States

28 June - 05 July 2018

Steve was delightful. We had the hottest week in DC in recent history and he was fine with it. The house was immaculate and Edward the cat said that Steve was awesome. + More

Steve was delightful. We had the hottest week in DC in recent history and he was fine with it. The house was immaculate and Edward the cat said that Steve was awesome.

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

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Amy - Berkeley, California, United States

17 May - 21 May 2018

Stephen watched our house for a long weekend (Thurs-Monday) recently and we could not have been happier. He was fantastic, for a tricky household of pets! We have two 15-year old cats, one of which recently had a stroke and is now on thyroid medication. He took great care to make sure our kitt... + More

Stephen watched our house for a long weekend (Thurs-Monday) recently and we could not have been happier. He was fantastic, for a tricky household of pets! We have two 15-year old cats, one of which recently had a stroke and is now on thyroid medication. He took great care to make sure our kitty got his medicine 2x/day and stayed healthy. We also have a 100lb somewhat shy pitbull/mastiff (Dozi), so Stephen went out of his way to get introduced the night before so they would be sure to know each other before he showed up for the sit.

While we were gone, he gave regular updates that things were going well, and was very prompt with communicating when he showed up and left, and that he had fed/medicined the animals one last time before leaving. The house was in tip-top shape, and he even changed the sheets on his bed!

I would HIGHLY recommend Stephen - he was great! And we'd love to have him come house-sit for us anytime again!

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

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