Mari & Dave
Mari & Dave
Professional couple (whale biologist & computer programmer) empty nesters experienced with dogs/cats/horses/farm/rescue/wildlife/horses/livestock
About Mari & Dave
We are a couple of 50-somethings w all kids recently gone to university who work remotely from home as a marine biologist (whales/dolphins) and computer programmer. We are highly experienced pet/house/farm/ sitters. We own our own small hobby farm with horses, rescued dogs, and cats and have had chickens, ducks,goats, guinea hens, guinea pigs, ...
We are a couple of 50-somethings w all kids recently gone to university who work remotely from home as a marine biologist (whales/dolphins) and computer programmer. We are highly experienced pet/house/farm/ sitters. We own our own small hobby farm with horses, rescued dogs, and cats and have had chickens, ducks,goats, guinea hens, guinea pigs, parakeets, rabbits, small animals etc. We LOVE ANIMALS and are super experienced with them. We have renters on our property who take care of our farm so we can now travel. Mari (I) am fluent in French and English and we speak some Spanish. I lived several years in France, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand and have traveled the world studying whales and dolphins with my own science consulting firm--see www.smulteasciences.com, as has my partner Dave. We have taken care of dogs and horses for a work away in Portugal several times for 3-6 weeks at a time, have pet sitted for family and friends, and of course have taken care of our own animals for >30 yrs and I grew up on a small farm. We are super friendly, laid back, responsible, and intelligent and educated. We prefer staying in places for awhile when we travel to get to know the community and people and culture. We are open to a minimum of 1 week to up to ~2 months to house/pet sit. We would LOVE to find a home where we can also ride horses (we compete in endurance horse riding near Seattle WA and have Arabians and other crossbreeds). We are happy to provide references but if you search our names on the internet you will see we are well-established scientists with excellent reputations :). We are excited to pet sit but also relax and work from wherever we pet sit. Internet is a requirement for our work, but we could also access it from a local cafe.
Why we want to house sit
We want to pet/house sit to: (1) travel in a way that lets us get to know communities/areas/people/cultures for an extended period; (2) we love animals (we have 6 dogs, 4 horses, 2 cats and a goat of our own who will be cared for by our renter--and if we like doing this, we may open our place to pet/housesitters outside Seattle); (3) it's an economical way to travel; (4) we love exploring, travel, and meeting new people and animals; and (5) did I say we love animals and also volunteer for a rescue organization for dogs/cats and have rescued horses, dogs, cats, goats, ducks, chickens, pet rats, birds, etc, our whole lives? :)
Our experience
1) we own our own small hobby farm with 4 horses (ages 9-31), 6 rescued dogs, 2 rescued cats, a rescued goat (that our renter will care for while we travel)
2) I grew up on a small farm and have lived on small farms a total of 30+ years! I have had a myriad of animals including horses, cows, goats, ducks, chickens, guinea hens, pet rats/hamsters/fish/mice/parakeets/canaries/finches/reptiles (eg tortoise and turtles, snakes) and know how to recognize sick animals, how to administer medication, how to cuddle and feed and hug/love them.
3) We are outdoor enthusiasts and fit and healthy. We love to walk, hike, cycle, mt bike, ride horses, ski, etc. so we are more than HAPPY to take dogs on walks etc.
4) We work from home and can do so anywhere, so we are flexible on where we live and when we work. We both own our own small successful businesses involved with animals (whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, sea turtles, seabirds, etc.). I mostly write reports and occasionally do fieldwork but these days I relegate trips to my employees who also work from home.
5) We did petsitting through a different service on a small Portugese horse farm where we helped care for10 horses and 6 dogs on four different occasions because we loved it so much. We have pet sitted a small farm/ranch in Bend OR for a month taking care of 3 horses and 1 elderly dog plus watering the garden/irrigation of pastures.
6) Dave is a computer expert with his own business (see www. Mysticetus.com) and handyman and can fix things around the house and farm. He is also a former Iron Man 6 times over and each year we cycle 800 km across remote Oregon, US. We love to cycle both road cycling and mt biking.
7) We are easy going, flexible, friendly, laid back and animals love us and we love them.
8) We are financially secure and can afford to fly to pet sit locations and feed ourselves and rent a car if necessary (but would prefer not to if you can provide a car, great).
About Mari & Dave
We are a couple of 50-somethings w all kids recently gone to university who work remotely from home as a marine biologist (whales/dolphins) and computer programmer. We are highly experienced pet/house/farm/ sitters. We own our own small hobby farm with horses, rescued dogs, and cats and have had chickens, ducks,goats, guinea hens, guinea pigs, parakeets, rabbits, small animals etc. We LOVE ANIMALS and are super experienced with them. We have renters on our property who take care of our farm so we can now travel. Mari (I) am fluent in French and English and we speak some Spanish. I lived several years in France, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand and have traveled the world studying whales and dolphins with my own science consulting firm--see www.smulteasciences.com, as has my partner Dave. We have taken care of dogs and horses for a work away in Portugal several times for 3-6 we......
We are a couple of 50-somethings w all kids recently gone to university who work remotely from home as a marine biologist (whales/dolphins) and computer programmer. We are highly experienced pet/house/farm/ sitters. We own our own small hobby farm with horses, rescued dogs, and cats and have had chickens, ducks,goats, guinea hens, guinea pigs, parakeets, rabbits, small animals etc. We LOVE ANIMALS and are super experienced with them. We have renters on our property who take care of our farm so we can now travel. Mari (I) am fluent in French and English and we speak some Spanish. I lived several years in France, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand and have traveled the world studying whales and dolphins with my own science consulting firm--see www.smulteasciences.com, as has my partner Dave. We have taken care of dogs and horses for a work away in Portugal several times for 3-6 weeks at a time, have pet sitted for family and friends, and of course have taken care of our own animals for >30 yrs and I grew up on a small farm. We are super friendly, laid back, responsible, and intelligent and educated. We prefer staying in places for awhile when we travel to get to know the community and people and culture. We are open to a minimum of 1 week to up to ~2 months to house/pet sit. We would LOVE to find a home where we can also ride horses (we compete in endurance horse riding near Seattle WA and have Arabians and other crossbreeds). We are happy to provide references but if you search our names on the internet you will see we are well-established scientists with excellent reputations :). We are excited to pet sit but also relax and work from wherever we pet sit. Internet is a requirement for our work, but we could also access it from a local cafe.
Why we want to house sit
We want to pet/house sit to: (1) travel in a way that lets us get to know communities/areas/people/cultures for an extended period; (2) we love animals (we have 6 dogs, 4 horses, 2 cats and a goat of our own who will be cared for by our renter--and if we like doing this, we may open our place to pet/housesitters outside Seattle); (3) it's an economical way to travel; (4) we love exploring, travel, and meeting new people and animals; and (5) did I say we love animals and also volunteer for a rescue organization for dogs/cats and have rescued horses, dogs, cats, goats, ducks, chickens, pet rats, birds, etc, our whole lives? :)
Our experience
1) we own our own small hobby farm with 4 horses (ages 9-31), 6 rescued dogs, 2 rescued cats, a rescued goat (that our renter will care for while we travel)
2) I grew up on a small farm and have lived on small farms a total of 30+ years! I have had a myriad of animals including horses, cows, goats, ducks, chickens, guinea hens, pet rats/hamsters/fish/mice/parakeets/canaries/finches/reptiles (eg tortoise and turtles, snakes) and know how to recognize sick animals, how to administer medication, how to cuddle and feed and hug/love them.
3) We are outdoor enthusiasts and fit and healthy. We love to walk, hike, cycle, mt bike, ride horses, ski, etc. so we are more than HAPPY to take dogs on walks etc.
4) We work from home and can do so anywhere, so we are flexible on where we live and when we work. We both own our own small successful businesses involved with animals (whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, sea turtles, seabirds, etc.). I mostly write reports and occasionally do fieldwork but these days I relegate trips to my employees who also work from home.
5) We did petsitting through a different service on a small Portugese horse farm where we helped care for10 horses and 6 dogs on four different occasions because we loved it so much. We have pet sitted a small farm/ranch in Bend OR for a month taking care of 3 horses and 1 elderly dog plus watering the garden/irrigation of pastures.
6) Dave is a computer expert with his own business (see www. Mysticetus.com) and handyman and can fix things around the house and farm. He is also a former Iron Man 6 times over and each year we cycle 800 km across remote Oregon, US. We love to cycle both road cycling and mt biking.
7) We are easy going, flexible, friendly, laid back and animals love us and we love them.
8) We are financially secure and can afford to fly to pet sit locations and feed ourselves and rent a car if necessary (but would prefer not to if you can provide a car, great).
Verifications
Animal Care Experience
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Dogs
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Cats
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Reptiles
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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
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Small pet
Availability
Preferred Countries
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
