Kia ora!

My name is Grace and I really enjoy exercising, of course with the occasional lie down next to the fire! As a nature enthusiast and a geologist, New Zealand has been incredible. I love exploring the new areas we come across, and painting them as pictures along our journey. That being said, we do miss our home, and we would especially fly back there tomorrow to spend the whole day spoiling and tiring out our springer and collie, Maysie and Scout!

As a respectable person, I enjoy keeping homes clean, especially if they are not mine! And if that involves living and caring for your pets, that just puts the cherry on top. As the kind of people we are, our approach to meeting our new companions are to steadily develop a bond, by letting them come to us in their own time, until they realise that we are not scary.

Prior to this website, Henry (my partner) and I did lots of our own pet sitting, around Christchurch, where we were living for 5 months. This involved willingly providing my full attention to the dogs I sat for (until they had enough of me).

• We went on fun trips to dog parks; plenty of long or short walks to the beach and woods; but also kept them entertained in the garden with ball games or tug-a-war.
• Certain dogs required prescribed oral medication for thyroid problems or anxiety. These, we would hide in their bowls at the owners specified times, paying close attention to ensure they ate it and got better.
• For the energetic kind, we liked to keep their mind sharp and scatter their morning biscuits for them to sniff out, teach them tricks daily, or play hide and seek before bed!
• And of course, they all had the necessary amount of cuddles throughout the day, especially those who need that extra comfort when their parents are away.
• But no matter what, we would always ensure that the owners instructions were followed. And lots of our sits included a routine, which we tend to stick to, ensuring the dogs don't get anxious from steering off path to what they are used to.

Having house-sat and cared for a variety of different breeds (requiring different needs), the list comprises of springer spaniels; labradors; collies; shi tzus; miniture poodles; bernease mountain dog; and a staffy. We thought we would try out Pawshake, as it fits in well with our relaxed van life. From our experience, it is such a joy building a loving and trusting bond with the owners pets, and of course with the owners themselves. Having been away from our own pets, it's been so lovely to have the opportunity to care for someone else's... what an amazing job to have.

An additional note:

Our experience extends onto caring for several cats but also farm animals (having each grown up on a farm). So we are open to house sit for any pets, making sure we take extra special care of them, however you would like us to! After all, if you are on your own holiday then they also deserve a little pamper of their own.