In 2020/2021 pet ownership levels soared to an unprecedented high of 59% due to the pandemic and more people spending time at home. More than half of UK (United Kingdom) households own at least one pet, with an estimated 12 million dogs and 12 million cats living in homes.
But what happens when pet owners go on holiday?
Homesitters Ltd, a leading UK home and pet sitting company, says it has led to a spike in demand for their services and they are seeking new homesitters to join them.
Benjamin Irvine, Director of Business Operations at Homesitters Ltd says: “People are spending more on the welfare of their pets and want to ensure they are well looked after when they go on holiday.
“We’re seeing bookings increase and we’re now recruiting new homesitters to meet this demand. We are looking for active retired people who love pets and travelling and want to earn some money to supplement their retirement income.”
Home and pet sitting also offers people the chance to get their ‘animal fix’ and spend time caring for other people’s pets. Many couples also enjoy homesitting because they get the chance to spend more time together, earn some extra money and discover new places in the UK.
For many, the chance to become a pet sitter sounds like a dream job.
Anita and Norman Prior from Tamworth in Staffordshire decided to become homesitters in 2018 after taking early retirement in their 50s following their careers in the Royal Air Force.
This adventurous couple live on a houseboat near Tamworth. They love animals and when their pet spaniel died in 2015, they could not face getting another dog, but decided they would be happy looking after other people’s dogs instead.
Since joining Homesitters, they have travelled all over the UK on assignments and looked after many pets including twelve dogs, three cats, three donkeys and a lake full of wildfowl.
They love the variety of their role – whether that is staying in peaceful rural locations where they can go for walks in the countryside or taking a city break in London where they can visit new attractions, try different foods and meet interesting people.
Anita says, “We’ve looked after many different dogs, and enjoy getting to know their personalities. Some owners like to keep in touch while they are away, and we will send them photos of the dogs so they can see what they have been up to.
“We have stayed in beautiful homes in gorgeous locations and there’s always something different to do. We have our pensions which we can live on quite comfortably, but our earnings from homesitting enables us to enjoy life just that little bit more.”
Retired couple Martin and Kristine Bell from Collingham, near Newark in Nottinghamshire are also employed by Homesitters. Martin says: “You’d be surprised how many people aren’t aware that home and pet sitting is a real job, and we’d recommend it to anyone who is retired. How else would you get the opportunity to stay in different homes and experience other people’s pets and lifestyles and not have to pay lots of money to do it?”
Homesitters Ltd is looking for reliable and responsible people who want to join the pet and home sitting team and take advantage of the many benefits of homesitting and enjoy a new way of life, living in other people’s homes and seeing new places.
For more information about Homesitters Ltd please visit: www.homesitters.co.uk