Ian & Josée

We are “young retirees” who are quiet, respectful and responsible non-smokers.

We both had pets growing up. These were all greatly loved members of the family. Ever since getting married in 1994, we have had either a dog or two dogs. These noble beasts were our life-long companions, joining us for many a hike, canoe trip, or mountain climb. We recently lost our fourteen year-old German Shepherd cross who was easily the strangest but sweetest dog we have ever had in our lives. As sad as that was, her departure now allows us to undertake a lifelong dream: discover New Zealand!

In addition to our own 30 years of experience loving and caring for dogs, we have also taken care of friends pets, sometimes for extended periods of time. While we are very much dog people, we also enjoy cats and rodents and other furry friends. Via another international housesitting platform, we have accumulated an excellent track record of housesits. All told, we have taken care of 10 dogs and 3 cats over 8 stays. We gave them all a lot of love and took great care of them. We would do everything possible to make sure your fur-babies were healthy and happy.

Ian retired from a successful career in Canada’s diplomatic corps and served on four postings abroad. He is currently working on his ninth novel. If you want to check out his writing, please contact us for a link.

Josée was a senior manager in Canada’s environment ministry, taking us to Atlantic Canada and Montreal for her work. Josée has a green thumb, so she knows how to take care of house plants and gardens. That said, she is not a professional gardener and cannot take care of a large garden requiring a great deal of work (we are *retired* after all).

We will be in New Zealand between January 23, and April 23, 2025. We have already purchased our flights and have secured a housesitter to take care of our home in Canada while we are away. Furthermore, we have also secured four housesits in Australia between mid-October 2024 and mid-January 2025.

You can count on us! We look forward to taking care of Kiwi pets.