Kennel-Free Peace of Mind: How to Find the Best Pet and House-Sitters in Canada (and Beyond)

For many years, we used house-sitting as a means to travel the world. Not only do we estimate saving multiple tens of thousands of dollars on accommodations (we were nomadic for almost 8 years!), but house-sitting also offered us truly unique and intimate travel experiences. Like, getting invited to a wedding in rural Türkiye during a three-month house-sit there, or exploring every possible scenic dog walk route in a small, mountainous New Zealand town.

But now, the script has flipped. Pete and I have settled in Nova Scotia, and our adopted cat Rafa has made our house a home. With the travel bug still itching us routinely, we needed to find a way to ensure that he, our century-home, and my 20+ plants are cared for while we are on the move.

Drawing on our experiences as house-sitters, we have employed various methods to find caring people who can either drop in to check on Rafa or stay over for multiple nights. After doing this for several years, we decided it was time to share our knowledge with you (focusing mainly on how to find house-sitters in Canada).

A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Reliable Sitters

It wasn’t long after we got Rafa that we needed to travel for a few days for work. It also wasn’t long after we moved into our new community, and at the time, we knew very few people locally. 

One friend travelled across the province to stay with him for that trip, but we knew we couldn’t rely on her generosity forever. That’s when we started digging into our options and tried a variety of methods. Most were successful, to some degree, and all options are outlined below.

How to Find Quality House or Pet Sitters

Via Word of Mouth

If you are looking for a trusted house-sitter, this should be your first option, wherever possible. Good people who know other good people will usually result in qualified sitters who will take the best care of your beloved pets and home.

For us, because we are routinely shipping our travel game, we’ve gotten to know the lady at the post office well. She knew our situation and suggested another lady who lived close, and was likely open to pet-sitting, including overnight stays. She put us in touch, and we set up a meeting. 

Now, Jane is our regular cat-sitter for when we take short-term trips! However, she isn’t always available, nor is she interested in longer-term stays. That’s when we have to look elsewhere.

Rover

Before meeting Jane, we tried out the Rover app.

The app is easy to use. After downloading it, we quickly found several potential sitters in our area. We created our profile and reached out to two of them with our requirements. Before we knew it, we were chatting with Fred, and he committed to dropping in on Rafa twice a day for the two nights we were away.

Fred “checked in” via the app when he arrived, and sent a photo and summary as he was leaving. He did everything we asked, and we invited Fred back a couple more times during overnight trips. If Jane is unavailable for a short sit, we will probably hire Fred again.

A few key things about Rover:

• It can certainly be a bit unnerving to invite a total stranger into your home, but there were aspects about using Rover that can help settle that: Every sitter goes through a background check, there’s 24/7 support, and there is also a financial guarantee if something goes wrong. The app recommends meeting up in person before committing (which we totally agree with), but we were short on time when we needed Fred the first time.

• Fees for the service are set by each caregiver, and for our area, they currently range from $23 to $35 per drop-in (and $45 to $78 per overnight).

Local Facebook Groups

As I’m sure everyone knows by now, there are Facebook groups for nearly EVERY topic. To find those related to house-sitting in your area, try searching for different keywords: pet-sitting, house-sitting, pet care, dog walkers, etc. We have had success in this larger, Canada-wide group, but we also keep our eye on regional ones (like this Annapolis Valley group). Even if the group isn’t specifically about house or pet-sitting, as long as it refers to “pet care” as a whole, then it’s likely they will accept posts if you are looking for a pet-sitter.

The key to posting in such groups is to: 

• Keep your post brief, highlighting only the most important aspects (broad details about the area, the pets, your house). DON’T give out any information that is too specific. Example:

• Be prepared for an influx of messages. Even if you ask people to only comment on the post itself, some will undoubtedly slide into your DMs. It’s best to publish it when you’ve got some time to filter through the quick responses (i.e. don’t post and then go offline for a couple of days).

• If anyone catches your interest, continue the conversation via messenger until you’re ready to take it to a phone call. We ALWAYS suggest a video call; you can tell a lot about a person based on how they communicate.

• Note that there is likely a mix of paid/unpaid sitters in these groups. Paid sitters are typically local and do it as a side-hustle, while unpaid sitters may come from further away and will do it for the pleasure of treating the experience somewhat like a vacation.

The first time we used the Canada-wide group, we found a retired couple from within Nova Scotia to take care of Rafa while we went to Panama. The second time we used it, we didn’t have as much luck — several people were interested, but none that we really clicked with. That’s when we turned to House Sitters Canada.

House Sitters Canada

We’ve used the House Sitters Canada platform three times, with excellent experiences on two occasions (though we received zero responses on one occasion). The sitters we met via this website have been of the highest quality; we attribute this to their desire to receive positive reviews which will help them be successful in securing future house-sits. Both times, the sitters requested no per-night payment, although we did cover one couple’s fuel costs to get to/from our house, at their request.

Now that we have had such good experiences with House Sitters Canada, it will probably be our first choice in the future (if Jane is unavailable). 

Some key points about House Sitters Canada:

• Although this website attracts house-sitters from abroad, the majority appear to be from within Canada. This is beneficial for us because it likely means they will come with their own car. While we are not opposed to anyone using our vehicle, it is much more convenient for us if they bring their own.

• Among the larger house-sitting platforms, House Sitters Canada is relatively inexpensive. House-sitters pay just $59/year to join the platform, and homeowners pay a one-time fee of $29.

• The vast majority of the time, house-sitters via this site will take care of your pets for free in exchange for staying rent-free (as previously mentioned, they will likely view it as a vacation, or at least a chance to explore a new area). Some potential sitters may ask for payment, however.

Other House-Sitting Platforms

There are several global platforms that have been around for a long time now. During our nomadic globetrotting days, we used them regularly to find house-sits across the world. While we would certainly trust them to provide quality house-sitters for us now, we prefer to try the more local options first. However, we wanted to include them here for your perusal, in the order in which we would try them:

• Nomador.com. We know the Nomador team quite well, as they were actually our clients for many years (we handled all of the social media plus some other marketing activities). We trust them implicitly to always put their members’ well-being first. While they are noted primarily for their strong presence in Europe, they also have good reach into North America. Plans for homeowners on the platform range from $55/quarter to $305/year, depending on the perks you want with membership (i.e. “home protection” insurance, priority placement of your listing, etc.).

• TrustedHousesitters.com. This platform has the highest reach, including a solid presence in Canada. For homeowner membership, plans range from $199 to $399/year.

• MindMyHouse.com. This is one of the smaller global platforms, but it’s also the cheapest as it provides fewer protections and adjacent services. Both homeowners and house-sitters can join for a one-time fee of $40.

Choosing a House-Sitter, and Setting Yourself Up For Success

No matter what method you choose to find a pet or house-sitter in Canada, here are some tips to increase your chances:

• Share good photos of your house and pets. Whether in a Facebook group or on an online platform, accurately depict what a house-sitter will walk into. Include a sweet photo of your pet, decluttered and clean rooms in your house, and even scenic shots of your view and of the area where you live.

• Be honest. Does your high-energy dog need multiple walks a day? Does your cat require medication that is difficult to give? How good (or bad) is your WiFi? Do you have a massive lawn that needs tending to? These are all things that will significantly impact the house-sitter and, if unexpected, can quickly turn a good house-sit into a bad one.

• Consider what is most important to you, and let that drive the questions you will ask. Despite our years of experience with house-sitting, we still made some simple mistakes when we first started looking for house-sitters.
  
  Namely, with one couple, we didn’t stress the importance of showering Rafa with the love he is accustomed to. As a result, we came home to a pet who, despite being otherwise well cared for, was starved for attention. The couple had defaulted to letting him dictate the terms of their relationship; while this can work for most cats, Rafa is typically quite shy until new people make an effort to show they can be trusted. It was our fault for not making it sufficiently clear how they could win Rafa over. We did not make that mistake again, and we discuss this with every potential pet-sitter up front.
  
  Other things that make our top-priority list: people who can bring their own vehicle and are also skilled at dealing with older homes (and the problems that can arise). As we’ve learned with experience, defining this specific list up front can help you land on your ideal sitter more quickly.

• Don’t skip the interview. Be prepared with a list of questions, and exhaust every possible angle. Also, be prepared to answer some yourself; not only are you assessing if these potential house-sitters are a good fit, but they will be assessing you, too. Yes, you are opening your home, but they also need to trust that you will provide a safe and comfortable space for them to live. Asking for references is also acceptable, and don’t be surprised if they ask you for the same. And if they ask, be ready to share more photos or even a video tour of your house.

• Overall, trust your gut. You are about to turn over your home and beloved fur babies to a complete stranger – so trust your “spidey senses” every step of the way. Don’t be afraid to say no, even if you can’t pinpoint exactly why you want to.

You’ve Chosen a House-Sitter…Now What?

Before you finally confirm the arrangement, consider all of the important details. Is every item on your top-priority list checked? Have you confirmed dates, including when they will arrive and leave (consider that a day handover on each end is typical)? Have they passed “the vibe check”? If you answer YES to all of these questions, then send off your final confirmation, get everything in writing, and start planning for the rest of your upcoming travels! 

A few points on what to do next:

• Consider a formal contract. Here’s the thing about contracts: in truth, they are only as strong as your will to enforce them. Which means that you will likely only use them if your house-sitter is negligent and something catastrophic happens (which is unlikely). However, contracts also serve to ensure that everyone is on the same page (literally!) about the important details of your arrangement. All of the major house-sitting websites have downloadable terms that you can use.

• Create and print a “house-sitting guide”. This should serve as a resource for them while you are gone. Include such things as: important contacts and phone numbers, emergency information (hospitals, etc.), pet care details, plant or lawn care details, instructions for handling mail or deliveries, garbage pick-up schedule, and even quirky details about maintaining your house if necessary. Our house-sitting guide actually exists as a Google document so that we can share it with the sitters ahead of their visit, and they can arrive prepared with questions.

• Make sure you are well-stocked with necessities. This includes pet food, lawn fertilizer, etc. so they won’t be out of pocket. We also like to have some simple food items available for them (milk, eggs, bread, etc.) so that they have something on-hand before they get to the grocery store.

• Make them feel at home when they arrive! Make space in a dresser or closet (especially for long-term stays). Also, ensure that your house is spotless before they arrive – this will also set the expectation for how you want your home to be when you return.

• Introduce them to your neighbours, and give a tour of the local area. Show them where the mailbox is, take them to the nearest grocery store, and more. You want them to acclimate quickly and have them feel at ease before you leave. The quicker that they settle in, the happier they will be.

• Define when to give updates. I love getting regular photos of Rafa, especially those that show him at ease and comfortable with his pet-sitters – those photos make me feel much better about leaving him behind. However, we once pet-sat for a lady who didn’t want to hear from us at all during our six-week stay! This is a personal preference that you should discuss with your sitter(s) before you leave.

And once you’ve handed over the keys and your house is in the rearview mirror, you can rest assured you’ve done everything possible to leave your home and fur babies in the best hands.

Go enjoy your travels!!

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