-Our Three Pet Sitting Adventures in Australia
I have always been surrounded by animals. Even when my parents didn't agree to me having a pet, I would still bring home a stray dog, cat, wild bird, or something else. It was my parents' nightmare having me as a child, but it was my deepest passion and joy – I always thought about helping animals in need first and dealt with the consequences of taking one home to my family later.
As I got older, I understood their hesitation about me coming home with a new creature almost every day. Eventually, I stopped as new interests emerged and my teenage years brought other things (mostly boys and partying with my girlfriends). But the flame of love for animals never died – I always wanted more of them in my life.
Life has its own sense of humor though. I married a guy who's allergic to almost everything that breathes, so having a pet with him was quite the pickle. Our children are just like me: absolutely crazy about all forms of life. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as they say.
We've made it work by volunteering with animals as much as possible, across different corners of the world: caring for small farm animals in Guatemala and helping with puppies and kittens there, walking dogs every day in the scorching heat of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, successfully raising three batches of kittens as a foster family in Denmark last year, and taking care of various animals for our families and friends.
Still, the yearning in our children's hearts never grew smaller – they continue to dream about the many animals they want to adopt, have, help, and nurture. But how do you take a horse on an international trip? Or a snake? I know there are ways, but we don't want to complicate our life needing to care for more than ourselves. So we left our beloved dog with the kids' grandparents, and we miss her dearly.
Pet sitting emerged as an unexpected answer – the kind you discover when you're not quite sure how to offer anything better. But what I didn't realize was that pet sitting would bring so many more benefits than the obvious ones.
The journey began when we were in Japan in April. I created our profile, gathered recommendations from friends and former colleagues (since we didn't have any pet sitting references), and started applying. We hadn't even planned on visiting Australia before I began searching areas with plenty of pet sitting options. As we were heading to Bali first, Australia seemed within reach. I spent countless hours looking, planning, and applying. For every pet sit we eventually got, I faced perhaps ten rejections. There was one unpleasant experience with an application, but in the end, we secured three very different pet sits and places to stay.
While we knew little about the areas we were heading to, reality exceeded any expectations we might have had. What we learned for certain is that we won't apply for stays shorter than two weeks. We arrived in Melbourne in early September, initially planning to stay in that area of Australia, but our last pet sit took us closer to Perth, so we bought plane tickets and moved to Western Australia in early October. We spent about 16-17 days at each location, which proved to be perfect.
Our first pet sitting adventure took place in Sunbury, a Melbourne suburb, in a cozy family house with a wonderful young dog. We cherished our twice-daily walks with her in the nearby park and included her in our nature expeditions. She was fantastic with the kids, eager to learn tricks, and brought so much joy to our days. Sunbury itself was delightful – we made several trips to Melbourne and explored the surrounding nature parks, spotted countless kangaroos and wildlife, and rediscovered how much we missed having a proper home instead of just an Airbnb. I returned to baking, the kids reveled in helping prepare meals, and we even formed brief but sweet connections with neighbors and their children.
From there, we journeyed to the Mornington Peninsula. The drive alone felt like stepping into a postcard – Mornington has become our favorite area by far. The vast natural beauty, lush greenery, parks, and stunning beaches offered us a taste of everything. But what made it truly special were our amazing hosts and their pets. The welcome we received was overwhelming – their children instantly bonded with ours, playing together until their departure. We shared dinners and felt their genuine desire to make us feel at home. And we did. While we loved the house, playground, and pool, our greatest joy came from caring for two Labradors and a cat. Having multiple pets again felt like coming home – one dog was elderly and needed medication, but they were both incredibly sweet and friendly, following us around like loyal shadows. We took long walks with the younger dog, played with the kitten, and spent most of our time simply enjoying their property – jumping on the trampoline, swimming in the pool, having movie nights, and exploring Mornington. The kindness shown to us by the pet owners left my heart overflowing with gratitude, and I wondered how any future stay could possibly match this experience.
Our final destination in inland Western Australia presented a completely different face of the country, but we welcomed the return to Perth's time zone and the chance to experience another side of Australia. Our third pet sit was on a magnificent 26-acre property in a house that felt plucked from a dream. This time, we cared for a small, adorable dog who remarkably resembled our own pet back home. The property also housed 50 sheep, bringing something entirely new to our traveling lifestyle: slowness, peace, and deep connections – with ourselves and each other. Time seemed to stand still in those precious moments. We prepared countless homemade meals from scratch, savored coffee with our bare feet in the grass beneath towering trees, and I enjoyed breathtaking morning walks with the dog around the property.
Here, each sunrise painted the sky differently, each one more beautiful than the last. The nights were so dark that stardust and nebulae revealed themselves, and the wildlife so abundant that each day brought new discoveries. Our children roamed barefoot, collecting bones and feathers, playing warriors and sheep dogs, and hiding among the vast spaces. This was freedom in its purest form.
As I reflect on our pet sitting journey, I'm filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and wonder. We've discovered a way of traveling that feels like coming home again and again, each time to a new adventure. The experiences we've gained, the memories we've created, and the deep bonds we've formed – both with animals and their humans – have enriched our lives in ways we never imagined possible. We've found ourselves saying more than once, "Pinch me, I must be dreaming."
This journey has taught us that sometimes the best adventures come from opening your heart to new possibilities, from saying yes to the unknown, and from being willing to care for others' beloved pets as if they were your own. As we look to the future, we can hardly imagine traveling any other way. The magic of pet sitting has shown us that home isn't just a place – it's wherever you find hearts to love and creatures to care for.
Comments