A couple sold almost all of their worldly possessions so they can travel the world and pet sit. Julie and Jonathan Ashworth both agree they're living the dream after finding a job they both absolutely love.
They get to stay in some wonderful home all over the globe for free, while the owners travel and can have peace of mind that their pets are being looked after. The international pet sitters have cared for dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, sheep, ducks and chickens.
Julie and Jonathan have lived in nine countries since 2017, including America, Australia, Thailand and Spain. The couple - who run an online holiday rental business – estimate they spend £10,000 a year between them.
The pair have four grown children and say the decision to embark on the adventure was easy to make, seeing as they no longer had any animals of their own and were keen to try something new.
They both gave up their jobs in 2016 and sold their home, From there, they opened up a holiday rental firm in Spain.
Speaking from Sydney, former property manager Jonathan told The Mirror: “We are living the dream – exploring parts of the world that we could never afford without pet sitting. The pets are such a huge part of the journey for us, too.”
It was during a three-month break to Thailand that they signed up to a firm called Trusted Housesitters. The couple paid £99 to create a profile on the site, allowing them to combine their love of animals with their dream of travelling full-time.
Julie says: “Realising we could pet sit and travel was like music to our ears.” Their first job, in February 2018, was to look after a Pyrenean mountain dog called Txuri in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
“It was the best first experience we could have had,” Julie recalls. “We spent five weeks in this beautiful house with
this beautiful dog and we are still friends with the lovely lady now.”
Then came bookings in Norfolk, Cornwall and Wales. Julie says: “One of our favourite places was in Norfolk – a really big cottage with lots of grounds and a KuneKune pig called Venus who loved belly rubs.
“There was a horse too, Patsy, and some ducks. I would walk down the field and Patsy would be walking beside me and Venus the pig would be waddling on the other side!”
After ticking off 30 different properties in the UK, the couple decided to go global in October 2019. They headed to California for three months to stay in a four-bed home in San Francisco with a “goofy” Samoyed dog called Mookie.
One of their most challenging jobs was in Santa Monica. Julie recalls: “We had Kai, who was this big pitbull/German shepherd cross and he was just running around everywhere. He was so anxious – and he did go for us once. But we took our time and showed him lots of love and by the end of the week, he was so good, it brought tears to our eyes.”
The pair then squeezed in stays in San Diego, Palm Springs, Yosemite, Las Vegas and Death Valley before flying to Spain to care for two elderly Ridgebacks for seven weeks. When the pandemic forced them to return to the UK in March 2020, they borrowed a caravan in Norfolk.
Julie says: “Our website collapsed because it was to do with travel so we got some work in supermarkets, delivering to the vulnerable. “But by the end of July, the UK had opened up a little and we resumed pet sitting in Norfolk and Scotland with some lovely little dogs.”
When restrictions changed again, the couple bought a tent and camped in Scotland for a few months, before getting back to work. Julie says: “We had a ten-week sit in Wales with this beautiful dog called Blue in a seven-bed home before heading back to the caravan for the rest of lockdown.”
The pair were desperate to start travelling again though and, once restrictions eased, organised pet sits in France and Spain before heading to Australia to meet their first grandson, Frankie. Julie says: “We stayed with family for two weeks before going to a property with a cavapoo called Charcoal for seven weeks. It saved us £7,000 on rent.”
The couple came back to the UK last year but enjoyed a two-month job in Thailand in November. “It was incredible,” says Julie.
“We cared for a little beagle, who was the sweetest pup and a lovely kitty.” Julie and Jonathan are now back in Australia visiting family but are already making more plans to pet sit – and they’re not the only ones.
Dr Hayley Stainton, founder of Tourism Teacher, says there has been a steady increase in the number of people travelling to look after animals in the last few years. She adds: “People are going on trips that they couldn’t otherwise afford because of pet sitting. It gives them a more authentic experience, too.”
Find out more about Julie and Jonathan at theglobalpetsitters.com
