Pet-sitting was her ticket to see the world

Pet-sitting was her ticket to see the world

By ELIZABETH LARSEN, Star Tribune

January 25, 2009

Last June, Minneapolis native Anne Estes sold her car and all her furniture and decided to see the world. Her budget was tight, so she decided to make her dollars go further by trading free lodging in exchange for pet-sitting. That's right: Estes financed her adventures by looking after a dog, a cat, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. So far, she's had two monthlong gigs in rural Ireland and London, but we caught up with her in Buenos Aires, where she's taking a break from the animals while enjoying the Argentine summer and learning Spanish.

You can read about her adventures on her blog, www.globetrottinganne.blogspot.com.

Q How did you get the idea to finance your travels by taking care of other people's pets?

A A few summers ago, I spent some time volunteering on an organic sheep ranch in Cut Bank, Montana, a position I found through the Caretaker Gazette website . I took what I learned from that experience and applied it to my next endeavor: house-sitting in a better-researched location while the owner is away. I also checked housecarers. com and began applying to any "job" that looked interesting. My experience on the ranch enabled me to assure pet owners that I was quite capable. It turned out that I only heard back from pet owners, thus turning me into a pet sitter. So far I have pet-sat in Ireland, in a small town called Kinvarra, near Galway, where I tended to rabbits, a guinea pig and 11 chickens. In London, I took care of a dog and a cat.

Q What's it like taking care of someone else's pets?

A With pet-sitting, you are stepping into the pet owner's life, which can be an odd sensation for the first few days. In Ireland, the owners' home was a quaint little cottage where I made myself at home, but it was in a rural location and I felt quite isolated. It took me a few days to even build up the confidence to walk on the road (a few people were hit and killed by motorists in the area during the pet-sit, so this wasn't just paranoia). So while I was adjusting to the country life, I was also getting into the swing of things with the animals. At first, I found the chickens rather annoying -- they would follow me everywhere, thinking I had food, balking loudly; they would try to come into the house. If I sat outside to read, they would perch themselves all over the lawn chair. But as time wore on, I was very thankful for these chickens -- they laid their eggs willingly, every day, only to have them taken away and enjoyed by everyone.

My pet-sit in London was completely different. I was staying in a flat in the middle of the hustle and bustle. It was more of a job since I obviously had to play a very active role in caring for the animals. At first I found this a little annoying; I suddenly had to walk the dog several times a day and if I slacked on my duties, I felt extremely guilty. But he became my little companion. The London cat was a Himalayan and the more I got to know him, the more he bugged me. He was very dominant and would wrestle with the dog and hit my face with his paws if he wanted to wake me up or eat my yogurt.

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