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Showing posts with label security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label security. Show all posts

Friday, March 26, 2010

House Sitter Wanted – How to Find a House Sitter

If you are one of the many home owners that has been the victim of burglary, or you are the owner of a pet with special needs (aren’t they all?), or you simply worry what will happen to your home and/or pet(s) in your absence, you know what it is like to be unable to completely relax and enjoy your hard earned holiday.

You may have arrived home to the aftermath of irresponsible relatives who were supposed to be taking care of your home in your absence and haven’t quite lived up to their end of the bargain. You could have forked out hundreds, if not thousands for pet boarding only to be unable to stop worrying about how they are the whole time, or for them to come back different pets, perhaps even with ticks or fleas (or worse).

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

I am one of the many people out there who are willing to make it their full time jobs to keep your home clean, love your pets (almost) as much as you do, make sure your home looks ‘lived in’ at all times, all this and more for (what I feel) is a small price to pay per day. I am willing to provide daily reports (email, sms, phone calls) about the kids with tails (or fins, or feathers, or scales), chat with your neighbours as if they were my own and forward your mail to wherever you happen to be living it up on the planet.

No longer do you need to lie awake in your hotel room fretting your skittish elderly cat isn’t coming in to eat at night, because you have chosen a cat lover with experience medicating cats due to having to do so with her own. Someone is there to make sure your dogs get their little jackets on if it starts to rain when out walking, because you have chosen someone who has had previous clients with similar needs.

“Who is this angels of mercy?” I hear you cry. “How do I get this wonderful person to come and take care of my wonderful home and precious pets while I am away?!”

With the advent of the internet making this world a whole lot smaller, you are now able to communicate via the magic of my website, facebook, twitter or email and get in touch with me to fulfill your needs.

When you use my day stay, overnight or live in house sitter services in return, I give you the opportunity to fully appreciate your holiday, join in that Conga line and fully enjoy yourself to the best of your abilities!

It is the least I can do !

Try this. Calculate how much you think it will cost you to pay each week if you were to hire a pet sitter to visit twice a day for 30mins or longer (or the fuel + time costs involved in having to transport your animals to boarding facilities or kennels). This can be quite expensive for multiple pet households! It is part of the territory for an experienced house sitter (like myself) to take care of everything and I am more than happy to do so. It becomes my full time job as your house sitter to take this weight off your mind and ensure the highest level of security, safety and wellbeing of your home and pets.

As a professional house sitter I have police clearances, my driver’s license available for inspection, a contract you must sign and references (available upon request) all ready to go so I can do what I am there for – to make sure you have absolute peace of mind. When I house sit I try to leave it as you left it (like I have not even been there!) and to love your precious pets in the way I want Marnie to be treated while I'm away. I owe you the peace of mind you seek. Without this, there would be no need for house sitters (like me) and with it the opportunity for great adventure (for you).

Each house sit has been a new and interesting episode in a way of life I would never have had the chance to experience! At the end of each house sit no-one really knows how to thank one another. The homeowner always feels like we have done them a great service and provided valuable peace of mind, I couldn’t be more thankful because I get to have my own mini-holiday and be surrounded by their wonderful pets.

So if you’ve ever had a bad experience that’s caused you to wake on your holiday in a cold sweat, have a furry kid that is a little mischievous (or precious to you) or you feel tied to the house in any way there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel! I'm available to house sit for 3 - 5 hours during the day, overnight or "live in" (24 hours) within South Brisbane, Gold Coast (yes all of the Gold Coast) and just "over the border" (Tweed region).


So don’t be afraid to leave home, get a house sitter. Your pets, plants, gardens and relatives will appreciate it!


Thursday, November 19, 2009

Worldwide Internet Puppy Scams


Please contact me asap if you are aware of someone
fraudulently using Gold Coast Pet Sitting name and/or logo.

From Dogmovers

… the world wide web .. i.e., the internet .. provides potential pet owners with a wide variety of information as well as the chance to purchase a pet and/or adopt a pet.

… we recently have been made aware of off-shore based companies purporting to be affiliated with various Pet transport businesses including our own as either agents, or partners.

Dogmovers is based on the Gold Coast in Australia, We have only one office in Australia and are not involved with international transport of pets of any kind. We transport pets only within the states of NSW & QLD in Australia and we only transport pets by Road. Never by Air.

We have no partners or affiliates anywhere. We do work closely with several local pet transport businesses however it is normal for us to contact all parties directly by phone to finalise any arrangements concerning bookings with us. We do not usually finalise any details via email.

Additionally in most cases payment for our services is made directly to our driver at the point where he picks up or drops off your pet, In the event that a client chooses to pay via credit card or internet Banking the details are relayed directly from us by phone. We do not hold bank accounts outside of Australia.

At this point we are aware of instances of our name and logo being used in relation to scams in North America as well as the names ANIMAL MOVERS CO LTD & Animal movers pet carriers & Air animal pet movers being used in Australia. In all of the instances we are aware of the pets concerned were British bulldog pups, being given away. All monies requested were for transport or vet services prior to travel.

… the common business profile of the off-shore based company is to have you transfer several hundred dollars to their off-shore locations …. Once they “set the hook” into you with your initial deposit .. .. they come back with a sense of urgency …. indicating there are additional funds required to have veterinarians conduct “tests” before the pet is released to you … and then request generally an additional USD$150.00 …. As you review their e mails to you …always with a sense of urgency directed towards you .. the unsuspecting consumer … you will observe frequent errors in spelling and significant errors in sentence structure.

… another identifier of the off-shore based company is their reluctance to provide you with flight details, airline schedules, and air cargo air way bill tracking numbers … the off-shore based company will only provide you with information after you have wired them additional funds.

If you have any doubts check out the companies website. If they are using the name Dogmovers and after reading the above you are still not sure, call us on (07) 5530 2710 and don't pay the money.

The following is a copy from an email distributed recently which i believe is linked to the current scam (we received this twice)...

Hi,

I am looking to place a litter of 5 adorable bulldog puppies and also the parents, they belong to my late mother in law who I was really close to and she passed away unexpectedly, she is so much in love with the bulldog breed, that she breeds only once a year for the love of the breed. My husband and I recently moved to a new apartment where pets are not allowed. I want to find these lovely puppies and the adults a permanent loving and caring homes, if you are interested in having them, please contact me immediately.

Have a nice day.

Jessica

If you wish to report a scam you can contact the following Queensland links or locate similar organisations in your own state.

Queensland Police Computer Crime Investigation Unit

External email - cciu@bigpond.com.au
Telephone - 61 7 3364 6943 or 61 7 3364 4113
Facsimile - 61 7 3364 6549

Brisbane Office of Fair Trading
Email: BrisbaneOFT@dtftwid.qld.gov.au
Level 21, State Law Building, 50 Ann Street, Brisbane
GPO Box 3111, Brisbane, QLD, 4001
Facsimile: (07) 3246 1589

Nationally, Scamwatch is part of the ACCC

http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/694011

If you have any other info that you think I should ad to the above let me know. I can be contacted by email at info@dogmovers.com.au

David Gallagher,

Dogmovers { SOURCE }


Sunday, November 8, 2009

What are the advantages of having a house sitter rather than leaving my house empty?

Leaving your property empty for any length of time is tantamount to asking for trouble. A vacant house is far more likely to be vandalized and burgled.


It may seem easier to lock your house up and simply walk (or drive) away rather than go through the process of finding a house sitter but your home is probably your most valuable asset and as such, deserves the protection that a house sitter can offer.





Your house sitter is working for you
It is a house sitter's job to ensure that the needs of your animals and property are met in all the ways that you specify. The relationship between home owner and house sitter is most often a mutually agreeable and productive one with good lines of communication established early on. Your house sitter will expect to be asked to perform a whole range of tasks to maintain your land and house in the same condition as when you left it. When negotiating the terms of the house sitting assignment, your house sitter will also agree to care for your pets to maintain their good health and happiness.


Your pets will thank you for it
The single most compelling reason for engaging the services of a live-in house sitter rather than letting your house fend for itself (and your pets pine for you from their cages) is the enormous cost of outside care for your animals. Animal psychologists and vets agree that boarding your animals for any length of time can place a huge strain on their physical and emotional health. Even taking your pets on holiday with you can be a far less pleasant experience for them than it is for you (think of cargo holds, vaccinations and sedatives, time spent in quarantine, time spent in a travel container, motion sickness, unfamiliar surroundings, hostile strange animals, unfamiliar food, heatstroke, having to sleep outside - the list goes on). A house sitter can go a long way toward meeting your pet's needs, providing companionship and love as well as keeping them fed, exercised, safe and healthy. If your animals are used to sleeping with you, you can even ask your house sitter if they would mind letting Fluffy in bed for a cuddle.


Keeping your life 'connected' while you're away
One of the less obvious benefits of having a house sitter is that they can keep your life back home 'connected' while you're away. By answering your door to any visitors and (if needed) forwarding your mail and messages to you, your house sitter provides the link between your old (usual) life and the life you're living while away. You can ask your house sitter to stay in regular contact with you to keep to you informed of any issues that may affect your animals or property. Of course, if you'd rather not know what's going on back home you can nominate someone else to be a contact person for your house sitter.

Insurance
Don't think that your insurance company will take up the slack and provide a safety net for your poor neglected home and its contents while you're away. It won't. Every home and contents policy contains a 'vacancy clause' which kicks in after your home has been empty for 30 (or sometimes 60) days and nullifies all of your cover. It is possible to buy cover for an empty house but the cost of the premium rapidly rises the longer your house is empty and quickly becomes sky-high.

Repairs and maintenance
Your house sitter is always on hand to organise repairs in the event of a minor or major emergency in your home during your absence. If there's a power outage you won't be smelling the contents of your freezer two blocks before you arrive home. A house sitter can keep the frog spawn and algae out of your pool and arrange to have a broken roof tile replaced before the situation deteriorates so far that you've got a damp wall and soggy ceiling to replace upon your return. One broken window can make your house enormously attractive to those who would take pleasure from breaking the rest, but not if your house sitter is on the job and quickly arranges for a replacement.

You won't have to prepare your house for vacancy
The amount of work required to prepare your home for your absence can be a daunting prospect. Concerns about how to find your sump pump and exterior hose bibs, how to properly seal drains and keep the ants out of your dishwasher while you're away are voiced on bulletin boards by anxious home owners the world over. If you don't want to have to drain or seal anything or install random-light-switch machines into your living spaces then consider engaging the services of a nice human being to keep your property humming along in its usual smooth way while you're away.

'Keeping an eye out' is never enough
Many home owners rely on neighbours, friends or relatives to 'keep an eye out' for them or 'pop in' to their empty property. Unfortunately this kind of piecemeal solution never quite works out as the power outage defrosts your freezer (unnoticed by Aunty Dot) and your lonely dog howls all day and night (annoying the neighbour but not enough to do anything about it). And without a resident house sitter happily going about their business in your house, the un-mown lawn and collection of rain-soaked junk mail is only going to encourage the wrong kind of visitor to your home. You have been warned.



As a professional house sitter, I also have references and a current police check available for inspection if required.


Visit my website for Gold Coast Pet Sitting, Dog Walking and House Sitting.