I am a Writer and this is why I have chosen to do what I do. House and pet setting provides me with the opportunity to write full time whilst having just enough to live a peaceful, self-sufficient way of life and no more. I do not have a home base and go from booking to booking, because I do not charge enough to have a home base which is fine, because I am still very much enjoying what I do and th
ere are great potential rewards for both myself and for you; I get to write peacefully and live a healthy way of life, and you get to have 100% peace of mind whilst you are away, knowing that your pet(s) are being loved and cared for and that your house will be returned to you in excellent order. I do not enter a booking because I need the money, and neither do I enter a booking because I need a roof over my head. This is something I need to make clear from the start. I am oversubscribed and I choose to come into your home, based on how I feel about our communications and a decision has never been based on the fact I am being paid. Communication is something of the utmost importance to me. I like to acknowledge all emails or messages to me, no matter how small or irrelevant they may seem and in good time. If I can't give an immediate answer to something, or I am pressed for time, and unable to update you immediately, I like to let you know that and to thank you for your email/message and provide you with a time frame that I will be able to fully respond, as I wouldn't want you to think that I was neglecting your needs or prioritising my own life and needs over yours. If this is not your way of being, or you feel that you wouldn't be able to meet those expectations for me in return, then we would not be suited to enter an arrangement. I am entering your home; it doesn't get more personal than that, and a slow response and effort to engage from the start, does not bode well for a harmonious relationship based on mutual respect and equality, that is needed for this to happily work for us. The commitment of my time devoted to your home and pet(s) is something I happily give to you, as a balance between my needs and your own but it all hangs on there being a warm and respectful relationship that exists between us. If you are simply seeking a Service and a booking that is based on an impersonal financial transaction with only your needs and considerations in mind, then I am not the person for you and do not read on. However, if you feel happy and comfortable so far, then please, continue reading and find out more. Pets & poems
Taking into consideration the above opening statement, I ask for privacy, independence and your home becoming my home whilst you are away, and in return I freely and happily choose to devote the majority of my time to the love and care of your beloved pet(s) and to ensure your home is safe and secure* until your return. As long as the fundamental requirements of warmth, safety and security are met, I would be more than happy to stay in your home, whilst you are away., * Please note, in keeping with this sense of it being my home whilst you are away, I request that all remote security and monitoring cameras and technology are deactivated during my stay. Since August 2014 I have been a full-time House and Pet-Sitter, which has given me the opportunity to live a peaceful, healthy and creative life, and which also gives space for my writing. After almost 17 years in social work, I strive to experience this as a way of life, rather than regarding Pets & poems as a Business. I have visited many locations in Oxfordshire and the UK, whilst ensuring the pets in my care are given all the love and security they need whilst their owners are away. I have looked after mainly dogs, cats, poultry, house and gardens and have a wealth of experience and confidence behind me. I am able to offer complete peace of mind which is a central part of making sure I find this way of life fulfilling for others as well as for myself. My philosophy is to charge as low a rate as possible which allows for a mutually beneficial arrangement and acknowledges the utility usage whilst in your home. I am very much a ‘home bird’ and although I am in effect only charging for two hours of dog walking a day and/or the commitment to not be away from the home for an unreasonable amount of time each day, I am with the pets in my care, and in the home, for the majority of a twenty-four-hour period and as a rule I am away for no more than 2-3 hours at a time. This is purely because it fits in with my way of life, and therefore house and pet sitting is ideal for myself and the home/pet owner, because the pets get all the companionship and security they need, but this should not be regarded in any way as a twenty-four-hour obligatory level of commitment, as my daily charge by no means resembles an hourly rate for the level of commitment and investment of time I am offering to you. In keeping with the ethos of your home becoming my home whilst you are away, and the respectful boundaries that that implies, I would be grateful if any ‘signed for’ orders and deliveries (that require me to wait in), and building or maintenance work, are not scheduled during my stay and I would be grateful for plenty of planning and advanced notice, ahead of the one-month commitment stage, if you have any doubts around this commitment, in order to avoid any misunderstanding in regard to expectations of my presence in the home and my role within it. I would also be grateful if you would organise for calls to be re-directed or for answer machine service to be set up to avoid any expectations of my taking calls on your behalf. My mobile number will always be the main point of contact, as well as email which is checked regularly, and so you will always be able to get hold of me. It is important to stress that when a respectful relationship exists, I am more than happy to help if I can, but highlighting this in my introduction minimises the risk of there being any misunderstanding around my role and presence in the household. I am there to keep your pets and home safe and secure and at least as good as when you left them, and there my responsibility begins and ends. N.B In regard to cleaners/gardeners, please let me know at the point of booking, if there is a weekly presence in the home, simply so that I am aware of this in advance, and if their access to the property relies on my presence. I can then make a fully informed decision on whether to proceed, and please bare in mind, I may have commitments and appointments that coincide with the days that other people are due. General Guide to Live in Daily Rates (Standard Needs)
Definition of Standard Needs. Although this is largely relevant to dog care, it applies to all pets and circumstances where the pet(s) and property can be left unattended up to a maximum of three to four hours at a time and can be walked well on lead and/or have good recall off lead. It means they don’t jump, bite, nip, or show aggression to any significant degree and behave in a generally well trained and well behaved manner. As a rule, I will decline a booking if I can only leave the house for 1-2 hours only each day. If you feel your pets have higher needs, this needs to be discussed at the point of booking so that I am able to make an informed decision on whether to proceed.
• £35 for house/cat/bird*(s)garden*
(*Reasonable daily watering- half hour or so as general guide - and any more intensive watering to be discussed beforehand)
(*applies to cats/birds with standard needs. £5 will be added to rate if further needs)
• £40 for up to two dogs*
(*applies to dogs with standard needs - higher needs need to be fully discussed)
• £45 for three dogs (or further pet care/responsibilities) above two dogs
(dogs with standard needs, as above)
(Please note. Very occasionally, I am able to do a day-sit but a day rate/live out rate would apply and would be more in line with an hourly rate to reflect the more concentrated investment of time and travel. The rate is flexible depending on duration, and distance). There is no depreciation charge on mileage, only the petrol cost of travel. There are often assignments that don’t fit neatly into the above categories including additional needs of house or pets or where there are four or more dogs and/or Poultry care. Each new Assignment will be treated on its individual merit and will be discussed fully with the home/pet owner before reaching an agreement on a final rate. The earliest arrival time on day 1 of the booking is 10am to allow for travel, and the latest departure time on the last day is 5pm. However, this may alter depending on what bookings are on either side and my location at the time, and I will always do my best to work with the home/pet owner to find a solution. For example, if the home/pet owner is due to leave very early morning, then if possible, I would call in the evening before, to carry out the handover and to collect the keys. Please note: As all arrangements are confirmed at least one month in advance, it is the overall responsibility of the home/pet owner to make their own arrangements for the period before my arrival at 10am and my departure at 5pm and there should be no expectation of my having responsibility in regard to this matter and as part of the daily rate that I am charging. Cancellation Notice/Loss of Income
I would like to avoid formal contracts in order to ensure Pets & poems runs on the basis of mutual good will and integrity and not on formal business terms. However, in order to protect against loss of income, I ask for the full amount to be paid one month prior to the booking to act as the holding payment. If, due to a cancellation, an alternative booking can then be found within the first two weeks of the final month, then a minimum 50% refund would be honoured on all occasions. I’d like to emphasise that cancellations which occur before the final month would not require a holding fee as the standard one-month notice period allows sufficient time for both parties to make alternative arrangements. Either of us are entirely at liberty to cancel or to change our minds before this one-month period and I would request a clear understanding and respect for the equality of these terms. I am just as important as you, and you are just as important as me, and if this genuine spirit exists, then it would and should mean we remain warm, polite and understanding towards each-other at every step of the way. To date, and over the many years I have been house and pet sitting, I have only had to cancel bookings on a couple of occasions due to boundaries being breached or not respected and this has only occurred before the final one-month commitment stage. However, if during the last month there are behaviours or circumstances that concern me and I do not wish to proceed and which are due to a clear breach of the terms and expectations that have been clarified in my Introduction and to which you have previously agreed, then I reserve the right to withdraw from the booking and to retain either 50-100% of the booking fee, depending on the extent of the breach and how near to the actual Sit the breach occurs.* see below As I work alone, it is always good to have a contingency plan in place, in case due to ill health or another unforeseen circumstance, I was unable to commit to a booking. To date, this has never occurred, but it is a safe practice all the same and this should be regarded as the responsibility of the pet/homeowner. If I had to withdraw due to an emergency or ill health during the final month leading up to the booking, I would of course return the payment in full. Please do ask me any questions in relation to this Introduction and I will be happy to chat further. It is rather lengthy, but in the long run, will save us both a lot of time and bother. With warm wishes,
Lorraine
*Please note, a recent breach occurred, three days before a ten-day sit was due to commence, whereby I received notice of a long list of staff and builders who would be present at the property during my stay and all with open access to the house (with keys) and to facilities, on a daily basis. Late notification was also given that security cameras would not be deactivated as previously assured. The household had enthusiastically agreed to all the terms and requests laid out in the Introduction above, and we had also met in person where I had the opportunity to emphasise my motivations and wishes further. This was the first occasion where I had no alternative but to withdraw, and suffered serious financial loss and inconvenience as a result, as I had not protected myself against such a scenario, having hitherto believed my Introduction combined with the household’s integrity, would be enough to safeguard me from such an event occurring. It is with sadness therefore that I have had to add this extra clause into my Introduction.
