Pet sitters

 

From Hamsters to Hybrid Teams: Why I Understand the Real Need for Pet Sitting

I didn’t grow up with holidays. Or travel. Or even the idea of packing a suitcase. But I did grow up with a house full of animals and a fascination for exploring the natural world.

The OG were Tate and Lyle - the cats my parents had before they had children, so sweet they were named after sugar. Two "female" hamsters from the local pet shop followed. One morning, we had eight. (Biology it seems is not always a strong point of small-town pet shops.)

Over the years we added a school rabbit, a rescue cat named Matthew, some mysterious guinea pigs, and a birthday budgie. By the time I was a teenager, I was working at a local vet practice and living in a house with 13 cats. We never went on holiday, so finding someone to care for our animals was never a concern.

Fast-forward to my career in technical leadership with a big fat emphasis on driving inbound leads through engaging writing that demonstrated my expertise, where I led a fully remote, fast-scaling technical team. It turned out we all had pets, especially dogs. And when travel was needed - for client meetings, conferences, or campaigns, pet care quickly became a barrier.

That's when the real need for reliable, flexible pet sitting solutions became crystal clear. It's not just about logistics, it's about trust, peace of mind, and the freedom to say "yes" to opportunity without saying "no" to your pet.

This is where the story meets the tech curve.

Just as Facebook rewired how we connect, the rise of smart, entrepreneurial platforms - Airbnb, Uber, Just Eat, redefined how we trust strangers with our homes, our transport, even our dinner. Pet sitting is part of that same evolution: community-powered, trust-driven and tech-enabled.

It’s not just a service, it’s a lifestyle unlock. For modern workers with furry dependents, it’s the key to mobility, flexibility, and sanity.

With lifelong experience in caring for animals and a career steeped in remote work, community, and tech, I understand both sides of the leash.

And I’m still passionate about building and telling stories for organisations that live at the intersection of animals, people, and possibility.

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