In My Customers Own Words

I always encourage new clients to confirm reviews with one or two pet owners listed below. Should you want to contact any of the pet owners listed below, kindly contact me and I will reach out to them first via email or text. I will then be able to put you in touch with them.

REFERENCES:

 

Jackie and Ted - Foster City, CA (June 6 - 16, 2022)

Mary is the consummate house and pet sitter.  She is kind, caring and professional;  and  I can not think of a better person to care for our dog and our home while we were away.  She has extensive experience with all types of dogs and situations.  My dog, Ivy, can have issues with strangers, but she was comfortable with Mary from the start.

 

 Ivy loved her long daily walks, and the attention she received from Mary throughout the day.  She was extremely well cared for,  as was our home and yard.   It was a pleasure to return home and find everything in perfect order.

 

We highly recommend Mary and so look forward to have her stay in our home again.  

 

Jeremy and Loretta - Pleasant Hill, CA (June 2 - 6, 2022)

Mary was fantastic! Felt very comfortable leaving our two pups in her hands, and would gladly do so again.

•     Organised*****

•     Reliable*****

•     Self-sufficient*****

•     Tidy*****

•     Pet care*****

 

Hans and Robin - Mill Valley, CA (April 1-7, 2022)

Mary is a delight, both personally and as a house sitter. She was able to come to our house the night before our sit started and we were instantly at ease as we showed her the lay of the land. We enjoyed her company over dinner, and more importantly our pets enjoyed her company during the sit. We came home to happy pets and a clean house. And besides the photos during the sit, Mary also left us extremely helpful notes about our still maturing pets. We feel very fortunate to have had Mary here for this sit. 

•     Organized *****

•     Reliable *****

•     Self-sufficient *****

•     Tidy *****

•     Pet care*****

 

Carolyn - Redwood Shores, CA (March 17 - April 1, 2022)

I had Mary house/dog sit for 2 weeks in March 2022.  She did an absolutely wonderful job with my labradoodle, Charlie.  Mary was timely in her communication to me when we were setting up this house stay.   She arrived the night before I left so Charlie could transition easily once I left. Charlie immediately was comfortable with Mary and I left knowing that he would be loved and well taken care of.  

 

Mary followed his routine, a lot of walking and playing with a dog friend across the street.  She was able to train him to walk, sit/stay, and reduce his "bad behaviors" around other dogs and humans when they got close to him. This was amazing to me.  I had been working on some of his behaviors for months and Mary just had the right behavioral touch with him and when I returned he was my dream Charlie.  She and I walked him together and he followed the cues and I have been able to continue with the "right" behaviors she taught him. Mary left me detailed notes about their daily activities and the training cues and prompts that she taught him while I was gone.  She sent me photos of Charlie when I was on my trip and that was a treat for me. 

 

I highly recommend Mary to sit for any dog and/or pet.  She has amazing skills with dogs, she pays attention to the important details and follows through and my Charlie loved her.  And the topping of this experience is that Mary prepared a hot meal for me when I returned.  I couldn't have asked for anything better!!

 

Cynthia and Katherin - Santa Clarita, Los Angeles (February 7 - 26, 2022)

We were so pleased to have Mary house/cat sit for us. She sent us pictures of the cats every two days and let us know how they were doing. She kept the house clean, and the cats safe. She did us the favor of picking us up from the airport. Safe to say we would love to have her house/cat sit for us again!

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient *****

Tidy *****

Pet care*****

​

                                   Matilda and Matt - Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles (December 15 - 29, 2021)

"Mary is a totally reliable, experienced dog sitter, who we trusted fully and who took great care of our home and pets. Its always anxiety provoking to leave your pets in stranger's hands, but Mary made us feel very reassured. Lola, our more anxious dog, warmed to her immediately. She updated us regularly on the progress and was great at communicating any issues that arose.                                                                    We would love to have Mary back in a heartbeat!"

    Organized *****

  Reliable *****

           Self-sufficient *****

Tidy *****

    Pet care*****

​​

Carol and Bill - Kea’au, Hawai’i (September 22 - Oct. 4, 2021)

"Mary is the rare one.  She is a well traveled, smart, mature professional with a portfolio of abilities easily demonstrating a clear and comfortable familiarity with animals in family households here and abroad.  Sitting for our home can be a challenge for just about anyone whether they have lived with solar or not.  Our home is off the grid with electric company backup and as luck would have it the hot water system began having problems soon after we left on vacation.  Mary’s cool handling of the situation (pun intended) cleared any apprehension we ordinarily would have if we had someone else short of her temperament and ability house sitting for us. 

Her communication skills were terrific and we never had to worry about how our home and cat were doing.  Texts, photos, and casual commentary were timely and fun.  In addition, Mary even went out of her way to help our adopted cat with a hairball problem and as of a week later, our girl Sam no longer suffers its effects!  Lastly, Mary characteristically helped updating and editing our much needed house orientation guide for future use.

We surprisingly had a warm welcome homecoming .  Mary’s sophistication in the ways of the weary traveler and fellow globetrotter does credit to the few who really know.  We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Mary and getting to know her a little more that evening.

If you are lucky enough to have Mary pet/house-sit for you, she  will easily meet and exceed your expectations!"

 

This is an unsolicited appraisal given with no reservations.  Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.  Bill & Carol

​

Pamela and Colin Wright - Davistown. N.S.W. Australia (May 6-27, 2021)

"We were incredibly fortunate to have Mary Holmes as our house sitter / dog parent whilst on holidays for two weeks in May.

Our Spoodle is an elderly 16yrs.  and quite indulged and Mary would have exceeded all Molly’s expectations.  Mary kept in touch with us on an almost daily basis sending us videos & pictures of their daily walks together along the waterfront where we live.

We found Mary very easy to communicate with and struck up a great rapport with her. Mary even stayed a few extra days with us before flying back to Hawaii. We arrived home from our break to find the house absolutely spotless AND dinner prepared for us!

 

What a shame Mary has returned to her base;  we cannot recommend her highly enough and would not hesitate to leave our fur baby and house in her capable and responsible hands again."

 

Sara - Watsons Bay, Sydney (April 26 - May 5, 2021)

 "Mary was great! I had confidence she would be 'just right' as soon as I read her first message. Then we messaged some more and FaceTimed for quite a while by which time I was completely confident. I met her at Central Railway and we chatted some more as I drove her to my place. My sometimes 'grumpy old lady' cat met us at the front door and she and Mary bonded instantly. Later that night the cat slept in Mary's room, not mine! All went well while I was away and Mary sent photographs and we texted and chatted from time to time. I came home to a very relaxed cat and a clean and tidy house. My first night back the cat surprisingly slept in my room and not Mary's. Cats are like that - unpredictable! A very happy first experience with Aussie Housesitters for me and I would unreservedly recommend Mary." 

   House care*****

     Garden care*****

Pet care*****

             Communication*****

​

Kate - Morisset Park, New South Wales, Australia  (April 14-26, 2021)

"Mary is lovely. She left our house spotless (cleaner than we did). She took great care of our very large dogs and gave our cat a LOT of love. Would not hesitate to recommend her as a house sitter. You will not find better. She is intelligent and good company as well." 

                                                                                                      House care****

                                                                                                 Garden care*****

                                                                                                  Pet care*****

                                                                                                  Communication*****

 

Jennifer - Killara, Sydney, NSW (March 30 - April 13, 2021)

"Mary cared for our 2 year old labrador Mumble, our fish and our house so wonderfully. I can highly recommend her. She is trustworthy and very diligent in her care for both your home and pets. She had an amazing dinner waiting for us on return and we even managed to talk her into singing for us (which I also highly recommend!)."

                                                                                                         House care*****

                                                                                                   Garden care*****

                                                                                                   Pet care*****

                                                                                                         Communication*****

​

Ron - Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia (March 13 - 28, 2021)

"Mary was wonderful, she unfortunately stayed at our home during a 1 in 100 year flood but she was great. She kept us informed and even spent lots of time cleaning up the mud, bathing the dog, etc. Mary is easy to get along with, she was great with our pets (Golden Retriever, canary and sun conure) Our sun conure is not the easiest to get along with but Mary sang to him every day! Can't recommend Mary enough, we would have her back in a heartbeat, and I haven’t even mentioned the amazing meal she had waiting for us when we got home."                                                                

Organized*****

Reliable*****

Self-sufficient*****

Tidy*****

Pet care*****

​

Kayleigh B. - Cremorne, Sydney (February 10 - March 12, 2021) 5 stars *****

"Mary took excellent care of Earl Grey and kept him inside despite his cheeky escape attempts. The house was spotless on return and she was in regular communication throughout the stay. Thanks again Mary!" 

House care*****

Garden care*****

Pet care*****

Communication*****

 

Kim and Gil - Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia (January 29 - February 9, 2021)  5 stars *****

"Mary was a treasure that we were so blessed to have found. She is a warm, caring professional sitter who our dogs adored and missed after she left us. She took them for long walks around the lake and I think one of the dogs lost weight ( she needed to ) and was actually acting like a puppy again. Mary sent regular photos of them on their walks. Our house was well maintained, plants and garden watered. We highly recommend her and hope she enjoyed her time in our family as much as we did meeting her.

We would welcome her back anytime. This is our first experience with a sitter and so happy it was Mary."

Pets well cared for***** 

Followed instructions***** 

Home neat and clean*****

Maintained garden***** 

Punctual*****

Resourceful*****

 

Gwawr and Peter - Grays Point, Sydney (January 10 - January 29, 2021) 5 stars *****

"This was our first experience of having a pet/house sitter and Mary was amazing! Our 9 month old puppy was quite new to us and we had booked our holiday before getting him but all went smoothly with Mary looking after him. He needs plenty of exercise so Mary took him to the dog beach regularly. She is very knowledgable in all aspects of caring for dogs and had lots of helpful advice for us. She also helped with his training and took him for a follow up appointment with the vet.

She also looked after the house very well and when we got back it was cleaner and tidier than when we left. And she cooked us a delicious meal! She stayed a couple of extra nights at the end of the pet sit and was a pleasure to have around."

Pets well cared for***** 

Followed instructions***** 

Home neat and clean*****

Maintained garden***** 

Punctual*****

Resourceful*****

​

Hazel and John - Mortlake, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (December 21, 2020 - January 8, 2021)

"Wow, where to begin. Mary was everything we needed and more. She was lovely and fun. Our cat took to her immediately - which never happens. I'm sure our cat wanted us to leave earlier than we had scheduled! I was more than confident with Mary using my car and accessing whatever she needed in our home. Our cat and home were in fantastic condition when we returned and a lovely home cooked meal was waiting for us. Our lovely cat had gone off dry food and Mary managed to slowly get her back eating it which was great! You will not go wrong if you have Mary to house/pet sit for you. You can go away and truly relax knowing everything is in good hands. More than happy to be contacted to discuss." Hazel E. - Mortlake (Inner West, Sydney)

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient*****

Tidy *****

Pet care *****

 

Phil and Christel Jensen - Mansfield, Vic , Australia (October 9 - December 19, 2020)

"Mary Holmes was our house /pet sitter for 7 weeks from October 2020 to December 2020. Ours is a hobby farm with 2 rescue dogs, 3 rescue cats, 2 horses and 6 hens and a rooster. Mary is a true animal lover and all of our animals responded very positively to her care and love. She is clean and tidy and left the apartment in a neat orderly condition. Mary has had some fascinating experiences on her travels and has friends she stays in communication with all over the world. We would be delighted to welcome her back should the opportunity arise, and of course, are available to give a verbal reference."

 

Shaun - Leongatha, Victoria, Australia (February 27 - March 11, 2020)

"Anyone who has Mary house and pet sit is very lucky. She left the house immaculate and looked after our dog Molly as if she was her own. She took her out on plenty of walks and outings to the beach, and kept us up to date with photos and emails. Wouldn’t hesitate in having another housesit if Mary was available in the future. Thanks so much Mary."

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient*****

Tidy *****

Pet care *****

 

Janna - Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand (January 28- February 12, 2020)

“Mary is fantastic and exactly the kind of wonderful person anyone would want caring for their home and precious pets. Mary is warm, friendly, easy to get along with and she took fantastic care of our dog and home. She walked our pup every day and sent us photos of her out on adventures. She watered the garden, kept our home clean and tidy and we even arrived home to a beautifully set table and delicious dinner! A real treat. We love Mary and would highly recommend her to anyone and everyone looking for a house and dog/pet sitter. She really is the best.”

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 

 

Carissa - Oropi, Tauranga, New Zealand (13 January - 28th January, 2020)

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 

“Mary was fantastic and we had regular updates on our pets. She was an absolute pleasure and very easy to talk to. Our dog loved Mary (and my children as well). I would highly recommend Mary to anyone who is wanting someone to look after your house and pets like you do :)”

 

Steve, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (January 6-13, 2020)

"Mary sat for our 2 cats in Auckland for a week in Jan 2020. She was fantastic! Mary was easy to communicate with before the sit and took amazing care of our house and furry friends. The house was cleaner than when we left it :) Mary sent us regular updates on our cats and it was clear they were in caring hands. She went above and beyond to ensure both our cats were at home and ready for their big international move when we returned (including canvassing the neighborhood for our wandering ginger tabby....).

No hesitation in recommending. Aloha Mary :)"

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient *****

Tidy *****

Pet care *****

 

Paul & Andrew, Auckland, New Zealand, January, 2020 (December 6, 2019-January 4, 2020)

"We would highly recommend Mary Holmes to house sit for you and to take care of your pets. Mary previously house sat for us in 2015, when she looked after our two precious and elderly dogs. We were delighted that Mary agreed to house sit again for us recently. This assignment was from 6 December 2019 to 4 January 2020 and included looking after our 15 year old, recently-adopted, cat. Mary inspires confidence and does a professional job of looking after your home and your pets. She is highly organized, totally reliable and an excellent communicator. She will keep you posted about your house and pets as much as you require while you are away. Coincidentally, Mary has also house sat for other family members of mine, who have also been delighted with her service and who have repeatedly invited her back to look after their home and elderly pets.

                               We would highly recommend Mary to take care of all your house sitting and pet sitting needs." 

​

Carol and Yannick, Hawaii (September 19, 2019 - October 28, 2019)

"Mary has been an awesome house sitter. We have used her twice and will gladly use her again and recommend her to anyone else. She is obviously an animal lover and experienced in their care. She sends us regular texts with pictures of the dogs at the beach or park. When one of our dogs needed veterinary cary she quickly notified us and took her to the vet. All worked out well because of her promptness. We always come home to a clean home and a bonus...dinner is ready!"

Tidy*****

Organized*****

Good at pet care*****

Reliable*****

Kept in contact*****

Friendly*****

Good in the garden*****

Handy around the house*****

 

Denise, Hawaii (September 9 - 19, 2019)

"Mary Holmes is an excellent house-sitter and pet sitter. She is dependable, conscientious, and very responsible which equates to total peace of mind for you while you are away. You can count on Mary to communicate regularly with you, and when you return home you will find your house well taken care of and your beloved pet/pets happy and healthy. My husband and I would not hesitate for a moment to have Mary care for our home and our precious dog again!"

                                                                                            Aloha from Hawaii,

Denise

 

Susan, Hawaii (June 28 - September 5, 2019)

"Mary has house/pet sat for us the last three summers for 8 to 10 weeks at a time. She has weathered hurricanes, broken appliances, water leaks and a then 3 month old golden retriever puppy without a hitch! We have complete trust in her ability to handle any situation and give our dog unconditional love. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me for additional information or questions.

                                                                              She has become one of our family." 

Tidy *****

Organized *****

Good at pet care *****

Reliable *****

Kept in contact *****

Friendly *****

Good in the garden *****

Handy around the house *****

 

Dawn - Saint-André-de-Roquelongue, France (May 1 - 22,  2019)

"Mary dog sat for us for 3 weeks in May. She kept us updated with photos of her and dog out walking in the vineyards, but otherwise left us to get on with the work we had gone to do. Dog happy = us happy. We lent her a car and she took us to and collected us from the airport, and we came home to a clean house and a cooked meal. What a pleasure!"

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient *****

Tidy *****

Pet care *****

 

Hilary and Julian, Leychert, France  (March 24 - April 17, 2019)

"Please come back!

What to say about Mary, beyond that she arrived as a stranger and left as a friend. She is conscientious, super-tidy, thoughtful, caring and fun. We came home to a cleaner house than we left, and with supper waiting for us! We were delighted that she could stay a few days after the sit for us to get to know her better. Didn't want her to leave.... One of our cats was bitten in a fight while we were away. She looked after him wonderfully. He's usually very timid but he loved Mary! Even after she had tended his wounds. She kept us updated regularly with information and pics of the cats so we could relax and just think about our holiday. Our village adopted Mary too and she enjoyed (I hope!) our village choir and Franglais group and meeting some of our friends. We all really enjoyed her company. We'd be delighted to be references for Mary for any future house/pet sit." 

Tidy *****

Organized *****

Good at pet care *****

Reliable *****

Kept in contact *****

Friendly *****

Good in the garden *****

Handy around the house *****

​

Carol C. and Mike A. - St. Racho, Burgundy France (October 13, 2018 - March 24, 2019)

"The best!"

"Mary has done two long winters it’s for us and has become a great friend. She is conscientious and caring and very sociable. She has made many firm friends in the area and we hope to see lots more of her. Our cats adore her and fight for bed space near her!

She comes very highly recommended from us." 

Tidy *****

Organized *****

Good at pet care *****

Reliable *****

Kept in contact *****

Friendly *****

Good in the garden *****

Handy around the house *****

 

Geri & Glenn P. - Menlo Park, California (May 1 - August 1, 2018)

"Mary Holmes dog sat our two dogs (8 lbs and 13 lbs) for 3 months while we were out of the country on vacation.

The most important aspect we look for in a dog sitter is that they care for our pets with love and attention to the details we prescribe as necessary for the dogs welfare. The proof Mary did a great job was evidenced upon our return: our pets were happy and healthy. They absolutely had fallen in love with Mary, their weight was appropriate, no accidents to them had occurred, and they were very happy.

Mary had a strict regimen to follow in pill administration to one of our pets who has seizures and suffers from allergies. She drove them both to get nail trims, she bathed them, and she regularly sent us photos and updates on their care.

Mary is charming and communicative. She is a pleasure to work with and has an obvious affinity for animals.

                                      We will keep in touch with Mary as it would be fortuitous to re-hire her on another occasion."

 

Ann and Way T. - Los Altos Hills, California (April 20 - 29, 2018)

"I guess all the things I can say about how great Mary is as a house and pet sitter have already been mentioned in her other references. Mary (and how she was with the dog she cared for) is every bit like what everyone said. She is smart, funny, friendly, tidy, and pays a lot of attention to our dog about not only how she is but also what she wants. We are so happy we got her for taking care of our dog, and the house was so clean when we got home that I was just totally impressed.

We wish she would come back to our area a lot more in the future so we can schedule our travel time based on her schedule."

 

Ryne F. - Mountain View, California (February 5-6, 2018)

"Mary was amazing with our pup Gracie! Long story short, my Rover sitter didn't show up one morning. I reached out to many Rover sitters and Mary responded promptly. She took care of Gracie that morning and for the entire next day. She took exceptional care of Gracie and I could not be happier. I highly recommend Mary for anyone in the area looking for a pup sitter."

 

Carrie H. - Los Altos Hills, California (December 22 - January 7, 2018)

"Mary has been fantastic, not only is she absolutely brilliant with our beloved dog, but she is an absolutely lovely lady too, she is always willing to go above and beyond and nothing is too much trouble for her, I cannot recommend her enough."

 

Harmen - Burgundy, France (September 21 - October 11, 2017)

"Mary is a wonderful, warm, very sociable person and she has become more than just a housesitter, but also a good friend. The only slight disadvantage is that one is usually away for most of the time when she is here! She is very good with our cats and they obviously like her a lot too. And she is definitely all of the things mentioned below: a 5 star housesitter!"

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient *****

Tidy *****

Pet care *****

 

Susan - Hawaii (July 28 - September 2, 2017)

"We enlisted the house and puppy pet house sitting service of Mary Holmes for one month. She was outstanding in all aspects of her responsibilities to our home as well as for our 3 month old golden retriever. Mary is personable so that the neighbors were comfortable with her as were our friends. She went beyond her responsibilities by doing some termite repair as well as fixing us a delicious welcome home dinner.
Our puppy, Kale, was kinda lost without her the first couple of days after we returned. Fortunately we were able to continue the training she enforced , which was excellent, and he is thriving under our care. We consider Mary our newest friend and would certainly recommend her to any one."  Susan and Michael

Organized *****

Reliable *****

Self-sufficient *****

Tidy *****

Pet care *****

 

Carol - Hawaii (June 6 - July 5, 2017)

"Mary did an awesome job for us and we couldn't be happier. When we returned the house was very clean and our dogs were happy and healthy. She went a few steps beyond by preparing dinner for us and sending us pictures of the dogs happily enjoying life to reassure us while we were gone. We would definitely use her again and recommend her to others as well."

Carol, Kaneohe, Hawaii

• Tidy

• Organized

• Good at pet care

• Reliable

• Kept in contact

• Friendly

• Good in the garden

• Handy around the house

 

Graham Stiles - Fort Worth, TX (multiple dates 2016 and 2017)

"Mary was amazing!
During her stay, we had extremely cold weather (especially for North Texas).

This caused a few plumbing issues at the house, including a busted pipe with water getting into the house. She notified us of the issue and took care of clean up. I highly recommend and trust her." 

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

 

Jennifer - Fort Worth, TX (February, 2017)

"We cannot say enough about our wonderful experience with Mary! Not only did she take exceptional care of our dogs, she went above and beyond to give each of them special attention, daily exercise and and lots of love. In the past, leaving our dogs to go on vacation was a great source of stress and our dogs were always so anxious when we returned. Knowing that our dogs were in such great hands with Mary (and that they were happy) made our time away so much better and we came home to happy, relaxed dogs. As if her special care for our dogs wasn't enough, we returned home to a WONDERFUL home cooked meal and a spotless house (it was much cleaner when we returned than when we left it!). My husband and I couldn't be happier about our experience."

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

 

Penny - Launceston, Tasmania Australia (April, 2016)

"Mary house sat for us for two months while I was overseas visiting my husband who works and lives abroad. Her primary responsibility was caring for our aged fur-babies: an old and physically impaired dog and an elderly cat who perceives herself as royalty! I could not be happier with the care Mary provided. She medicated, petted, fed, played with and indulged both our pets as we would and I am very grateful for her kindness and attentiveness in this regard. She emailed me regular updates and photos of the fur-babies during my time away which I really appreciated. Apart from this she looked after our newly renovated home beautifully. Our gardener commented on what a lovely person she was and how easy she was to work with. Mary really engaged with the local community and was both liked and admired by my neighbours and friends alike. Mary went above and beyond the call of duty in trying to resolve arrangements with our telecommunications company who were consistently unreliable in keeping appointments. When I returned home she had a lovely meal ready. She had already invited my best friend to come as a little welcome home gesture. It was a lovely evening, tasty meal and a very nice welcome home.

I would recommend Mary unreservedly as a very capable house/pet-sitter and someone who is an interesting and genuinely lovely person. Thank you Mary." 

Penny - Launceston, TAS, Australia

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

​

Linda - Queensland, Australia (March, 2016)

"Mary did such a fabulous task of housesitting - more apt to say dog sitting as the house can look after itself - that I think my dog might have wanted to leave with Mary. She took time to get to know and bond with the pampered pooch Murphy so he felt comfortable and was very happy to stay with Mary. Murphy was walked, petted and I am sure thoroughly spoilt.

There was an incident with Murphy while I was away - very minor - and she was great - let me know, rang the vet and contacts I had left and handled the situation perfectly. Did exactly what I would have done.

On the house side of things - everything was absolutely fine - plants and gardens were well looked after and watered, the house was clean and tidy - nothing broken or damaged and the fridge was full of food when I got back!

Apart from being the perfect person to look after your pet and house - in the short time I spent with Mary I found her to be a genuinely nice person - an added bonus.

I can only say positive things about Mary - and hope she might be in my part of the world when I go away again..."

 Linda - Queensland, Australia

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

​

Kathryn - Victoria, Australia (November 21 - December 7, 2015)

"Mary was our first house / pet sitter. She is an absolute breath of fresh air, caring, honest and considerate . We would recommend Mary every time, her understanding and expertise in handling our 4 yr old German Shepherd was a joy to watch . Mary is a rare gem.

I hope we can keep in touch."

Kathryn - Warrnambool, VIC, Australia

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

​

Cris - Russell, New Zealand (2014 and 2015)

"Mary is an outstanding individual and a superb house sitter!! She took care of our home and dog during the 5 weeks we were away. In that time, she managed to not only care for Tui, but help her become a well behaved animal that is now a joy to be around. Mary is a "dog whisperer"! In addition to keeping our home and garden immaculate, Mary integrated smoothly into the community making several friends here.

She takes the initiative, is intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate. Mary is also completely responsible, honest and independent. I would recommend Mary as an exceptional house sitter and human being!"

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

Cris - Russell, New Zealand

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(*Recommendation sent to prospective house sit homeowner) (February, 2015)
Hello Terese,
I am so pleased Mary gave you my name as a reference. She is a remarkable individual and you would be fortunate to have her housesit for you and your dogs. Mary worked with Tui (my dog) and when I returned home, I found Tui much calmer and well mannered than when I left. She adored Mary and obey her because everything Mary did with her was done positively and gently. NO loud voice or shouting ; just soft commands that our dog responded to quickly.
In addition, Mary joined into the community and fit in so well that even today people ask after her and mention how much they enjoyed meeting her...in this small community that says heaps about Mary’s excellent character and outgoing personality. She is dependable, honest, tidy and willing to pitch in wherever she is needed. IN fact, when I returned home this Oct and was severely pushed for time to open my art gallery, Mary, who was free of her responsibilities tome, volunteered to stay for a few extra days and help me set up the gallery!! Seriously, without her help I am not certain I could have done all the work that was necessary to do within the time deadline. Mary remains a “gift” to me!! 

So, Terese, if you want someone to care (and I mean really care) for your dogs, your home and your peace of mind, have Mary housesit for you. It will be a great decision. 

Please let me know if you need any additional information and good luck. 

Sincerely,
Cristine A. 

Russell, New Zealanbd

 

Karen - Hobart, Tasmania (December 7 - January 13, 2015)

"Mary minded our aging dog and our grumpy old cat while we were overseas for 5 weeks. We highly recommend Mary as a house sitter. From our first communication we found Mary to be very warm, friendly, capable, reliable and professional. Mary bonded instantly with our dog and even managed to win over our aloof cat. We returned home to find that Mary had taken meticulous and exceptional care of our spoilt pets, our car and our home. Annie was fit and happy, she had obviously enjoyed the many lovely walks Mary took her on. Mary picked us up from the airport and it was wonderful walking into not only a spotless house, but a lovely home cooked dinner. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Mary before we left and after we returned. We would love to have Mary stay with us again, we feel very fortunate to have met her and hope to keep in touch. Thank you so much Mary!"

Karen - Hobart, Tasmania (Australia)

Organised ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

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Helen - Point Wells, New Zealand (September, 2015)

"My cat was quite unwell which is why we got a house sitter in the first place. We were so pleased to meet Mary Holmes after initially talking with her via email and phone - she is friendly, widely travelled, independent and resourceful.

Mary always consulted us before making decisions for the cat and house, and texted regularly to keep us informed. Our friends and neighbours enjoyed meeting her, and when we got home the house was immaculate and dinner was waiting - amazing. We feel really blessed we were lucky enough to find Mary as our house sitter."

Helen - Point Wells, New Zealand

Organized ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

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Paul - Auckland, New Zealand (August, 2015)

"We were very happy indeed to have secured Mary's services for a 3 week house and pet sit in August 2015. Mary was very easy to communicate with and turned out to be an exceptional house sitter. She was very resourceful and self sufficient and it was a pleasure to spend time with her to get to know her as a person (a very nice one at that). Our house and elderly dogs were looked after exceedingly well. We would certainly use Mary's services again and have recommended her to others."

Paul - Auckland, New Zealand

Organised ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

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Roger - Auckland, New Zealand (August 31 - September 24, 2014 and 2015)

"Mary is a very friendly, reliable and knowledgeable person.

Her dog handling skills are exceptional and proved invaluable for us with our 9 month old puppy, who she worked with and trained.

She relates well with people and is outgoing, ready to try anything.

She got on well with the rest of our family and friends.

She kept the house neat and tidy and prepared a meal on our return.

We would recommend Mary to anyone seeking a trustworthy and caring house/pet sitter."

Roger - Auckland, New Zealand

Organised ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

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Carol - Burgundy, France (January/February, 2015)

"Mary was a very reliable and caring sitter. She looked after our home and pets as though they were her own and we returned to happy animals and a clean, warm and welcoming house. She is very sociable and enchanted our neighbours and friends and enjoyed a varied and busy social life whilst she was here. She is capable and self reliant, but made contact when she needed us. We would recommend her highly to anyone needing care for a home or animals..or both!"

Carol - Saint Racho, France

Organised ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

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Jenny - Cambridge, New Zealand (July 12 - August 30, 2014)

"Mary looked after our 10 year old small dog and our house while we were away for 6 weeks.

We were delighted to come home to a very happy and well cared for dog and a house that was very clean and tidy.

Our large grounds were in great shape, all the leaves were raked up and the lawns mown.

We would be very happy to have her back any time and would highly recommend her to anyone wanting a pleasant ,friendly and reliable house sitter."

Jenny - Cambridge, New Zealand

Organised ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ★★★★★

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Bob -Kailua, O'ahu Hawaii (July, 2015)

(House sit only - no pets)

"We've enjoyed many house sitters over the years. While they all have been great, Mary has been the best! What makes her exceptional? Glad that you asked: she is very interested in knowing the specifics of what we typed up on the multi-page suggestions for living in our home (all homes have their own unique quirks), she kept the house exactly as we left it (clean, tidy, well-kept plants), she offered (but we declined) to mow the lawn, she offered to take the place of our cleaning lady (we accepted), and we returned to a ready-made fresh dinner and spotless home! What's not to appreciate about that kind of work-ethic, behavior, and concern for another person's home?"

Robert - Kailua, Hawaii

Organised ★★★★★

Reliable ★★★★★

Self Sufficient ★★★★★

Tidy ★★★★★

Pet Care ☆☆☆☆☆